Building a Stable UAV for Photogrammetry

CopterSystems is a manufacturer of high-end copter solutions for a variety of applications. Roman Paulus, the founder and CEO of the company, was one of the pioneers in using UAV technology for photogrammetry and other sensor-based airborne applications in Germany. Recently, more and more potential customers have been approaching CopterSystems and asking for Phase One cameras as sensor options for UAVs. One of the camera features that stood out was the pinpoint accuracy; all cameras employ mechanisms to solidly lock their lens to the camera body. The demand reached a point when CopterSystems decided to develop a special UAV for Phase One iXU cameras,... (read more)

2016-03-15 10:03:56

Low-cost UAS Photogrammetry for Mining

Exploring Consumer-grade Copters for Quarry Mapping

The budgets for open-pit mine surveying in Ukraine are tight and professional ground surveys are quite expensive. Unmanned aerial survey (UAS) photogrammetry has proven to be a good alternative for capturing open-pit mines, but that too is expensive when done professionally. This article investigates whether low-cost UAS photogrammetry, using consumer-grade copters, is sufficiently accurate for 2D and 3D mapping of quarries. The Rafalivka basalt quarry, located in the Rivne region of Ukraine, produces just over a quarter of a million tonnes of crushed stone and gravel each year. The quarry covers over 70 hectares, of which 36 hectares are actively... (read more)

2017-10-19 09:50:26

Intl. MSc. Airborne Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing

Institute of Geomatics (Spain) is organising modules of the International MSc. in Airborne Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. The language of the course is English. Registration is open for all modules. Registration forms and more information about the activities of the Institute of Geomatics. These Masters is organised with the collaboration of the Institut Cartogràfic de Catalunya. 12 – 16 June 2006 Module "Sensor Orientation (2): precise trajectory & attitude determination with INS" www.ideg.es/master/mast11/mast11eng.htm Professor: Ismael Colomina (Institute of Geomatics, ES) 23 – 27 October 2006 Module "Laser Ranging, LIDAR" www.ideg.es/master/mast8/mast8eng2.htm Professors: Peter Friess and Grady Tuell (Optech Inc, CA) and... (read more)

2006-06-01 12:00:00

Strabo Photogrammetry and Strabox 3D

ORBIT Geospatial Technologies (Belgium) has released the Strabo Photogrammetry Suite and the Strabox 3D viewing system. Strabo Photogrammetry offers project management, bundle adjustment, DEM registration, stereo viewing and softcopy tools in one package. Strabo comes as extension to Orbit GIS, which automatically integrates 3D and Softcopy production environment in client/server GIS solutions. All GIS tools are available within Strabo. The Strabo system supports anaglyph viewing (Stereo Explorer is available separately), Stereographics, Strabox and other 3D viewing techniques. 3D data captation is supported by a 3-button system-mouse, or the advanced Immersion 3D Softmouse. Strabo supports scanned standard aerial photography, Imagery from... (read more)

2006-10-10 12:00:00

EuroSDR Questionnaire on Oblique Airborne Photogrammetry

EuroSDR has an ongoing activity in oblique aerial camera systems, a rediscovered technology in the photogrammetric and mapping field. Oblique aerial systems are rapidly maturing and expanding the market with many R&D open issues. For these reasons a questionnaire has been prepared to highlight the potential of oblique camera systems for mapping and modelling purposes and to collect technical details and information on hardware and software. All hardware and software producers, users and agencies working with oblique airborne images are invited to participate in this questionnaire. The questionnaire will only take 5 min of your time and your cooperation would... (read more)

2014-03-31 09:22:46

Point Clouds: Laser Scanning versus UAS Photogrammetry

Accuracy, Point Density, Time Efficiency and Costs

Are photogrammetric point clouds superior to Lidar point clouds, or is it the other way around? To address this topic of ongoing debate, the authors of this article conducted a terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) survey together with an unmanned aerial system (UAS) photogrammetric survey of a gravel pit. Comparison revealed that TLS is superior when the highest level of detail is required. For larger surveying projects, however, RTK-enabled UAS photogrammetry provides sufficient levels of detail and accuracy as well as greater efficiency and improved surveyor safety. In modern surveying, the numerous measurement methods can be divided into two broad categories:... (read more)

2018-07-12 02:03:41

Photogrammetry and Laser Scanning on Single Aircraft

Diamond Aircraft, Austria, has introduced the new DA42 GEOSTAR that enables the collection of laser scanning and photo-grammetry data during one single flight. The team of Diamond Airborne Sensing (subsidiary of Diamond Aircraft) announced it has succeeded in perfect sensor integration on the DA42 MPP, the most economic remote sensing platform worldwide. Both systems are integrated with sufficient resources for fuel and flight crew. Hence the GEOSTAR is able to complete incredible 10-hour survey flights with a range of up to 1,042 NM, equivalent to the flight route Copenhagen - Barcelona. At an altitude of 10,000 feet it can even... (read more)

2013-10-16 09:48:52

Photogrammetry – Recent Developments and the Way Forward

Over the past few years, photogrammetry, remote sensing and spatial information science have witnessed great achievements, mainly due to societal, political, environmental and technological changes worldwide. Human mobility has significantly increased due to population growth, climate change and globalization. Photogrammetric innovations have also been strongly influenced by the developments in information and communication technology (ICT), computer vision and robotics. Moreover, with the usage of active remote sensing techniques such as Lidar and radar for obtaining point cloud data – even from reflective surfaces such as metal or glass and uniform textures like snow, white surfaces or ice – the opportunities... (read more)

2018-09-20 09:48:52

Which Photogrammetry Solutions Are Surveyors Waiting For?

Exploring the Demands of Geoprofessionals

Photogrammetry is a well-established technique for acquiring dense 3D geospatial information. In fact, the method is as old as modern photography, dating back to the mid-19th century. The science has continued to evolve over time, of course, and – especially in view of the recent advancements in computer vision and machine learning – the technology is no longer as simple as it may seem. Developers of photogrammetric equipment and software face the challenge of providing the mapping and surveying community with solutions that are sophisticated, yet also meet high customer expectations in terms of user-friendliness. At 'GIM International', we conducted... (read more)

2018-10-14 05:29:57

Celebrating 25 Years of Photogrammetry Software Innovation

5 Questions to… Victor Adrov, Racurs

Racurs has a 25-year track record of success in the Russian and worldwide geomatics markets. The company, which was founded in 1993, has become a household name among photogrammetry specialists, particularly thanks to its innovative digital mapping software for processing aerial, spaceborne and terrestrial imagery: Photomod. Here Dr Victor Adrov, managing director of Racurs, answers five questions on the history, current status and future of the company. Racurs has been celebrating its 25th anniversary this year – congratulations! So how did photogrammetry software look in the early days of your company? The first versions of Photomod allowed the processing of... (read more)

2018-11-15 03:21:39