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CityJSON Management Using Multi-Model Graph Database to Support 3D Urban Data Management

Authors Muhammad Syafiq , Suhaibah Azri , Uznir Ujang

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Subject Classification

ACM Subject Classification
  • Information systems → Graph-based database models
  • Information systems → Geographic information systems
  • Information systems → Database design and models
Keywords
  • CityJSON
  • Graph Database
  • 3D City Model
  • 3D GIS
  • Interoperability

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Abstract

The prevalence of 3D city models in urban applications is increasing due to their lightweight and flexibility, making them adaptable to various applications. However, effective data interoperability remains an issue. Managing 3D city models within a database can improve urban data management applications such as data enrichment and efficient querying. Motivated by the need for better interoperability of 3D city models, this paper proposes a novel method for storing CityJSON using the concept of a multi-model graph database as a foundation for enriching its semantics. The proposed approach involves decomposing CityJSON objects into smaller JSON components, which are then abstracted into graph elements. Parent-child and other relationship attributes are modelled to capture the hierarchical and associative structures of the CityJSON data. A specific programme is employed to preprocess CityJSON data based on several conditions before being loaded into the graph database. Our multi-model approach allows three types of queries: document, graph, and hybrid. The latter combines both document and graph query. Comparative evaluation against relational databases demonstrates that the proposed method outperforms in terms of query performance. The improved query performance is attributed to the advantage of graph database that reduces the need for joins and the ability to efficiently index and navigate JSON data. The findings of this study establish a foundation for semantic enrichment of 3D city models to improve interoperability and support advanced urban data management.

Cite As Get BibTex

Muhammad Syafiq, Suhaibah Azri, and Uznir Ujang. CityJSON Management Using Multi-Model Graph Database to Support 3D Urban Data Management. In 13th International Conference on Geographic Information Science (GIScience 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 346, pp. 2:1-2:15, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025) https://doi.org/10.4230/LIPIcs.GIScience.2025.2

Author Details

Muhammad Syafiq
  • 3D GIS Research Lab, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru, Malaysia
Suhaibah Azri
  • 3D GIS Research Lab, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru, Malaysia
Uznir Ujang
  • 3D GIS Research Lab, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Funding

This work is supported by the Ministry of Higher Education through the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS/1/2022/WAB07/UTM/02/3). The highest appreciation is offered to UTMNexus scholarship for sponsoring the study of the first author.
  • Azri, Suhaibah: Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS/1/2022/WAB07/UTM/02/3).

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