fix(infrastructure): test ground below 0 m and unknown terrain correctly

The ellipsoidal horizon test hid ground below the ellipsoid (low-geoid
coasts, the Dead Sea) from a camera near it, so it is now tested at 0 m.
With the globe hidden the ground is tested as the vertical from 0 to
9,000 m against the frustum planes, in place of a 4.5 km sphere that let
in much unseen ground.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <[email protected]>

docs/CURRENT-STATE.md

@@ -1959,11 +1959,12 @@ during continuous motion. Disable/re-enable resets selection cleanly.
 Close-up stem sizing uses camera-to-feature distance without a 5 km minimum.
 Unchanged overlay entries do not request another frame; moved positions,
 changed membership and re-enabling still publish. Ground sampling waits for
-visible globe tiles to settle, samples only markers whose ground is in the
+visible globe tiles to settle, and skips markers whose ground the camera
-camera's view and above the horizon (unseen ground reads through the Earth
+cannot see (unseen ground reads through the Earth and would retry every 2 s).
-and would retry every 2 s; until it is seen, a stem keeps its unsampled
+Ground is tested at loaded globe terrain, or across 0-9,000 m when the globe
-height, which can show for a stem whose base is just off screen), and uses
+is hidden, so photoreal views skip only ground well out of view. Until it is
-valid loaded terrain as a floor while
+seen, a stem keeps its unsampled height, which can show for a stem whose base
+is just off screen. Sampling uses valid loaded terrain as a floor while
 retaining rooftop and below-sea-level elevations. A hidden globe does not
 constrain photoreal geometry, and retry work remains bounded. Already sampled
 nearby markers follow higher settled terrain on existing bounded walks, without

src/data/localGeojson.test.mjs

@@ -113,8 +113,13 @@ async function createRealLocalLayerHarness({
       upWC: new Cesium.Cartesian3(),
       frustum: {
         fov: Math.PI / 3,
+        // No planes: everything is in view. One plane no point satisfies:
+        // nothing is.
         computeCullingVolume: () => ({
-          computeVisibility: () => baseVisibility,
+          planes:
+            baseVisibility === Cesium.Intersect.OUTSIDE
+              ? [new Cesium.Cartesian4(0, 0, 0, -1)]
+              : [],
         }),
       },
       moveEnd,
@@ -787,64 +792,95 @@ test('an unseen base is not sampled and arms no retry until it is in view', asyn
   assert.ok(Math.abs(baseHeightM(env) - 117) < 0.01);
 });
 
