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It's a shame all three suggested use-cases are military. Surely there must me some more noble use for such technology, in theory at least. Otherwise, I've noti

It's a shame all three suggested use-cases are military. Surely there must me some more noble use for such technology, in theory at least. Otherwise, I've noticed Google Maps has had a really nice 3D-view of some cities for a while now, better looking than the sample video here. Although the terrain modeling in this product looks pretty cool.

ThomPete 11y ago
Games could be one. Disaster planning, Robotics training perhaps.
johansch 11y ago
This appears to be the military market Saab spin-off from the same/similar tech as in the consumer-oriented spinoff "C3 Technologies" that was sold to Apple a few years ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3172372 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3172372 Both companies are/were located in Linköping, Sweden. (C3 Technologies was dissolved, some key people moved to Cupertino.) Some more details of the tech in this presentation from last year: http://www.fmv.se/Global/Dokument/Engelska%20webben/Thomas%20Ljungqvist_Vricon%20Sensorsymposium%202014.pdf http://www.fmv.se/Global/Dokument/Engelska%20webben/Thomas%2...
Bedon292 11y ago
There are plenty of other uses for this technology, however I believe it is cost prohibitive at the moment. Satellite imagery is not cheap, and you need multiple images for the entire area you are interested in. Then it takes massive computing power to extract geographically accurate 3d from 2d images. Google has 3d of some cities, but I believe they are hand modeled, and would take a very long time to do in new areas. It is possible they use LIDAR to do the 3d as well, but that would require flying low over an area to collect the data which can also be cost prohibitive, and dangerous. I have yet to see anything on Google Maps that looks anywhere near the quality of the sample video. Totally possible I have missed it though, do you have a link to somewhere?
- 3princip 11y ago
  For example: https://www.google.com/maps/@51.5032338,-0.1282209,513a,20y,41.61t/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@51.5032338,-0.1282209,513a,20y,... Using Chrome and Earth view (and WebGL I think). This doesn't seem to have been done "by hand", looks to be algorithmic.
  - Bedon292 11y ago
    Thanks. That definitely looks better than the previous 3d I have seen, though I am not sure it looks better than the Vricon stuff. They are definitely comparable at least. The textures are definitely algorithmic on Google Maps, but this page leads me to believe the models are not necessarily: https://maps.google.com/help/maps/mapcontent/citiesin3d/ https://maps.google.com/help/maps/mapcontent/citiesin3d/ They are asking for places to submit their models to be included. While I suppose this could be done arithmetically, it does not seem like Google is doing it themselves.
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fsloth 11y ago
"Surely there must me some more noble use for such technology, in theory at least." Having real time 3D accurate data would be really useful in nearly any civil engineering scenario. Cost is probably why they don't market it that way. Probably cheaper to hire a few guys with a theodolite than order a bunch of hi rez satellite pictures still, then.
dm2 11y ago
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Tripoli,+Libya/@32.8949517,13.1596177,728a,20y,90h,41.52t/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x13a892c4c11c43d9:0x8d99d8947b5cec86!6m1!1e1 https://www.google.com/maps/place/Tripoli,+Libya/@32.8949517... There are no 3D buildings on Google Maps in the areas that this company is targeting.

ThomPete 11y ago

Games could be one. Disaster planning, Robotics training perhaps.

johansch 11y ago

This appears to be the military market Saab spin-off from the same/similar tech as in the consumer-oriented spinoff "C3 Technologies" that was sold to Apple a few years ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3172372 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3172372 Both companies are/were located in Linköping, Sweden. (C3 Technologies was dissolved, some key people moved to Cupertino.) Some more details of the tech in this presentation from last year: http://www.fmv.se/Global/Dokument/Engelska%20webben/Thomas%20Ljungqvist_Vricon%20Sensorsymposium%202014.pdf http://www.fmv.se/Global/Dokument/Engelska%20webben/Thomas%2...

Bedon292 11y ago

There are plenty of other uses for this technology, however I believe it is cost prohibitive at the moment. Satellite imagery is not cheap, and you need multiple images for the entire area you are interested in. Then it takes massive computing power to extract geographically accurate 3d from 2d images. Google has 3d of some cities, but I believe they are hand modeled, and would take a very long time to do in new areas. It is possible they use LIDAR to do the 3d as well, but that would require flying low over an area to collect the data which can also be cost prohibitive, and dangerous. I have yet to see anything on Google Maps that looks anywhere near the quality of the sample video. Totally possible I have missed it though, do you have a link to somewhere?

3princip 11y ago
For example: https://www.google.com/maps/@51.5032338,-0.1282209,513a,20y,41.61t/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@51.5032338,-0.1282209,513a,20y,... Using Chrome and Earth view (and WebGL I think). This doesn't seem to have been done "by hand", looks to be algorithmic.
- Bedon292 11y ago
  Thanks. That definitely looks better than the previous 3d I have seen, though I am not sure it looks better than the Vricon stuff. They are definitely comparable at least. The textures are definitely algorithmic on Google Maps, but this page leads me to believe the models are not necessarily: https://maps.google.com/help/maps/mapcontent/citiesin3d/ https://maps.google.com/help/maps/mapcontent/citiesin3d/ They are asking for places to submit their models to be included. While I suppose this could be done arithmetically, it does not seem like Google is doing it themselves.
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fsloth 11y ago

"Surely there must me some more noble use for such technology, in theory at least." Having real time 3D accurate data would be really useful in nearly any civil engineering scenario. Cost is probably why they don't market it that way. Probably cheaper to hire a few guys with a theodolite than order a bunch of hi rez satellite pictures still, then.

dm2 11y ago

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Tripoli,+Libya/@32.8949517,13.1596177,728a,20y,90h,41.52t/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x13a892c4c11c43d9:0x8d99d8947b5cec86!6m1!1e1 https://www.google.com/maps/place/Tripoli,+Libya/@32.8949517... There are no 3D buildings on Google Maps in the areas that this company is targeting.