Contemporary public buildings are becoming conglomerates of open, semi-open and closed spaces, with indoor, outdoor and underground sections. For humans and robots to navigate seamlessly through such environments, new flexible approaches need to be developed. Navigation systems

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> 3D modelling of precincts and cities has significantly advanced in the last decades, as we move towards the concept of the Digital Twin. Many 3D city models have been created but a large portion of them neglect representing terrain and buildings accurately. Very often the surface is either considered planar or is not represented. On the other hand, many Digital Terrain Models (DTM) have been created as 2.5D triangular irregular networks (TIN) or grids for different applications such as water management, sign of view or shadow computation, tourism, land planning, telecommunication, military operations and communications. 3D city models need to represent both the 3D objects and terrain in one consistent model, but still many challenges remain. A critical issue when integrating 3D objects and terrain is the identification of the valid intersection between 2.5D terrain and 3D objects. Commonly, 3D objects may partially float over or sink into the terrain; the depth of the underground parts might not be known; or the accuracy of data sets might be different. This paper discusses some of these issues and presents an approach for a consistent 3D reconstruction of LOD1 models on the basis of 3D point clouds, DTM, and 2D footprints of buildings. Such models are largely used for urban planning, city analytics or environmental analysis. The proposed method can be easily extended for higher LODs or BIM models.</p>

Navigation systems help agents find the right (optimal) path from the origin to the desired destination. Current navigation systems mainly offer the shortest (distance or time) path as the default optimal path. However, under certain circumstances, having a least-top-exposed path can be more interesting. For instance, on a rainy day, a path with as many places as possible covered by roofs/shelters is more attractive and pragmatic, since roofs/shelters can offer protection from rain. In this paper, we name environments that covered by roofs/shelters but not completely enclosed like indoors as “top-bounded environments/spaces” (e.g., porches), which are generally formed by built structures. This kind of space is completely missing in current navigation models and systems. Thus, we investigate how to use it for space-based navigation. After proposing a definition, a space model, and attributes of top-bounded spaces, we introduce a projection-based approach to generate them. Then, taking a pedestrian as an example agent, we select generated spaces considering whether the agent can visit/use the identified spaces. Finally, examples and a use case study demonstrate that our research can help to include top-bounded spaces in navigation systems/models. More navigation path types (e.g., least-top-exposed) can be offered for different agents (such as pedestrians, drones or robots).

In spatial science and urban applications, “space" is presented by multiple disciplines as a notion referencing our living environment. Space is used as a general term to help understand particular characteristics of the environment. However, the definition and perception of space varies and these variations have to be harmonised. For example, space may have diverse definitions and classification, the same environment may be abstracted/modelled by contradicting notions of space, which can lead to inconsistencies and misunderstandings. In this paper, we seek to investigate and document the state-of-the-art in the research of “space” regarding its definition, classification, modelling and utilization (2D/3D) in spatial sciences and urban applications. We focus on positioning, navigation, building micro-climate and thermal comfort, landscape, urban planning and design, urban heat island, interior design and planning, transportation and intelligent space. We review 147 research papers, technical reports and on-line resources. We compare the presented space concepts with respect to five criteria—classification, boundary, modelling components, use of standards and granularity. The review inventory is intended for both scientists and professionals in the spatial industry, such as companies, national mapping agencies and governments, and aim to provide a reference to better understand and employ the “space” while working across disciplines.

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> The navigation of pedestrians can be regarded as their movements from one unoccupied space to another unoccupied and connected space. These movements generally occur in three types of environments: indoor, outdoor, and semi-bounded (top-bounded, and/or side-bounded) spaces. While the two former types of spaces are subject to most of the attention, the latter (semi-bounded) also presents a valuable impact on the navigation behaviour. For example, top-bounded environments (e.g. roofs, shelters, etc.) are very popular for pedestrian navigation since a top structure can offer protection from harsh weather, rain, or strong sun. However, such semibounded spaces are completely missing in current navigation models and systems. This is partly explained by the fact that modelling the space, which is by defining a three-dimensional boundless and extensible component (mainly out of the indoor environment), is a very challenging task. In this paper, we propose a structure-based approach for top-bounded space extraction in the built environment, relying on 3D models. Thanks to the rapid expansion and availability of 3D city models, our approach can help to account for such type of spaces in 3D pedestrian navigation systems.</p>