Marine navigation company Savvy Navvy has developed an in-house approach to processing and reconciling fragmented hydrographic data — combining official hydrographic data with expert geospatial data analysis to scale chart coverage faster and with greater accuracy.
The latest rollout adds more than 2,200 U.S. lakes and extends coverage into Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia in Europe, opening more waterways for boaters across the globe to explore. This comes not long after Danish charts from hydrographic offices were also added to the navigation app.
Prioritized by where boaters are most active, the latest update includes all major Minnesota lakes and expands lake coverage in 20 other U.S. states.
Elena Petru. (Credit: Savvy Navvy)
“Land mapping across much of the developed world, has benefited from sustained investment over several decades. Hydrographic data, the mapping of water, has a different history,” explained Elena Petru, geospatial data engineer at Savvy Navvy. “Survey cycles are longer, coverage is uneven, and for inland waters like lakes and reservoirs the situation is patchier still.
“Multiple authorities may hold overlapping or conflicting data for the same body of water, formats vary, and there is no single canonical source that can simply be downloaded and trusted. This fragmentation is exactly the challenge our geospatial team is solving through a structured reconciliation process.”
Petru joined Savvy Navvy in 2023, bringing her geomatics background from land data roles into the specific challenges of marine and inland water charting. Her expertise has enabled development of new data pipelines to overcome these marine charting challenges — marking a significant step in Savvy Navvy’s ongoing chart development program being based on unique, comprehensive data.
“You’d be surprised how often official sources do not fully line up. One of the main challenges is that the same lake can be represented slightly differently depending on the dataset. The task was not to pick one and apply it, but to compare sources carefully, understand where they differed, and make informed decisions about how each lake should be represented,” Petru said. “By going beyond official sources with our own expert validation process, we can integrate new regions faster while maintaining high data integrity, which overcomes one of the biggest difficulties in marine navigation. It’s exciting to see this data go live in the Savvy Navvy app knowing boaters can now use it on the water every day.
This approach forms part of Savvy Navvy’s broader data processing pipeline, enabling consistent, repeatable expansion into new regions. Through these data pipelines we can now deliver faster, more expansive chart coverage including waters not yet fully covered by official hydrographic surveys.
Savvy Navvy has been downloaded more than three million times globally. Unlike other boating navigation solutions, Savvy Navvy provides smart routing, giving users optimal routes and dynamic ETAs based on real-time data: departure time, chart information, weather conditions, tide, boat specifications and local regulations. The updated chart coverage is available across both the Savvy Navvy app and its integrated solutions.
Last month Savvy Navvy launched its new waves feature, turning complex wave data into a simple visual view that helps boaters understand how conditions will actually feel on the water. Worldwide chart coverage is available on all Savvy Navvy plans.
The latest generation of Safe Pro’s AI technology will be presented at U.S. Army exercise at Fort Hood, Texas
Safe Pro Group, a developer of artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled defense and security solutions, has deployed upgraded AI algorithms to its patented Safe Pro Object Threat Detection (SPOTD) technology for drone operations in GPS-denied environments.
The newly enhanced SPOTD capabilities will be prominently featured at the upcoming U.S. Army 2026 Concept Focused Warfighter Experiment (CFWE) technology demonstration taking place at Fort Hood, Texas.
Operating on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud or at the Edge, SPOTD is Safe Pro’s patented rapid battlefield image analysis platform designed to identify and map small explosive threats such as landmines and ambush drones detected in videos collected from virtually any drone.
The ability for SPOTD to rapidly detect threats and create 2D/3D models from drones flying in GPS-denied environments was developed after real-world exercises in Ukraine at the request of end users. The integration of these new algorithms further enhances the value of SPOTD as a situational awareness tool for use in a wide array of military reconnaissance and planning operations.
