Three dimensional groundwater virtual reality system and its spatial database

Abstract

The current policy in the work of groundwater exploitation and management was paying attention to the questions of overall situation, long-term requirement and the holistic development of hydrological geology. Under this framework, the work of groundwater scientific management had some new characteristics. The outstanding representation was the combination with spatial information technology and virtual reality technology. Our research work was founded on the basis of field monitoring and surveying. To correctly reveal and express the actual spatial structure of groundwater and its storage environment, by using stratum generalization, spatial analysis, data interpolation and some other methodologies, a suit of 3D data structure was designed out and realized by C++ programming language to store and express the underground spatial information. Based on the database technology, an independent 3D spatial data engine interfaces was developed to make the following works more convenient. Taking the 3D virtual demonstration, arbitrary section analysis, dynamic changing simulation, and land subsidence simulation as the main objectives of developing, an integrated 3D groundwater virtual reality system (TDGVRS) was accomplished. We selected visual C++ as the main programming tool and OpenGL as the 3D graphic rendering tool. Now, the system is practically running in some operational departments. Feedbacks from the user show that the effect of visualization was good, the operation is flexible, the analysis functions are powerful and the result is credible. TDGVRS is now providing important technical supports to relative groundwater management works.