Tag: mapping

NavVis launches VLX wearable mapping system

The all-in-one reality capture capabilities of NavVis VLX include both survey-grade point clouds and high-resolution panoramas. (Photo: NavVis)

NavVis has launched NavVis VLX, a wearable mapping system that captures high-quality data in built environments such as construction sites, staircases and small technical rooms.

The all-in-one reality capture capabilities of NavVis VLX include both survey-grade point clouds and high-resolution panoramas. The combination of high-quality data capture and a compact, economical design will transform the way architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) projects are captured with fast, efficient scanning for BIM and CAD applications, while also extending the scope of projects to new deliverables such as web-based digital twins, the company said.

NavVis VLX is equipped with two lidar sensors and captures survey-grade point clouds using the company’s SLAM technology, which was originally developed for the the NavVis M6 indoor mobile mapping system. NavVis VLX also captures high-resolution panorama images in a complete 360-degree field of view.

According to the company, this wearable device gives the operator more control over where the sensors are scanning. It also allows the user to view and interact with the built-in screen that provides live feedback of what has been scanned and the quality of the data being captured.

“We designed NavVis VLX to provide the AEC industry with a compact, versatile device that efficiently captures buildings and still delivers survey-grade point clouds,” said Georg Schroth, NavVis CTO. “Knowing that there is still an unmet need for high-quality mobile data capture in a wider range of building documentation applications, we set out to develop a more versatile device that can achieve what NavVis M6 does at a smaller scale and on a lower budget.”

According to NavVis, the data captured by the VLX can be applied to a wide range of applications, including conventional building documentation such as CAD drawings and BIM models, as well as to innovative digital twin solutions, such as NavVis IndoorViewer.

NavVis, headquartered in Munich, Germany, is a global provider of indoor spatial intelligence technology and solutions for enterprises. The company also has offices in New York and Shanghai.

May 13, 2020
SPH Engineering announces bathymetric drone solution

SPH Engineering has launched a new product to make bathymetric surveys of inland and coastal water.

The system — an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) integrated with an echo sounder — is time- and cost-efficient. It is suitable for mapping, measuring and inspecting tasks as well as environmental monitoring.

The system allows field workers to collect data with high accuracy quickly. It is easily transported, quickly deployed and twice as cost-efficient as traditional methods.

The UAV/echo sounder system can be operated in hard to reach locations, and unsafe or hazardous environments. Locations not reachable by foot or that are dangerous for a human (steep coasts, mining pits, contaminated waters, terrain obstacles, etc.) as well as waters of ponds, lakes, and canals can be reached by the drone.

“Since autumn 2018 we have been getting bathymetry-related requests,” said Lexey Dobrovolskiy, CTO of SPH Engineering. “Analyzing about 150 inquiries, we have come to the conclusion that a drone-based solution could open a new business opportunity for drone service companies to do bathymetry surveys of coastal and inland water, especially those for industrial needs.

“Compared with a standard approach using a boat or an unmanned surface vehicle, a drone could save a lot for its user,” Dobrovolskiy said. “An echo sounder itself could be integrated into a client’s drone with no need to purchase additional equipment. Moreover, it is small and easy to transport and operate. At the same time, such research method guarantees data accuracy and employee safety.”

May 7, 2020
CenterPoint RTX Fast now available coast to coast in US, Canada

One-inch GNSS accuracy in under a minute, delivering seamless high-precision performance across the U.S. and southern Canada

Trimble has completed expanding its CenterPoint RTX Fast correction service, with coverage now spanning the contiguous U.S. and southern Canada. This expansion is central to Trimble’s vision to transform how and where users can leverage precision and accuracy.

Coverage of Centerpoint RTX Fast. (Image: Trimble)

Designed for autonomous applications in both on-road and off-road markets, the coverage and performance of the service enables industry professionals to re-think what is possible when using augmented positioning for improving safety, performance, productivity and operational efficiency.

