State of the Art in 3D City Modelling

Six Challenges Facing 3D Data as a Platform

Semantically enriched 3D city models have the potential to be powerful hubs of integrated information for computer-based urban spatial analysis. This article presents the state of the art in 3D city modelling in the context of broader developments such as smart cities and digital twins, and outlines six challenges that must be overcome before 3D data as a platform becomes a reality. (This article is a co-production of seven authors, all of whom are mentioned at the end of the text.) 3D city models, as digital representations of urban areas, can be used to facilitate many applications, such as urban... (read more)

2020-04-09 10:46:22

Accurate Point Cloud-based Measurements for Every Stakeholder

NavVis, a leading provider of indoor spatial intelligence technology and enterprise solutions, has released NavVis IndoorViewer 2.6. This major software release includes a new measurement tool that lets users take highly accurate measurements based on point clouds in realistic browser-based digital buildings. This release also makes additional features available to structured e57 point cloud files, including automatically generating highly detailed floorplans and routing. NavVis IndoorViewer is a popular deliverable among building stakeholders without the technical expertise to work with point clouds and modeling software, thanks to the realistic digital buildings and intuitive interface. One of the features that has proven... (read more)

2020-04-08 10:09:26

How to Speed up Stockpile Measurement with Drones

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or 'drones') are a powerful tool for stockpile measurement in industries such as mining, forestry and construction. They allow the same region to be flown regularly and progression of the work to be monitored over time. Imagery is collected over the region of interest at high resolution, often at the sub-centimetre level. Workflow advancements are now speeding up this process. SimActive has recently released an enhanced workflow in its Correlator3D to accelerate stockpile measurement. The overlapping images are processed by the software to create a digital surface model (DSM), which accurately describes the topology of the... (read more)

2020-04-07 10:09:24

The New Standard in Large Format Aerial Imaging

Introducing the All new Phase One Industrial 280MP Aerial Solution

Large area performance, affordable and accessible for use with a wider range of aircraft With over 20,000 pixels across, compact size and weight, the 280MP Aerial Solution provides higher Return on Investment compared to any other large format system available on the market. The 280MP Aerial Solution offers the highest image capture rate and dynamic range, increasing overall quality and accuracy of the final photogrammetric products. The iXM-RS 280F provides a large format option that easily integrates with DSM400 gyrostabilized mount creating a compact and lightweight system for use in a wide range of aircraft. (This article is brought to you by Phase One Industrial) The iXM-RS 280F provides accuracy and image quality... (read more)

2020-04-06 12:08:49

New ISPRS Services for Members and the ISPRS Community at Large

Since the last ISPRS Congress in Prague in 2016, the ISPRS Council has revised the services it offers to its members and the ISPRS community at large and has initiated a number of new opportunities to benefit from ISPRS membership. The most important ones are listed here, in the hope that as many members as possible will take advantage of these new opportunities. The Key Note Speaker programme, commenced in 2019, offers financial support to Ordinary, Associate and Regional Members to invite international experts to one of their meetings. The general principle is that ISPRS covers travel costs, while the... (read more)

2020-04-01 04:08:03

Pix4D Unveils New Generation of Photogrammetry and UAV Mapping Tools

Switzerland-based photogrammetry leader Pix4D has released its next-generation software suite addressing the modern-day geospatial professional challenges. Developed in close collaboration with customers and partners, Pix4Dsurvey, Pix4Dmatic, Pix4Dinspect and Pix4Dscan will contribute to revolutionizing the way professional customers operate and deliver their services, the company states. Digital photogrammetry is an essential part of every modern surveyor's toolkit and has contributed to launching hundreds of new drone mapping businesses around the world. Pix4Dsurvey and Pix4Dmatic represent the next step in photogrammetry, addressing major challenges in the geospatial industry. New possibilities for photogrammetry point clouds Pix4Dsurvey is bridging the gap between digital photogrammetry... (read more)

2020-04-01 11:28:16

Maps and Apps to Monitor, Prepare for and Respond to COVID-19

Over the last few weeks, coronavirus (COVID-19) has spread all over the world. Countries such as China, Italy and Spain are particularly impacted, but almost every country across the globe is affected by the pandemic in some way. Esri is helping the community at large with location intelligence, geographic information system (GIS) and mapping software, services and materials for monitoring, preparing for and responding to the impact of the outbreak. ArcGIS dashboards are being widely used to visualize and monitor the spread of the virus in local communities, provinces, states, countries and worldwide. Billions of Views The maps and apps... (read more)

2020-03-27 12:22:40

Land-cover Maps of Europe from the Cloud

Earth’s land is covered by a range of different types of vegetation, from forests and marshes to crops and bodies of water, as well as the artificial surfaces that are an increasingly common feature of the landscape. Mapping land cover is not only essential for monitoring change, but it also underpins numerous practical applications. However, generating these maps entails handling huge amounts of satellite data and some technical expertise. Thanks to the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission and new cloud-computing resources, fully automated land-cover maps in 10m resolution are on the horizon. Natural processes, climate change and the way we use land to feed, shelter... (read more)

2020-03-27 10:33:06

Geospatial Business during Coronavirus Crisis: PCI Geomatics

How is the global coronavirus crisis impacting on the geospatial industry? Do companies have a sound business continuity plan? For this Q&A, 'GIM International' spoke to Kevin Jones, vice president, product and marketing at PCI Geomatics, a world leader in geoimaging products and solutions. He shared his thoughts on the current market situation and how his company is dealing with these challenging times. What is your business continuity plan to overcome the challenges of the coronavirus? Like many other technology industry companies, PCI Geomatics has the ability to continue operations despite the COVID-19 situation. Employees have the ability to work... (read more)

2020-03-27 09:04:54

5 Questions to Philippe Simard, President of SimActive

SimActive has recently added Lidar to its point cloud processing solution and launched a new training programme for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV or 'drone') mapping. 'GIM International' touched base with Philippe Simard, president of the Canada-based company to find out more. Besides Lidar and UAV mapping, this Q&A also zooms in on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning and envisions the advances in photogrammetry we may expect in the coming years. We also took the opportunity to ask him how the coronavirus outbreak is affecting business. How is the coronavirus outbreak impacting your business? The entire SimActive team is working from... (read more)

2020-03-26 08:46:49