The World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC) at its annual general meeting announced the members of its board who will serve from May 2023 to April 2025. The board is comprised of 20 senior geospatial industry professionals drawn from WGIC’s patron, corporate and associate member companies. The board will provide strategic guidance to WGIC in pursuing its mission and achieving its programmatic goals during the next two years.
WGIC Executive Board Members
Theo Agelopoulos, Senior Director (Autodesk)
Zubran Solaiman, Director (Bentley Systems)
John Renard, President (Cyient)
Bushra Zaman, Director (Deep Spatial)
Elshan Musayev, EKM Global
Dean Angelides, Corporate Director — international (Esri)
Robert Hoddenbach, Global Director (Fugro)
Jean-Francois Gauthier, Vice President (GHGSat)
Adina Gillespie, Vice President (Hexagon)
Steven Sawdon, Director (IIC Technologies)
Paul Granito, Senior Vice President (Maxar Technologies)
Harsh Govind, Principal Product Manager (Microsoft)
Jayant Sharma, Senior Director (Oracle)
Agnieszka Lukaszczyk, Vice President (Planet)
James Van Rens, Senior Vice President (RIEGL International)
Willy Govender, CEO (Terra Analytics)
Marius Swanepoel, Director (TomTom)
Bryn Fosburgh, Senior Vice President (Trimble)
Joseph Seppi, Senior Vice President (Woolpert)
Sanjay Kumar, CEO (Honorary Member) (Geospatial World)
The bi-annual election for the office of WGIC president has witnessed a unanimous vote for Bryn Fosburgh, Senior Vice President, Trimble. Brian Nicholls, Vice President — Asia Pacific, Woolpert, was elected unopposed as the treasurer. To ensure business continuity, John Renard, President, Cyient — Europe, will continue as secretary general till April 2024.
125+ speakers and 50+ sessions are confirmed for the 2022 edition of Geo Week in Denver
Organizers of Geo Week, which brings together geospatial technologies and the built world, have announced its conference sessions and speakers for the 2022 event, which will take place Feb. 6-8 in Denver, Colorado.
The conference program features more than 125 speakers across 50 sessions with content that explores best practices in 3D capture, working in the built environment, gaining return on investment (ROI) from building information management (BIM), defining what’s possible now with lidar, and more.
The coming together of AEC Next Technology Expo & Conference, International Lidar Mapping Forum, and SPAR 3D Expo & Conference to form Geo Week reflects the increased integration between the built environment, advanced airborne/terrestrial technologies, and commercial 3D technologies.
Presenters represent Autodesk, Esri, USGS, The Beck Group, Hexagon Geosystems, GM, Caltrans, Velodyne Lidar, Draper, MLB and NASA. These experts will share their expertise on a range of topics. Sessions include:
Geo Week will have multiple tracks with content clearly identified as relevant to one or more of the audience groups feeding into Geo Week.
The International Lidar Mapping Forum (ILMF) audience has historically been comprised of precision measurement professionals in surveying and mapping who use airborne and terrestrial lidar and related remote sensing technologies.
The AEC Next audience has historically been comprised of professionals in architecture, engineering and construction that use technologies such as reality capture, automation, artificial intelligence and XR to bid and manage projects and improve workflows.
The SPAR 3D audience has historically been comprised of professionals who use 3D capture, scanning, visualization and modeling technologies across a variety of verticals.
“We’ve witnessed the growing convergence between geospatial and the built world,” said Lee Corkhill, group event director at Diversified Communications, organizer of Geo Week. “We believe the market is ready and eager for this next step of leveraging the confluence of technologies for improved collaboration, increased efficiency, and better outcomes. Much of the conference content and technology being showcased will reflect and support this increasing integration. At the same time, we recognize that individuals and organizations are at differing levels of adoption, and so there will be ample content more focused on what were traditional AEC Next, ILMF and SPAR 3D topics.”
Geo Week will provide education, technology and resources for professionals in industries including AEC, asset and facility management, disaster and emergency response, Earth observation and satellite applications, energy and utilities, infrastructure and transportation, land and natural resource management, mining and aggregates, surveying and mapping, and urban planning and smart cities.
More than 80 companies have confirmed booths on the Exhibition Floor with additional companies being confirmed every week and more than 100 associations and media companies are signed on as supporters.
Geo Week takes place Feb. 6-8, 2022, with conference programming and exhibits all three days. Additional features of the programming are vendor-delivered product reviews, exhibition theaters, workshops and programming hosted by ASPRS, MAPPS and USIBD. Visit www.geo-week.com for more information on attending or exhibiting. Register before Dec, 10 for early bird rates.
Topcon Positioning Group released a new strategy through its Topcon Solutions Store retail channel. Together with Autodesk, and as an Autodesk Platinum Tier Partner, the Topcon Solutions Stores retail channel plans to expand top-tier service to civil-construction and BIM professionals through acquiring and adopting automation into its workflows.
