Lidar

This issue of GIM is largely devoted to emergent Lidar technology. We have a feature on 3D-visualisation of Lidar data co-authored by new contributing editor Dr Bharat Lohani of IIT Kanpur India, and no fewer than two product surveys, one on Airborne Lidar Systems, the other on Lidar software. Two regular features, Technology in Focus and Company’s View, this month address processing the product of Lidar survey, point-clouds. Lidar is without doubt a most successful data-acquisition technique. As an acronym of Light Detection and Ranging - some prefer to read Lidar as Laser Imaging Detection And Ranging - the term... (read more)

2007-01-19 12:00:00

Airborne Lidar

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2017-01-05 08:56:47

LiDAR Compressor

LizardTech has released the LizardTech LiDAR Compressor. This product enables users to turn giant point cloud data into efficient MrSID files that retain 100% of the raw data at just 25% of the file size. Unlike raw LAS or ASCII data, LiDAR files compressed to MrSID are easily managed resources from which derivatives can be extracted over and over again. One of the key features of LiDAR Compressor is its ability to reduce LiDAR file sizes by 75% while retaining all of the points and all of the point precision and accuracy of the original file. If users... (read more)

2009-07-14 09:49:29

Finnish National Lidar Survey

Blom has been awarded a contract to provide Lidar data for the National Land Survey of Finland (NLSF). The total contract value is approximately NOK34 million over a period of four years. The contract is expected to be signed in January 2010, with start-up of the project at the beginning of second quarter of 2010. NLSF is responsible for production and maintenance of geographic- and real estate information in Finland. The purpose of the project is to create a new and accurate national height model covering an area of app. 120 000 sq.km.The dataset will also provide valuable information for... (read more)

2009-12-18 03:04:04

Lidar Map of Nigeria

The Enugu State has awarded a contract to a South African company to conduct aerial surveys of the state which is situated in the Eastern part of Nigeria. The creation of an accurate Geographical Information System or GIS is crucial to many government programs. The purpose of the survey is to provide the local municipality with accurate maps and surveys to be used for planning, development and infrastructure maintenance. Southern Mapping Company will be partnering with The Digital Map Company (DMCo) in Nigeria and share their knowledge, resources and expertise. SMC will be delivering a set of digital... (read more)

2009-07-06 10:34:59

First ALS LIDAR Project

Airborne Laser Solutions (South Africa) has undertaken the first aerial lidar survey project in its new Rockwell Aero Commander 1000 aircraft. This survey is required for the route selection and design of a 220km-power line linking Tete in Mozambique and Blantyre in Malawi. The company’s prime equipment currently consists of an Optech 3033 ALTM LiDAR system combined with a Hasselblad camera and Phase One digital back. With this equipment in the Aero Commander ALS is able to generate terrain models at 50cm to 10cm vertical accuracy, and colour digital orthophotos at pixel ground resolution ranging from 50cm to 10cm. The... (read more)

2005-03-17 12:00:00

Velodyne Live Lidar Demos

Velodyne Lidar (USA) is displaying its latest in sensor technology, the HDL-32E, on Stand 39 at the 2011 SPAR international conference being held this week at the Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center in Houston (TX, USA). Visitors to the show can see the HDL-32E in action at the Mobile Scanning and Mapping Demo being held in the circular driveway of the convention centre. The HDL-32E is a small, lightweight and rugged sensor designed to meet the demand for 3D mapping applications and autonomous navigation. It features 32 lasers across a 40° vertical Field of View (FOV) and generates... (read more)

2011-03-22 09:25:17

Swedish Lidar Project

New Nationwide Elevation Model

Airborne Lidar is being used to establish a new national elevation model of the entire territory of Sweden (450,000km2), one point per two m2. The project, spanning 2009 to 2013, is the responsibility of two internationally operating Scandinavian geospatial product service providers: Blom, headquartered in Oslo, Norway, and Denmark-based COWI. The authors discuss specifications, status and challenges posed by this large-scale, long-term project. Appointed in June 2005 by the Swedish Government to assess the impact of global climate change on Swedish society, the ‘Commission on Climate and Vulnerability’ revealed its recommendations in 2007. Climate change will entail rising sea levels,... (read more)

2011-02-03 04:02:29

Lidar Quality Assurance

Open-Source Software For Processing Lidar Point Clouds

Basic tools for processing Lidar point clouds, which can be extended depending on needs, provide a flexible platform for service providers and users alike. Here, the authors demonstrate how a publicly available open-source application with basic tools for visualising, editing and analysing Lidar point clouds has been extended into a compliant platform that serves diverse applications including mapping of power-line corridors, land uses and riverbeds. The platform, called DielmoOpenLiDAR and released under the GNU GPL licence, enables management and display of massive Lidar datasets together with vectors, rasters, OGC services such as WMS, WFS, WCS and other geoinformation. For professional... (read more)

2015-04-10 01:29:47

Taiwanese Lidar Project

Getting Prepared for Flooding

Nearly three-quarters of the territory of Taiwan and 95% of its population are exposed to frequent natural hazard. In the aftermath of typhoon Morakot that scourged Southern Taiwan on 8th and 9th August 2009, causing the worst flooding in a century, the authorities realised that the country was dreadfully lacking in detailed, accurate and current elevation data, as well as aerial imagery covering the entire territory (36,000km2). In response, a national mapping programme spanning 2010 to 2015 was launched with the aim of simultaneously capturing the entire country by airborne Lidar and digital imagery. The authors discuss specifications, status and... (read more)

2011-07-25 04:07:49