Introduction ¶

The piece explores visualizing terrain data using Cesium, noting that “Digital elevation data is now readily available from multiple sources.” The author addresses a gap in available tutorials by providing a complete walkthrough for replicating elevation data visualization.

Step-by-Step Process ¶

1. Download Elevation Data ¶

Sources include the SRTM 30m database and QGIS’s SRTM Downloader plugin. The example uses a GeoTIFF file from Kartoza’s Docker MapProxy repository.

2. Create Seamless Layers ¶

Tools like gdalbuildvrt or gdal_merge.py merge individual elevation tiles into unified imagery.

3. Deploy GeoServer ¶

The workflow uses the Kartoza GeoServer Docker image with the BIL extension installed via command-line deployment, enabling terrain rendering capabilities.

4. Publish DEM Data ¶

Users configure BIL format settings when publishing raster layers within GeoServer’s interface.

5. Test Preview Layer ¶

Layer preview functionality validates successful raster layer configuration.

6. Configure Cesium Workshop ¶

Downloads the Cesium workshop materials and modifies HTML/JavaScript files for minimal, focused implementation.

7. Implement App.js ¶

A custom JavaScript file defines geographic boundaries and initializes a Cesium viewer with specific configuration options and terrain provider settings.

8. Add Terrain Provider ¶

The Cesium-GeoserverTerrainProvider library enables integration between Cesium and GeoServer.

9. Deploy Web Server ¶

Nginx Docker configuration serves the Cesium application with proper CORS headers and static file routing.

10. Access Visualization ¶

Navigation to localhost:8091 displays interactive 3D terrain visualization.

11. Production Considerations ¶

The author recommends replacing default Cesium Ion access tokens with production credentials.

Technical Configuration ¶

The article includes Docker Compose setup and Nginx configuration files demonstrating server deployment architecture and access control settings.