The plan calls for a shift from traditional retail “box moving” sales approach, to a complete solution offering that combines hardware, software, and services. In order to deliver best-in-class service, training, and support, the plan includes renovation for 11 Topcon Solutions Store facilities in preparation to obtain their Autodesk Authorized Training Center (ATC) designation — joining two more store locations that are already approved Autodesk Training Centers.
The Autodesk Platinum Tier partner designation indicates the highest level of reseller status, and will allow TSS to continue to grow with significant investment in training, consulting and development services.
Mark Contino, Topcon VP, North American Retail Distribution, said, “By combining Topcon’s precision measuring and positioning hardware with Autodesk’s world-class software portfolio, the Topcon Solutions Stores seamlessly provide complete end-to-end workflows that greatly improve productivity and efficiency. Soon, all 13 locations across the U.S. will be repositioned to deliver the highest level of training, support, and workflow consulting services in the civil construction and BIM space. Not only will Topcon Solutions Stores be able to help customers analyze operations, every location will also help all the way through implementation and on-going support with local, professional training programs.
“The renovation of our facilities across the U.S. is part of our dedication to offer the modern solutions centers that the industry demands to provide this service,” Contino said.
Kirk C. Givens, senior manager, Autodesk Americas Channel Sales, said, “Topcon’s strategy to deliver a complete end-to-end solution in the civil-construction and BIM space is exciting. It’s truly game changing to be able to deliver a complete workflow combining two world class solutions – Autodesk software and Topcon hardware. Supporting that through 13 brick-and-mortar locations with professional training and support facilities will provide tremendous value to customers in the construction market.”
Leica Geosystems’ BLK360 is a miniaturized black 3D imaging laser scanner. The BLK360 captures the world with full-color panoramic images overlaid on a high-accuracy point cloud.
The one-button Leica BLK360 is easy to use, Leica said. Anyone who can operate an iPad can now capture the world around them with high-resolution 3D panoramic images.
The Leica BLK360 imaging laser scanner is so small and light that it fits in a typical messenger bag. It features a 60-meter measurement range for full dome scans. A complete full-dome laser scan, 3D panoramic image capture and transfer to the iPad Pro takes only 3 minutes.
Using the ReCap Pro 360 mobile app, the BLK360 streams image and point cloud data to iPad. The app filters and registers scan data in real time. After capture, ReCap 360 Pro enables for point cloud data transfer to a number of computer-aided design, building information modeling, virtual reality and augmented reality applications. The integration of BLK360 and Autodesk software streamlines the reality-capture process, opening the technology to non-surveying individuals.
Structure from motion (SfM) is a photogrammetric range imaging technique for estimating three-dimensional structures from two-dimensional image sequences that may be coupled with local motion signals, according to Wikipedia, which I think is reasonably accurate in this case.
Simply put, one can snap a series of photographs using the camera in your smartphone, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or other photographic equipment and produce a 3D model using software that is built using the SfM technique.
To assist you in capturing the photos on your smartphone to generate a 3D model, Autodesk has a free mobile app called 123D Catch. Using the app, you can create a 3D model of nearly any object you can imagine. Following is a one-minute YouTube video from Autodesk that succinctly shows the process of capturing photos using an iPhone camera with Autodesk’s free 123D Catch app and how to generate a 3D model.
Today’s smartphone cameras offer incredible resolution. My Samsung Galaxy S7 has a 12-megapixel camera. The iPhone 7 offers the same resolution. Modern iPads have an 8-megapixel camera, which is fine for 3D modeling.
So, think about this for a minute. What value can you derive from shooting images from your smartphone? If you need to know the volume of a pile of material (e.g. construction), your smartphone running the 123D Catch app can do it. The requirements are straight-forward:
You need to be able to walk completely around the pile and shoot many overlapping photos, filling the camera frame with the pile. Every surface you want modeled should be visible from at least four photos from different angles.
Avoid shooting featureless photos (e.g. walls, water or snow surfaces). Or, if a background is featureless, add a feature to the surface like a small target (similar to photogrammetry ground control targets but much smaller).
Avoid shooting reflective surfaces.
Don’t shoot moving objects (e.g. vehicles).
Try shooting in well-lit areas.
Taking it a step further, the camera doesn’t have to be in your smartphone. You could use a camera mounted on a vehicle that could provide a different perspective. Something like a … drone! Yes, SfM-based software like Agisoft Photoscan allows drone pilots to exploit photographs shot from their aircraft.
In the past few years, I’ve written a lot about drones and my adventures in using them. Following are a series of images as a result of one of my UAV flights. A total of 500 photos were shot at 80 percent overlap from my drone flying at 200 feet AGL (above ground level). The photos were imported and run through Agisoft Photoscan.
The first screenshot (Figure 1) is a 2D view of the 3D model generated from processing 500 digital photos through SfM.
