Re: Proposal for GeoVRML Working Group

["Eric Maranne" <eminfo@easynet.fr>]

Hello Lee and everybody,
Thanks for the geovrml list to exist.  :-)

I wrote an app that produces VRML from MapInfo software. MapInfo is a simple
PC based vector GIS.

I've seen a lot of discussion about DEMs and Elevation grids, but - as a
user and provider - this is not the main trend of VRML and GIS integration
that I had to deal with, although an important one.
This for two reasons:
     - DEM visualization is rather difficult to use through the net since it
involves bulky worlds, with nested LODs, and heavy work to get a meaningful
representation at various resolutions/zoomings.
    - height information is only one information, in fact, a map is designed
to represent lots of other informations.
Of course, any spatially continuous information might be represented by an
elevation grid, but, continuous informations over space are not this
numerous, and for plenty of users, height information is no use.

What my clients are asking for is:
     a quality shift in representation (this is why maps have been created
for)
     a quantity shift (how to present more geobased information than in 2D)
     a 'flashy', 'high tech' and low cost communication vector and media
(easy part with VRML, except when it comes to dynamically link a
representation to a database field ...)

As far as I'm concerned, georeferenced data representation is the trickiest
part of it. Lots of conventional symbols and representation paradigms have
been designed in 2D. What do they have to look like in Dynamic 3D ? Should
we design new symbols ? Do they have to be dynamic ? What does it involves
in the cognitive work of perception ? What are the best suited concepts ?

I'd be happy to offer an enhanced evaluation version of my product to the
list as an example of GIS / VRML integration, as an example, but I don't
know wether there's an FTP site somewhere.

Eric
eminfo@easynet.fr




-----Message d'origine-----
De : Lee Iverson <leei@ai.sri.com>
À : vrml-vrb@vrml.org <vrml-vrb@vrml.org>
Cc : geovrml@ai.sri.com <geovrml@ai.sri.com>
Date : mardi 24 février 1998 20:22
Objet : Proposal for GeoVRML Working Group


>
>This is to make the formal proposal to the VRB that GeoVRML be
>designated as a formal working group of the VRML Consortium.
>
>Our goal is to discuss means for representing geo-referenced data in
>VRML, and to develop tools, recommended practice and possibly propose
>improvements or extensions to the VRML standards necessary to
>generate, display and exchange such data.
>
>Our home page can be found at:
>
>    http://www.ai.sri.com/geovrml
>
>and our mailing list address is
>
>    geovrml@ai.sri.com
>
>We held a very successful workshop at the VRML98 conference, a full
>report of which can be found at:
>
>    http://www.ai.sri.com/geovrml/vrml98
>
>Currently, I'm serving as founding chair.  As soon as we are formally
>recognized I'll be searching for one or more co-chairs.
>
>Thank you for your consideration.
>
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
>Lee Iverson     SRI International
>leei@ai.sri.com 333 Ravenswood Ave., Menlo Park CA 94025
>http://www.ai.sri.com/~leei/ (650) 859-3307
>