-for (const [label, globe] of [
+/**
-  ['loaded terrain', { show: true, tilesLoaded: true, getHeight: () => 2_500 }],
+ * Give the harness a real Cesium camera `southM` metres south of the base at
-  ['a hidden globe', { show: false, tilesLoaded: true, getHeight: () => undefined }],
+ * `cameraM` metres above the ellipsoid, looking at the base's ground at
+ * `groundM` (or directly away from it).
+ */
+function aimRealCamera(env, { groundM, cameraM, southM, away = false }) {
+  const entity = env.dataSources[0].entities.values[0];
+  const base = Cesium.Cartographic.fromCartesian(entity.__localBaseCartesian);
+  const ground = Cesium.Cartesian3.fromRadians(base.longitude, base.latitude, groundM);
+  const position = Cesium.Cartesian3.fromRadians(
+    base.longitude,
+    base.latitude - southM / 6_371_000,
+    cameraM,
+  );
+  const direction = Cesium.Cartesian3.normalize(
+    away
+      ? Cesium.Cartesian3.subtract(position, ground, new Cesium.Cartesian3())
+      : Cesium.Cartesian3.subtract(ground, position, new Cesium.Cartesian3()),
+    new Cesium.Cartesian3(),
+  );
+  const right = Cesium.Cartesian3.normalize(
+    Cesium.Cartesian3.cross(
+      direction,
+      Cesium.Ellipsoid.WGS84.geodeticSurfaceNormal(position),
+      new Cesium.Cartesian3(),
+    ),
+    new Cesium.Cartesian3(),
+  );
+  const up = Cesium.Cartesian3.cross(right, direction, new Cesium.Cartesian3());
+  const frustum = new Cesium.PerspectiveFrustum({
+    fov: Math.PI / 3,
+    aspectRatio: 800 / 600,
+    near: 1,
+    far: 1e8,
+  });
+  Object.assign(env.viewer.camera, {
+    positionWC: position,
+    directionWC: direction,
+    upWC: up,
+    frustum,
+  });
+  return frustum
+    .computeCullingVolume(position, direction, up)
+    .computeVisibility(new Cesium.BoundingSphere(entity.__localBaseCartesian, 1));
+}
+
+const loadedTerrain = (height) => ({ show: true, tilesLoaded: true, getHeight: () => height });
+const hiddenGlobe = { show: false, tilesLoaded: true, getHeight: () => undefined };
+
+for (const { label, globe, groundM, cameraM, southM, baseOffScreen } of [
+  // 2,500 m terrain from 3 km away at a shallow angle: the ellipsoid-height
+  // base is far below the bottom of the screen.
+  { label: 'high ground with loaded terrain', globe: loadedTerrain(2_500), groundM: 2_500, cameraM: 3_500, southM: 3_000, baseOffScreen: true },
+  { label: 'high ground under a hidden globe', globe: hiddenGlobe, groundM: 2_500, cameraM: 3_500, southM: 3_000, baseOffScreen: true },
+  // A low-geoid coast (about -63 m near Mumbai) from a camera 50 m above the
+  // ellipsoid: the ellipsoidal horizon would hide the ground itself.
+  { label: 'ground below the ellipsoid', globe: loadedTerrain(-63), groundM: -63, cameraM: 50, southM: 2_000, baseOffScreen: false },
 ]) {
-  test(`high ground in view is sampled with ${label} although its unsampled base projects off screen`, async (t) => {
+  test(`${label} in view is sampled`, async (t) => {
-    // A base on 2,500 m terrain, seen from 3 km away at a shallow angle: its
-    // ellipsoid-height point is far below the bottom of the screen.
     const env = await createRealLocalLayerHarness({
-      sampleHeightSupported: true, sampleHeight: () => 2_500,
+      sampleHeightSupported: true, sampleHeight: () => groundM,
     });
     const clock = installFakeClock(t);
     t.after(() => { env.layer.destroy(env.viewer); env.cleanup(); });
     env.viewer.scene.globe = globe;
-    const entity = env.dataSources[0].entities.values[0];
+    const baseVisibility = aimRealCamera(env, { groundM, cameraM, southM });
-    const base = Cesium.Cartographic.fromCartesian(entity.__localBaseCartesian);
+    if (baseOffScreen)
-    const ground = Cesium.Cartesian3.fromRadians(base.longitude, base.latitude, 2_500);
+      assert.equal(baseVisibility, Cesium.Intersect.OUTSIDE, 'precondition: the ellipsoid-height base is off screen');
-    const position = Cesium.Cartesian3.fromRadians(
-      base.longitude,
-      base.latitude - 3_000 / 6_371_000,
-      2_500 + 1_000,
-    );
-    const direction = Cesium.Cartesian3.normalize(
-      Cesium.Cartesian3.subtract(ground, position, new Cesium.Cartesian3()),
-      new Cesium.Cartesian3(),
-    );
-    const right = Cesium.Cartesian3.normalize(
-      Cesium.Cartesian3.cross(
-        direction,
-        Cesium.Ellipsoid.WGS84.geodeticSurfaceNormal(position),
-        new Cesium.Cartesian3(),
-      ),
-      new Cesium.Cartesian3(),
-    );
-    const up = Cesium.Cartesian3.cross(right, direction, new Cesium.Cartesian3());
-    const frustum = new Cesium.PerspectiveFrustum({
-      fov: Math.PI / 3,
-      aspectRatio: 800 / 600,
-      near: 1,
-      far: 1e8,
-    });
-    Object.assign(env.viewer.camera, {
-      positionWC: position,
-      directionWC: direction,
-      upWC: up,
-      frustum,
-    });
-    const offScreen = frustum
-      .computeCullingVolume(position, direction, up)
-      .computeVisibility(new Cesium.BoundingSphere(entity.__localBaseCartesian, 1));
-    assert.equal(offScreen, Cesium.Intersect.OUTSIDE, 'precondition: the ellipsoid-height base is off screen');
 
     clock.advance(2_100);
     env.preRender.raise();
     assert.equal(env.sampleCalls.count, 1, 'the ground in view is sampled');
-    assert.ok(Math.abs(baseHeightM(env) - 2_500) < 0.01);
+    assert.ok(Math.abs(baseHeightM(env) - groundM) < 0.01);
   });
 }
 
+test('under a hidden globe, ground behind the camera is not sampled', async (t) => {
+  const env = await createRealLocalLayerHarness({
+    sampleHeightSupported: true, sampleHeight: () => 2_500,
+  });
+  const clock = installFakeClock(t);
+  t.after(() => { env.layer.destroy(env.viewer); env.cleanup(); });
+  env.viewer.scene.globe = hiddenGlobe;
+  aimRealCamera(env, { groundM: 2_500, cameraM: 3_500, southM: 3_000, away: true });
+  clock.advance(2_100);
+  env.preRender.raise();
+  assert.equal(env.sampleCalls.count, 0);
+});
+
 test('settled terrain refinement lifts an already sampled stem without another GPU sample', async (t) => {
   const env = await createRealLocalLayerHarness({
     sampleHeightSupported: true, sampleHeight: () => 117,

src/data/localGeojsonCore.js

@@ -1131,17 +1131,25 @@ function refreshLocalTerrainFloor(viewer, record) {
   return true;
 }
 
