INTERNATIONAL THE GLOBAL MAGAZINE FOR GEOMATICS WWW.GIM-INTERNATIONAL.COM ISSUE 2 • VOLUME 29 • FEBRUARY 2015 Bringing Colour to Point Clouds Developments in Multispectral Lidar Are Changing the Way We See Point Clouds ALLAN CARSWELL GIM International Interview . OPERATION ICEBRIDGE Largest-ever Airborne Survey of Earth’s Polar Regions. BUILDING A UAV FROM SCRATCH Young Geo in Focus.
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I N T E R N A T I O N A L
THE GLOBAL MAGAZINE FOR GEOMATICSWWW.GIM-INTERNATIONAL.COM
ISSUE 2 • VOLUME 29 • FEBRUARY 2015
Bringing Colour to Point CloudsDevelopments in Multispectral Lidar Are Changing the Way We See Point Clouds
ALLAN CARSWELL GIM International Interview.
OPERATION ICEBRIDGE Largest-ever Airborne Survey of Earth’s Polar Regions.
Need a large format camera system for low-altitude, corridor missions? High-altitude ortho collections? Something in between?
Need to be able to collect oblique imagery? How about oblique and nadir imagery in panchromatic, color and near-infrared all in the same pass?
Need a software system that will allow you to take that aerial imagery and create point clouds in LAS format, digital surface models, and orthomosaics? No problem.
The UltraCam series of large format photogrammetric digital aerial sensors includes systems of varying image footprints and focal lengths. Whether you need multi-spectral nadir imagery or obliques—or both from the same camera—we have a system for you.
process UltraCam data to Level 3, radiometrically corrected and color-balanced imagery, high-density point clouds, DSMs, DSMorthos and DTMorthos.
Get your back-issuesin the storewww.geomares.nl/store
FEATURE PAGE 18Mapping Flood VulnerabilityDeriving Risk Indicators from Open Data
YOUNG GEO IN FOCUS PAGE 36Building a UAV from ScratchDŠGS FlyEye in the Sky
COMPANY’S VIEW PAGE 38The Future Is in Our Handse-Capture R&D
News & Opinion page Editorial 5
Insider’s View 7
News 8
5 Questions 9
GIM Perspectives 11
Endpoint 13
International organisations page FIG 41
GSDI 43
IAG 45
ICA 47
ISPRS 49
Other page Advertisers Index 3
Agenda 50
INTERVIEW PAGE 14
From the Depths of the Ocean to the Surface of MarsGIM International Interviews Allan Carswell
FEATURE PAGE 22
Bringing Colour to Point CloudsDevelopments in Multispectral Lidar Are Changing the Way We See
Point Clouds
FEATURE PAGE 27
Operation IceBridgeLargest-ever Airborne Survey of Earth’s Polar Regions
ComNav Technology, www.comnavtech.com 24
Effi gis, www.effi gis.com 42
FOIF, www.foif.com 46
Hi-Target Surveying, www.zhdgps.com 51
KCS TraceMe, www.trace.me 40
Kolida Instrument, www.kolidainstrument.com 20
Leica Geosystems, www.leica-geosystems.com 6
Microsoft, www.microsoft.com/ultracam 2
MicroSurvey, www.microsurvey.com 16
Optech, www.optech.com 12
Pacifi c Crest, www.pacifi ccrest.com 10
Racurs, www.racurs.ru 35
RIEGL, www.riegl.com 30
Ruide, www.ruideinstrument.com 32
South Surveying, www.southinstrument.com 44
Supergeo, www.supergeotek.com 28
TI Asahi, www.pentaxsurveying.com/en 48
TI Linertec, www.tilinertec.com 28
Trimble/Ashtech, intech.trimble.com 26
Trimble, www.trimble.com 44
This month’s front cover of GIM International shows a 3D point cloud of the Roman Temple of Diana in Mérida, Spain, captured using the EyesMap tablet. This new solution is an all-in-one product which generates 3D measurements, points clouds, real-time 3D models, orthophotos and GPS surveys.
FEATURE PAGE 33
Lidar Quality AssuranceOpen-source Software for Processing Lidar Point Clouds
EABThe Editorial Advisory Board (EAB) of GIM International consists of profes sionals who, each in their discipline and with an independent view, assist the editorial board by making recommen dations on potential authors and specific topics. The EAB is served on a non- committal basis for two years.
