The Virtual Reality Modelling Language (VRML) allows 3D visualisation and interaction on the Internet. By combining it with JAVA a new level of user-interface for spatial information retrieval can be created. The Virtual Glamorgan project is developing this concept for terrain-based environmental & earth science data-sets in South Wales. If you wish to sample Virtual Glamorgan you need a Java-enabled web browser and a plug-in VRML browser. You can test if your web browser has a VRML plug-in with the sample model below.
A word of warning: this is beta technology and the Java/VRML/HTML/JavaScript interaction has not been standardised so you may find some eccentricties. Notably, with Internet Explorer 4 an error occurs with the "Where Am I ?" control - this is a JavaScript (Microsoft = JScript) bug which limits the inter-applet communication. Netscape is best ! Undoubtedly, the best VRML Browser is Cosmo Player. Alternatively, you could try Blaxxun CCPro or WorldView but the rendering is not as good, nor the Java interaction (although the navigation tools are possibly more intuitive, at least initially).
The demo version is limited in functionality by what data-sets I can make available (mainly due to Copyright). Hence the Soils data (and most of the vector data-sets) are not available just now and you are confined to the Pontypridd area. In future, users will be able to roam more widely through the Welsh landscape, exploring a wide diversity of data ................... Towards this end, I am currently evaluating, developing and optimising multi-resolution models.
Virtual Glamorgan (Demo Version)
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.........No VRML Browser ? Here's a screen-shot of the 3D User-Interface in action
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