Fieldwork anytime!——The functions and applications of DDE-Outcrop3D

Abstract

Outcrops are the focus of geological research. Oblique photogrammetric technology with the aid of unmanned aerial vehicles can build 3D digital outcrop models and further help to achieve visualization research of outcrops, which provides new ideas to solve the problems of low efficiency, high risk, and poor data reusability that exist in traditional geological research methods. This paper investigates the key technologies of 3D modeling of oblique images, 3D visualization of digital outcrops, and visualization of panoramic models, and design and implement a Web platform named DDE-Outcrop3D for real-scene 3D digital outcrops based on the Cesium open-source 3D earth engine. The platform achieves the visualization of high-precision 3D models of geological outcrops and combines the outcrop-related information such as text, pictures, videos, panoramas, documents, observation stops, and geological plotting with 3D outcrop models, realizing upload and panoramic roaming of 3D models of outcrops and self-supply, sharing, and visualization of outcrop-related information. As the first choice for the virtual field trips of the 21st International Sedimentological Congress, the platform has been successfully applied to 12 of the 15 field routes. Compared with traditional geological research methods, the visualization of 3D outcrops can help geologists understand the spatial and temporal distribution of geological phenomena and features of outcrops more comprehensively and intuitively. This platform also achieves the co-construction and sharing of resources of outcrops under digital environment, saving the time and economic costs of geological expeditions.Keywords: Oblique photogrammetry, Real-scene 3D outcrops, Cesium, Visualization platform