Tersus GNSS has launched the MVP S1 RTK-SLAM handheld 3D laser scanner for mobile mapping and reality capture. The MVP S1 uses GNSS through an AI-driven RTK-SLAM workflow, as well as lidar data with imagery from dual 48-megapixel panoramic cameras.
The combination provides survey-grade results in both GNSS-denied and open environments. The system achieves centimeter-level accuracy outdoors and maintains performance indoors or underground through SLAM processing.
TimeSync 3.0 synchronizes the hardware, aligning sensor data at the microsecond level and supporting consistent datasets and reliable post-processing.
A mobile application provides users with real-time feedback, including previews of colorized point clouds while scanning, as well as basic scan reports on site. This feature helps operators verify data completeness and quality before leaving the field, reducing the need for repeat visits.
The MVP S1 supports 3D gaussian splatting (3DGS), enabling creation of textured, photorealistic 3D models. This capability is useful for building information modeling, construction progress monitoring, underground surveys, forestry analysis and industrial site documentation.
A roundup of recent products in the GNSS and inertial positioning industry from the June 2022 issue of GPS World magazine.
SURVEYING & MAPPING
Base/Rover
For survey-grade GNSS accuracy anywhere
Photo: Bad Elf
A base/rover feature built upon the Flex GNSS receiver brings affordable centimeter-level accuracy to surveyors and geospatial professionals working anywhere in the world. The solution consists of two Flex GNSS receivers and two UHF radios, allowing customers to perform high-accuracy field data collection in areas where traditional real-time kinematic (RTK) corrections or cellular coverage is not available. Existing Flex customers can upgrade by adding Flex radio kits (pictured). The Bad Elf Flex enables data collection either as a standalone receiver or paired with apps on iOS or Android phones and tablets.
The Leica Pegasus TRK reality-capture mobile-mapping system features artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous workflows and intuitive interfaces. To comply with privacy regulations, its AI can identify and blur identifiers, such as people and vehicles, in real time. Features include advanced dynamic laser scanning and an expandable imagery system for recording, measuring and visualizing. It enables long-range mobile mapping for asset management, road construction, rail, critical infrastructure, utilities and more. The system also can create high-definition basemaps for autonomous vehicles.
The True View 645/650 is the latest 3D Imaging System (3DIS) from GeoCue. Combined with the True View EVO data-processing software suite, it includes the full post-processing software workflow and directly integrates with Applanix POSPac. EVO supports the creation of project deliverables including ground classified point clouds, surface models, contours, digital elevation models (DEMs), volumetric analysis and wire extraction. The system delivers colorized lidar deliverables with accuracy better than 3 cm root-mean-square-error (RMSE) for the True View 645, and better than 2 cm for the True View 650.
The Eagle-2 works with software-defined receivers in real time or records GNSS signals for post-processing. For post-processing, Eagle-2 supports most third-party receivers, such as MATLAB and C/C++ receivers. The front end allows a user to work with two perfectly synchronized channels connected to two antennas. The Eagle-2 supports GPS, Galileo, GLONASS , BeiDou, QZSS and SBAS.
The housed HC885XF and embedded HC885EXF dual-band eXtended Filtering (XF) antennas receive GPS/QZSS L1/L5, GLONASS G1/G3, Galileo E1/ E5a/b, BeiDou B1/B2/B2a and L-band corrections services. They have been tuned to provide optimal support for the entire L1/G1/E1/B1/L-band correction and L5/G3/E5/B2 bands. The housed version, HC885XF, weighs ~42 g and is enclosed in a robust, military-grade IP67 plastic enclosure. The embedded version, HC885EXF, weighs ~8 g and is easily mounted with an embedded helical mounting ring.
Sets performance benchmarks for harsh environments
Photo: Analog Devices
The AD9213S-CSH is a highly integrated RF analog-to-digital converter that handles 12-bit, 10.25-giga-samples per second. It is the company’s fastest ADC available for the space environment. The AD9213-CSH enables the next generation of software-defined systems for satellite communications, radar and remote sensing. The high sample rate and integrated post-processing enable further performance gains for narrow-band applications.
Skyward has published a free ebook, Adding Drones to the Enterprise, to provide guidance on establishing a corporate drone program. According to Skyward, the most efficient and effective drone programs are the lowest risk and most compliant. Topics covered include how to present the business value of a drone operation to corporate executives; how risk managers can optimize the workflow to ensure maximum safety; best practices for risk mitigation and regulatory compliance; tips for collaborating with legal and compliance teams on a general operating manual; and how to provide full transparency to corporate stakeholders.
