GPS World

Tag: data sets

  • Topcon upgrades MAGNET Collage for UAV and GIS data

    Photo: Topcon
    Photo: Topcon

    Upgrade to MAGNET Collage Web includes with new deliverable options.

    Topcon Positioning Group has upgraded its MAGNET Collage Web, a web-based service enabling the sharing and collaboration of UAV and scanning data sets.

    MAGNET Collage Web version 1.3 allow operators to work with more types of data with greater flexibility, including the ability to import BIM models, as well as CAD and GIS data.

    MAGNET Collage Web and MAGNET Collage desktop software meet the demands of a diverse user-group. The latest update is designed to address an increasing need from the vertical building construction market segment to work in a single-software environment with BIM, scanning and UAV datasets.

    “Now operators can view and publish BIM models, along with other data types, directly through the web browser to be sharable with more versatility,” said Alok Srivastava, director of product management. “MAGNET Collage Web can be used to overlay as-built laser scans and design data to visualize proposed changes and detect construction issues. The software supports OBJ, FBX and 3DS formats.”

    The upgrade to MAGNET Collage Web also includes new direct publishing functionality for CAD and GIS data files through the browser.

    “Operators can now overlay 3D point clouds and reality models with CAD and GIS design data, including support for DXF, SHP, KML, GML and GeoJSON formats,” said Srivastava.

    The upgrade to MAGNET Collage Web also introduces advanced sharing controls including the ability to fully customize layer visibility, appearance, window layout, feature selection and camera position.

    “The updated customization controls allow operators to share and present their projects exactly the way they mean to with a multitude of viewing options, allowing specific features to be highlighted as necessary,” said Srivastava.

    Additionally, MAGNET Collage Web can now be accessed through the Topcon “Blue Bar” that allows direct access to the service from any Topcon website. The universal account and application management toolbar is embedded at the top of Topcon web pages.

  • Virtual Surveyor eliminates need for third-party apps for data processing

    Image: Virtual Surveyor
    Image: Virtual Surveyor

    Drone surveying software Virtual Surveyor now eliminates the need for clients to use third-party applications to prepare data for processing. Released this week, Virtual Surveyor 6.1 now handles on-the-fly projections that previously required a separate software package to set the data in the proper coordinate system.

    “We have developed a completely new project experience for users of UAV data,” said Tom Op ‘t Eyndt, managing director of Virtual Surveyor in Belgium. “Version 6.1 will save our customers time and money once spent converting their drone data for processing in Virtual Surveyor.”

    Virtual Surveyor bridges the gap between UAV photogrammetric processing applications and engineering computer-aided design (CAD) packages. The software generates an interactive onscreen environment with UAV orthophotos and digital surface models where the surveyor selects survey points and breaklines to define the topography, creating highly accurate topographic products for CAD input up to five times faster than otherwise possible.

    “Our value proposition has always been to enable surveyors to derive topographic information from drone data and deliver the light-weight meaningful CAD model that engineers need,” said Op ‘t Eyndt.

    Prior to Version 6.1, users always had to start from an orthophoto and digital surface model (DSM). Now, surveyors can drag and drop all kinds of files into Virtual Surveyor: points, raster, vectors and point clouds. The point clouds are converted to a DSM for manipulation and processing, dramatically accelerating the time required to generate the CAD model.

    “Not only is this faster, but it eliminates the expense of purchasing additional software,” said Op ‘t Eyndt.

    Some customers asked to work only with a CAD file, he explained. Although they work with drone data most of the time, they occasionally had to create a surface or contours from a traditional survey. They asked if this could be done in Virtual Surveyor as it would save them from paying for a subscription to a CAD software.

    Long-time Virtual Surveyor clients will find the entire project experience has been streamlined and improved with new capabilities in V6.1:

    • Start from any data set. Projects can now be initiated from Orthophotos, DSMs, Point Cloud or CAD files.
    • Convert coordinates on the fly. Users can input data in any coordinate system and convert it during processing to another system after the project has begun.

    Developers of Virtual Surveyor have also added these features to V6.1:

    • Automatic creation of section lines. V6.1 automatically generates sections from road surfaces to survey transportation routes in minutes.
    • Transparent layers. Users can add topographic or cadastral data to their project and view it through the orthophoto layer to annotate or draw boundaries.

    “Overall, users will experience a faster processing environment in Virtual Surveyor 6.1 especially during complex tasks, such as making terrain modifications or calculating volumes,” said Op ‘t Eyndt. “Our goal with this version has been to make professional land surveyors more efficient.”

    Current subscribers to Virtual Surveyor will see their software being updated automatically.