PROF ORHAN ALTANIstanbul Technical University, Turkey
PROF DEREN LIWuhan University, China
MR SANTIAGO BORREROSecretary-general of Pan American Institute of Geography and History (PAIGH), Mexico
PROF STIG ENEMARKHonorary President, FIG, Denmark
DR ANDREW U FRANK Head, Institute for Geoinformation, Vienna University of Technology, Austria
DR AYMAN HABIB, PENGProfessor and Head, Department of Geomatics Engineering, University of Calgary, Canada
DR GABOR REMETEY-FÜLÖPPSecretary General, Hungarian Association for Geo-information (HUNAGI), Hungary
PROF PAUL VAN DER MOLENTwente University, The Netherlands
PROF DR IR MARTIEN MOLENAARTwente University, The Netherlands
MR JOSEPH BETITSenior Land Surveyor, Dewberry, USA
PROF SHUNJI MURAIInstitute Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, Japan
PROF DAVID RHINDret. Vice-Chancellor, The City University, UK
PROF DR HEINZ RÜTHER Chairman Financial Commission ISPRS, University of Cape Town, Department of Geomatics, South Africa
MR FRANÇOIS SALGÉSecretary-general, CNIG (National Council for Geographic Information), France
PROF DR TONI SCHENKProfessor, The Ohio State University, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, USA
PROF JOHN C TRINDERFirst Vice-President ISPRS, School of Surveying and SIS, The University of New South Wales, Australia
MR ROBIN MCLARENDirector, Know Edge Ltd, United Kingdom
Is GIS Dead?
Three colleagues and I have been wrestling
for two years with how we can best deliver a
new version of our GIS textbook. The three
previous editions have been successful,
having sold 80,000 copies and being trans-
lated into fi ve languages. The challenge we
faced is that everything is changing so rapidly
that it would be easy to be out of date or even
irrelevant. Advancing technology is at the
heart of the problem (and opportunity), but its
consequences are manifested in many
different ways.
For example, publishers are transitioning to a
different publishing model with different staff,
using digital versions of books to minimise the
second-hand market in printed books.
Obtaining explicit copyright permission for
images to avoid legal challenges is mandatory
– even if the originator has died! Meanwhile,
competitive online materials (of widely
differing standards of quality) are available
from many sources, including those created
to underpin massive open online courses
(MOOCs).
We decided that our response should
continue to focus on long-lasting scientifi c
principles which underpin the use of GI
systems. But beyond that continuity, we have
had to take account of many other factors.
That has led us to replace ‘GIS’ in the title
with ‘GISS’ – Geographic Information Science
and Systems. The systemic characteristics of
GI and the selection of assumptions plugged
into our models and software matter ever
more. Last year, parts of the UK (and
elsewhere) suffered major fl ooding with
catastrophic consequences for families and
businesses. The public reaction forced
government to change some policies and
provide additional funds for fl ood assessment
and protection. Modelling of likely scenarios
using GI was an important input. However, a
hugely experienced expert has just published
a paper claiming that estimates of the
economic risk produced using the offi cial
model of fl ood damage are exaggerated by a
factor of between four and fi ve. How do we
assess the likely quality of such GI-based
modelling?
Big data and open data are facts of life which
we now have to take directly into account as
governments and businesses seek to provide
better service at lower cost, minimise fraud
and understand what causes what. We in GIS
have long been engaged with big data so we
can help – but only if we understand the
whole ecosystem of science, the tools, the
data, the decision-making context and the
users’ needs.
For better or worse, the law is increasingly
pervasive whether it relates to competition,
human rights, information access, intellectual
property rights or liability. Beyond that, ethics
and morality are becoming signifi cant in the
world of GISS. Machines now fl y planes, steer
cars, recognise images, process speech and
translate languages. Much GI-based analysis
and many operations in future seem likely to
be based on artifi cial intelligence (AI). How do
we implant human decision-making into AI –
e.g. in driverless cars faced with the choice of
colliding with another vehicle, or mounting a
pavement to avoid it and mowing down a
child instead?