DJI’s all-in-one solution for professional drone operators includes the DJI Matrice 30 (M30) drone integrated with DJI FlightHub 2 fleet-management cloud software and DJI Dock for autonomous docking and recharging. The integrated solution is suitable for Enterprise drone users such as public safety agencies, infrastructure inspectors and energy operators. The M30 model is designed for rugged professional uses, while the fact that it fits in a backpack makes transportation and setup fast. The DJI Dock is an autonomous takeoff, landing and charging station allowing fully automatic, programmed flights with the DJI M30 Series (Dock Version). After setup, the fully charged M30 drone can take off from the dock through FlightHub 2 programmed automatic missions anywhere within a seven-kilometer radius.
The AlphaAir 1400 (AA1400) and AlphaAir 2400 (AA2400) lidar systems are lightweight, compact airborne scanners easily installed on various UAV platforms or small survey aircraft and helicopters. They are adapted to high-density point-corridor mapping applications, day or night, under leaf-on and leaf-off conditions or with dense vegetation to provide reliable results. Combined with industrial-grade GNSS receivers and high-precision inertial measurement units (IMUs), the AA1400 and AA2400 provide 2 cm to 5 cm survey-grade accuracy. They also integrate Riegl VUX lidars with waveform-lidar technology, allowing echo digitization and online waveform processing.
The VECTOR-600 is a robust, dependable autopilot with built-in physical and logical redundancy, allowing it to survive all individual sensor failures while maintaining accurate estimates of attitude and position. It works for fixed-wing, rotary-wing and vertical-take-off-and-landing UAVs. It provides exceptional performance in GNSS-denied environments and when there is a jamming threat. The VECTOR-600 features high quality components and an electromagnetic-resistant design tested to MIL-STD 461.
Casia G is a ground-based detect-and-avoid surveillance solution that provides 360° optical detection with alerts. It enables operators to avoid both cooperative and non-cooperative aircraft for safe beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) flight. Casia G creates a perimeter of monitored airspace for UAVs to perform work safely, without additional payload. It is suitable for operations in fixed or temporary locations, supporting drone-in-the-box operations and augmenting or replacing human visual observers. Casia G sees the entire sky, with uniform probability and resolution, 10 times per second, covering a majority of small UAS use cases.
SLAM-based mobile mapping with integrated 360° color is a rugged, geo-enabled, high-density and versatile workhorse
Photo: Kaarta
Kaarta, an innovator of real-time mobile 3D reality capture, has announced beta testing on Stencil Pro, a versatile professional-grade mobile mapping platform with dimensional and visual fidelity.
According to a Kaarta press release, “Whether on the road or on a job site, in a warehouse or an office, an underground mine or in the woods, along a utility corridor or a railway, the multipurpose Stencil Pro mobile mapping system is ready to take on the most challenging environments with impressive speed, providing accurate and visually stunning results.”
An all-in-one system to scan, process and view captured data in real time, Stencil Pro offers panoramic high-definition 4K imagery and colorized point clouds. With robust surround-view perception in a wide range of light conditions, Stencil Pro is optimized for both indoor and outdoor performance.
Featuring a 32-line high-density, low-noise lidar with a range of 120 meters (nearly 400 feet) and a data rate of 600,000 points per second, Stencil Pro produces a highly accurate 3D model in minutes.
With an IP65 rating, Stencil Pro is safeguarded against adverse elements such as dirt, dust, fog and rain, making it the ideal tool for infrastructure mapping, mining, forestry, earthworks, construction and other harsh environments. Stencil Pro’s rugged and versatile design is adaptable to many environments, capturing data amidst poor weather, dusty work environments, and below-ground cavities or when mounted on vehicles, locomotives, ATVs and other platforms.
Like all Kaarta systems, Stencil Pro’s simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) capabilities means it operates in GNSS-denied areas such as indoor, underground, under canopy, or in urban canyons. However, it is also fully geo-enabled for the many applications such as street, corridor and rail mapping where the addition of a GNSS signal is highly beneficial.
Stencil Pro integrates the Trimble BD-990 receiver, AV-28 antenna and a range of other third-party GNSS antennas. It supports positioning accuracy enhancements through live RTK/NTRIP processing as well as PPK corrections based on data provided by the NOAA CORS network or a user-supplied base station.
GNSS positioning data is used to align and geo-register data, providing global accuracy and further enhancing the fidelity of large area scans and long, linear scan paths. With the ruggedized design, enhanced power capabilities, as well as the option of incorporating the industry-leading SLAM accuracy in addition to – or independent of – geopositioning, Stencil Pro has the scale of traditional mobile mappers for a fraction of the investment.
The onboard GNSS and color cameras are fully integrated into real-time capture, allowing for optimization of collected data as well as flexibility in output. The advantage of absolute positioning and accuracy coupled with 360 degree imaging technologies produces a true color, rich and robust point cloud when needed. If a colorized point cloud is not required, or GNSS is not available, reliance on other sensors is seamless.
