A 3D GIS four-level vectorized octree structure integrating vector and raster features

摘要

Vector structure is mutual helpful to raster structure in reprsenting and visualizing 3D spatial objects and in spatial Analyses, thus it is very important to intergrate the vector and raster features in 3D GIS data structure. This paper presents a four-level vectorized octree hierarchy structure, which compactly and organicly integrates vector and raster features, by gradually introducing vector primitives (face, edge, vertex and tetrahedron) into the octree frame. This integrated hierarchy structure can exactly represent both on 3D objects surface and in their interirors, save storing space, and is compatible to those systems based on BR and CSG structure. At the same time it keeps classic octree's advantages such as being easy to make 3D spatial analyses, queries and spatial index, executing boolean operations and statistic analyses, and visualization. Moreover, complex structures are unified and simplified in the octree by this hierarchy structure.