GISS is all that GIS used to be – and much
more. Our book is now at the printer’s so it’s
too late to change anything. We will soon see
if the GI world agrees with our judgements…
PROF DAVID RHIND, THE CITY UNIVERSITY, UNITED KINGDOM
David Rhind
GIM2015_News 7 28-01-2015 14:10:29
NEWS
88 | INTERNATIONAL | FEBRUARY 2015
Commercial UAV Expo Announced for October
SPAR Point Group recently
announced that it is launching
Commercial UAV Expo, to be held
from 5-7 October 2015 at Caesars
Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
As organisers of premier 3D
technology events in North
America, Europe and Asia, SPAR
Point Group is well established in
the data capture and imaging
technology arena.
http://bit.ly/158aF1V
Website of Commercial UAV Expo.
SkyTech 2015 UAV Conference and Exhibition SkyTech 2015, to be held on 24 April 2015 in Islington, London, UK, is the latest addition
to the UAV industry calendar. The event is a one-day conference and exhibition serving as
a platform to defi ne, understand and ultimately integrate UAVs into the commercial sector.
SkyTech can be attended at no cost and will bring together 60 exhibitors, 40 speakers and
over 1,000 attendees from a range of targeted industries.
Mohamed AyariThe 9th edition of Geo-Tunis will be held from 1-5 April 2015. Who should attend your event, and why?Firstly I would like to
thank GIM
International for its
interest in the
Geo-Tunis congress.
As an organisation we
regard your magazine
as a leader in this
fi eld and we regularly
read your online
version since it
provides us with the latest discoveries about
geomatics, GIS and related technologies.
Geo-Tunis is well known in the Arab world and
Africa and also attracts participants from other
parts of the world. Researchers, experts, students
and employees from institutions working in the
fi eld of geomatics and any other people interested
in this kind of technology regularly participate in
the event. An exhibition is held in parallel with the
congress. I would like to mention that I sincerely
hope companies and researchers from Europe
will fi nd their way to our international event.
Can you give us a brief overview of the congress programme?A varied congress programme will run throughout
the fi ve days and will include:
• A study day on GIS and security, organised by
the Tunisian Association of Digital Geographic
5 Questions to... Information and the Syndicate of National
Internal Security Forces, involving 300
commanders and commissioners from the
ministry of interior and civil defence from
Tunisia and other representatives from the
Libyan, Algerian and Moroccan security
sectors.
• ‘The Survey Arab Day’, organised by the
Tunisian Association of Digital Geographic
Information and the EuroArab Union of
Geomatics, for syndicates, associations and
institutions as well as survey offi ces.
• ‘The GIS Libyan Day’, organised by Arjalibya
company and the Tunisian Association of
Digital Geographic Information, discussing
GIS technology and investment in Libya.
• ‘Desertifi cation and Water Resources Day’,
organised by the Iraqi Desertifi cation Studies
Center, Tunisian Arid Lands Institute and the
Tunisian Association of Digital Geographic
Information, including 180-250 scientifi c
interventions, 40 scientifi c sessions and B2B
meetings.
Geo-Tunis will include also dozens of oral presen-
tations and around 200 presenters, workshops,
roundtables, presentations of the latest GIS and
geomatics programmes and tools. It also is an
excellent occasion for producers and users of
geographic technologies to meet.
Geo-Tunis is one of the main geomatics events in North Africa and the Arab world. Which latest developments in this part of the world will it be highlighting?Geo-Tunis is considered one of the most
important events for GIS in the MENA region
since those countries need such technologies for
sustainable development and solving problems in
the fi elds of urban and rural planning, agriculture,
water management, telecommunication, security
and intelligence as well as healthcare, energy and
the environment. Public institutions in MENA
countries have already started using GIS
technology, often with help from foreign experts.
What can participants expect from the exhibition that is being held alongside the congress?The exhibition and the congress complement one
another. At the exhibition, companies introduce
their GIS latest technologies to experts and repre-
sentatives of Arab and African countries’ govern-
ments. Hence, Geo-Tunis gives producers and
users of the technology an opportunity to meet
and discuss investment opportunities, and many
agreements are concluded as a result. Geo-Tunis
benefi ts from the fact that Tunisia is attractive to
investors in knowledge.
