Three-dimensional volumetric geo-spatial querying

• US 7,228,316 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2004
• Issued: 06/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: III Holdings 1, LLC
• Original Assignee: Harris Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Faulkner, Timothy B., Gutierrez, Guillermo E., Morris, Tahia Infantes
• Primary Examiner(s): PANNALA, SATHYANARAYA R
• Application Number:
  US10/873,509
• Publication Number:
  US 20040230595A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,079 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/100, 707/104.1, 715/764, 382/240, 382/284, 382/242, 701/200, 709/203
• US Class Current: 707/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 345/953 Geometric processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/919 Geographic
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/921 Spatial
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/955 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/957 Multidimensional
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A three-dimensional (3D) volumetric geo-spatial querying system. The system can include a 3D GIS. The 3D GIS can include a database of geo-spatial data configured to store geo-spatial data using, not two-dimensional, but three-dimensional coordinates. The GIS further can include at least one database operation configured to process a database query against geo-spatial data stored in the database. Notably, the database operation can accept three-dimensional coordinates as part of the database query. Importantly, the 3D GIS can include a geo-spatial data encoder configured to encode the geo-spatial data prior to storing the geo-spatial data in the database. In particular, in one aspect of the present invention, the encoder can be a helical hyperspatial code encoder, or an oct-tree encoder.

Claims

1. A geographic information system for modeling real world locations comprising:

a database of geo-spatial data derived from imagery of a real-world location, said database configured to store said geo-spatial data using three-dimensional coordinates, including an altitude coordinate;

at least one database operation configured to process a database query against geo-spatial data stored in said database, said at least one database operation accepting three-dimensional coordinates as part of said database query, said at least one database operation being further configured to return a three-dimensional query result based upon said database query, and wherein said three dimensional query result includes an identification of at least one of a point, a line and an object that intersects a predetermined geo-spatial volume at any altitude within the geo-spatial volume; and

,

a geo-spatial data encoder configured to encode said geo-spatial data prior to said storing of said geo-spatial data in said database, said encoder comprising an oct-tree encoder.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a geography markup language (GML) formatter configured to format said query results using GML.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one database operation comprises a distance operation in which a distance between two points in a three-dimensional space can be computed in terms of two-dimensional distance and altitude.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one database operation comprises an intersection operation in which it can be determined whether a point in three-dimensional space intersects a volume defined in said database of geo-spatial data.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a 3D visualization tool configured to generate a visual representation of said geo-spatial data in said database; and

,

a navigation system configured to compute a route between two geo-spatial data points in said database, said navigation system incorporating altitude data in computing said route.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising a digital movie generator configured to convert a virtual reality tour of said route through a geo-spatially accurate volumetric model of an actual geographic location into a compressed digital movie which can be viewed in a digital movie player.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said three dimensional query result includes an identification of a first location that exists at a specified altitude within a three dimensional object.

8. A method for configuring a geographic information system for modeling real world locations, comprising the steps of:

capturing three-dimensional geo-spatial data based upon imagery of a real-world location, said captured three-dimensional geo-spatial data including an altitude coordinate, and forming a geo-spatially accurate model of said real-world location, including an identification of at least one of a point, a line and an object that intersects a predetermined geo-spatial volume at any altitude within the geo-spatial volume;

using oct-tree codes for encoding said captured three-dimensional geo-spatial data for storage in a database;

storing said encoded three-dimensional geo-spatial data in said database; and

,

configuring at least one database operation to execute a database query against said stored three-dimensional geo-spatial data based upon three-dimensional query input parameters.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said identifying step further comprises identifying a location that exists at a specified altitude within a three-dimensional object.