SPOTD enhancements include:
Ability to process any drone video data: Turning video clips into 2D and 3D models with AI-trained explosive threat detections
Enhanced operational robustness: Operating capability in GPS and GPS/GNSS denied environments
Terrain modeling: Threat and terrain mapping in support of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) route planning
Rapid mapping-only mode: Mapping for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and missions that do not require AI-powered threat detections
Accelerated processing: Up to 10x reduction in processing time powered by Safe Pro’s proprietary geospatial AI algorithms.
Powering the company’s SPOTD technology is Safe Pro’s unique real-world datasets, which include high-resolution drone imagery and GPS-tagged geospatial data encompassing more than 2.2 million drone images analyzed to date, and 41,400+ threats identified across 11,400 hectares (28,000+ acres).
NV5 Geospatial’s distribution network data shows pole usage. (Image: Nv5 Geospatial)
Asset and vegetation management applications help utilities minimize risk and improve the reliability of electric distribution networks
Geospatial data firm NV5 Geospatial is applying remote-sensing data analysis to improve the way utilities manage their distribution networks. The company mapped more than 5.5 million miles of utility distribution networks in the United States using a combination of lidar and orthoimagery sensors on mobile and airborne platforms to acquire data for both asset and vegetation management.
Analysis of this geospatial data enables electric utilities to minimize risk and maximize reliability, while increasing efficiency.
“An aging grid, workforce shortages, increasing energy demands and an uptick in major weather events are combining to create a perfect storm that could impact reliability, customer service and safety for electric utilities across the country,” said Eric Merten, vice president, Commercial Group at NV5 Geospatial. “A boots-on-the-ground approach to management cannot keep up with demands related to aging equipment, compliance, pole loading and vegetation encroaching on infrastructure.
“NV5 Geospatial’s innovative remote-sensing applications and data analysis tools give utilities the power to proactively address problems in their distribution network before they impact operations or customers,” Merten said.
A distribution network (purple) and vegetation risks (red/yellow pins). (Image: NV5 Geospatial)
Built on the success of its remote-sensing applications for utility transmission networks, NV5 Geospatial’s distribution management solutions offer end-to-end capabilities — from acquiring accurate, high-quality geospatial data to data analysis and visualization using custom viewers and enterprise geospatial information systems (GIS) — and can be customized to meet the use cases and budgets of utility companies.
Using NV5 Geospatial’s tools, distribution network asset managers can achieve compliance with National Electrical Safety Code (NESC) clearance guidelines, and get clear visibility into joint use of poles to prevent pirating.
The NV5 Geospatial remote-sensing data also can help quantify vegetation with distribution rights-of-way and determine risk based on proximity to wires and poles.
The agreement will enable direct access to Xplore’s satellite tasking and archive of high-resolution data
Xplore Inc., a commercial space company providing space as a service, has signed a partnership agreement with UP42, a geospatial developer platform and marketplace. The agreement will enable direct access to Xplore’s satellite tasking and archive of high-resolution data.
Xplore’s XCRAFT satellite platform is engineered to collect data with multiple instruments including still and video imagery, hyperspectral, ultraviolet and infrared spectroscopy. Xplore’s satellite is capable of achieving user-defined video flyovers.
Data generated with Xplore’s diverse sensors will address a wide variety of use cases across the Earth observation industry including agriculture, forestry, oil and gas, maritime, change detection and intelligence, and creative media content. Additionally, customers can obtain more informative, rich layers of data from Xplore’s data-fusion products.
The combined power of bringing Xplore’s high-value imagery products to market via the UP42 platform will accelerate the commercial use of private remote-sensing data, according to Xplore.
Initiative aims to increase the global coverage, quality and accessibility of seabed mapping data through collaboration and the creation of a more integrated marine geospatial sector
Durdle Door on the beach in Dorset County, United Kingdom. (Photo: Fonrimso/iStock/Getty Images Plus)
The UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) is inviting UK government organizations involved in seabed mapping who share common interests in optimizing the UK’s national maritime assets to become members of the newly unveiled UK Centre for Seabed Mapping (UK CSM).
