Category Archives: Lidar/Imaging

Digitizing America’s Coast

Legislation passed by congress and signed by the president codifies NOAA’s exemplary digital coast program Geospatial professionals and coastal communities are celebrating the passage of the Digital Coast Act (DCA) by remembering the coordinated efforts from the numerous public and private stakeholders that were necessary to help pass this important legislation. The intent of this...

senseFly Expands its Line of Fixed-Wing Mapping Drones

A mapping drone in the $10,000 price range might sound like one of those things that’s too good to be true. And up until now, maybe it was. A Swiss company called senseFly, a global leader in fixed-wing mapping drones, has expanded its flagship eBee X drone solution with the launch of eBee Geo. The...

MAPPS 2020 Geospatial Excellence Awards

MAPPS honored members with the 2020 Geospatial Excellence Awards as part of the organization’s 14th annual Awards Presentation that took place January 26, 2021. The event was hosted by Riegl USA in conjunction with the 2021 winter meeting in Orlando, Florida. The Geospatial Excellence Awards are presented to regular and associate member firms whose entries...

Managing Tropical Storm Risk in Florida

Low-lying Gulf Coast communities along the Anclote River in Pasco County, Florida, have a long history of summer flooding. In 2012, after Tropical Storm Debby brought more than 12 inches of rain in a 24-hour period to the Tampa Bay area, the residents of the Thousand Oaks subdivision in the Trinity community experienced widespread, long-lasting...

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...