With the rapid urban growth in China, there is an increasing requirement for the multi-element 3D urban geological information system (MUGIS), which can provide diverse and timely urban geological information for scientific and rational urban planning, safe urban construction and effective urban management. This paper firstly analyzes the significance, history and current status of urban geological informationization. Add then, the architecture of MUGIS, including support system, guarantee system, technology system, the whole process informationization in urban geology survey (UGS) and service system, is introduced in detail. Furthermore, we discuss the software system and several key technologies. Urban geological data center provides the integration and management of the multi-source, heterogeneous, massive, multi-dimensional, multistage, multi-scale, multi-thematic urban geological data. Urban geological data engine is the middleware providing transparent access for urban geological data. Urban geological information management and service basic platform provides the basic software functions for data management, modeling, analysis and sharing based on the integration of 2D GIS and 3D GIS. 3D urban geological modeling, a very important and difficult step, is highlighted. Analysis and assessment Model Base is important in the assistant decision-making for new region and subway line planning, dumping site selection, selection of emergency water source bases, etc. At last, based on the research in this paper, the development and applications of MUGIS in Beijing, Hangzhou and Hefei, China are presented.