UK CSM is administered by the UKHO, and was submitted as a UK Government Voluntary Commitment to the United Nations at the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal, on June 27.
The UK CSM has a remit to increase the coverage, quality and access of seabed mapping data collected using public funds, as well as to better promote it as a critical component of national infrastructure.
Working groups established
Created to spearhead a coordinated approach to the collection, management and access of seabed mapping data – and to champion a more integrated marine geospatial sector in the UK – the UK CSM has established three working groups: National Data Collaboration, International Data Collaboration, and Data Collection Standards.
These working groups will further the discussion and coordination of data accessibility, collection and collaboration, as well as progress work on data standards, by creating the conditions and developing infrastructure to enable the diverse community of marine geospatial stakeholders to come together to deliver significant, sustained and strategic benefits to the UK – particularly in the context of the integrated review and the UK’s Global Britain vision.
So far, 22 government agencies are involved in the inaugural management group meeting of the UK CSM and volunteered to participate on the working groups.
The UK CSM will develop specifications that support UK and international standards for the collection of marine geospatial data.
Hexagon AB, a global leader in digital-reality solutions, has announced the following organizational changes to meet the fast-growing demand for real-time digital worlds.
Juergen Dold, employed with Hexagon since 1995 and most recently serving in a strategic leadership role across Hexagon’s Geosystems, Geospatial and Safety & Infrastructure divisions, will assume the role of executive vice president to lead key enterprise-wide initiatives.
Dold will oversee Hexagon’s focus on the content and platforms necessary to power and operate Smart Digital Reality applications and experiences that empower growth within Hexagon’s existing markets and offer rapid expansion into new market segments.
“Bringing together data sets of all types and formats where you can build, store and share digitalized objects and environments is our sweet spot.”
“Driving company strategy and growth in the metaverse ecosystem — the new digital reality that is emerging in both the professional and consumer markets — is key to Hexagon’s future,” said Hexagon President and CEO Ola Rollén. “Bringing together data sets of all types and formats where you can build, store and share digitalized objects and environments is our sweet spot.”
Dold’s focus will include advancing and expanding the market penetration of Hexagon’s HxDR ecosystem, which includes the HxDR digital reality platform and related business models. The platform allows the convergence and visualization of almost any geospatial or reality-capture data or file format for improved collaboration and decision making.
Artificial-intelligence-driven photogrammetry and point-cloud meshing of terrestrial and aerial data enables a geo “supermesh,” essentially creating the visual foundation for any smart digital reality. Such realities can be put to industry use, analyzing and interpreting infinite data inputs from the real or digital world to solve business problems.
The data can also be leveraged in the metaverse, described by many as the “quasi successor state” of the internet that focuses on social interaction.
Image: Thinkhubstudio/iStock/Getty Images Plus
“The metaverse isn’t a single place, but many digital-reality spaces and experiences that companies like Hexagon are working to make more accessible and immersive,” Rollén said. “Through virtual, mixed or augmented reality functionalities, we can provide a higher sense of presence and engagement.
“Additionally, by providing a connected space built from crowdsourced or professionally captured data, we can improve collaboration and productivity, especially for remote users and teams.
“The digital worlds and objects can be used in everything from filmmaking, gaming and tourism applications to architecture, real estate, land or utilities management, city services and more.”
Dold will continue to report directly to Rollén as a member of Hexagon’s executive management team.
Thomas Harring, president of Hexagon’s Geosystems division, and Steven Cost, president of Hexagon’s Safety, Infrastructure and Geospatial division, will join the Hexagon executive management team, reporting directly to Rollén.
Harring will also assume responsibilities for Hexagon’s Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) business. This includes the software AEC business, which comprises the HxGN Smart Build portfolio previously managed under the PPM division and reported under IES, as well as Hexagon’s complementary sensor-software reality-capture and visualization solutions, such as the award-winning BLK line, already managed by the Geosystems division and reported under GES.
