 Submitted October 16,
2008
Fastest Growing Trend in Aerial LIDAR: Flying Slower, Lower Collecting Higher and Higher Point Densities Traditional specifications for aerial LIDAR call for one pulse per square
meter point density to derive the ubiquitous one foot contours as specified by the FEMA specs for floodplain mapping, however,
a host of other applications require much higher point densities. Increasingly, LIDAR customers
are requesting higher point densities for a variety of reasons. They have found that by collecting higher point densities
by flying lower and slower they are able to saturate the ground with 5 to 20 even up to 40 points per square meter. That means
an object can be hit by multiple pulses and increases the chances of hitting the ground in areas of dense vegetation. Flying at around 400 meters above mean terrain at 120 Knots collecting 200,000 measurements per second, insures greater
ability to measure the ground through heavy vegetation and provides a more accurate and better overall map product. This method
is increasingly being used for topographic surveys of areas with vegetation, during leaf-on conditions to produce one-foot
contours. The holy grail of object identification is driving the need for higher point
densities, where the level and precision of object identification depends greatly on the density of the laser point
cloud.
Read full article...
Date submitted: September 17, 2008 USING LiDAR FOR STREAM AND WETLAND ASSESSMENT AND DESIGN An adaptation of an old proverb
states: Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man how to fish, feed him for a lifetime.
Destroy his streams and wetlands so he can’t fish, feed him no more. In a report presented
to Congress in 1990, Thomas Dahl (National Wetlands Inventory, USFWS) testified that the lower continental 48 states has lost
an estimated 53% of over 221 million acres of wetland, an average of over 60 acres every hour over the past 200 years!
Twenty-two states have lost more than 50% of their original wetlands. Eight have lost more than
85%! Canaan Valley Institute (CVI) has accepted the challenge and is completely committed to the cause of combating
this astonishing trend. By collecting LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) terrain
data with it’s own airborne Optech ALTM 3100 laser system and integrated 3-band digital camera, CVI is capable of producing
the most accurate and highest resolution elevation data possible. LiDAR is an optical remote sensing technology
that measures properties of scattered light to find range and additional information of the earth’s surface and other
features. LiDAR is also extremely valuable in the detection of jurisdictional wetlands and other small
remote streams. The Army Corps of Engineers’ Wetlands Delineation Manual, sites LiDAR as
“one of the most useful information sources available for wetland delineation.” Read full article...
On seismic projects,
the use of LIDAR can result in extensive operational cost savings and improvements in data quality. In many environments,
LIDAR can make a significant contribution toward conducting a successful seismic program. Seismic projects typically cover tens to hundreds
of square miles and consist of hundreds of source and receiver points wthin each square mile. Surveying each point is a requirement
to obtain an accurate position and elevation. Projects of this magnitude require extensive planning, scheduling, and communication
resulting in a constant need for a variety of surface maps and models. LIDAR is a tool providing multiple benefits for such
operations, especially in areas of rough terrain.
Date Submitted 4-21-2008
Simultaneous Acquisition of LIDAR and Multispectral Data Provides Multiple Benefits to Flood and Hydrologic Applications
The economic costs and human
tragedy inflicted by flooding are felt on an almost daily basis across various parts of the US and the world.
Currently, a serious dearth of accurate elevation
data exists to measure the shape of the land surface which is critical in determining the direction, velocity, and depth of
flood waters. In the US, most of the publicly available elevation data, the U.S. Geological Survey's National Elevation
Dataset, is more than 35 years old. Digital floodplain maps have been prepared for about 1 million miles of the nation's
4.2 million miles of rivers and streams, but only 247,000 miles have been mapped using high-resolution elevation data such
as LIDAR.
Read full article...
Date Submitted 1-30-2008
All LIDAR Data is not created Equal: A Discussion About the LiDAR Production Process.
This article is adapted and
reprinted with permission, Point of Beginning (POB) magazine, February 2008 - http://www.pobonline.com/.
by Roland Mangold and Jan Van
Sickle, PLS
Aerial LiDAR is accepted as
the most efficient and cost-effective means to create accurate digital elevation and terrain data. It has become the standard
for flood mapping and many other applications requiring fast, accurate, inexpensive Digital Terrain Models (DTMs), Digital
Elevation Models (DEMs) and other geospatial features. But exactly how those final deliverables such as DTMs, DEMs and topographic
features are derived has been a mystery to many LiDAR customers and data users.
