I3S × OSGB! Interoperability of 3D city models

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A new era of 3D city data
As demand for digital twins and smart cities grows, the development and use of 3D city models is progressing rapidly. At the heart of this is a 3D tile format that can efficiently visualize and distribute buildings, terrain, and more.

Among them, the “Indexed 3D Scene Layer (I3S)” format, which is widely used in Esri’s ArcGIS platform, has become a standard, especially for local governments and large-scale GIS projects.

What are the benefits of the I3S format?

I3S is an advanced 3D data format with the following features:

🌍 Multiple hierarchies and LOD (Level of Detail) support enable lightweight display

🏢 Supports multiple types such as buildings, point clouds, and meshes

🔄 High compatibility with ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Pro

🌐 Strong in real-time display via web browsers

However, on the other hand, there is also the issue of “low compatibility with other 3D platforms.” For example, interoperability with Cesium, FME, OSGB (tilt photography), etc. is limited, and many people have trouble centrally managing and reusing 3D assets.

GISBox considering I3S conversion support?

In light of this background, the 3D geospatial management platform “GISBox” is expected to add support for the I3S format and a conversion function to OSGB/3D Tiles in the future.

GISBox is currently a SaaS-based 3D spatial tile generation and distribution solution that supports major formats such as S3M, OSGB, and 3D Tiles, and can integrate multiple data such as point clouds, tilt photos, and BIM models.

If automatic conversion, preview, and distribution of I3S to 3D Tiles, I3S to OSGB, etc. were to be realized,

✅ Assets built with ArcGIS can be used in other engines (Cesium, Unreal, Unity, etc.)

✅ Web distribution and API integration of I3S format data is possible

✅ Improved reusability of 3D data between different projects and companies and other great benefits would be created.

Expected future prospects

Currently, GISBox is used by many public institutions and construction and civil engineering companies, and requests for “Is I3S support available?” are increasing. This truly represents the market need to effectively utilize I3S data outside the Esri platform.

If “I3S conversion and import” is realized in a future update, it will be a major opportunity for not only ArcGIS users but also a wide range of industries to switch to GISBox.

🔖Summary

The era of 3D geospatial data is evolving beyond the barriers of format.
The I3S format is no exception, and our next step is to make its rich structure available for other 3D platforms.
Please keep an eye on the future evolution of GISBox.

GISBox Official Teams: https://teams.live.com/l/invite/FEAr12sInvEVy4hFQE
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