TouchTerrain is a simple-to-use web application that makes creating 3D printable terrain models from anywhere on the globe accessible to a wide range of users, from people with no GIS expertise to power users. For coders, a Python-based standalone version is available from the open-source project's GitHub repository. Analyzing 18 months of web analytics gave us a preliminary look at who is using the TouchTerrain web application and what their models are used for; and to map out what terrains on the globe they chose to 3D print. From July 2019 to January 2021, more than 20,000 terrain models were downloaded. Models were created for many different use cases, including education, research, outdoor activities and crafting mementos. Most models were realized with 3D printers, but a sizable minority used CNC machines. Our own experiences with using 3D printed terrain in a university setting have been very positive so far. Anecdotal evidence points to the strong potential for 3D printed terrain models to provide significant help with specific map-related tasks. For the introductory geology laboratory, 3D printed models were used as a form of “training wheels” to aid beginning students in learning to read contour maps, which are still an important tool for geology.

中文翻译：

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TouchTerrain-3D可打印地形模型

TouchTerrain是一个易于使用的Web应用程序，使从全球任何地方创建3D可打印地形模型的用户可以访问，从没有GIS专业知识的人到高级用户。对于编码人员，可从开源项目的GitHub存储库中获得基于Python的独立版本。分析 18个月的网络分析使我们初步了解了谁在使用TouchTerrain Web应用程序以及其模型的用途；并绘制出他们选择进行3D打印的地球上的地形。从2019年7月到2021年1月，下载了超过20,000个地形模型。为许多不同的用例创建了模型，包括教育，研究，户外活动和手工纪念品。大多数模型都是使用3D打印机实现的，但是相当一部分使用了CNC机器。到目前为止，我们自己在大学环境中使用3D打印地形的经验一直非常积极。轶事证据表明3D打印地形模型具有强大的潜力，可以为与地图相关的特定任务提供重要帮助。对于地质入门实验室，