Optech Celebrates 40th Anniversary

Optech is celebrating 40 years of Lidar technology innovation. To mark the milestone, Optech is paying tribute to the incredible partnership with its clients over the years, from the first commercial Lidar systems in the world to solutions for bathymetry and UAVs. A celebratory event was held at Niagara Falls, including a display of projects and the evolution of Optech Lidar technology that has supported clients over the last 40 years.

Lasers were barely out of their infancy in the late 1960s, yet founder Dr Allan Carswell (photo) saw their potential for revolutionising remote sensing and began developing prototype Lidars at York University, Canada. Government agencies were quick to see the benefits of this pioneering technology and, to keep up with the growing demand, Dr Allan Carswell founded Optech in 1974. This began the company’s long tradition of developing first-rate sensing technology in a cooperative setting and adapting ground-breaking science to fit the specific needs of their clients.

Optech has developed Lidar and imaging systems for a multitude of clients and their specific applications, with several resulting in major contributions to the remote sensing industry. Among these contributions are the mine safety volume measurement laser (CMS), long-range terrestrial scanner (ILRIS), airborne laser mapping system (ALTM), compact mapping Lidar for UAV deployment (Orion), and the mobile laser scanning system designed for engineering-grade applications (Lynx).

Innovation

The Canadian company states this pioneering starts with continued innovation to meet client needs has enabled Optech to maintain its technology leadership in the industry, culminating in landmark products such as CZMIL for seamless topo/bathy even in turbid water conditions, the compact Orion for the highest quality and efficiency, the LMS automated workflow software for both airborne and mobile sensor data, and Lynx for capturing engineering-grade 3D data from vehicles moving at highway speeds.

Optech has benefited from many outstanding experiences over the last 40 years, said Dr Carswell, from creating the first Lidar-derived bathymetric charts to putting the first Lidar on the surface of Mars onboard the NASA Phoenix Mission. As a new member of the Teledyne family of companies, Optech is entering a new era of continued innovation and development, with ever-more exciting active and passive sensor solutions to meet real-world project requirements, he added.