A Study on Topographic Map Revision and Virtual Scene Creation by Integrating Photograph, Video and High Resolution Remote Sensing Imagery with Virtual Reality Technology

Topographic maps are basic information needed for spatial analyses of planning and designing. In our study area, Jinling Prison of Nanjing, China, complex topography with significant changes and lack of basic topographic maps with good currency makes it difficult to do any analysis without a revised terrain model. Our study focuses on the process of topographic map revision and virtual scene creation by integrating scanned maps, photos, video clips and high-resolution image data from different sources. The process is done in GIS and VR environment interactively. The resulted revised terrain data can meet the demands of spatial analysis in planning and 3D virtual scene creation. The built VR scene greatly helps decision-making in urban planning and designing processes. The practical approach given in this paper is applicable in similar situations which may exist in many developing countries.