This lack of understanding
creates a situation where LiDAR customers do not have enough information to specify how they want their data processed. Therefore,
the opportunity exists for some LiDAR vendors to potentially cut corners in their production process. And, because many LiDAR
customers do not verify the accuracy and quality of their data, they may never discover the discrepancies.
It is important to keep
in mind that when it comes to remote sensing data, there are no panaceas - no silver bullets. Results can vary widely among
different LiDAR providers depending on their production processes and the skill and talent of their technicians. Remote sensing
technology such as LiDAR is a tool. Accordingly, no single tool provides the capability to entirely solve a particular problem;
the solution invariably requires a combination of tools and the skills and talents of a trained tradesman to use the tools
and materials to create the desired finished product. Remote sensing and LiDAR are no different.
To understand the issues
related to the processing of LiDAR data and the production of various derived products, it is vital to understand the LiDAR
mapping procedure.
Read full article...
Making The Most of Your Digital Data - Part I: Ordering the Right Imagery
by Kumar Navulur, V.P. Business
Development, Pixxures Inc.
Ordering the imagery with right
parameters is crucial for getting the best value for your investment. Multi-spectral
Imagery contains rich spectral content that can be exploited for variety of applications in upstream as well as down stream
applications in the Oil & Gas industry, for encroachment monitoring for pipelines, extracting impervious surfaces for
storm water billing and watershed modeling, change detection for environmental studies, vegetation analysis for agriculture
and forestry, and others. When ordering imagery, users are often presented with myriad of options or not enough parameters
to select the right imagery for their application. The three order parameters that will ensure you order the right imagery
are: 1. Number of spectral bands 2. Radiometric Resolution (i.e. 8 bit or 16 bits) and 3. File format and tile size.
Read full article...
Date Submitted 10-5-2007
Independent Geo-Spatial Quality Review, Is It Really Worth the Extra Money?
A common question asked
by many purchasers of geo-spatial data is “Do we want to spend additional money for independent quality control (QC)”? The project may have been purchased as a low bid and money was saved, should you use
this saved money to contract with an independent QC provider for verification that the data was indeed collected and processed
as detailed in your scope of work? The potential always exists that the
data delivered may not be suitable for the intended mapping applications.
The industry is experiencing a reduction
in geospatial product pricing; this is in part due to the latest advances in sensor technology and processing software. The downside of these advances is that all providers, whether they have advanced systems
or not, need to collect and process data on tighter budgets and schedules. Even
though vendors have best intentions, errors and quality review can be overlooked when budgets are tight.
Read full article...
Date Submitted 9-13-2007
Second Largest Forest Products
Company Realizes Multiple Benefits from LIDAR and Ortho Imagery
The use of LIDAR in forestry applications
has been relatively slow to develop operationally. However, increasingly forest products companies are finding that high-accuracy,
high-density aerial LIDAR data combined with multispectral, ortho imagery is particularly suitable for forest inventory and
monitoring, harvesting forecasts and timber growth as well as optimization of transportation routes.
One of the leading forest products companies
in South America
is making a major commitment to the use of LIDAR and imagery and realizing significant benefits to their operations. Forestal
Arauco S.A. (www.arauco.cl) is the world’s second largest cellulose
producer and one of the largest forestry enterprises in Latin America in terms of surface
area and yield of its plantations.
In February 2006, Arauco contracted Digimapas
Chile Aerofotogrametria Ltda. (DMCL), Santiago, Chile,
to acquire, process and map 7,500,000 hectares (almost 30,000 square miles) of aerial LIDAR and ortho photo data of forested
areas in Chile. Dr. Markus Rombach (Markus.Rombach@Digimapas.cl),
director of Digimapas Chile (www.digimapas.cl)
said “We started the operational mapping in November 2006 and can reach a monthly production of approximately. 450,000
hectares (about 1800 sq. mi.). So far we have mapped approx. 2.5 million hectares of a total of 7.5 million hectares to be
delivered to Arauco during the next year.” On a weekly basis, Digimapas
is delivering digital terrain and surface models (DTM, DSM) of one meter post spacing; LIDAR intensity images; true ortho
images in RGB and CIR; and LIDAR wave form data.
