Category Archives: Lidar/Imaging

Walkaround Mobile Scanning Part 2

Above: A backpack type of walkaround mobile scanning system was used to capture this site for a standard topo survey. Credit: Wantman Group Inc. Part 2: Applications and addressing challenges In Part 1 of this two-part article, I noted that walkaround mobile scanning is being rapidly adopted by the market. I described it in general...

A Dam Good Mix

Above: A view of the Brighton Dam in Brookeville, Maryland, from one of the project’s UAVs. Combining UAVs and 3D computer vision can make infrastructure inspections cost-effective. More than 70% of the 90,000 dams scattered across the U.S. are, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), half a century old. The age of dams,...

3D Evidence

Diagram software helps the New Mexico State Police enhance their extensive forensics work. Reconstructing what happened at the scene of a traffic accident or a crime is a complex undertaking involving scientific methods, physical evidence, deductive reasoning—and their interrelationships. It also requires hardware to gather data and software to analyze it and display it. Laser...

Clear Scanning on the Clearwater

Above: The survey included collecting bathymetric data on the river bottom and bridge substructure with multibeam sonar as well as capturing above- and below-waterline mobile mapping data with the Leica Pegasus: Two mobile sensor platform. Two well-paired engineering firms used high-accuracy mobile mapping to combine bathymetry and lidar data for a fast-turnaround topographic survey of...

6D SLAM

An indoor spatial intelligence start-up from Germany is pushing the BIM industry forward through a combo of navigation and visualization. The line of people at the Intergeo Trade Fair in Frankfurt, Germany, waiting to get their hands on the NavVis M6 was long. Where everyone was on the lookout for the latest geospatial products on...

Walkaround Mobile Scanning Part 1

Above: Walkaround mobile scanning is being increasingly used as a go-to tool for as-built surveys of residential properties as an input to remodel design. Credit: Precision Property Measurements. Part 1: Basic types, differences, and advantages. Walkaround mobile scanning includes “backpack,” “push-cart,” “hand-carry,” and “handheld,” but whatever you call it, it’s gaining real momentum in the...