Category Archives: Lidar/Imaging
Making Aerial Lidar Work for Small Businesses
Aerial lidar’s growth has created challenges for small business in the aerial-data collection data; here’s how one company turned them into opportunities. Featured image: Midwest Aerial’s main lidar-flying aircraft. For several decades (1950s -1980s), the commercial mapping industry operated in a relatively stable technology environment. While numerous and important technological advances were made (most notably...
Teaching Roots and Research at the University of the Philippines
One of Southeast Asia’s oldest surveying schools is promoting the use of geospatial technologies and thriving in the digital age. When Louie Balicanta walks inside the high-ceilinged corridors of Malcolm Hall on his way to teach land surveying, he knows how much responsibility rests on his shoulders. Not only is he an assistant professor at...
The Many Facets (and Faces) of Surveying
Surveyors have traditionally done a variety of essential and interesting work—and they continue to do so. We’ve asked surveyors from various work disciplines what inspires them. To get an idea of where we are going, it’s important to stop and take a look at where we have been. This rings especially true for those of...
Another Curveball: Coronavirus and Geospatial
Out of the blue, we’re facing another curveball. The current global concern (COVID-19, aka the Coronavirus) was generally not anticipated, and the situation changes daily. It was hoped that, by the time this is published, the situation would have calmed dramatically—but sadly it has taken a turn for the worse. Thus far disruptions have only...
Navigating the World of Point Cloud Software
Here’s advice on how to understand various functions that point cloud software may need to perform, keys to look for in each, and sourcing options. When you’re working with laser scanning, choosing point cloud software can be challenging. Challenges For newbies, the challenge is determining the best software to start with. Your existing CAD or...
The Leica BLK2GO: A GRANDSLAM Device
Hexagon Geosystems’ nifty-looking Leica BLK2GO makes geospatial data more accessible to GIS and BIM professionals—as well as to expert surveyors. On a cold, frosty day in December, I’m walking around a skating rink in London with what looks like a device stolen from Doctor Who’s TARDIS. With its sleek exterior and ergonomic design, the Leica...