Read a 3D map without mistaking it for a photograph
A model makes the arrangement of a place easier to understand. Its detail should not be mistaken for direct observation of every building or window.
By Clavy · 20 October 2026 · 1 min read
A 3D map brings footprints, terrain and building-height assumptions into one view. That makes it easier to understand how a place is arranged. It also makes uncertainty easy to overlook: a convincing shape can look more definite than the evidence behind it.
Read the footprint and the height separately
A footprint describes a building's recorded outline. A displayed height may be derived from recorded floors using a drawing assumption. It is therefore useful for comparing the broad arrangement of buildings, but it is not a survey of every roof.
The model may not reflect every recent change. Roof details, balconies, temporary structures and the inside of a building can remain outside its scope.
Keep the property's location in view
A map can be detailed while a listing's own location remains approximate. If only a municipality or neighbourhood has been identified, the surrounding model does not prove which building contains the advertised home.
Begin with the area directory for town context and the neighbourhood explorer for a more local view. Read the location label on the property page before connecting those surroundings to a specific home.
Do not turn context into a promised view
Building forms and terrain can help explain the setting. They do not establish a window's direction, current vegetation or what is visible from a particular room. A potential outlook needs its own evidence and, where possible, direct observation.
The same distinction applies to images: a listing photograph, a developer's rendering and a model are different kinds of material. Each should be labelled for what it is.
A productive use of the map is to prepare questions: which building, which floor, what is beside it and what should be checked on site? Clavy's methodology explains the evidence behind its derived views.
Questions this post answers
Not necessarily. A model can derive height from recorded floors and a drawing assumption. Read the method and scope of the view.
Where to next
Clavy
What is a home worth? Start with an address.
General information, not legal, tax or financial advice, and not a valuation of any home. Facts about a particular property are read on its own page with their source and resolution level.