Geometrical Building Modeling and Its Application to the Ortho-Rectification for Aerial Images

Due to the huge demand and the importance of 3-D city models, an effective solution for geometrical building modeling is indispensable. From the application point of view, an interactive system for geometrical building modeling based on a semi-automatic approach is presented. A true-orthophoto rectification scheme based on the generated building models is also proposed. The data used in the proposed system are 3-D visible roof-edges that have been manually measured from a stereo-model, or the 3-D building outlines from a digital topographic map. The core technology is called the “Split-Merge-Shape ” (SMS) method. The SPLIT and MERGE steps are the two main procedures for topology reconstruction from non-related roof-edges. The SHAPE step uses the available roof-edge height information to define an appropriate rooftop. With the SMS method, the topographic mapping of buildings, and geometric building modeling, can be seamlessly integrated into a unified procedure. In a conventional ortho-rectification procedure using a digital terrain model, the correction of relief displacement due to buildings is not considered. In order to restore the most complete information and to correct the relief displacement of buildings, a rigorous true-orthophoto rectification