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Scientists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have created the first truly high-resolution 3D map of all buildings on Earth—an unprecedented global dataset that models approximately 2.75 billion individual structures. This achievement marks a major milestone in geospatial research, urban planning, and climate modeling. The project, known as GlobalBuildingAtlas, was supported through a prestigious European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant and represents a major leap forward in our ability to understand the built environment at a planetary scale.

What sets this atlas apart from previous global building datasets is its extraordinary level of detail. The new map is 30 times more detailed than earlier global building models, using satellite imagery from 2019 to reconstruct structures with three-by-three-meter spatial resolution. This fine-grained mapping allows researchers to calculate a building’s height, footprint, density, and volume with far greater precision than ever before. Such metrics are crucial for applications ranging from population modeling and disaster risk assessment to carbon footprint calculations and infrastructure planning.

A remarkable 97% of all buildings are modeled using standardized Level of Detail 1 (LoD1) geometry. LoD1 models provide simplified but consistent block-style building shapes, making it possible to analyze global patterns without the inconsistencies found in regional datasets. Achieving uniform coverage across the world required solving major challenges in computer vision, remote sensing, and data harmonization—areas in which TUM researchers have been international leaders.

Another groundbreaking aspect of the GlobalBuildingAtlas is its comprehensive geographic coverage. Many global datasets historically overlook large parts of Africa, South America, Southeast Asia, and rural regions worldwide due to cloud cover, sparse infrastructure, or limited data acquisition. The new atlas fills these gaps, offering high-quality 3D building data for regions that have traditionally been underrepresented or entirely missing from digital mapping systems. This makes the atlas invaluable for governments, NGOs, and researchers working on climate resilience, urban growth, humanitarian planning, and economic development.

Experts emphasize that 3D building data is essential for modeling energy consumption, estimating emissions from the built environment, developing evacuation plans, and understanding human settlement patterns. As cities grow and climate risks escalate, tools like the GlobalBuildingAtlas provide the scientific foundation needed for evidence-based decision-making.

The atlas has been highlighted by major scientific and mapping organizations for its potential impact. According to reports from the European Space Agency (ESA), the German Aerospace Center (DLR), and peer-reviewed publications in Remote Sensing of Environment and Nature Scientific Data, large-scale 3D building datasets are becoming crucial for global urban analysis, and the Munich team’s work sets a new standard for accuracy and accessibility.

With future updates planned, GlobalBuildingAtlas represents a transformative step toward a detailed digital twin of the planet—one that could help shape how communities prepare for natural hazards, expand sustainably, and meet global climate goals.