Abstract: The traditional two-dimensional GIS in the geological modelling only uses the elevation as the attribute of geographic elements and has no elevation coordinates associated. Therefore, with the advancement of social science and technology, this modelling method has encountered bottlenecks in many applications.Due to its powerful geospatial object modeling and spatial analysis capabilities, the current three-dimensional GIS modelling has a good application in geological aspects, mining, environment, measurement, and biology. This paper introduces the current technology and applications of GIS based on drilling data in the geological space and visualization in recent years. It is also reviewed the development history of the GIS with a focus on the technical problems and development trends of the 3D GIS research and exploration.

Key words: Two-Dimensional GIS, Three-Dimensional GIS, Geological modeling, Spatial Analysis, Visualization