Discussions about the need for 3D data standards in transportation and building services highlight an important point about how the need for standards emerges.
There are many 3D mapping applications in many fields. Today, it's becoming clearer how data from one area might be joined with data from another in order to create more value. Also, people are appreciating that universal standards for 3D data will help to accelerate business development, reduce market entry costs, and add customer value. One of the catalysts for this new perspective is the development of autonomous vehicles.
The psychology insight here is how as soon as you see why data standards would benefit a field, you immediately wonder why they don't already exist. Isn't it obvious that a self-driving car is going to need “see” or “sense” the world around it in a standard manner?
And yet, the need for standards never comes ahead of the vision for what can be achieved better with standards. That's how our minds work. If you'd stood up ten years ago and called for 3D data standards, people would have been puzzled and then asked you about business benefits. Today, those benefits are blindingly obvious.
Incidentally, standards for 3D data are also vital for the future of insurance, with the increased deployment of drones and ideas around self-monitoring assets – including buildings. ENR
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