Figure 1
Figure 2 shows the camera location of each photo. Remember, the UAV was flying at a consistent altitude (200 feet AGL) and was taking photos with an 80 percent overlap.
Figure 2
Figure 3 is an oblique view of the 3D model. If I wanted to improve the quality of the 3D model (e.g. the sides of the building), I would have flown the drone again in a flight pattern perpendicular to the first pattern. Note the pile of material at the lower part of the screen and to the right of the pond.
Figure 3
The final screenshot, Figure 4, is a zoomed in view of the pile of material.
Figure 4
Since a 3D model has been created, clearly a DEM (digital elevation model) and DSM (digital surface model) can be generated, as well as associated 3D products like elevation contours and volume calculations.
Enough of the drone talk.
With your smartphone, you’ve got everything you need to create a 3D model of your children, your Christmas tree, your pet, your vehicle or other valued object. Give it a try. It won’t cost you anything but some of your time.
Start by downloading the Autodesk 123D Catch app. You might want to view this six-minute video describing how to plan a shoot for best results.
https://youtu.be/D7Torjkfec4
To process the photos and create a 3D model, install the Autodesk ReMake free version.
Once you’ve installed ReMake, take a look at this less than four-minute quick start for importing photos and processing them in ReMake.
BIM 360 Layout is designed to provide vertical construction contractors the ability to connect the coordinated model to the field layout process — helping to increase job site productivity, while improving the accuracy of staked or installed building components.
“We are committed to the interoperability between our products and Autodesk software making workflows increasingly simple for common customers,” said Ray Kerwin, director of global surveying products. “Now operators taking advantage of the iX series’ smoothest and most accurate prism tracking ability can also layout or QA/QC (quality assurance/quality control) with the BIM 360 Layout app.”
With the addition of the iX series, operators now have a choice of instruments in the Sokkia family with BIM 360 connectivity, including the SX total station series.
Topcon Positioning Group’s DS-200i direct-aiming motorized imaging station is now compatible with the new Autodesk BIM 360 Layout app for the Apple iPad.
The DS-200i is the second total station solution that Autodesk and Topcon have collaborated on for contractors, following the Topcon LN-100 Layout Navigator.
The DS-200i has an electronic distance measurement (EDM) range of up to 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) without the need of a prism, and 5,000 meters (26,240 feet) with one. The built-in wireless WLAN connects the iPad with the BIM (building information modeling) 360 Layout app.
The collaboration provides contractors the ability to connect a coordinated model to the field layout process, helping to increase job-site productivity while improving the accuracy of staked or installed building components, according to a Topcon news release.
Additionally, the DS-200i offers an excellent reflectorless solution for quality assurance and quality control workflows — verifying items in the field are installed correctly as compared to models.
The DS-200i features real-time video imaging with a 5 MP camera. The controller’s touchscreen video and arrow keys are designed to let remote operators view what is being measured, Topcon said, similar to looking through the telescope.
The Autodesk BIM 360 Layout app is available through the Apple App Store.
Autodesk is joining with Skycatch, an aerial data-capture company, to make it easier for designers, engineers, architects, BIM managers, owners and operators to capture and use aerial data. Autodesk is a design and engineering software company for the manufacturing, building, and media and entertainment industries.
Autodesk and Skycatch will use high-resolution aerial data collected by Skycatch to transform the way industrial sites are surveyed. A Skywatch blog said this would mean “allowing companies to make smarter data-driven decisions, while saving time and drastically reducing costs, while Autodesk ReCap delivers an easy, cost-effective solution to process the collected data.”
“Industry professionals using Autodesk software can leverage highly accurate visual intelligence captured and processed by Skycatch’s end-to-end UAV technology to provide invaluable insights into their projects and improve overall efficiency and collaboration across their teams.”
As a result of the strategic business relationship with Autodesk, Topcon Positioning Group announces improved workflow compatibility for the GLS-2000 3D laser scanner and ScanMaster software with Autodesk solutions via the latest version of Autodesk ReCap.
The GLS-2000 pairs with Topcon ScanMaster software to collect, process, edit and deliver 3D point cloud data from a laser scanner for a variety of applications. Autodesk ReCap allows users to perform tasks such as scan conversion, editing, and viewing point cloud data, and provides integration with Autodesk’s broader portfolio of design software.
Autodesk ReCap and ReCap 360 have the new capability to read the Topcon CL3 format as a scan file in addition to a standard point cloud. The scan file allows for the use of individual scan positions for additional options in registration workflows.
“File conversion is no longer necessary — exporting can be done straight out of scan position. Users ultimately get a more streamlined workflow, more data detail and increased access to the point cloud,” said Ray Kerwin, director of global surveying products. “With individual scan positions it is possible to generate ‘RealViews’ that offer a web viewing output.”
The integration is available for versions including Autodesk ReCap, ReCap 360 and ReCap 360 Ultimate software.