-const groundSampleSphere = new Cesium.BoundingSphere(
-  new Cesium.Cartesian3(),
-  1,
-);
-
 const groundSampleOccluder = new Cesium.EllipsoidalOccluder(
   Cesium.Ellipsoid.WGS84,
 );
 
 const groundSampleCarto = new Cesium.Cartographic();
-const groundSampleTop = new Cesium.Cartesian3();
+const groundSampleLow = new Cesium.Cartesian3();
+const groundSampleHigh = new Cesium.Cartesian3();
+
+/** The record's vertical at `height` metres above the ellipsoid. */
+function groundSamplePoint(record, height, result) {
+  groundSampleCarto.longitude = record.carto.longitude;
+  groundSampleCarto.latitude = record.carto.latitude;
+  groundSampleCarto.height = height;
+  return Cesium.Cartographic.toCartesian(
+    groundSampleCarto,
+    Cesium.Ellipsoid.WGS84,
+    result,
+  );
+}
 
 /**
  * Whether the camera can see the ground under the record: inside the view
@@ -1150,10 +1158,10 @@ const groundSampleTop = new Cesium.Cartesian3();
  * the Earth (about -6,344 km near Ashburn on Esri) and fails on every 2 s
  * retry, each one a full offscreen render; 110 unseen data centres there held
  * rest frames at 58-589 ms. Unsampled bases sit on the ellipsoid, so the test
- * uses loaded globe terrain when there is some, and otherwise every height a
+ * uses loaded globe terrain when there is some. Otherwise (a hidden globe) it
- * sample can accept (0 to GROUND_SAMPLE_MAX_ABS_HEIGHT_M): high ground in
+ * tests the vertical from 0 to GROUND_SAMPLE_MAX_ABS_HEIGHT_M, every height a
- * view is never mistaken for an unseen base. Unseen ground is sampled on the
+ * sample can accept, so high ground in view is never mistaken for an unseen
- * first walk that sees it.
+ * base. Unseen ground is sampled on the first walk that sees it.
  */
 function groundSampleInView(viewer, record) {
   const camera = viewer.camera;
@@ -1162,37 +1170,36 @@ function groundSampleInView(viewer, record) {
   const known =
     Number.isFinite(terrain) &&
     Math.abs(terrain) <= GROUND_SAMPLE_MAX_ABS_HEIGHT_M;
-  const span = GROUND_SAMPLE_MAX_ABS_HEIGHT_M / 2;
+  const low = groundSamplePoint(record, known ? terrain : 0, groundSampleLow);
-  groundSampleCarto.longitude = record.carto.longitude;
+  const high = known
-  groundSampleCarto.latitude = record.carto.latitude;
+    ? low
-  groundSampleCarto.height = known ? terrain : span;
+    : groundSamplePoint(
-  Cesium.Cartographic.toCartesian(
+        record,
-    groundSampleCarto,
+        GROUND_SAMPLE_MAX_ABS_HEIGHT_M,
-    Cesium.Ellipsoid.WGS84,
+        groundSampleHigh,
-    groundSampleSphere.center,
+      );
-  );
+  // The vertical is unseen only when both ends are outside the same plane.
-  groundSampleSphere.radius = known ? 1 : span;
+  const { planes } = camera.frustum.computeCullingVolume(
-  const culling = camera.frustum.computeCullingVolume(
     camera.positionWC,
     camera.directionWC,
     camera.upWC,
   );
-  if (
+  for (const plane of planes) {
-    culling.computeVisibility(groundSampleSphere) === Cesium.Intersect.OUTSIDE
+    if (
-  )
+      Cesium.Cartesian3.dot(plane, low) + plane.w < 0 &&
-    return false;
+      Cesium.Cartesian3.dot(plane, high) + plane.w < 0
-  // The highest ground the sample could find is the last to drop below the
+    )
-  // horizon.
+      return false;
-  if (!known) groundSampleCarto.height = GROUND_SAMPLE_MAX_ABS_HEIGHT_M;
+  }
+  // The ellipsoidal occluder hides every point below the ellipsoid from a
+  // camera near it, so ground below 0 m (low-geoid coasts, the Dead Sea) is
+  // tested at 0 m; unknown ground at the top of the vertical.
+  const horizonHeight = known
+    ? Math.max(terrain, 0)
+    : GROUND_SAMPLE_MAX_ABS_HEIGHT_M;
   groundSampleOccluder.cameraPosition = camera.positionWC;
   return groundSampleOccluder.isPointVisible(
-    known
+    groundSamplePoint(record, horizonHeight, groundSampleHigh),
-      ? groundSampleSphere.center
-      : Cesium.Cartographic.toCartesian(
-          groundSampleCarto,
-          Cesium.Ellipsoid.WGS84,
-          groundSampleTop,
-        ),
   );
 }