Who we are

The SIG 3D is a national and international independent working group that deals with questions concerning modelling, storage, generation, use, visualisation and marketing of 3D city and landscape models. The SIG 3D is open for all interested people.

In particular the SIG 3D encourages the set-up of 3D Spatial Data Infrastructures with the aim of an improved availability and use of 3D geoinformation in all possible application areas.

Founded in 2002, 60 partners of national and international economics, science and administration bodies have worked together. The SIG 3D is an open working group, so that all interested people can participate. The members of SIG 3D come from all over Germany and other European countries.

The work of the SIG 3D is based on international standards with the aim of creating an open and interoperable 3D spatial data infrastructure.

How the SIG3D was created

The SIG 3D was founded in May 2002.

Until 2010, it was part of the initiative Spatial Data Infrastructure of the German state North Rhine-Westphalia  (SDI NRW). The aim of the SDI NRW was to activate the geoinformation market in North Rhine-Westphalia and thus to improve the availability and use of geoinformation in all conceivable areas of application.

The archive of the SDI NRW can be found here


Both the strategic units of the SDI NRW (Steering Committee, CeGI GmbH, GI-Committee) and the operative units (further Special Interest Groups, Task Forces, Testbeds or Pilots as well as the Plenum) no longer exist or have not performed their tasks for years.

The 3D SIG, on the other hand, has generally met four times a year since it was founded in 2002 until 2017

Since the beginning of 2010, the 3D SIG has been part of the Spatial Data Infrastructure Germany (GDI-DE) and in this context represents the national and international network for 3D.

An overview of the previous pilots of the SIG 3D can be found here

Where does the SIG3D stand today

Note: SIG3D has discontinued its work in its previous form.