3D modeling by the masses: A mobile app for modeling buildings

Knowledge of the 3D geometry of large urban buildings and surrounding structures is important in indoor navigation applications, emergencies, and evacuation response. Visual representations of the 3D geometry can be useful to users navigating unfamiliar buildings. The traditional methods of constructing 3D models from CAD drawings or GIS systems are prone to error, difficult to modify in a timely manner, can easily become out-of-date, and are not scalable. We exploit the power of current mobile devices (smartphones, tablets) and their 3D graphics rendering capabilities to present a mobile application that uses crowdsourcing to build 3D models of large buildings and urban structures. Our system is based on a client-server architecture, where users of a mobile application create, submit, and vote on 3D models of building components; the server collects and uses votes pertaining to accuracy and completion of a model to determine if an object may be approved. We describe preliminary results from using the system on a floor of an academic building and propose its deployment and demonstration during Percom 2013 for mapping the conference venue by meeting participants.