See full coverage maps here.

The CenterPoint RTX Fast subscription service delivers horizontal positioning accuracy of 1 inch (2 centimeters) or less in under a minute, with the versatility of satellite or cellular delivery. This expanded coverage makes it the largest, high-performance GNSS correction network in the world, according to Trimble.

Base stations not required. The service encompasses more than 5 million square miles across North America and Europe. By using the service, said Trimble, farmers, land surveyors and GIS professionals can untether from the cost and complexities of GNSS base stations.

In addition, Trimble RTX Fast offers a single, continuous correction technology platform for enabling a broad range of safety-critical autonomous applications in markets such as automotive, agriculture and construction.

“This achievement is a major milestone in the continuous evolution of our correction service and autonomy strategy. We are delivering unmatched access to fast, reliable, highly accurate positioning in more areas than ever before,” said Patricia Boothe, senior vice president of Trimble’s Autonomy Sector. “Whether enhancing performance in the autonomy ecosystem or simplifying traditional mapping and surveying workflows, RTX Fast users can gain greater accuracy to improve productivity and operate safely — ultimately transforming the way they work and drive.”

CenterPoint RTX Fast subscriptions for Trimble RTX-compatible GNSS receivers are available through Trimble’s Authorized Business Partners or Trimble’s online store.

May 5, 2020
Esri User Conference goes virtual because of COVID-19
The Esri User Conference, which usually takes place in San Diego in July, will this year be held virtually.

“As a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis, we are making the decision to move the 2020 Esri User Conference in San Diego to a virtual format. This is a great disappointment to me personally, as I know it will be for many of you,” Esri CEO Jack Dangermond told those planning to attend in an April 22 e-mail.

The following is an outline of Esri’s current plan, with more information available in the Esri UC FAQs:
- The event will take place July 13–15, 2020.
- The plenary session, technical workshops and Esri Showcase will be virtual, featuring many demonstrations and live discussions during the conference.
- There will be many opportunities for networking, collaboration and real-time interaction with Esri experts and staff.
- User presentations and the map gallery will be featured digitally.
- A library of recorded sessions and demos will be created and kept available as an ongoing resource.
- Registration will be complimentary for all Esri customers who are current on their maintenance or subscription.
Dangermond also asked for ideas and suggestions solicited through a survey by April 29.

“Forty years ago this month, we had our first User Conference in Redlands, California, with only a handful of participants,” Dangermond wrote. “While initially no one was quite sure of what the outcome would be, the event started an ongoing tradition where Esri and our users would come together, share our work, learn and create a community of common interests.

“That first meeting on the Esri campus provided the groundwork for the annual event at which thousands of professionals from every corner of the globe meet one another, share inspiring examples of work and learn from each other’s experiences.

“While we can’t replicate the experience of being together in person, we will do our best to create an amazing event that will continue to move you and our community forward. One of the benefits of going with a virtual format will be that organizations will be able to send an unlimited number of attendees.”

Photo: GPS World Staff
April 22, 2020
Golden Software streamlines workflows in Surfer mapping package
Golden Software’s Surfer package now includes a 3D exporting capability. (Photo: Golden Software)

Golden Software has streamlined many workflows in the latest version of its Surfer grinding, contouring and 3D surface mapping product. According to the company, these enhancements will save time for end users in oil and gas exploration, environmental consulting, mining, engineering and geospatial projects.

“We have simplified workflows by making many of the most popular Surfer mapping processes more intuitive,” said Kari Dickenson, Surfer product manager. “By deleting steps and reducing mouse clicks, we have shaved valuable minutes off the time it takes to complete many functions.”

The updates include easier base map editing, a convertible scale bar, the ability to make colors transparent, 3D exporting, simple image cropping, adding multiple files, the ability to apply actions on multiple layers and easier cross section profiles.