Hexagon’s financial reporting structure consisting of IES and GES will remain the same.
Many have debated how the surveying profession has morphed into something less than what our predecessors would have called surveying.
In earlier times, the surveyor was an honored figure in the community and held in high regard, like the local doctor and clergy. Surveyors had the final word on boundaries and the limits of a family’s land holdings, so they were treated like royalty.
Measuring devices were simple yet complicated enough for only the trained person to understand how boundary lines were determined. Surveyors during those times depended much on natural monumentation and terrestrial features; these items made for solid and definable boundaries. Measurements along these features were to be completed only by surveyors and their means of determining distances.
Much has changed since those centuries past, including the reputation of the surveying profession. No longer are we mentioned in the same breath as doctors, clergy and lawyers. Even engineers are seen as “more professional” than surveyors. Many have debated how the surveying profession has been degraded from the noble status it once enjoyed and morphed into something less than what our predecessors would call surveying.
There are many layers to each of the previously described professions, but they all have several things in common: each one relies on data collection, analysis, and professional opinion. Each of these steps requires a specific skill set that includes education and experience. Nowhere in this process does it allow for advancing technology to completely replace any of these steps.
The evolution of technology and associated tools may help improve the profession, but it will not replace the knowledge necessary to be considered a true professional. Data collection within most professions is the biggest beneficiary of technology; surveying is a testament to these advancements. The breakdown, however, is the availability of the technology to the public and turning non-practitioners into low budget pseudo-surveyors.
Here is the abridged version of the definition of “professional” according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online:
professional (adjective)
: of, relating to, or characteristic of a profession
: engaged in one of the learned professions
: characterized by or conforming to the technical or ethical standards of a profession professional (noun)
: one who is professional
: one who engages in a pursuit or activity professionally
Similar professions have several examples of how the collection of data is a separate process and experience level from its analysis. Consider the following:
MRI technicians train for their jobs through education, interning and experience. They know how to place patients within the equipment, shield them, apply the rays, and produce the scans as required by their job description. In simple terms, they are data collectors of patients’ medical conditions. Technicians do not analyze the scans nor offer any opinion on the prognoses of the patients. They are, however, relied upon to obtain the proper scans correctly and efficiently for review by doctors.
Staff accountants or clerks are typically charged with data entry, maintaining ledgers and journals, and verifying data/entry accuracies. Often, clerks organize invoices, statements, and other receivables for input into clients’ accounts. Much of the work for this position is electronic and relies on the employees to be savvy with spreadsheets and able to import various data formats and spot suspect data. Once this work is completed, it become the responsibility of certified public accountants (CPAs) to review and certify the information. The key role here, however, is the accurate compilation of the accounting data.
Paralegals play a key role in doing the heavy lifting of data collection for lawyers. Paralegals perform client and case research, interview witnesses, handle discovery of case information, and draft many of the documents needed by lawyers. They are tasked with assembling exhibits, delivering and filing necessary court documents, and helping with trial preparation. While they cannot express legal opinions on any case matter, it is the paralegals’ work that lawyers use to develop case strategies. Once again, the data collection is the key to the success of the lawyers’ work.
Professional surveyors are no different from doctors, accountants, and lawyers in these examples. They rely on data collection obtained by experienced staff trained to operate sophisticated instruments and data collectors.
Field technicians often serve as surveyors’ eyes, so specific training is necessary to ensure that they can accurately locate the required information. Technicians, however, cannot offer legal opinions on the location of land and parcel boundaries.
This function is solely on the shoulders of land surveyors, who are licensed specifically in that jurisdiction to apply legal principles and case law to boundary issues.
There is one in every crowd — the North Carolina lawsuit
For those who are not paying attention, we are solidly in the 21st century and fully engulfed in the proliferation of geospatial data. Surveyors remain at the forefront of these technological advances with a plethora of tools and techniques being introduced on a regular basis.
