Bluesky International and the University of Leicester are using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to make 3D models easier to use in smart city and digital twin applications.
Using established mathematical techniques, the project will focus on Bluesky’s MetroVista mesh models as the basis for research into the simplification of the data without loss of detail or integrity. It is hoped the outcomes will address many of the barriers faced by potential users in the insurance, real estate and public administration sectors which can include processing time, data storage costs and energy consumption.
This latest partnership between Bluesky and the University of Leicester will be funded by the £7 million SPRINT (SPace Research and Innovation Network for Technology) programme. The project follows a previous collaboration to develop a new portfolio of geospatial data products for the UK insurance sector.
The SPRINT funded project is utilising Bluesky’s MetroVista mesh models to help develop a triangulated irregular network (TIN) simplification tool. Based on adaptive AI-guided mesh coarsening methods, an established technique used to accelerate the numerical simulation of physical phenomena, it is hoped this will reduce the complexity of the models making them easier to use and disseminate.
Captured using the world’s first large format imagery and LiDAR hybrid airborne sensor, the MetroVista datasets include geographically accurate, phototextured, mesh models ready for use in 3D GIS, CAD and other modelling software. The Bluesky data also includes simultaneously captured oblique and vertical aerial photography.