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A Virtual 3D Geological Library Based on UAV and SFM: Application for Promoting Teaching and Research on Geological Specimen and Heritage Online

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Abstract

Substantial research has been undertaken on the role of specimen resources in the teaching and learning of geology and related fields. But the contributions of virtual 3D libraries have received little attention within geological heritage. We built a Virtual 3D Geological Library (V3GL) that utilizes photographic modeling, and the V3GL is based on the Cesium engine; its data-oriented distributed architecture provides specimen resources from many universities. The study utilized a comparison control group design with three groups in testing. The principal findings of this research are that the V3GL is a suitable solution for displaying and sharing geological specimens. The questionnaire in this article also verified the importance of the V3GL in improving the perception of field geological specimens and establishing the spatial relationship between the specimens and heritage. V3GL uses a unified virtual 3D space to carry three-dimensional models of specimens and heritage, photo POIs, and layer data, and also it is vital for studying the spatial relationship between specimens and the environment or between specimens and specimens. This study should, therefore, be of value to librarians, geological heritage departments, those with mobility issues, geo-practitioners wishing to examine specimens from other areas, and students who cannot be taught in the field due to underfunding of their colleges or the epidemic. The V3GL is of great significance for the protection of geoscience teaching resources through cooperation or sharing, the maintenance of the right to a fair education, and the construction of future virtual simulation solutions. In addition, photographic modeling lays the foundation for a more immersive virtual laboratory and brings opportunities to reform and improve teaching methods in the field of the natural sciences, especially in the field of the geosciences.

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  • 04 May 2022

    The original version of this paper was updated to correct the reference format as per the journal style.

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Funding

The project is supported by the “Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities” (No. 2020QN16).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, 221116, China

    Xuejia Sang & Xiaoshun Li

  2. College of Information Sciences and Technology, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, 610059, China

    Xiaopeng Leng

  3. College of Earth Science, Jilin University, Changchun, 130061, China

    Xiangjin Ran & Linfu Xue

Authors
  1. Xuejia Sang
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  2. Xiaopeng Leng
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  3. Xiangjin Ran
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  4. Xiaoshun Li
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  5. Linfu Xue
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Correspondence to Linfu Xue.

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Sang, X., Leng, X., Ran, X. et al. A Virtual 3D Geological Library Based on UAV and SFM: Application for Promoting Teaching and Research on Geological Specimen and Heritage Online. Geoheritage 14, 43 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-021-00615-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-021-00615-2

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