Objectives Accurately describing and understanding the bridge construction process is of great significance to students' learning and field personnel's fine management. However, the bridge construction process involves a large number of objects, complex behaviors, and variable states, which leads to problems such as poor standardization and low cognitive efficiency in expression.

Methods This paper proposes a knowledge-guided three-dimensional visualization method of spatiotemporal narrative of bridge construction process. First, we construct a bridge construction knowledge map with “object-behavior-state” three-domain association by analyzing the bridge construction process, then break through the key technologies of narrative element analysis and matching, 3D scene mapping and instantiation, and 3D dynamic visualization of spatiotemporal narrative. Finally, we develop a prototype system and carries out case study experimental analysis.

Results The results show that the correct rate of answering questions in the experimental group reaches 76.5%, which is 13.2% higher than that of the control group; under the comprehensive perspective of clarity, richness and comprehension difficulty, 78.8% of the personnel in the experimental group have good cognitive experience, which is 45.5% higher than that of the control group.

Conclusions By accurately describing the bridge construction objects, features and interrelationships, the unified expre-ssion and association management of bridge construction knowledge map is realized, and based on this, the three-dimensional dynamic visualization expression of the bridge construction process is carried out by using spatiotemporal narratives, which effectively enhances the education level of bridge construction process cognition with the help of interactivity and immersion of three-dimensional scenes.