X3D Interoperability

and X3D Earth

Don Brutzman, PhDAmela Sadagic, PhD

Sponsor: DTO (A-SpaceX program)

Naval Postgraduate School, MOVES InstituteMonterey, California USA

brutzman@nps.edu, navy.mil, navy.smil.milasadagic@nps.edu, navy.mil

Proposed Project

In partnership with other contributing Web3D members, the NPS team proposes to use the Web architecture, XML languages and open protocols to build a standards-based X3D Earth usable by:

• governments, • industry, • scientists, • academia and • general public.

Why X3D Earth is Needed

1. Proprietary commercial approaches are viable, but not necessarily over long term

• Many past commercial failures, shutdowns• Even very large companies sometimes subject to economic

pressures beyond their control

2. Public and government assets need to be openly available over long term, indefinitely.

• Huge investment in data preparation• Future rework/rewrite may not be possible• Archiving, availability is essential prerequisite for many agencies• New spatial applications become possible

3. Government, science, research and academic needs are different than commercial needs.

Project Components

1. Visualization Interoperability Interchange:

X3D• Allow analysts and A-SpaceX programs to share products

2. X3D Earth• Open-standard X3D implementation of globe, data

Future work: Large Field of View (LFOV) Displays for Group Visualization and Analysis• Assess usefulness of large displays for shared collaboration

and presentation of 3D assets

Visualization Interoperability Defined

• A rich set of already-developed X3D conversion tools permits export of other products from arbitrary 3D graphics technologies into a common interchange format, Extensible 3D (X3D) Graphics.

• Open standards for all data stores and messaging, implemented by open-source/commercial solutions

• Networked architecture for physics and shared world state, as proven by NPS robotics and harbor-defense projects

• Assessment & outreach to other A-SpaceX participants to determine best mappings from diverse existing interface paradigms towards common X3D interchange, providing interoperability to otherwise-stovepiped (i.e. not connectable) technical approaches

• Long-term strategic development supported by Web3D Consortium + ISO track record, consortium member participants and proven processes

X3D Earth Defined

• Create a standards-based 3D visualization infrastructure for visualizing all manner of real-world objects and information constructs in a geospatial context.

• Composition of 3D visualizations with collaborative support will allow complex analysis and evaluation of intelligence products to proceed at levels that were previously unachievable.

• Archivability of products using stable noncommercial international standards will ensure that sensitive work remains accessible and repeatable for many years to come.

• Encompassing client-side, server-side, authoring and conversion technologies.• X3D Earth with terrain and city and country visualization, including

annotation capabilities• X3D Earth will ground analytic studies with real-world location finding as

well as scalability of Web

X3D Earth: Approach

Build a backdrop X3D model of planet Earth:• Use publicly available terrain datasets• Use publicly available imagery• Use X3D Geospatial Component throughout• Provide linkable locations for any place• Provide hooks for physical models• Use open standards, extensions and process

User Studies and Evaluation

1. Baseline Study: • Thorough evaluation of user needs (special emphasis on their work

with 3D geospatial data, team work and needs of the team leader), identification of positive and negative performance trends when dealing with geospatial data.

• Survey a range of technologies, methodologies and strategies used in conducting the work in user community today.

• Produce: recommendations how to fill users’ needs, identify opportunities for new system features and methodologies, define benchmarks needed for the comparisons with new solutions (including ours).

2. Study of novel user metaphors: add contextual layer and connect products temporally, spatially and/or hierarchically.

3. Final system evaluation: evaluate the system when integrated in A-SpaceX products.

Continuous effort: Integration of parameters that influence large scale adoption of technological solutions.

Key Technologies

Extensible Markup Language (XML)• Validatable data, binary compression• Web Services for message exchange

Extensible 3D (X3D) Graphics• ISO-approved interactive visualization

Our approach• Demonstrate application value of new technology• Collaborate, implement, evaluate, report, repeat

Selected (Existing) Tools: Synergy of System Functionalities and Application

NeedsAutonomous Unmanned Vehicle (AUV) Workbench:Open source, Java, XML, X3D graphics; Mission planning, robot execution, aerodynamics, hydrodynamics response, sensor modeling, Compressed radio frequency (RF) and acoustic communications

Anti-Terrorist Force Protection:X3D graphics, Simkit/Viskit; Agent-based tactics, physics-based sensors; Large scale simulation experiments, risk assessment, vulnerabilities, analysis guides AT/FP planners, collisions damage assessments, support for harbor planning, defense and visiting ships in port.

X3D Earth proposal image montage 1

Credits: Yumetech, Planet9, NPS