Blog

Dealing with Vertical Datum, the Mariners’ Way

Before 3D GIS, we were able to measure miles below the sea and miles beyond our own atmosphere to a great level of accuracy, so how did we do it? There are a few methods for working between vertical coordinate systems, but the one I want to discuss is possibly the simplest, not always the...

Mapping Rwanda: Surges Forward in UAS Mapping Use

From cadastral to precision agriculture to humanitarian aid, UAS are making a big difference while mapping Rwanda. (Above: Course participants examine an orthomosaic in Pix4Dmapper during software training.) After Rwanda made waves in the news early last year for allegedly being the first country to approve drone delivery, people payed attention. The country, with its rolling...

Shifting Ground: USGS on Earth Movement after an Earthquake

Ken Hudnut, science advisor for risk reduction, US Geological Survey, talks GPS and earthquakes. Editor’s note: In many ways, we are all participants in a grand scientific endeavor that’s on the cusp of helping humankind prepare for some of the most destructive natural hazards–earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The fields of seismology, geodesy, and surveying have...

Weekly xyHt News Links: 6/16/17

RIEGL has received the Sebastian Sizgoric Technical Achievement Award at this year’s JALBTCX conference in Savannah, Georgia.  Record attendance for GEO Business 2017 Identified Technologies Aligns with DJI to Offer Best-in-class Commercial Drone Solution Survey and Mapping Company Partners with Leading Unmanned and Manned Flight Service Experts Aeroscout launches UAV helicopter for high-altitude flight Congress increases funding...

“Next Big Thing” Essay Winner: Bring the Old and New Together

Bring the Old and New Together The next big thing for the surveying profession is much more than a new instrument or the use of a new technology. To me, it is something much more profound than that. I recently read a statistic in an article printed in the Gem State Surveyor, the quarterly publication...

LaserDrone Schematic

Laser-powered UAS

As noted in our latest issue about tethered drones, the ability to power UAS from the ground exponentially increases flight times and allows the use of heavier sensor payloads. Tethering accomplishes this at the cost of range, however: generally 200-400’ with commercially available tethering systems. What if a system had the advantages of tethering and...

Advertisement