Category Archives: GNSS/Location Tech
The Early Days of 3D Scanning: Part 7
1998: The Public Unveiling of 3D Scanning In my prior “insider” articles for this series (monthly, starting with the June 2020 issue), I described how in 1996 I became aware of 3D laser scanning while the technology was in development. In March 1998, I left a senior product marketing position with Trimble to join the...
Doers: Matt LaLuzerne
LaLuzerne is Strategic Growth Director, GPI Geospatial and incoming president of the Florida Region of ASPRS xyHt: How did you get started in the geospatial industry? LaLuzerne: During my undergraduate studies at the University of Florida, I focused heavily on pre-engineering courses to prepare myself for civil engineering. I would always see a small advertisement in the...
Survey Says: Height of Mount Everest is Two Feet More
Since 1856 China and Nepal have argued over the actual height of Mount Everest, the world’s tallest mountain that sits on the border between the two countries in the Himalaya Mountains. Until today (December 8, 2020), Nepal has measured Everest at 29,029 feet. That counts the ice cap on top of the actual height of...
The Early Days of 3D Scanning, Part 6
1998: Launching 3D Laser Scanning into the Market I had the good fortune to be deeply involved with a pioneering vendor of 3D laser scanners and point cloud software. As I consider where that technology is today – a multi-billion dollar per year industry, the valuable benefits it has delivered to so many organizations and...
The Return of Loran
An obsolete WWII navigation system is making a comeback In the 1980s, I used Loran-C to navigate on sailing trips off the U.S. East Coast. It had an accuracy of a few hundred feet and required interpreting blue, magenta, black, and green lines that were overprinted on nautical charts. The system was a modernized version, launched...
Grand Surveying in Grand Paris
Advanced solutions for tunneling and monitoring keep Europe’s largest transportation expansion project on track All photos taken prior to introduction of COVID-19 distancing guidelines Paris is grand—and getting much grander. One of the most visited—and loved—cities in the world, The City of Light began the Grand Paris initiative in 2007 with the goal of keeping...