Inland waterway three-dimensional visualization based on 3D-GIS technology

Vessels navigate an inland waterway are traditionally using Inland ECDIS (Electronic Chart Display and Information System). In this way, all the information about the navigational environment are displayed in the form of two dimensional symbols, such as navigation marks, geographic objects etc. Some of them contain the 3rd dimensional information such as sounding, land elevation, etc. The 3rd dimensional information is vital for shipman to judge whether the vessel is safe. However the Inland ECDIS cannot give a vivid description of the waterway in the real world. 3D visualization could provide more real depiction of the inland waterway that would help shipman understanding the waterway more easily. There are two different ways to implement the inland waterway 3D visualization: 1) through virtual reality technology 2) through 3D-GIS technology. By the second way some spatial analytic function can be performed. This paper discusses the methods and techniques which have been used to implement 3D visualization of the inland waterway.