Research: Data modelling

Architecture and OS MasterMap^®

Enhancing OS MasterMap with architectural information.

Innovative modelling of geographic information

This potential innovative enhancement to our existing topographic database would enable our customers to derive architectural information from OS MasterMap. This can be achieved through attribution to each building object (and its unique identifier, the TOID^®). Visualisation of this data in standard GIS packages enables us to model the real world with greater accuracy and have a better understanding of the built environment.

Generalised architectural scenes

Current techniques of modelling the built environment result in scenes depicting generic types of architecture. This tends to generalise the built environment. At present, the current Ordnance Survey description of the built environment is achieved with an attribution such as ‘Building’. There is no indication of the age or structure of a property and, accordingly, no indication of its architecture.

Enhanced attribution and classification

The solution is to classify each building individually. The class, which corresponds to a specific architectural code, is then attributed to each building’s unique identifier. Specifically, buildings are classified according to:

the style of the property driven by an architectural influence/period;
the approximate year of construction; and
the appearance of the facade.

The result is a more specific depiction of the built environment. Using this enhanced attribute data, it is possible to visualise the results within standard GIS packages as indicated in the result to the right.

Architecture for a number of applications/markets

Having specific information on the structure and type of individual buildings is potentially very useful to a number of markets, including but not limited to:

risk management – the general area of risk assessment is inextricably linked to the structure and architectural make-up of properties;
gaming – generation of realistic cityscapes for the gaming market; and
planning visualisation – assessing the visual impact of proposed developments.

This innovation indicates the potential flexibility of the OS MasterMap product and the ability for data association to the TOID.