David Rumsey Collection Los Angeles 3D GIS

This 1880 manuscript map of the Los Angeles basin is one of the earliest detailed maps of the area; it was produced by William Hammond Hall, the first California State Engineer. In this 3D GIS version of the map, the scanned historic map image is combined with the modern day USGS DEM (Digital Elevation Model), allowing us to "warp" the historic map images into 3D.

The flash movie below gives a preview of the 3D GIS experience. Click on the link below the flash movie to launch the full 3D Los Angeles GIS Viewer, but READ this first - the 3D GIS Viewer has three viewing modes: Fly Through (opening mode), Inspection, and Hover. Use the space bar to toggle between them. Use your mouse and arrow keys for Fly-Through, arrow keys and page up/down for Inspection, and arrow keys and "1" key (down) and "2" key (up) for Hover. Using keys together will produce different motions. Detailed Help is available.

Launch 3D Los Angeles Viewer Small Screen (7.82 MB) (If video card is 8MB)

Launch 3D Los Angeles Viewer Full Screen (7.82 MB) (If video card is greater than 8MB)

Launch times will vary depending on your connection. For a DSL line, the first time you launch the 3D Los Angeles Viewer, it will take about 60 seconds to install and open the image; subsequent viewing will only take about 15 seconds to open the file since it is stored in your browser's cache. With a modem, the first launch will take from 10-20 minutes. The Virtools Web Player should download automatically when you launch the 3D GIS Viewer. If it does not, you can download it here. Windows 95/98/ME/2000/NT4.0/XP, MAC OSX (beta).

You can view 2D (flat) versions of map of Los Angeles in the Insight viewer, as well as examine the data records for the maps.

If you have comments, suggestions, or need help, contact The David Rumsey Collection at .