Safe Software Delivers Support for CityGML Data
21 Aug, 2008FME 2009 beta introduces the ability to write CityGML data.
Safe Software announced yesterday that its software solution FME, designed for spatial ETL (extract, transform, and load), now offers complete support for CityGML. The FME 2009 beta introduces the ability to write CityGML data, adding to the read support that has been available since the format's early draft stages. This combination of read-and-write capabilities enables CityGML users to communicate in the common specification while still using their preferred systems for data analyses. FME Server, Safe Software's spatial data distribution solution, will also be extended in 2009 to add capabilities for sharing CityGML data via the OGC Web feature service (WFS) protocol.
CityGML is a common information model for the representation of 3D urban objects. It defines the classes and relations for the most relevant topographic objects in cities and regional models with respect to their geometrical, topological, semantical, and appearance properties. Included are generalization hierarchies between thematic classes, aggregations, relations between objects, and spatial properties.
In addition to the complete support offered in FME for the widely used draft CityGML v0.4, Safe Software is already actively updating FME to support CityGML v1, announced this week by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) as an official specification. CityGML has been adopted as a common information model for the representation of 3D urban objects, providing a standard means by which to share urban spatial data.
"Finally we have a common standard for people serious about implementing 3D city models that take us beyond beautiful visualizations. Combining quality graphics with robust information and topological models, CityGML will change the way professionals manage virtual cities," said Tim Case, chair of the OGC 3D Information Management Working Group.
"This open, interoperable, and extensible platform has already been effectively implemented in dozens of jurisdictions," Case added. "However, the incorporation of CityGML read/write support into FME is perhaps the single most important next step towards broad adoption of 3D city models in the geospatial industry. I look forward to the rapid adoption of this platform which is designed to support next generation 3D solutions."
FME now supports OGC WMS, WFS, GML, and KML along with CityGML. FME 2009 beta is available for download.
