Requirements of a Stereo Workstation for the GIS Environment

Abstract Integration of digital stereo images into GIS databases offers new possibilities for the end users. This paper studies the requirements of the stereo workstation needed in this utilization. The basic requirements of the stereo workstation are a capability for stereoscopic viewing and a possibility to make precise 3-D measurements. The demand to display and edit 3-D vector-formatted data as conveniently as possible is particularly important in the GIS environment. Implementation of a stereo workstation allows a variety of solutions in both hardware and the functional sense. Nowadays, stereo displays are off-the-shelf products and can be added to existing graphic workstations. General guidelines for a stereo workstation design are given, and implementation of an experimental stereo workstation is discussed.