iMOUT: Military Simulation & Training Application

iMOUT is a prototype application offering a means to simulate military operations in an urban environment. The application integrates data from several distinct disciplines: GIS, terrain modeling, Building Information Modeling, and imaging, to develop an integrated real-time 3D simulation environment. The iMOUT application provides its users with a realistic 3D environment with components comprising the "inside", "outside", and "under" infrastructure of a selected urban context which in the pilot application was Baghdad, Iraq. The area was developed using satellite data -- the context buildings were extruded into three-dimensions using pho-togrammetry and to them, images were applied as façades giving the model photographic realism. The model can be viewed in single or multi-player modes, with up to 16 participants interacting via the web, each represented by their own avatar. A building was developed in greater detail as a Building Information Model and integrated within the context model. Utilities - power grid and sewers, and entourage elements were modeled and added to the scene. The combined model was integrated into a gaming engine which allows users to "fly" over the 3D urban environment, as well as zoom-in and interactively navigate inside the detailed, multi-story building model. The target building is a fully developed model with 3D compo-nents that include its architectural envelope, structural frame, ducting, piping, lighting fixtures, furniture and finishes. These components can be toggled on and off in the application so that the viewer can see and analyze building and urban contextual elements piecemeal or whole. A key feature of the application is its capability to associate elements of the model with database records. This feature advances BIM capabilities further by its capacity to link any 3D model element to a record in a standard relational database application such as Oracle.