Automatic Geodata Processing Methods for Real-World City Visualizations in Cities

Skylines

Bibliographic Data

ID22033734
AuthorsJan Pinos (0000-0001-8531-8293, Palacký University Olomouc, corresponding author), Vit Voženílek (0000-0002-4280-1792, Palacký University Olomouc), Ondrej Pavlis (Palacký University Olomouc)
Year2020
Volume9
Issue1
Pages17
Publication date2020-01-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2220-9964 • E-ISSN: 2220-9964
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/ijgi9010017
OpenAlexW2997901515
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited17

The city-building game Cities: Skylines simulates urban-related processes in a visually appealing 3D environment and thus offers interesting possibilities for visualizations of real-world places. Such visualizations could be used for presentation, participation, or education projects. However, the creation process of the game model from geographical data is inaccurate, complicated, and time consuming, thus preventing the wider use of this game for non-entertainment purposes. This paper presents the automatic methods scripted in the Cities: Skylines application programming interface (API) and bundled into a game modification (commonly referred to as a game mod) named GeoSkylines, to create a geographically accurate visualization of real-world places in Cities: Skylines. Based on various geographical data, the presented methods create road and rail networks, tree coverage, water basins, planning zones, buildings, and services. Using these methods, playable models of the cities of Svit (Slovakia) and Olomouc (Czech Republic) were created in the game. The game mod GeoSkylines also provides methods for exporting game objects such as roads, buildings, and zones into a Geographic Information System (GIS) data format that can be processed further. This feature enables the game Cities: Skylines to be utilized as a data collection tool that could be used in redevelopment design projects

Civil engineering · Data mining · Entertainment · Geography · Redevelopment · Tourism · Visualization · 3D Modeling in Geospatial Applications · Computer Science · Data Visualization and Analytics · Engineering · Geographic Information Systems Studies

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