As
geospatial science advances, the technology is improving city planning and public
space management. The study of urban landscapes and how people use buildings is
increasingly a topic of interest to policy-makers, field experts and academics
alike.
In
January, University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney set
up its first Geospatial Information Centre under the Faculty of Built
Environment to focus on 3D digital mapping of buildings and infrastructure.
According
to the press release by UNSW Sydney, the objective of the new research centre
is to advance the data of buildings in Sydney to the third dimension, in order to
improve
accessibility, safety and emergency response procedures of urban structures in
Sydney.
Heading
the research centre is leading geospatial scientist Professor Sisi Zlatanova.
Professor Zlatanova is an expert in 3D mapping of public space. She has also
worked across disciplines including city analytics, landscape architecture and
city planning.
In
her new role at UNSW Sydney, Professor Zlatanova will lead her team of experts
to investigate the production and management of 3D digital models for large
public buildings at UNSW and in Sydney’s CBD.
According
to Professor Zlatanova, in the press release, the team’s first projects will
look at navigation between indoor
and outdoor space, how people enter and exit buildings, 3D analysis of
shadowing, and underground infrastructure, including pipelines, cables
and electric wiring.
The collected data will then be used to create 3D digital
models using standardised systems such as CityGML, which allows the data and 3D
digital maps to be stored, reused and exchanged.
The
application of 3D digital models of building is diverse, ranging from improving
facility management to mapping urban heat islands. Up-to-date 3D indoor models
of buildings will also promote safety management of public spaces.
Prior
to her appointment at UNSW Sydney, Professor Zlatanova served Delft University
of Technology in the Netherlands where she led multiple research projects in
the field of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for crisis response, and set
up training schools on 3D modelling in universities in China, Russia, Italy,
Germany, Bulgaria and Spain. She has published over 300 scientific papers and edited
or co-edited 20 books.