Here’s an overview of each update:
- Easier base map editing. Users will no longer have to click “Start/Stop Editing” to make changes to base maps. Users now can click on an item on the base map, and the program will automatically enter “Edit” mode so changes can be made to the feature.
- Convertible scale bar. Surfer now has a pulldown menu on the scale bar that allows users to convert the scale bar from one type of linear unit to another.
- Make colors transparent. Users are able to select any color in an image or air photo and make it transparent.
- 3D exporting. Users can now export 3D views to a variety of high-resolution image formats including TIF, PNG, JPG and BMP.
- Simple image cropping. Surfer users can now draw a polygon around their area of interest in an image or photo to crop out unneeded data, resulting in a smaller file size and faster map editing.
- Add multiple files. Users can select multiple map or layer files at once for importing into a Surfer project or applying certain functions.
- Apply actions on multiple layers. Users can select multiple map items or layers and then apply functions to all of them.
- Easer cross section profiles. Users now have the option of generating a cross section profile by drawing a line across their map or simply selecting a polyline in an existing base layer.
Golden Software also has released a Beta version of Surfer simultaneously with the new version to give customers a chance to try out new features while they are still in development. Users can find the Beta version by clicking “File | Online” from within Surfer.

The Beta features, which will be released in late summer 2020, include a redesigned “Open File” menu, pie charts, automatic scale change and the ability to create 3D PDFs.

Founded in 1983, Golden Software develops scientific graphics software. The company offers six producers, Surfer for gridding, contouring and 3D surface mapping; Grapher for 2D and 3D graphing; Voxler for 3D data visualization; Strater for well log, borehole and cross section plotting; MapViewer for thematic mapping and spatial analysis; and Didger for digitizing and coordinate conversion.
April 15, 2020
Drones equipped with GNSS, inertial a game changer
Why do we keep hearing about unmanned aircraft all the time, almost everywhere? Fortunately, the buzz has gone beyond next-door neighbors flying dangerously close to your roof or hovering annoyingly around a living room window, and incidents of UAV incursions shutting down airports seem to be getting fewer — improved enforcement and higher penalties may be slowing down these incidents.

Now, UAV users are taking on productive, innovative tasks that couldn’t previously be done, or finishing projects surprisingly quickly and more affordably than ever before, with drones built or adapted for new applications. And equipment manufacturers are creating new sensors customized for use on drones.

Commercial, integrated GNSS/inertial sensors are available that have extremely high performance — previously only available with expensive mil-spec electronics — but in lightweight, small packages, supported by real-time kinematic (RTK), precise point positioning (PPP) corrections or post-processed kinematic (PPK). UAVs carry still, video and multi-spectral cameras generating automatically geocoded outputs, ready for post processing into multi-layered formats — virtually everything a customer could ever dream of having. And lidar sensors enable drones to build accurate models of everything they overfly.

Drones originated largely with military forces. Originally used for forward intelligence gathering, UAV tasks have multiplied and substantially expanded in scope.

Commercial industries were quick to realize the benefits. Before drones, the cost of many tasks done manually would be prohibitive and too time-intensive. Fast, affordable data collection now allows us to quickly tackle and solve many problems.

UAVs can pre-survey large, previously inaccessible tracts of difficult terrain, collect detailed visual representations of entire cities, monitor and support crop growth, or even survey underwater terrain using lidar. UAVs provide crop-growing support by flying autonomous patterns and spraying fields with pesticides or fertilizer. They also are being called into service to spray villages with disinfectant to control the spread of coronavirus, and to survey England’s beaches to monitor coastal erosion.

Check out some case studies here:
Featured photo: PhonlamaiPhoto/iStock / Getty Images Plus/Getty Images
April 1, 2020
Terra Drone Indonesia maps underground campus utilities with GPR drone

Photo: Terra Drone Indonesia

Terra Drone Indonesia, a group company of Japan-based Terra Drone Corp., has successfully completed a pilot project at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) in Indonesia. The project included flying a drone equipped with a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) system over the campus to map tunnels and underground utilities.

