A Data Structure for 3D Synthetic Environment Reconstruction

Abstract : The Digital Mapping, Chaffing and Geodesy Analysis Program (DMAP) at the Naval Research Laboratory has investigated an extension to the National Imagery and Mapping Agency's (NIMA's) current Vector Product Format (VPF) known as VPF+. This paper describes VPF-1 and a prototyped 3D synthetic environment using VPF+. The latter was designed as a 3D Geographic Information System (3D-GIS) that would assist the U.S. Marine Corps with mission preparation and also provide onsite awareness in urban areas. The prototype supplements the more traditional 2D digital-mapping output with a 3D interactive synthetic environment.