Read full article...
Date Submitted 8-16-2007
LIDAR and Ortho Imagery Provide
Critical Information for Transmission Power lines
The impact of the massive August 14,
2003, electrical power blackout in the Northeastern United States and southern Ontario was significant on both sides of the
Canada/U.S. border. The loss of power and the inability to provide electricity to an estimated 50 million affected people
[m1]cost the United States and Canada more than $10 billion. While this is the largest outage ever experienced in North America
to date, power-related disturbances continue to cost $25 - $180 billion annually.
Many electric utilities have established
that the use of LIDAR and aerial imagery are invaluable tools for vegetation management. Not only do these technologies improve
the efficiency and effectiveness of identifying dangerous trees and vegetation encroachments; they also aid in the predictive
modeling of vegetation growth patterns.
Read full article...
Date Submitted: 7-23-2007
Established Premier Event for
the LIDAR Industry - Call for Papers
The International LIDAR
Mapping Forum (ILMF) is now seeking submissions of presentations and technical papers for the ILMF 2008 Annual meeting, which
will be held February 21 – 22, 2008 in Denver, Colorado, U.S.A at the Adam’s Mark Hotel.
The Conference
Technical Committee is seeking papers and work-in-progress reports on all aspects of airborne and bathymetry LIDAR with a
particular emphasis on papers that address the key commercial and technical issues facing the industry.
Read full article...
Digimapas
Receives Major LIDAR Mapping Contract in Chile
Santiago,
Chile - July
23, 2007 - Digimapas Chile Aerofotogrametria Ltda announced that it has
received a contract for mapping more than 73 000 kmē of Chilean territory to generate high resolution and high precision elevation
models in combination with digital imagery for forest applications.
As of the beginning of June 2007, more than 19 000 kmē of LIDAR and digital imagery data were ready
to be delivered to customers. Digimapas utilizes state of –the-art airborne LIDAR and imaging sensor systems from TopoSys
GmbH, Biberach Germany, which allows Digimapas to serve as the premier Chilean service provider to the main national industries
such as forestry, mining and infrastructure.
Read full article...
TopoSys Streamlines Creation of True Digital Orthos and 3-D City Models
TopoSys GmbH, Biberach, Germany,
has developed a line of turn-key, LIDAR/Imaging systems and software that provides a fast and cost effective solution to gather,
process, and generate final deliverables such as true digital orthos and digital 3-D city models.
Unlike conventional ortho images,
in true ortho images vertical walls of buildings are correctly projected and roofs are not offset. In order to accomplish
this, the image data is blended with the elevation model, both of which are acquired simultaneously by the TopoSys LIDAR/Imaging
systems. The capability to acquire, and record, digital image data in four spectral
channels, synchronously, with high point-density LIDAR, provides the capability to compute all captured objects in their correct
position without leaning edges.
Read full article...
June
7, 2007 - Spatial Resources E- Newsletter Becomes LIDARcomm
In an effort to provide a more focused communications resource to the worldwide LIDAR industry,
the Spatial Resources e-newsletter will become the LIDARcomm e-newsletter, part of a far-reaching effort to more broadly promote
the LIDAR industry.
June 21, 2007 - TopoSys Introduces Line of LIDAR Sensors; ILMF Issues "Call for Papers"
TopoSys
North America has introduced a complete line of LIDAR sensor systems, engineered by TopoSys GmbH, Biberach, Germany, to address the increasing applications for aerial LIDAR, from precise wide-area topographic mapping to
high-density corridor mapping.
The TopoSys
LIDAR sensor family consists of three systems: The Falcon III, Harrier 56/G3, and Harrier 24.
Established
Premier Event for the LIDAR Industry - Call for Papers
The organizers of the established premier event for the LIDAR industry, are delighted to announce a Call for Papers.
This focal gathering of industry leaders, pioneers, experts from government, academia and professionals from industries looking
to invest in and benefit from LIDAR technology and services will take place in Denver Colorado at the Adam's Mark hotel from
February 21 – 22, 2008.
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