Patent ID: 7746343

Claim:
A method executed by a geographic information computer system for streaming and interactive visualization of filled polygon data, the method comprising: receiving a complex polygon dataset associated with a geographic location, the complex polygon dataset including 3D buildings represented by polygons at a first level of detail, each building having a height; filtering the polygons representing the buildings according to height of the buildings to form a first group of polygons for buildings having at least a minimum height, the first group of polygons associated with the first level of detail; simplifying geometry of the first group of polygons to form a second group of less complex polygons at a second level of detail, wherein the second level of detail is lower than the first level of detail, and wherein simplifying geometry to form a second group of less complex polygons further comprises: sorting polygons based on volumes enclosed by the polygons; and eliminating polygons that do not enclose at least a minimum volume from the second group; and storing in a computer storage medium the second group of polygons at the second level of detail so that it is available for subsequent incremental streaming in response to client fly-through requests.