These tools and associated software are much advanced compared to their earlier surveying instrument counterparts, but through extensive programming and easy-to-use interfaces, this equipment may seem simple to use to the layperson. The elder surveying generation likes to refer to newer technicians as button pushers, because the users perform no true calculations.
Yes, there are necessary checks and balances even with the new equipment, but the knowledge to operate these instruments is user-friendly and intuitive. So what happens when the technology is used by someone who is not a surveyor?
Among the hazards of making these newer tools and software widely available is how they are used by the non-professional public. As many surveyors have already read about in the news and social media, a UAV operator in North Carolina has filed suit against the NC Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors.
The board previously ordered the operator to discontinue his UAV flights that engaged in mapping, surveying and photogrammetry services. The operator had been providing images to realtors and homeowners that depicted graphical lines representing property lines, but also included a disclaimer that the product was not intended for surveying purposes. The board ruled he was surveying without a license. The operator is now suing the board and accusing them of violating his First Amendment rights of free speech.
This case is a high-tech example of what surveyors have faced in the past with overzealous owners of metal detectors. Many instances of low-budget outfits and even fence installers have been brought before state licensing boards because they misrepresented surveying services.
It should also be noted that survey field crews who use their equipment during off hours to help family or friends with property location without their licensed supervisor’s knowledge face the same consequences. While the “corner finders” are somewhat harmless and get a slap on the wrist from licensing boards, it is the high-tech offenders who are creating much of the harm to the public.
These situations with unlicensed surveying practices have greatly increased simply because of the available technology and low cost of entry. While GNSS receivers, robotic total stations, and associated data collectors are still quite expensive, new remote-sensing applications are being produced using consumer-grade equipment and advancing software. As technology continues to increase based upon miniaturization and capability, the costs also continue to decrease based upon volume of sales.
Leading the charge into non-licensed use of new technology is the UAV and the new standard use of GPS technology within its guidance system of reasonably priced units. Hobby planes and helicopters have been around for years but required lots of skill and space to fly and were quite expensive. The invention of the multi-rotor UAV with integrated GPS has created an easy-to-fly vehicle with lots of capability.
Couple this new vehicle with a high-resolution camera for photos and video; now it allows amateurs to be aerial cinematographers. Image storage space is not an issue due to increased SD card capacity and speed.
A well-built UAV with all these capabilities is now very affordable and available everywhere. This revolution has led to larger format platforms with more rotors and heavier payloads for more sophisticated cameras and sensors. Once you have the photos and video, now you must do something with them.
The advancement of software technology for processing photos, video, and remote sensing modules has become the hottest ticket in site modeling. The combination of the UAV’s capability and the software’s output enables trained pilots and software technicians to provide orthometric-based imagery. This imagery was previously completed by airplanes and cameras costing hundreds of thousands of dollars and processed by technicians on high-end computers using years of skill and experience.
This entire operation can now be completed by one person with less than a $5,000 initial investment. This is a far cry from the funding needed in years past to outfit a survey vehicle with the necessary equipment and personnel to do this same project.
Enter the FAA and new rules for flying unmanned aircraft. After much consideration, the FAA instituted guidelines for flying UAVs along with requiring a pilot’s certification to fly for commercial purposes. They also specified limits to UAV sizes and payloads, and limited flights to 400 feet above the ground.
Many companies have purchased UAVs to provide aerial photos of their own facilities and projects, but fail to realize that publishing their images or videos qualifies them as a commercial user. Unfortunately, these regulations are much like driving a car without a license or insurance — it is only against the law if one is caught.
The iPhone 12 Pro’s lidar scanner
Another technology that will be catching on soon is lidar imagery from smartphones. The Apple iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max contain sensors capable of capturing lidar data that is easily imported into computer drafting software. Several phone apps are also available for integrating this data into survey drawings. Geospatial data is literally at your fingertips.