The drone data was then processed and compared with the infrastructure records of the university by geophysicists, who determined the underground assets were accurately and precisely mapped, Terra Drone Indonesia said.

According to Terra Drone Indonesia, the combination of GPR and drones opens up new potential for the use of unmanned technologies in areas that are traditionally challenging and unsafe, such as post-blast areas in open-pit mines. A GPR drone also could be used to locate underground pipes, map the conditions of the assets and detect hazards like pipeline leaks.

“The conventional GPR method requires field personnel to go to the field and carry GPR tools to conduct surveys,” said Michael Wishnu Wardana, managing director at Terra Drone Indonesia. “But this method has its own dangers because not only are some areas unsafe and difficult to reach, but also because severe weather conditions in the field can hamper workers from carrying out their jobs diligently. GPR drones, in contrast, have emerged as a much safer and efficient surveying solution.”

Terra Drone Indonesia worked on this project in collaboration with PT Airborne Geophysics Indonesia and the Geophysics Laboratory at ITB. TerraDrone Indonesia has worked with ITB in the past as well, validating Terra Lidar’s topographic mapping capabilities at ITB’s Jatinangor Campus.

March 9, 2020
AI helps create street maps from satellite imagery

Creating detailed street maps and keeping them updated is an expensive and time-consuming task performed mostly by large companies. They ignore the many parts of the world where this task is not profitable, even though the need is high due to rapid growth and change in the street network, such as in Thailand.

To automate the process and make accurate digital maps available in any country, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Qatar Computing Research Institute have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) model called RoadTagger. It uses satellite imagery to tag road features in digital maps, such as lane counts, which are essential for reliable navigation.

Satellite imagery companies are constantly expanding their coverage and increasing their refresh rate, so this source of mapping data is more readily available and up to date than the data collected on the ground, such as by Google’s fleet of mapping cars. However, satellite imagery often suffers from occlusion from trees, buildings, overpasses and other obstacles.

RoadTagger gets around this problem by using a combination of neural network architectures to predict hidden features. Testing of the model with digital maps of 20 U.S. cities showed that it predicted the number of lanes with 77% accuracy and the road type with 93% accuracy.

An AI model developed at MIT and Qatar Computing Research Institute that uses only satellite imagery to automatically tag road features in digital maps could improve GPS navigation, especially in countries with limited map data. (Map data: Google/MIT News)

RoadTagger, which combines a convolutional neural network (CNN) and a graph neural network (GNN) is fed only raw data and automatically produces output, without human intervention. The CNN, commonly used for image-processing tasks, takes as input raw satellite images of target roads. The GNN — widely used to model relationships between connected nodes in a graph — breaks the road into roughly 20-meter “tiles,” each of which is a separate graph node.

For each node, the CNN extracts road features and shares that information with its immediate neighbors, thereby propagating road information along the whole graph. For example, if only two lanes of a four-lane road are visible in an image, the model uses information from nearby tiles, such as road width, to conclude that the road has four lanes.

The researchers trained and tested RoadTagger using the OpenStreetMap data set. First, they collected confirmed road attributes from 688 square kilometers of maps of 20 U.S. cities, then they gathered the corresponding satellite images from a Google Maps dataset. The training taught the model what weight to assign to various features and node connections, and it now automatically learns which image features are useful and how to propagate those features along the graph.

The researchers hope that RoadTagger will help humans validate the constant stream of changes in OpenStreetMap and similar datasets as well as enrich them with details that they do not already contain, such as whether a road is paved.

Citation. He, S., Bastani, F., Jagwani, S., Park, E., Abbar, S., Alizadeh, M., Balakrishnan, H., Chawla, S., Madden, S., & Sadeghi, M. A. (Dec. 28, 2019). “RoadTagger: Robust Road Attribute Inference with Graph Neural Networks.” arXiv:1912.12408v1.

