From consistency to flexibility: A simplified database schema for the management of CityJSON 3D city models

Abstract

AbstractThe use of 3D city models is now common practice; many large cities have their own digital model. Resilient and sustainable management of these models is necessary in many cases, where an application could evolve over its lifecycle. The complexity of generic modeling standardization is often a limitation for a light and user‐friendly usage and further developments. This article aims to propose an alternative, providing a simplified database schema implemented in document‐oriented storage. Thanks to the use of the NoSQL store, the focus is on flexibility of the data schemas and thus its clarification. In order to aim attention at the compactness in web development, CityJSON has been chosen for the encoding of the 3D city models. Finally, a full‐stack application (persistent storage, consistent edition, and visualization of 3D city models) has been developed to handle the simplified schema and illustrates its capabilities in two practical use cases.