What will be the main themes of the workshops held in parallel with the congress?Geo-Tunis has three aspects: academic,
commercial, and training. In terms of academic,
the workshops will be focusing on a number of
research studies, many of which have been
published in scientifi c journals and specialist inter-
national magazines such as GIM International.
Other workshops will be covering investment and
commercial aspects, related to the exhibition that
is organised during the congress. And we address
the training aspect by including a number of
workshops on various specialisms which require
GIS technologies. Just some of the workshop
subjects during the congress programme include:
water management and desertifi cation, agricultural
technologies, the role of geomatics in intelligence,
security and civil defence, surveying, urban
planning, land management and real estate
matters, GIS and remote sensing, aerial photog-
raphy and geomatics and heritage and archaeo-
logical surveying.
www.geotunis.org
Orbit GT Supports LASzip for LAS 1.2 and LAS 1.4Orbit GeoSpatial Technologies has announced that full support
of LASzip has been completed and integrated in all products.
This means that the company has extended its support for
LASzip to both LAS 1.2 and LAS 1.4. The Belgium-based GIS
and mapping software developer is committed to offering
continued support for international standards and open formats
for the growing range of applications that make use of point
clouds and regards LASzip as very valuable in these markets.
http://bit.ly/158cR9x
Four Galileo Satellites Now at ESA Test CentreESA engineers unwrapped a welcome Christmas present at the end of 2014: the latest
Galileo satellite. It was transported to Europe’s largest satellite test facility by lorry from its
manufacturer in Germany, cocooned within
an environmentally controlled container,
bringing the total number of satellites at the
test centre to four. The latest navigation
satellite will now undergo thorough checks to
prove its readiness for space.
http://bit.ly/1ypQQyU
Mohamed Ayari is president of the Tunisian Association for the Digital Geographic Information (TADGI) and president of the Euro-Arab Union of Geomatics (EAUG). He serves as president of Geo-Tunis 2015.
1414 | INTERNATIONAL | F E B RU A RY 2 015| INTERNATIONAL | F E B RU A RY 2 0151414
Can you tell our readers about the start of your career and the foundation of your company?I joined the faculty of York University in 1968,
and started an atmospheric Lidar research
programme to combine my previous laser
experience with York’s strong atmospheric
science programme. Ontario Hydro was
supporting the use of the York Lidar to map
the smoke plume from a new coal-burning
power station equipped with the latest
Canadian Lidar company Optech originated in 1974 as a spin-off from Allan Carswell’s research at York University in Toronto, where he had initiated one of the fi rst Lidar research programmes. GIM International recently took the opportunity to interview the founder and chairman, who can be described as a true Lidar pioneer. Here, he talks about Optech’s 40 years of leadership in trans-forming Lidar systems from virtual obscurity into systems that are revolutionising diverse fi elds such as surveying, 3D imaging and active and passive optical remote sensing.
pollution controls which made the plume
invisible to the eye. These studies were so
successful that Hydro decided to purchase a
Lidar of its own in 1974. Since I was unable
to respond via the university, my wife Helen
and I decided to set up Optech instead. Our
bid was accepted, we hired a couple of former
York colleagues, and Optech was on its way.
When the Lidar was delivered, it was probably
the fi rst commercial sale of a Lidar ever made.
At the university, I had also developed a Lidar
for underwater applications using a pulsed
argon ion laser operating in the blue-green
spectral region. During shipborne Lidar
studies on Lake Erie in 1973, this system had
shown very attractive capabilities, including
water penetration to depths of 20m. This led
Optech to receive the support of the Canadian
Hydrographic Service (CHS) and the Canada
Centre for Remote Sensing (CCRS) to assess
the potential of Lidar for airborne bathymetric
measurements. Since then, Optech has grown
from a small family business into a member
of the international Teledyne team, with a
staff of over 200 and worldwide recognition
as a leader in the development of Lidar and
remote optical imaging systems. In May 2014
we celebrated our 40th anniversary with over
500 staff and family members at a weekend
Family Conference at Niagara Falls.
