Recent changes in GIS technology and associated 3D capabilities have changed how geospatial information will be made available

If a picture is worth a thousand words, the third dimension is definitely worth a thousand pictures. Even if the vast majority of geospatial information is viewed in 2D-whether in a printed format on or on the Web-the recent profusion of 3D maps has become extremely popular.

Here are a few facts in relation to the proliferation of 3D:
There have been over 100 million downloads of Google Earth since its introduction last year and its popularity continues to grow.

Adobe introduced amazingly powerful 3D capabilities with Adobe Reader7. To date, more than 500 million copies of Adobe Reader have been downloaded world wide on 23 platforms in 26 languages.

Microsoft embraces 3D at multiple levels. Direct3D, the 3D graphics API that is available in Windows and in Xbox games, in now available in Windows Mobile 5 targeting mobile devices such as PDAs and smart phones. Windows Vista, the next generation of Windows, will offer native 3D support for, potentially, all the aspects of the user interface. Microsoft is also innovating with pictometry oblique photography in local.live.com. It is also an active researcher in the virtual reality arena.

And finally, a whole panoply of 3D-compliant standards has appeared in recent years: OGC's GML and CityGML, IFC, aecXML, LandXML, X3D, COLLADA, and many more.

The evidence is that 3D technology is here and that it is already widely accessible. But what does this mean for the provider or consumer of geospatial information? It means new opportunities for better decision making and saving money.

I don't see the need of finding a research reference for proving that a 3D terrain map is easier to read in comparison to a 2D map with contour lines. I have personally witnessed several cases where better decisions could have been made much more quickly by using a 3D terrain views are the possibilities of a 3D city.