A 3D computer model of a whole city has been created by researchers in
Tampere, Finland. The virtual Tampere can be searched and viewed using mobile
devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs). Buildings are displayed on
the screen as they appear from ground level, so that people walking around a
city can compare the display on their PDA with what’s in front of them. “Users
recognise landmarks and find the route in cities more easily with the 3D model
than with a symbolic 2D map,” says Ismo Rakkolainen of Tampere University of
Technology.
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