March 5, 2020
MGISS launches web app for visualization of buried assets

Image: MGISS

MGISS, a U.K. geospatial specialist, has released a new version of its web app TopoGrafi that allows for the display of 3D data in real-world models. With enhanced 3D data processing capabilities, TopoGrafi is an end-to-end platform for capturing buried asset data and processing it for augmented reality visualizations.

Aimed at the utility and infrastructure sectors, TopoGrafi is helping organizations in water and highway sectors enhance asset location data, improve on-site safety and reduce construction and maintenance costs.

Designed to be used alongside apps such as Esri Collector for ArcGIS, the TopoGrafi platform uses GNSS data.

It applies near-real-time conversions, transforming the recorded positions to local reference systems and aligning it with high-accuracy mapping including Ordnance Survey MasterMap.

The TopoGrafi toolkit also includes functionality to “snap” 3D features to each other and to other spatially referenced data, in order to create a true 3D model that can then be used to create Augmented Reality visualizations accessible from the desktop or in the field.

March 4, 2020
Bluesky awarded lidar contract to map Wales from the air

This image of Wales is color-coded to show the relative height of the land. (Image: Bluesky)

Aerial mapping company Bluesky International has been awarded a contract by Natural Resources Wales, on behalf of Welsh Government, to capture a high-resolution laser mapped aerial survey of the whole of Wales.

Working alongside Natural Resources Wales and the Welsh government, Bluesky will capture the data at a resolution of 2 points per metre before processing and delivering lidar data for more than 20,000 square kilometers of rural and urban landscapes.

The Bluesky lidar data will be employed in a range of policy areas including flood modeling, forestry management, coastline monitoring, urban planning and archaeological conservation.

In addition to use internally by Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales, the lidar data will also be made publicly available in due course, via Welsh Government’s Lle Geo-Portal website and Bluesky’s Mapshop.

“Historically, lidar data has been acquired over Wales at various points in time from the 1990s onwards,” said Paul Isaac, project manager at Natural Resources Wales. “However, since these datasets have been collected for different reasons a patchwork of data exists that is inconsistent in terms of capture technology, coverage and resolution. Also, many of the high-altitude, mountainous areas have not been captured at all resulting in key habitats and ecosystems remaining unmapped.”

“This pattern of largely uncoordinated acquisitions would likely have continued with different programmes and projects funded from various sources,” he added. “Therefore, rather than different public sector bodies securing data individually — leading to inefficiencies and discrepancies — Welsh Government proposed to capture one consistent dataset to cover the whole country. A further key driver for the projects is the wider economic benefit as organizations and individuals will no longer have to fund separate data capture.”

Bluesky was awarded the National Lidar for Wales contract following a formal tender process with responses evaluated on technical ability as well as price. All tenders were required to provide a detailed methodology of how they would complete the project to the published specification.

“Bluesky was able to provide evidence that they could provide the required services at a competitive price,” Isaac said. “Bluesky also showed they had extensive experience in this field having successfully delivered a number of related projects.”

“We are delighted to be working with Natural Resources Wales on this nationally significant project,” said Rachel Tidmarsh, managing director of Bluesky International. “As a team, we have great experience delivering large scale projects of this nature to the required specification and timescales.”

February 27, 2020
Lidar USA completes integration of Optech CL-360

The Snoopy CL-360 lidar scanner. (Photo: Lidar USA)

The Optech CL-360 has joined the ranks of Lidar USA Snoopy systems.

The Snoopy CL-360 has been meticulously designed for integration on backpack, vehicle and UAV applications. Weighing 5 kilograms fully assembled, the Snoopy CL-360 is capable of delivering highly accurate results, up to +/-0.01 feet on paved surfaces from a vehicle.

The system has a scan line rate of 250 Hz with a 500-kHz data rate, giving a uniform result along and across track. The systems are easily configurable with multiple scanners (similar to internet of things applications) to avoid occlusions.

