Recent unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV or ‘drone’) platforms jointly collect imagery and Lidar data. Their combined evaluation potentially generates 3D point clouds at accuracies and resolutions of some millimetres, so far limited to terrestrial data capture. This article outlines a project that integrates photogrammetric bundle block adjustment with direct georeferencing of Lidar point clouds to improve the respective accuracy by an order of magnitude. Further benefits of combined processing result from adding Lidar range measurement to multi-view-stereo (MVS) image matching during the generation of high-precision dense 3D point clouds. Read on...

In 2017, Suriname’s Ministry of Land Management decided to digitize and automate the process of citizen requests for land and the management of land, which had mainly been paper-based for the past decades. This article outlines how the approach of consciously addressing technical and cultural aspects in combination with modernizing the public-domain land administration in Suriname has enabled significant results. Read on...

A continuously operating reference stations (CORS) provides GNSS data to support very accurate 3D positioning and additional geophysical applications. Flemish Positioning Services (FLEPOS) is the real-time global navigation satellite system (GNSS) CORS network for the Flanders region in northern Belgium. This article outlines the evolution of the next generation of the real-time network, FLEPOS 3.0. Read on...

Crime scene investigators with larger US metropolitan police departments and state patrols are increasingly deploying 3D laser scanners to tell detailed, data-based stories that will withstand public and legal scrutiny while bringing justice to victims. 3D laser scanning technology is being used to accurately depict the relational aspect of each piece of evidence so investigators can rebuild and reconstruct crime scenes. This is a powerful investigation tool, especially as legal systems grow more comfortable with high-tech evidence in courtrooms. Read on...