WWW access to analogue environments? [Digital urban models]

Digital urban models have been in use in the UK and elsewhere for over 10 years. This paper addresses some of the practical difficulties which are encountered in seeking to enable World Wide Web (WWW) access to these models. Such difficulties include: copyright of the models themselves; ownership of the data which underpins the models; the accuracy of that data; reliability of the models for purposes which cannot be effectively predicted or controlled; methods of enabling remote users to link their data to the model; levels of detail and file size; audit trails, tracking and playback; standards for the agreed incorporation of new modelling into existing contexts; and sponsorship or payment for use. It is suggested that the lack of effective solutions to these difficulties are responsible for the prevalence on the WWW of multimedia imagery published from such models rather than the readily available VRML output.