Promoting 3DGS Conversion of Kaga City Spaces: "AI-Understandable Spatial Composition" with 360° Drones

Digital College KAGA (Kaga City, Ishikawa Prefecture) has implemented an initiative to digitize facilities and spaces in Kaga City into 3D data using 3D Gaussian Splatting (hereinafter "3DGS") with 360° camera-equipped drones. This project aims to further develop conventional point cloud data and photogrammetry, providing digital assets useful for the tourism industry while generating spatial data that AI, robots, drones, and autonomous vehicles can easily use for recognition, matching, and movement in urban space design.

Digital College KAGA has previously worked on digital archiving of hot spring facilities using multiple methods, including drones and generative AI. This 3DGS conversion is the next stage, aiming to build a spatial data platform that is more realistic and has the potential to link with VPS (Visual Positioning System) and autonomous navigation technologies.

Beyond Point Clouds: From "Seeing" Space to "Reading" Space

Point cloud data is an effective method for accurately recording the shape of buildings and terrain. On the other hand, when AI and robots move in real space, they need to estimate their own position and choose actions based on visual features such as texture visible from the camera, shadows, openings, signs, steps, passages, and landmarks, not just shape.

3DGS is a technology that can reconstruct real space with high precision and realism from multiple images and videos. It is expected to be used not only for simple "3D visualization" but also as fundamental data for AI and robots to recognize space. Digital College KAGA is expanding this 3DGS to facilities in Kaga City, promoting the transition from "maps for people to see" to "spaces for machines to read."

3DGS Data Samples (Click links for data)

Yamashiro Onsen Koso-yu - Day

Yamashiro Onsen Koso-yu - Day

Yamashiro Onsen Koso-yu - Night

Yamashiro Onsen Koso-yu - Night

Korogi Bridge - Yamanaka Onsen

Korogi Bridge - Yamanaka Onsen

Kutani Dam - Kaga City, Ishikawa Prefecture

Kutani Dam - Kaga City, Ishikawa Prefecture

Kaga City Innovation Center

Kaga City Innovation Center

Takenoura-kan - Kaga City

Takenoura-kan - Kaga City

Ayatori Bridge - Yamanaka Onsen

Ayatori Bridge - Yamanaka Onsen

High-Speed Spatial Acquisition with 360° Camera Drones

In this initiative, a combination of the latest 360° camera-equipped drones such as DJI Avata 360, omnidirectional cameras, smartphones, and existing 3D urban models are used to acquire multi-faceted data of facilities both indoors and outdoors. DJI Avata 360 has been announced as a 360° drone featuring 8K/60fps HDR 360° video, all-directional obstacle detection, and switching between 360° and single-lens modes.

This makes it possible to record facility data, which was conventionally captured and measured individually, in a three-dimensional and visual manner, over a wider area and in a shorter time.

Ayatori Bridge and 360° camera drone Korogi Bridge and 360° camera drone

Takenoura-kan and 360° camera drone Koso-yu and 360° camera drone

Implementation Led by Private Sector, Connected to Kaga City's Existing Digital Infrastructure

Kaga City has participated in Project PLATEAU promoted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism since fiscal year 2020, working on the utilization of 3D urban models. Kaga City also has a demonstration support system for advanced technology as a field for near-future technology demonstrations, covering areas such as autonomous driving, drones, AI, and IoT. Past initiatives have included 3D city maps, drones, and Level 4 autonomous driving vehicles.

While backed by Kaga City's advanced demonstration environment and regional technology community, this initiative is planned and executed independently by Digital College KAGA as a private-sector-led project. It will connect with Kaga City's existing 3D urban models, drone-related demonstrations, and the potential for VPS utilization in autonomous driving projects, eventually evolving into the development of urban space infrastructure where robots and autonomous vehicles can navigate without hesitation.

Towards a City Where Robots Understand Their "Position" through VPS Integration

VPS (Visual Positioning System) is a technology that estimates the position of vehicles and robots by matching camera images with pre-prepared 3D maps. Demonstrations for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's PLATEAU project have also verified the possibility of estimating the position of autonomous driving vehicles using VPS, combining 3D urban models with camera images.

Digital College KAGA will proceed with verification of data formats, coordinate alignment, visual features, and the addition of semantic information, so that the 3DGS data acquired and generated in Kaga City can be utilized in the future as reference data for VPS and for supporting autonomous movement of autonomous driving vehicles, indoor/outdoor robots, and drones.

Also, the previously announced KAGA ecomo waste collection vehicle automation project.