"The Kaiser Project, Hopes on Spread of 3D CAD, and Issues in Advancement of CIM"
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| Part 3 "The Kaiser Project, Hopes on Spread of 3D CAD, and Issues in Advancement of CIM" |
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Diverse Studies on Image Processing and Web at the Same Time With "performing research adapted to the needs of the real world" as its slogan, Tanaka Lab aims at creating new knowledge through studies of: 1) image processing with three main areas of restoration, recognition, and generation; and 2) collection, analysis, and edition of information found on the Internet. Prof. Tanaka also serves as Deputy Director of the Student Center of Kansai University. One of its main roles is to support athletic clubs as a whole, which is called "Kaisers" as a team name. This activity includes preparation for entrance examination for the candidates and their learning after entrance, extracurricular activities, and carrier designing after graduation. The number of target students is more than 2,000. Strongly related with his own environment like that, one of his studies is on obtaining spatial information of where players are positioned on e.g. a basketball court when taking a picture of a game from a horizontal direction by using a range image sensor. It also shows promise as a new media. The Lab also focuses on a variety of activities using advanced image processing and Web-related technologies as follows. 1) To build up a cyber world that correctly reflects the real world, where they expand a new service of awareness "awareness service" with the open standard (composed of open registry, open data, and open service) as its core. They want to make it serve as a kind of Fab lab (a backstreet lab). 2) "Smart EC solution", a new support service that focuses on operation of EC (electronic commerce) for the sixth sector industry. 3) Development of applications for Android designed for new business in the Smartphone field and its educational activities.
With Point Cloud Data in the Spotlight, New Development To Be Expected Through Partner Graduate School "Point cloud data is in the spotlight at present". Prof. Tanaka mentioned specific examples of methods for generating 3D models using: 1) the mobile mapping system (MMS) to measure 3D geometry using a laser scanner, GPS, or camera mounted on a vehicle; 2) a laser profiler (LP) to perform highly precise and high density ground surface measurement, mounted on an aircraft etc; or 3) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); 4) a stationary field viewer; 5) Systems for games (kinect) etc. As the background with which he has been turning his efforts to them, he says that the conventional 3D model generation technologies have reached their limits to perform image processing or animation processing to respond to the advanced and diversified needs. On the other hand, there is system of "partner graduate school", in which the university invites researchers of external institutes as professors or associate professors, and the graduate students learn from them using the research environment of the institute. Graduate School of Informatics, Kansai University has been operating this system since two years ago by making an agreement with National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management (NILIM) of MLIT.
 Partner graduate schoolTheir attempts in this system include representation of the river earthwork before and after Great East Japan earthquake by generating 3D models from the point cloud data measured with MMS, LP, or a field viewer etc. Based on this, they investigated failure of embankment geometry by calculating the difference between the two models at the specific cross section using point cloud data, and applied the method to work progress control at an arbitrary cross section using the total station (TS), for instance.
Overview of the river study3D-based Standards Required for CIM "What we are doing as our main job Is to represent terrains and earth work spaces (that are required for the preceding stage of CIM) in a precise and three-dimensional (3D) form." For example, when trying to design a bridge etc. on 3D basis, whether it is Civil Engineering CAD Drawings Standards (proposed) or Specifications for highway bridges, it is basically a rule of how to draw two-dimensional (2D) drawings or technical standards based on two-dimensional (2D) drawings. In other words, currently there is no standard for designing on 3D basis. In the first place, when designing highways, river earthworks, or seashores, what is common among them is "terrain and ground". Unless they are represented correctly, it is impossible to make an inspection of whatever product model placed on them, says Prof. Tanaka.
In this sense, creation of precise 3D models by methods using point cloud data as mentioned above should become a new solution. And in addition to the technological breakthrough to be developed from it such as verification or work-progress management, it may also allow simulation that reflects analysis of wind, water, or sound etc. by taking advantage of 3D models. Such advantages can also be expected in CIM. This made them doubt about whether it is good to keep on making "rough" 3D models at the same level as CG like now, without having a good example to model in 3D design. To clear the problem, it is necessary to standardize the notational system for properly drawing 3D earthworks. However, it is hard to provide standards for all the work items from scratch. Thus as the first step, Infrastructure Information Standardization Committee (Chairperson: Professor Ryosuke Shibazaki, Tokyo Univ.) started to work on standardization of the notational system for "earth" (three-dimensional drawing standards for terrains), which is the foremost foundation, with Associate Professor Satoshi Kubota, Kansai Univ. as the main member. Based on this, 3D-base CAD drawing standards are required. Mentioning this, Prof. Tanaka says that CIM deals with information models, which should contain not only 3D geometry but also processes. In terms of object-oriented concept, an instance (substance of the object) is based on the definition of a class (type of object). However, the current way of promoting CIM with the idea of "what can we do with the existing technologies?" is just like making an instance abruptly without having a rule (class). This may be good for the initial approach (early stage); for the future (second stage), however, unless they develop standards, use of information throughout the life cycle of a project may come to a deadlock some time. He thinks that success depends on this second stage (when everyone is likely to notice this). Aiming to create a device of spreading 3D CAD in the construction industry in Japan, "Kansai University Kaiser Project" was started. As the result of its 4-year-and-a-half activities with Prof. Tanaka as the representative and FORUM8 as a participant under the grant of MLIT, Kaiser Project completed development of "All-purpose 3D CAD engine that takes time term into account" by the end of 2012. Based on this, FORUM8 developed "3D CAD Studio", a 3D CAD software program specialized in civil engineering that implements the engine. It is also planned to implement this engine into the river management software program under development by Prof. Tanaka with Kinki Regional Development Bureau of MLIT and NILIM. Prof. Tanaka expects wide use of 3D CAD Studio that is only case of implementation at this point and the future development of this new attempt. Future Tasks and Required Response Today, when decrease of the number of children is a social topic, the direction to aim at 3D-based CIM is not wrong, says Prof. Tanaka definitely. However, he pointed out the tasks to clear as follows: 1) To formulate rules for creating CIM models 2) How to connect engineers who have civil engineering expertise and young people who understand a 3D world 3) Who judges whether the created model is correct or not how? To deal with them, he plans to form a trinity of: 1) the government to develop definite concept and specifications based on it, 2) vendors of CAD and GIS to appropriately react, and 3) academia to support the government and industry and to explore studies so that CIM can become a truly usable mechanism. "3D CAD data is (unlike 2D CAD data) sure to be available for secondary use." Accordingly, he says everyone should be aware that a civil engineering structure should not be taken as a single product since it may allow efficiency improvement by using the created data for the secondary use and bring about cost reduction.
(Written by Takashi Ikeno) |
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