H.A.W.X. 2 - Satellite Images Create 3D Simulation Worlds in Tom Clancy's Video Games - Satellite Imaging Corporation News
Satellite images have gained popularity in the video game industry and continues to grow.

MAGNOLIA, TX, November 26, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- With the availability of high resolution Stereo Satellite Imagery such as GeoEye-1 (0.5m) and IKONOS (0.8m) gamers can experience video games in a realistic 3D simulated world such as Ubisoft's Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. and H.A.W.X. 2.

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GeoEye-1 Satellite Imagery has been used to map the ground of Ubisoft's air-combat title Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. 2 for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, Windows PC and the Wii system from Nintendo.

The high resolution satellite imagery is taken from the GeoEye-1 satellite sensor from 423 miles from Earth with diverse vistas, including mountains, deserts, mountainous coastal regions and some well known cities, like Cape Town, South Africa allows piloting the planes with very realistic experience.

3D Simulation Modeling

Stereo Satellite images in support of a detailed terrain surface elevation model can assist video game developers to create a simulation model and visualize the urban and landscape space in three dimensions. 3D terrain models have a variety of applications and provide accurate cartographic feature extraction, map updating, digital city modeling and 3D city models in urban areas which are essential to virtual reality environments. While they are generally used to simply visualize the built environment, they are now being used as 3D interfaces for more sophisticated simulation modeling.

In most of these cases the models of buildings, urban features, terrain surface, and vegetation are the primary features of interest. LiDAR data (Light Detection And Ranging) is a mature technology for obtaining the Digital Surface Models (DSM's) of the earth's surface. It is a fast method for sampling the earth's surface with a high density and high positional accuracy. This data when combined with satellite imagery can be used to create highly detailed Digital Surface Models (DSM's) and eventually Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) to create a 3D virtual world.

LiDAR can generate a three-dimensional dense, geo-referenced points cloud for the reflective terrain surface. The original LiDAR data consists of tremendous points returned from all possible reflective terrain objects, including bare-earth, buildings, bridges, vehicles, trees, and other non-ground features. For many topographic, hydrographic, agricultural, and construction applications, the non-ground (bare-earth) returns must be detected, separated and removed in order to generate the digital terrain model.

A general classification of 3D city models, based on their operational purposes, might be organized around four main types:

* 3D CAD (computer aided design) models of cities
* Static 3D GIS (geographic information systems) models of cities
* Navigable 3D GIS models of cities
* 3D urban simulation model

If a 3D simulation modeling and visualization application requires good detail pertaining to the terrain features and terrain slopes for critical project decisions, an accurate digital terrain model (DTM) and a digital surface model (DSM) must be available.

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Monique Romeijn
Satellite Imaging Corporation
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