Vector map constrained path bundling in 3D environments

Abstract

Dense line graphs and polyline maps are challenging for interactive visualization in geographic information systems (GIS). Bundling techniques are a common approach to reduce clutter and have successfully been demonstrated for the display of complex planar graphs. Previous techniques typically employed some form of attraction or repulsion forces to bundle edges in two dimensions, and while in principle extensible to 3D they do not directly support hard intersection constraints in a 3D environment. In geographic visualization systems, e.g. such as interactive virtual globes or 3D GIS viewers, it is often necessary to take the 3D environment into account and to: (1) bundle lines and paths in 3D, (2) constrain path bundles to follow some reference network vector map, as well as (3) avoid intersections with the digital elevation model (DEM). In this paper we introduce a novel method which uses geographic vector map reference information to route, visualize and simplify path bundles along their network paths in a constrained 3D environment using adaptive B-splines. Moreover, we describe an efficient rendering architecture to flexibly display bundled paths within a 3D rendering pipeline at varying level of detail (LOD).