[OSGeo-Discuss] Inquiry: Help please! [SEC=UNOFFICIAL]

[Randal Hale]

Just off the top of my head Erdas has/had a tool called objective that 
would outline building rooftops...possibly in 3-d - 
http://www.hexagongeospatial.com/products/ERDAS-IMAGINE/IMAGINEObjective/Details.aspx

There are several packages from ERDAS/Intergraph/Boeing/etc that do this 
type of thing - although I've been out of the industry too long to know 
if it's down to "automatic" (button push).

As for free geospatial data - that is doubtful. You are probably going 
to have to draw up plans and have data collected to support this endeavor.

To map a US Based Fossil Plant (burning coal to produce electricity) 
would cost 10 years ago about ~$100,000 and that gave you contours, 
building heights, coal inventory, planimetrics, etc. Now I'm assuming a 
large portion of that would be done with lidar and not require massive 
numbers of stero pairs etc (only reason I know is I had to have one done 
for a former employer).

Hope that helps - the software exists - I don't think it exists in the 
Open Source world currently.


Randy

On 08/03/2014 06:05 PM, Bruce Bannerman wrote:
> Sid,
>
> A search on the term photogrammetry may also help. This is a very specialised discipline.
>
> You will find that some photogrammetric software already exists.
>
> Bruce
>
> ________________________________________
> From: discuss-bounces at lists.osgeo.org [discuss-bounces at lists.osgeo.org] On Behalf Of Pat Tressel [ptressel at myuw.net]
> Sent: Saturday, 2 August 2014 4:34 PM
> To: S.A. Mouti
> Cc: OSGeo Discussions
> Subject: Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Inquiry: Help please!
>
> Hi, Sid!
>
> I would like to develop an algorithm that uses remote geographic sensing data to automatically identify, highlight, and measure rooftops and buildings surfaces and contours using  Geospatial data. My preference is to overlay the results on one of the existing  map providers such as Google Earth/maps or Bing .
>
>   My aim is to get the following outputs from the proposed model:
>
>   *   Accurately highlighted and identified rooftops on Google maps (using geo sensing data, elevation? and
>   *   Property Address or GPS coordinate.
>   *   Surface and square footage available for solar power generation including the position of the property(N-S or E-W). At the exact surface of the south facing portion of the roof.
>   *   Integrate sun tool in google maps to calculate shading for each building.
>   *   Total surface/square footage of the roof.
>
> I would appreciate your guidance on the following:
>
>   *   Any individual developers or companies active in this area who would be willing to undertake this challenge
>   *   View on technical do-ability of the project…
>   *   What free geospatial data is available/needed to build the model and who the providers are? (I understand that  US cleared higher resolution imagery for domestic )
>   *   An idea about the overall cost  for such a model.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Sid
>
> Just want to mention two things:
>
> 1) Building outlines are available for some locations in both commercial maps (Google and Bing, for instance).  In OpenStreetMap, if buildings have not been mapped for a specific area you're interested in, you might be able to get local mappers to do it.  (Of course, the building outlines obtained that way may not be accurate.  Many times, the building outline is simplified from the actual building as it's only needed to indicate, "there is / was a building here", e.g. for rescue workers looking for survivors after a natural disaster.)
>
> 2) If you use satellite imagery (or possibly low-elevation imagery if you have accurate info on the camera path and orientation), then the shadows cast by buildings can be used to estimate their height.  A very brief web search turns up a fair number of papers on this -- just one example, with references to earlier work that may be more relevant:
>
> http://www.asprs.org/a/publications/pers/98journal/january/1998_jan_35-44.pdf
>
> -- Pat
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-- 
-----------------
Randal Hale
North River Geographic Systems, Inc
http://www.northrivergeographic.com
423.653.3611 rjhale at northrivergeographic.com
twitter:rjhale     http://about.me/rjhale
http://www.northrivergeographic.com/spatial-connect