Dubai Municipality completes 3D photography of Dubai landmarks for Geographic Information Systems project

The Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Department in Dubai Municipality on Thursday said it has completed 3D photography of all landmarks and buildings in the emirate and transferred them to its main database through its smart systems as part of its project to provide accurate and high-quality GIS data.

Eng. Dawoud Al Hajri, Director General of Dubai Municipality, said the project was completed as part of the implementation of Dubai's smart transformation plan under the directives of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council.

Al Hajri further said the municipality is committed to ensure the highest international standards in the development of technical solutions that facilitate the accurate use of its Geographic Information System (GIS) to support decision-making processes and provide enhanced experiences to GIS users in various fields.

The 3D photography process, completed in April, was conducted using Dubai Municipality's Geospatial Scanning Vehicle, an integrated solution for collecting geospatial data. The solution, which features equipment mounted on a car's roof, was used to conduct a field survey and capture high-quality 3D data on landmarks of the emirate.

Equipment used for the survey included a high-resolution laser scanner, satellite positioning devices (GPS) and a set of 360-degree panoramic cameras. The data, captured while the car travels at a speed of 80 km per hour, is processed to produce an integrated digital model.

The geospatial survey system enables high levels of accuracy, speed and safety in data collection operations in all areas, including congested areas. The solution efficiently produces 3D models and captures accurate data on all kinds of landmarks, including diverse government assets, whether they are open cultivated areas, parks, squares, playgrounds, underground tunnels, infrastructure installations, event sites and vast interiors of buildings such as airports, exhibitions and more.

The system's output outperforms other systems used for the panoramic imaging of landmarks, with its laser devices that produce dense clouds of coordinates (Point Cloud), which shape the landmarks geometrically with a precision of 5 centimetres. This enables the production of 3D models of all the landmarks covered and its conversion into accurate data. Compared to this, parallel panoramic photography only provides a general view.

The system's features also include the extraction of data on landmarks and assets using Geospatial Artificial Intelligence that can be used at any time and any place as needed.

Dubai Municipality is the first government department in Dubai to deploy such a system, which is a critical element of the Dubai Digital Twin Model for infrastructure enhancement.