Category Archives: Lidar/Imaging
The Early Days of 3D Scanning, Part 3: Cyra Unleashed
In Part 1, I described how in 1996, while working for Trimble, I first became aware of 3D laser scanning. It was being developed by Cyra Technologies Inc., a small start-up that had approached Trimble seeking a potential partnership. The jaw-dropping technology demo hooked my interest. In Part 2, I described my role in evaluating...
xyHt Weekly News Links 7/17/2020
*Click here to visit xyHt’s Virtual Trade Show* Congress Moves Against FCC’s Ligado Decision Bad Elf Flex™ Adopts the Hemisphere Phantom™ Module Honeywell Refines Navigation Revealing the World from Satellites Common Ground Alliance Launches New Expo
Damage to the Underground: A Stitch in Time Saves Nine
Avoiding damage to utility infrastructure could save billions. This is a summary of a white paper “Reducing Damage to Underground Utility Infrastructure during Excavation” prepared by Geoff Zeiss and Dr. Sakura Shinoaki and published by the Geospatial Information & Technology Association. Over two decades in the United States there have been more than 400 fatalities and...
Fusing Data on Doomed Ash Trees
By using fused data gathered with lidar and hyperspectral imaging, a geospatial services company helped a large utility to identify 90% of ash trees with the potential to fall into their power lines—in a timeframe that wouldn’t have been possible without the use of remote sensing. By Ian Berdie, Zach Raymer, and Mia Chen Remote-sensing...
Lidar vs.Wildfires in Southern California
After the 2018 wildfires in Southern California, lidar data was collected to enable risk-mapping assessment and planning, to identify fuel-load reduction programs, and to escalate the emergency assessment of post-fire debris flow hazards. Featured image: This lidar image was taken over Lake Casitas, California. The data are clear: Natural disasters are on the rise, and...
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...