[postgis-users] Storing CityGML 2.0 3D city models inside PostGIS

[Felix Kunde]

Hi everbody,

I'd like to annouce a new release in the 3D City Database project which allows the storage of CityGML data within PostGIS. 
For those who don't know CityGML: It is an OGC standard exchange format to describe 3D city and landscape models.

The 3DCityDB comes along with a java-based ETL tool to import and export CityGML data sets.
Exports can also be done in KML and Collada format and displayed directly in Google Earth.
Recently, we did also some tests against Cesium with glTF conversion of Collada files, which looked very promising.
We - the developers of the 3DCityDB - plan, to intgrate this conversion step in the next release. 
 
Installers, scripts and a pgModeler project can be dowloaded at 3dcitydb.net. 
Source code is available under github.com/3dcitydb.

For those, who have used the 3DCityDB before, everthing will feel familiar to you.
Migrations scripts for old versions of the 3DCityDB are provided as well.

Main new features are:
- support of CityGML 2.0 (bridges, tunnels etc.)
- objects modelled as a solid in CityGML are additionally stored as POLYHEDRALSURFACE
- texture coordinates are stored as a polygon
- WFS 2.0 interface that delivers CityGML (w textures) to a client
- Spreadsheet generator plugin is now included in the installer
- many tiny enhancements in the database schema

Try it out. Fortunately more and more cities are putting their 3D city models under open data.
Check it out: http://www.citygmlwiki.org/index.php/Open_Data_Initiatives

Recently Berlin has released its entire LoD2 city model (EPSG: 25833):
http://www.businesslocationcenter.de/en/downloadportal

The project is also open for other developers. 
Get in contact, if you are missing a feature and want to contribute!
The 3DCityDB project is already 10 years old and runs in production in several european cities for years.
Still, we haven't figured out how to build a community around it, yet :-/
We hope, this new release will be a new booster to the project.

Enjoy playing with 3D in PostGIS

Felix