“Billions of dollars of commercial real estate transactions, construction projects, infrastructure maintenance and natural resource management decisions rely on understanding existing conditions data,” said Kevin Dowling, Kaarta CEO. “Obtaining up-to-date data for these environments is laborious, time consuming and expensive with current methods. Even in the most challenging scenarios, Stencil Pro rapidly provides the answers needed for managers to make informed decisions.”
Stencil Pro is powered by either 100-240 VAC input (or 12V with an inverter) or using its two hot-swappable batteries which last for up to 3 hours of scanning. Stencil Pro’s intuitive user interface makes data capture and processing simple. The user experience includes one-button scanning, real-time scan monitoring and streamlined post-processing options for maximizing data clarity and usability. Remote operation with a touchscreen monitor allows for mounting Stencil Pro on a multitude of transports. When hand-carried, scan status can be started and stopped with the press of a button.
Stencil Pro is built on Kaarta Engine, Kaarta’s patent-pending approach to solving the SLAM problem. Kaarta’s unparalleled expertise in localization – a result of its deep robotics roots – delivers definitively lower drift error than alternative SLAM systems by an order of magnitude. Kaarta’s proven technology, quality, and accuracy is trusted by AEC, geospatial, natural resource management and autonomous mobile robot professionals worldwide.
Limited quantities of Stencil Pro will be available to ship in June. Those interested in being considered for early access to discuss a specific application, schedule a demonstration or review sample data sets can apply for the Stencil Pro Early Access Program.
CHC Navigation has launched the Alpha3D Mobile Mapping solution, which provides a unique combination of sensor technologies and the company’s core GNSS expertise.
The Alpha3D is a high-performance, vehicle-independent mobile mapping solution that can capture mass data in continuously changing world environments, enabling geospatial professionals to get work done quickly and more accurately to increase their return on investment.
The Alpha3D can be mounted on a variety of platforms, including different type of vehicles, trains, railway trolleys and boats. It rapidly and efficiently collects high density, accurate point clouds and powerful image data. It also adds extra information from additional sensors, such as a high-resolution camera, thermal camera, echo sounder or extra profiler.
The Alpha3D combines high-performance hardware — including a long range, ultra-high speed, precise laser scanner, high-resolution HDR panoramic camera in combination with an advanced GNSS receiver and high-precision inertial measurement unit (IMU) — in one instrument in a light weight, compact yet rugged design, according to George Zhao, CEO of CHC Navigation.
“All theses features keep Alpha3D as one of most innovative system in market today,” Zhao said.
“With Alpha3D, users can collect more data faster and reduce time in the field more than 40% compared to traditional surveying instruments,” said Andrei Gobb, product manager of Mobile Mapping Solutions. “By combination of point clouds and high-resolution images, as well as information from additional sensors, there is no need to return to site for remeasurement.”
Mapping company NavVis has launched the M6, a next-generation indoor mobile-mapping system that the company says can overcome the scalability and data quality constraints of reality capture technology.
Surveyors and architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) professionals can now use reality-capture technology for large-scale indoor mapping projects. The M6 can be used for factory planning and creating and updating as-built BIM (building information modeling) models and construction monitoring.
The NavVis M6 is an all-in-one system that captures 360-degree immersive imagery, photorealistic point clouds, Bluetooth beacons, Wi-Fi signals and magnetic field data.
The NavVis M6 features a mobile lidar system that lets it scan up to 30 times faster than stationary devices, letting users capture up to 30,000 square meters in a day.
Cutting-edge 6D simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) technology significantly improves the quality of data captured. Thanks to 6D SLAM, M6 continuously scans even complex indoor environments, including uneven surfaces or changing elevations such as ramps, open spaces or long corridors without compromising the quality of the data.
M6’s innovative software is complemented by hardware features designed to improve the quality of data and ease of capture: four laser scanners with a range of up to 100 meters are arranged to maximize scan coverage, while six cameras automatically take high-resolution images during mapping. The innovative design of the M6 includes camera placement that keeps the operator in a blind spot.
NavVis IndoorViewer software gives stakeholders access to the scanned environment through an interactive virtual building in their browser.
“The NavVis M6 marks a quantum leap in indoor mobile mapping,” Felix Reinshagen, CEO of NavVis. “Anyone who needs to scan large properties, run repeated scans or would like to move into the field of reality capture will profit from the groundbreaking data quality.
“With M6, users can now quickly capture large, complex indoor environments for typical tasks such as updating floorplans, documenting construction progress or creating as-built BIM models. At the same time, M6 captures the data needed to provide customers with additional deliverables such as browser-based immersive walkthroughs and indoor navigation,” Reinshagen said.
