VR ready? Ein methodischer Ansatz zur Erschließung und Weiterverarbeitung freier Geodaten (Open Data) für die 3D-Landschaftsvisualisierung in Game Engines

Edler, Dennis

doi:10.48711/20250127-002

published

VR ready? Ein methodischer Ansatz zur Erschließung und Weiterverarbeitung freier Geodaten (Open Data) für die 3D-Landschaftsvisualisierung in Game Engines

New hardware and software innovations have provided new impulses for the visualization of 3D landscapes in the last years. Established (mass media) headsets, such as Virtual Reality (VR) systems, make it possible to experience immersive virtual environments. In addition, the computer and video gaming industries (meanwhile) provide freely available game engines. This software is the basis for the creation and design of individual virtual 3D environments. These rapid developments extend the methodological application field of spatial data. The growing availability of geodata, which was accelerated by official open data initiatives and the worldwide gaming community, “calls for” a closer connection between digital spatial data and modern methods and techniques of visualization and data experience. By today, first examples of VR applications were published which indicate the potentials of these novel methods and techniques for geography, landscape research and geo-information sciences. From a methodological perspective, the application of open spatial data sets has only hardly been addressed and reflected in this context. This article presents a methodological approach that shows how open spatial data (digital elevation models of North Rhine-Westphalia) can be further processed with tools in open source GIS (QGIS) to make them compatible with the game engine (Unreal Engine 4). The requirement of establishing a (future) “VR readiness” of official spatial data sets is emphasized