All posts by Gavin Schrock
The Essential Instrument Gets Smarter
Just when you thought there was nothing new in the world of Total Stations… Appearances can be deceptive. If you’re thinking that this is just another total station, you might be pleasantly surprised by the following look under the hood. But why a new total station? Didn’t the technology of such instruments peak in the...
GNSS Backup at the Atomic Level
A first-of-its-kind GNSS backup system provides independent navigation solutions using quantum magnetometry. This is a double-plus development. Not only is it a solution that dramatically outperforms certain other GNSS backup approaches, but it is a prime example of a solution that leverages quantum sensing. It is compact enough, light enough, and has a power consumption...
The Cloud, The Edge, and the Beast
How are various platforms for processing and managing reality capture data best leveraged? The answer is a moving target, constantly evolving… for the better. There are sometimes strong views on reality capture (RC) processing approaches, particularly between cloud-based and local approaches. Recently, an acquaintance, a respected practitioner of high-profile RC projects, told me that he...
Having a Ball Doing Layout
A new solution for construction layout, interior finishing, MEP, and templating, incorporates so many clever innovations that it is almost like a whole new class of instrument. Tools and solutions for construction layout, stakeout, interior finishing, and templating have evolved substantially since the days of legacy analog, pencil, tape, and paper plans. Presently, there is...
Quantum Sensing
Profound change could be ahead for airborne reality capture and mapping, in the realm of quantum physics. The term “quantum leap” is often used loosely to describe excitement over new technologies. This time, though, the “quantum” part is literal—specifically, “quantum sensing.” In this case, it is the leveraging of quantum physics, quantum mechanics, particle states,...
A Green Light for Shoreline Mapping
Capturing the four distinct elements of shorelines and coastlines often entails using two, three, or more separate systems. Zones of offshore, nearshore, the shoreline, and uplands, captured with separate systems, are stitched together—not always seamlessly. The zones represent a single ecosystem, and the latest approach captures it with one system.