Category Archives: Energy/Utilities

AutoCAD representation of equipment and structure created from scans. Scans were modeled in Cyra’s point cloud software and the model was exported to AutoCAD.

The Early Days of 3D Scanning, Part 4: Chevron, Cyra and Trimble

Thus far in my “insider story” (June, July, August 2020), I’ve described how, while working for Trimble in 1996, I first became aware of the technology, which was then still in development. After a jaw-dropping demo, I dove deep into evaluating the technology and its pioneering start-up company, Cyra Technologies, for a possible partnership with...

Processed time slice with Condor, 34 inches below ground surface. Underground utilities present at that depth show up as linear features in the data.

A New Dawn for 3D Ground Penetrating Radar Arrays

I was first immersed in ground penetrating radar (GPR) as a PhD student at Lulea University in northern Sweden in the mid-1990s, and I immediately fell in love with the technology. I love the ability it gives me to see hidden things so quickly and elegantly. I also love the notion that the equipment is...

Chevron beta tested Cyrax on an oil & gas field in Kazakhstan. These images show the 3D laser scanner’s camera image of the vessels and the resulting point cloud scan.

The Early Days of 3D Scanning, Part 3: Cyra Unleashed

In Part 1, I described how in 1996, while working for Trimble, I first became aware of 3D laser scanning. It was being developed by Cyra Technologies Inc., a small start-up that had approached Trimble seeking a potential partnership. The jaw-dropping technology demo hooked my interest. In Part 2, I described my role in evaluating...

xyHt Weekly News Links 7/17/2020

*Click here to visit xyHt’s Virtual Trade Show* Congress Moves Against FCC’s Ligado Decision Bad Elf Flex™ Adopts the Hemisphere Phantom™ Module Honeywell Refines Navigation Revealing the World from Satellites Common Ground Alliance Launches New Expo    

Underground utility infrastructure is often in harm’s way during construction projects, costing economies around the world billions.

Damage to the Underground: A Stitch in Time Saves Nine

Avoiding damage to utility infrastructure could save billions. This is a summary of a white paper “Reducing Damage to Underground Utility Infrastructure during Excavation” prepared by Geoff Zeiss and Dr. Sakura Shinoaki and published by the Geospatial Information & Technology Association. Over two decades in the United States there have been more than 400 fatalities and...

The Early Days of 3D Scanning

When I first came across Cyra Technologies Inc., a start-up that was developing 3D laser scanning, I was working at Trimble Navigation in Sunnyvale, California, in the heart of the San Francisco Bay area’s “Silicon Valley.” I consider myself lucky. I had the good fortune to be deeply involved in the very beginning of 3D...