A PROPOSAL OF A 3D SPATIAL DATABASE TO SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE LAND USE ANALYSES

Abstract

Despite the continuous development of geographic information systems (GIS) technology, most spatial datasets used in Poland for spatial planning purposes are still two-dimensional, like the traditional paper maps used previously. This approach makes it difficult, if not impossible, to conduct complex analyses that require three-dimensional (3D) data, for instance the identification of land use elements that could potentially have a positive or negative impact on the perception of an area as developing sustainably.
Meanwhile, since 2018, the Polish Head Office of Geodesy and Cartography provides 3D models of buildings, which are a 3D representation of a significant proportion of buildings from the BDOT10k database of topographic objects. Since 2023, this resource has been successively enriched with 3D models of trees over 4 m in height.
Therefore, an attempt has been made to investigate whether the available tools (especially those belonging to the free and open source software group) allow the creation of a spatial database to collect and share 3D data on at least buildings and trees. Assuming that the proposed solution is based on a relational database management system (RDBMS), it should allow for adequate efficiency in processing of large data sets. Thanks to built-in mechanisms, typical for spatial databases, it should also be possible to perform advanced spatial analyses in this environment. The applied system should allow data export in common formats and their visualization. The studies carried out indicate that there are appropriate tools which, if put together in the right way, will make it possible, in particular, to analyse the manifestations of sustainable land use.