Artificial Intelligence and 3D: Creating a Wave in Geospatial Intelligence

The future of geospatial intelligence opens a door to artificial intelligence and 3D technologies

For many years now, the modern way of capturing and depicting the physical space of the world in digital means has helped in the development of society. As more and more technologies invaded the digital evolution, the possibilities to record geospatial data became easier. Beneath the digital transformation, geospatial intelligence is where perception and reality merges. However, the future of geospatial intelligence opens door to artificial intelligence and 3D.

Geospatial intelligence is the information derived from an analysis of images and data associated with a particular location. The technology uses imagery to survey and assess human activity and physical geography anywhere on earth. Initially, the US military used geospatial intelligence to function in a better way. Soon, the technology was adopted across many countries and for different means. Today, geospatial intelligence is being used for energy transmission, smart cities, military bases, etc. The role of geospatial intelligence is becoming more vital in the digital world. As a part of technological evolution, artificial intelligence and 3D has made an influence on geospatial intelligence recently. AI and 3D printing are changing the fundamental way of how IT solutions are implemented and operated across all application domains, including geospatial intelligence.

In order to capture reality, technology is being implemented in various domains. Applications of sensors, robotics, cameras, machine learning, encryption, cloud computing and other software, and hardware intelligence are shifting the way we perceive the routine. Henceforth, geospatial intelligence goes beyond satellite imagery and creates 3D point clouds with the help of LIDAR scans. They represent real-life objects in digital means. But the existing geospatial capture methods are painfully slow to analyze manually. To relieve humans from the lengthy labour work, artificial intelligence and 3D makes their way into geospatial intelligence. AI, along with computer vision can help people generate insights from 3D data with the help of cloud computing and storage. Besides recording the real-time happenings, geospatial intelligence along with AI and 3D printing can move further and analyze, and make predictions on natural disasters. They can prevent natural calamities like wildfire, assist humans during critical times and respond quickly to disasters.

3D point cloud and digital twin

3D digital cloud has the capability to represent almost any type of physical object, site, landscape, geographic region, or infrastructure. The technology comes with a handful of benefits like environmental monitoring, disaster management, urban planning, building information models or self-driving vehicles. In a nutshell, 3D point clouds are used as base data for reconstructing 3D models.

On the other hand, digital twins are virtual models that connect the virtual and physical world at a point. While the bottom line of the virtual and physical world is handled by sensors, the virtual models have to be derived from the physical counterparts. For example, 3D clouds are used to derive 3D indoor models, which are essential components for real-time building information models together with sensor network and IoT devices. In general, 3D point clouds represent the key components of geospatial digital twins. These real-world digital twin models include 3D terrain, vegetation, buildings, and infrastructures like power lines, roads, and waterworks.

Geospatial intelligence in environmental epidemiology

The traces of geospatial intelligence along with AI and 3D printing have unravelled a world where the technologies can be specifically applied to environmental epidemiology. In 2020 and 2021, a record-breaking number of wildfires have been recorder in the western nations. The famous California fires were one of the pivotal things that made authorities think about a technological means to counter the natural disaster. Geospatial intelligence can provide a digital view of the physical world, and when paired with AI and 3D printing, it gives stakeholders the informational edge they need to prevent, battle, and recover from wildfires. Geospatial AI technologies have the ability to automatically build and continuously update high-resolution wildfire maps in real-time.

Besides, geospatial intelligence combined with AI and 3D printing can detect hurricane hotspots. The model has data on weather such as rainfall, winds, and flooding. This can alert authorities on any expected mishaps. The data also provides an insight into the damage of buildings, transportation, and downed power lines.