50 states, 50 rulebooks
Rules and policies are put in place to regulate various professions and surveying is no different. The goal of these rules is simply to protect the public. Unlawful practice by non-licensed and/or non-qualified persons is a detriment to public safety.
The question is often raised about professional surveying licensure and the ability to practice in multiple states. Each state differs in statutory rules regarding boundary surveys. The colonial states (and Texas) follow a metes-and-bounds standard while the remaining states generally adopt a PLSS rule. Local surveying methods, terrain challenges and early settlers often affected the statutes enacted by each state, therefore variations in licensing must be applied to applicants.
However, the guiding principles for land surveyors remain the same in all states to protect the public. Boundary establishment and retracement is the sole responsibility of licensed land surveyors.
The tools of the trade are a completely different matter. Controlling the surveying services would be easier if the equipment and supplies necessary to do the work were only available to licensees, but the free market will never let that happen. If a company has $30,000 and wants a robotic total station but has no surveying license, the dealer will not stop the sale. When we drop the price tag to an $800 UAV purchase for performing aerial photography, no one bats an eye. As the cost of equipment continues to fall, the number of unlicensed users will climb.
Photo: Francesco Scatena/iStock/Getty Images Plus/Getty Images
‘Men have become the tools of their tools’ (Henry David Thoreau)
The point of this topic is that surveying is not about the tools necessary to complete the task. Surveyors carried out their work for thousands of years before electronic instruments and can continue to do so if they choose. The advancement of the equipment and the technology has made it easier for surveyors to do their work, but the true meaning of the task lies within the profession.
Boundary analysis and determination is the responsibility of land surveyors. Data collection for that analysis can be completed by technicians using a variety of measuring tools. The team works together to complete the surveying process.
Anyone can buy the tools; that, however, does not make them qualified to use them properly. It is not reasonable for one to buy a scalpel and offer brain surgery with a disclaimer. Ask any surveyor; there are some boundary retracements that are the equivalent of brain surgery. And we do not get to put a disclaimer on it.
NV5 Geospatial, powered by Quantum Spatial, has launched INSITE, a comprehensive cloud-based platform that enables users to more efficiently and cost-effectively manage their geospatial data, from acquisition to delivery.
With applications designed for electric utilities and telecommunications, as well as federal, state and local governments, INSITE provides tools to support the entire geospatial data lifecycle, including project tracking, data collection and delivery, quality control, on-demand reporting, analytics and enterprise integration, the company said.
Screenshot: NV5 Geospatial
INSITE also enables users to import, search, analyze, manage, integrate and export all types of geospatial data and multimedia. According to NV5 Geospatial, as a cloud-based platform, INSITE improves speed and efficiency, minimizes storage expenses and supports greater collaboration by eliminating the use of standalone hard drives or a dedicated computer.
“Location-based data is critical for business and governments when it comes to managing risk, lowering costs, forecasting work and maintaining compliance,” said Mark Abatto, president and COO of NV5 Geospatial. “Yet there are numerous technical and organizational barriers that prevent them from optimizing use of this information. INSITE was purpose-built to break down these barriers, creating a single source of truth for all geospatial data within an organization. Now, with INSITE, distributed teams can collaborate more effectively, visualize data with ease and gain real-time insights through powerful analytics.”
According to the company, the INSITE platform is the foundation of three primary categories of use: the INSITE Lifecycle, INSITE Core, and INSITE Facility and Pole Manager.INSITE Lifecycle provides visibility into project status through a web-based map with real-time tracking of data from acquisition through processing and delivery, while INSITE Core enables data visualization and interaction, including access to aerial imagery, lidar data, GIS layers, and more. Lastly, INSITE provides the basis for industry-specific applications, including INSITE Facility and INSITE Pole Manager. INSITE Facility provides configurable asset management, including planning, execution and tracking for inspections and maintenance on any asset and facility, and INSITE Pole Manager enables electric utilities to take advantage of automated pole modeling analytics that support joint use, clearance and integrity analysis programs.