“We are pleased to again partner with LidarUSA in their innovative approach to UAV integration with the addition of our CL-360 to their product portfolio. Featuring true 360-degree scanning without blind spots, CL-360 integrated by LidarUSA will provide an exciting addition to the UAV marketplace,” said Optech Executive Vice President and General Manager Michel Stanier.

Users can also benefit from a UAV deployment, achieving scans with usable data as much as 60 degrees off nadir (widths of more than 1,100 feet while scanning at the 400-foot ceiling). The small beam size of 0.3 mrad allows the CL-series to reliably collect ground points (such as on or near the dirt through vegetation) while also providing better detection of fine linear features such as power lines and railroad tracks.

The integration of the CL-360 into the Snoopy series of systems from Lidar USA is expected to be a huge plus to the mapping community in 2020, according to Lidar USA. Users can expect to see the benefit of decreased field-collection effort and increased product quality resulting in a growing and profitable business.

“As more technologies embrace lidar collection to reduce their field time, we expect to see the CL-series become the ‘go to’ solution for many of them,” said Jeff Fagerman of Lidar USA. “The CL-series provides the accuracy and point density often necessary to meet the client’s every growing demands for more, more, more. By designing the system for car and UAV, as well as multiple configurations (two or more systems running together), our users will greatly benefit where they feel it most — the bank.”

February 24, 2020
Vexcel Imaging to acquire image resources from Verisk

Vexcel Imaging, a provider of aerial imagery data, large-format aerial cameras and photogrammetry software, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the imagery sourcing group from Verisk’s Geomni business.

The acquisition will combine Geomni’s imagery surveying and content-related teams and assets into Vexcel. Verisk, a data analytics provider, will be a minority owner in Vexcel with full access to all aerial imagery libraries.

The combination of Geomni’s fleet of fixed-wing aircraft and aerial operations, mapping business and oblique aerial image library together with Vexcel’s sensor business and data program will create a world-leading geospatial data library.

Geomni’s analytics team and assets will remain part of Verisk and continue to focus on world-class advanced analytics. The team will work closely with Vexcel on a strategic road map and joint projects.

“The strategic alliance between Vexcel and Verisk demonstrates both companies’ resolve to drive rapid innovation across imagery and analytics — to enter new markets, create new categories, and better serve commercial and insurance customers,” said Jeffrey C. Taylor, president of Geomni. “Partnering with Vexcel is a huge leap forward in the services we can provide customers.”

Vexcel Imaging was founded in 1992. The company’s successful line of UltraCam systems was launched with the first UltraCam in 2003. Vexcel is headquartered in Boulder, Colorado; operates an office in Graz, Austria; and will now have teams and operational hubs strategically located throughout the United States and in Spain.

“Our alliance with Vexcel benefits our customers through a unified, robust, and rapidly expanding global aerial imagery library that will deepen their understanding of ground truth,” said Mark Anquillare, chief operating officer of Verisk. “The combination of Verisk’s and Vexcel’s data will provide tremendous coverage for customers and help drive Verisk’s proven ability to innovate advanced analytic solutions.”

“By combining forces with Verisk, we’re making a progressive move to accelerate innovation within the geospatial data industry,” said Erik Jorgensen, chairman and CEO of Vexcel Imaging. “Vexcel and Verisk share tremendous synergies, and we look forward to bringing the definitive imagery and geospatial data library to the market — unmatched in its size, quality and breadth.”

Vexcel maintains a strong partnership with the Geospatial Intelligence Center (GIC), an insurance industry consortium spearheaded by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), a nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting insurance fraud and crime, and powered by Vexcel’s data program. The GIC empowers its member insurers to improve their decision making and risk management by leveraging aerial imagery and data in visual tools and automated processes. The partnership will provide enhanced support to GIC member insurers in the form of additional flying and processing capabilities as well as access to the newly scaled and unified geospatial library and enhanced analytics.

The transaction is expected to close the first quarter of this year, subject to the completion of customary closing conditions.

February 7, 2020