2.6.4.10. Vegetation Model

The vegetation model of CityGML distinguishes between solitary vegetation objects like trees and vegetation areas, which represent biotopes like forests or other plant communities. Single vegetation objects are modelled by the class SolitaryVegetationObject, while for areas filled with specific vegetation the class PlantCover is used.

../../../_images/citydb_example_vegetation_model.png

Fig. 2.23 Image illustrates objects of the vegetation model (from: [GKCN2008])

The geometry representation of a PlantCover feature may be a MultiSurface or a MultiSolid, depending on the vertical extent of the vegetation. For example, regarding forests, a MultiSolid representation might be more appropriate (cf. Fig. 2.23).

The UML diagram of the vegetation model is depicted in Fig. 2.24. A SolitaryVegetation­Object may have the attributes class (e.g. tree, bush, grass), species (species’ name, e.g. Abies alba), usage, and function (e.g. botanical monument), height, trunkDiameter and crownDiameter. A PlantCover feature may have the attributes class (plant community), usage, function (e.g. national forest) and averageHeight. Since both SolitaryVegetationObject and PlantCover are CityObjects, they inherit all attributes of a city object, in particular its name (gml:name) and an ExternalReference to a corresponding object in an external information system, which may contain botanical information from public environmental agencies.

../../../_images/citydb_vegetation_model.png

Fig. 2.24 Vegetation Model

The geometry of a SolitaryVegetationObject may be defined in LoD 1-4 by absolute coordinates, or prototypically by an ImplicitGeometry. Season dependent appearances may be mapped using ImplicitGeometries. For visualisation purposes, only the content of the library object defining the object’s shape and appearance has to be swapped.

A SolitaryVegetationObject or a PlantCover may have a different geometry in each LoD. Whereas a SolitaryVegetationObject is associated with the _Geometry class representing an arbitrary GML geometry (by the relation lodXGeometry), a PlantCover is restricted to be either a MultiSolid or a MultiSurface.