Representation of CityGML 3.0 Dynamizers in Web Streaming Formats for 4D Urban Digital Twins

The integration of static 3D city models with temporal data, such as IoT sensor data, is essential for monitoring and analysing highly dynamic changes in Urban Digital Twins (UDTs). CityGML 3.0 introduces the Dynamizer module, which formalises the integration of semantic 3D city models and temporal data from various sources. However, CityGML datasets cannot be visualised directly on the web and require conversion to web streaming formats, which do not natively support temporal data integration. This research presents a methodology for transferring data structures defined in CityGML 3.0 Dynamizers into web streaming formats to enable 4D web visualisation in UDTs. We demonstrate representation strategies for various Dynamizer classes within the OGC standard 3D Tiles using structured metadata, define the required metadata for web viewers to discover and interpret Dynamizers, and outline optimisation techniques for efficient rendering of city-scale 4D scenes. A prototype 4D web viewer validates the approach, providing interactive visualisation of integrated semantic 3D models and high-resolution temporal data.

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Publication Details

Journal
ISPRS annals of the photogrammetry, remote sensing and spatial information sciences
Published
2026-09-28
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-annals-xii-4-w1-2026-161-2026
Primary Topic
3D Modeling in Geospatial Applications
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Representation of CityGML 3.0 Dynamizers in Web Streaming Formats for 4D Urban Digital Twins

Joseph Gitahi, Thomas H. Kolbe
ISPRS annals of the photogrammetry, remote sensing and spatial information sciences
3D Modeling in Geospatial Applications
article

Representation of CityGML 3.0 Dynamizers in Web Streaming Formats for 4D Urban Digital Twins

Joseph Gitahi, Thomas H. Kolbe
article en

Abstract

The integration of static 3D city models with temporal data, such as IoT sensor data, is essential for monitoring and analysing highly dynamic changes in Urban Digital Twins (UDTs). CityGML 3.0 introduces the Dynamizer module, which formalises the integration of semantic 3D city models and temporal data from various sources. However, CityGML datasets cannot be visualised directly on the web and require conversion to web streaming formats, which do not natively support temporal data integration. This research presents a methodology for transferring data structures defined in CityGML 3.0 Dynamizers into web streaming formats to enable 4D web visualisation in UDTs. We demonstrate representation strategies for various Dynamizer classes within the OGC standard 3D Tiles using structured metadata, define the required metadata for web viewers to discover and interpret Dynamizers, and outline optimisation techniques for efficient rendering of city-scale 4D scenes. A prototype 4D web viewer validates the approach, providing interactive visualisation of integrated semantic 3D models and high-resolution temporal data.

ISPRS annals of the photogrammetry, remote sensing and spatial information sciencesVol. XII-4/W1-2026(0)
Technical University of Munich (DE)
Sustainable cities and communities
Openalex Percentile: Top 15%
3D Modeling in Geospatial Applications
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