NV5 Geospatial will host a live launch webinar on Feb. 18 to provide an overview of INSITE. Register for the webinar here.
SimActive Inc., a developer of photogrammetry software, has integrated its Correlator3D product into lidar systems for drones developed by Lidar USA.
Possible configurations include two side-by-side cameras that allow matching the footprint of the lidar sensor, a particularly useful setup for corridor mapping.
SimActive’s Correlator3D software is used for automatically registering the imagery with the lidar data. Once a perfect alignment has been achieved, the point clouds are colorized using the photos.
“The ability to directly use lidar as control for adjusting image positions really is a unique feature,” said Jeff Fagerman, CEO at Lidar USA. “Correlator3D allows our clients to quickly combine lidar with data from multi-camera systems and produce high-quality outputs.”
Correlator3D software is a patented end-to-end photogrammetry solution for the generation of high-quality geospatial data from satellite and aerial imagery, including drones. Correlator3D performs aerial triangulation and produces dense digital surface models, digital terrain models, point clouds, orthomosaics, 3D models and vectorized 3D features.
Powered by GPU technology and multi-core CPUs, Correlator3D’s processing speed supports rapid production of large datasets.
Lidar USA, also known as Fagerman Technologies, is a family owned business just outside of Huntsville, Alabama. Lidar USA specializes in laser scanning, photogrammetry, instrumentation and all things geomatics.
Dutch company NEO B.V. is using SimActive’s Correlator3D software to assess solar potential in multiple cities. (Image: SimActive)
SimActive’s Correlator3D software is being used by by Dutch company NEO B.V. to assess solar potential in multiple cities. Digital surface models (DSMs) are generated from WorldView and GeoEye satellite stereo images and serve to calculate solar panel capacity.
According to SimActive, DSMs covering hundreds of square kilometres are quickly generated by the software. Key metrics to estimate solar potential are then derived, including roof orientation, pitch and shaded areas.
“We have been impressed by the quality of SimActive’s DSMs, especially considering the limited spatial resolution of the imagery”, said Rob Beck, managing director at NEO B.V. “Another definite advantage of Correlator3D is the simplicity of the workflow, making it easy to use by our team.”
SimActive’s Correlator3D software is a patented, end-to-end photogrammetry solution for the generation of high-quality geospatial data from satellite and aerial imagery, including UAVs. Correlator3D performs aerial triangulation and produces dense digital surface models, digital terrain models, point clouds, orthomosaics, 3D models and vectorized 3D features.
Since 1990, the urban population of Africa has doubled, with more than 80 percent of its denizens living in urban areas. Urbanization can contribute to sustainable growth, if managed well.
However, its speed and scale bring challenges, including meeting accelerated demand for affordable housing, transport systems, infrastructure, basic services and jobs.
Population data such as shown above is only a sample of the geospatial data available in Esri’s new Africa GeoPortal (www.africageoportal.com). The Esri-led initiative is a cloud-based platform that provides and receives geographic data and imagery from Esri and its partners.
The African Union, African Development Bank, other international agencies, nongovernmental organizations, academia, businesses and national government funds will be able to use the geoportal to address the most urgent development challenges facing the continent — including economic development, climate adaptation, conservation and health care.
The complimentary software-as-a-service geoportal is offered to anyone supporting African nations for positive economic, social and environmental outcomes — African citizens, NGOs and international development agencies. The geoportal offers access to spatial analytics capabilities and authoritative content for charting compelling, educational, informational, entertaining and beautiful maps of Africa.
The Global Human Settlement Layer from the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) is a complete, consistent, global, free and open dataset on human settlements, and helps to quantify and understand the issues that drive urbanization. The above example comes from the JRC in its Esri story map “Building Knowledge for Sustainable Development in Africa,” which shows how the JRC contributes to the African Union (AU)-European Union (EU) partnership.
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.
