Reconstructing 3D GIS model and urban form database for traditional Malay City Kota Bharu

Abstract

In recent decades, the role of 3D GIS as a modelling and platform for urban analysis has been used extensively in many fields of research. The ability of the GIS platform to handle spatial database and even to model and manage 3D databases creates more research and development on the field. The study aim is to reconstructing 3D GIS model and its database in order to determine urban form elements for Traditional Malay City in Malaysia. This study has demonstrated the use of the geospatial technique and databases formation to the most prominent known Malay town in Kota Bharu. The extraction of 3D geospatial databases that obtained from multirotor drone and laser scanning system have been used for this study. This dataset used for further construction of 3D GIS model and databases formation. There are few processes consist of pre-processing, main processing and data analysis involved in constructing 3D GIS model. Three elements of urban form consist of street network, land use and building have been analyzed in order to determine its role in formation the Traditional Malay City. The analysis showed, the overall existing development does not have a rigorous change, particularly on the urban layout and distribution of land uses, compared to the development in early period of establishment of Kota Bharu in 1845 till 1910. Therefore, there are a lot of cultural heritage building such as places, mosque and communal settlement houses which reflected the Traditional Malay identity still existed in study area. From the finding of and analysis from the historical context and also from the 3D GIS models, shows that, there are 3 main urban form elements which are associated with the formation of Traditional Malay City of Kota Bharu which are, land use element, street network element and building elements. These three elements were the main contributes in the formation of Traditional Malay City of Kota Bharu where the current form and arrangement of these three elements still related with the early establishment of Kota Bharu in 1845.the most land use concept which strengthening on the social interaction between the Sultan, aristocratic, communal and religion. Besides, on the street network, the connectivity between the places by the street structure created the sense of security and privacy and social engagement between the places. For the third urban form element, building element, the analysis found that, there are still structure or building including settlement structure which still applied the Kelantan Traditional Malay design on their façade, roof and form. In the meantime, the reconstructing of the 3D GIS model from the geospatial techniques was able to make use of the 3D GIS model and its databases as the final output model which can help to develop sustainability in cultural heritage, providing access to the heritage database in 3D format, and assist in analyzing and redefining rules of traditional Malay heritage to modern cities nowadays.