Tag Archives: lidar

Arctic Quests

Multiple agencies and technologies merge to map a historic region of the Canadian Arctic.   Adapted from the academic paper, “Arctic Charting and Mapping Pilot Project 2: Sharing Modern Technologies and Resources towards a Common Goal”, by Andrew Leyzack and summarized by Steven Keesee, with a history sidebar by Jeff Salmon.In April 2011, multiple organizations in...

Lincoln Memorial Project

Above picture: A limited section of scan data, including the Lincoln statue. In December 2013, DJS Associates, Inc., a firm specializing in 3D scanning technologies,undertook a project of enormous magnitude on behalf of the National Park Service (NPS) and CyArk, a nonprofit organization dedicated to digitally preserving cultural heritage sites around the world. The goal: digitally...

Pix4D Mapper

Imagine walking up to an object with practically any camera and taking photos of it at different angles. Now imagine uploading those images onto a computer and being able to create a survey-accurate point cloud. Sounds impossible, huh? Too good to be true? That’s what I thought when I first heard of Pix4D. When I...

Reality Show Material

So when are they going to do a reality show about us scanner jockeys? The ship owner (I’ll call him Bill) flew me up to Alaska specifically for this project and told me not to worry about anything, that he would arrange for my food and boarding. Usually that means I’m put in a nice...

Chillon Castle: A Pix4D Sample Project

Above picture: Point cloud of full model of castle, shown from the top I wrote a review of Pix4D’s Mapper software in the November print issue of xyHt; check it out. Here’s Pix4D’s sample project to showcase the power of their software. They chose to create a model of Switzerland’s most visited site: the Chillon...

From Shore to Floor

Today’s technology records depth from land to deep waters accurately and efficiently. More than 90% of the world’s trade is carried by sea, according to the International Maritime Organization. Therefore, accurate and up-to-date charts of coastal waters for ship navigation are vital for world commerce. The current expansion of the Panama Canal, which will double...