How has the company evolved over the years?In the early years Optech was mainly a
contract R&D business, focusing on the
development of atmospheric Lidar and the
advancement of the technologies needed for
airborne Lidar systems, and R&D continues to
be an important component of our business
to this day. The market for atmospheric Lidar
has mainly been for one-of-a-kind systems
with unique capabilities, developed for
specialised applications such as air quality
and meteorological applications. One Lidar
used Raman scattering in the ultraviolet
spectrum to measure the concentration of
methane in natural gas at ranges of up to
one kilometre. Several of our atmospheric
systems were major ground-based Lidar
facilities for studies of the stratosphere,
using differential absorption to measure the
ozone concentration and Rayleigh scattering
to measure temperatures and gravity wave
structures to altitudes over 70km. The
highlight of our atmospheric Lidar work came
when Optech was selected by NASA to provide
a Lidar to study the atmosphere of Mars as
part of the 2007 Phoenix mission. This Lidar,
the fi rst to operate on the surface of Mars,
worked for over fi ve months at temperatures
down to -100C° and mapped the structure
of the Martian atmosphere up to altitudes of
From the Depths of the Ocean to the Surface of Mars
Allan Carswell.
GIM INTERNATIONAL INTERVIEWS ALLAN CARSWELL
GIM0215_Interview 14 28-01-2015 13:16:58
INTERVIEW
15FEBRUARY 2015 | INTERNATIONAL |FEBRUARY 2015 | INTERNATIONAL | 15
BY WIM VAN WEGEN, EDITORIAL MANAGER, GIM INTERNATIONAL
two HAWKEYE systems to the Swedish
Hydrographic Department and the Swedish
Navy. During the 2000s we continued the
development of commercial bathymetry
Lidar with delivery of the SHOALS-1000
to the Japan Coast Guard. This system
collected 1,000 water-depth soundings
per second with IHO Order 1 accuracy at
coverage rates of up to 70km2/hour. SHOALS
was subsequently upgraded to CHARTS, a
system capable of 3,000 depth soundings
and 20,000 topographic measurements per
second, which was delivered to the US Navy
and the Arab Emirates Survey Department.
One of your fl agships is Coastal Zone Mapping and Imaging Lidar (CZMIL). Can you explain this system to our readers?CZMIL is Optech’s current state-of-the-art
bathymetry system. It utilises a unique hybrid
Lidar confi guration and combines Lidar,
camera and hyperspectral imagery, as well as
the latest advances in 3D data visualisation
techniques. The CZMIL HydroFusion software
suite handles the data from all three sensors
throughout the entire process, from mission
planning to fusing the Lidar and imagery
datasets for fi nal deliverables. We developed
CZMIL for the US government under the
auspices of USACE, in collaboration with the
University of Southern Mississippi (USM).
CZMIL offers enhanced performance in
surf zones and turbid waters, producing
simultaneous 3D data and imagery of the
beach and shallow-water seafl oor, including
seamless coastal topography, water column
characterisation, object detection and bottom
classifi cation. It is currently the most validated
sensor of its type in the world, and in use by
several government agencies.
Moving back onto the mainland now, can you tell the readers of GIM International about how your specialisation in topographic mapping began?Optech’s contribution to topographic
mapping began in the late 1970s, with the
development of small optical rangefi nders
capable of making ranging measurements
directly from natural surfaces. Our fi rst unit,
the Model 60 Rangefi nder, could operate off
of low-refl ectance rock surfaces at distances
of up to 60 metres with a range resolution
of 0.2m. ‘Extended range’ systems were
20km. These measurements proved that it
snows on Mars – a new and important aspect
of the Martian hydrological cycle.
A major step forward in airborne Lidar came
in 1977, with Optech’s development of an
airborne laser ice profi lometer for the ice
reconnaissance branch of Environment
Canada. This system was used to obtain
statistics about the surface roughness
of the ice, since experience had shown
that this information was of high value in
understanding the nature of an arctic ice
fi eld. Thus, high-resolution absolute positional
information was not mandatory for the Lidar
ice profi lometer. This situation offered a
unique opportunity for us to obtain extensive
operational experience with airborne laser
surveying almost two decades ahead of the
availability of GPS in the 1990s.
Optech is specialised in products for use on land, at sea and in the air. How important is hydrography as a pillar of your company?Since the advent of dependable blue-green
lasers in the 1970s, Optech has maintained a
special focus on the development of airborne
Lidar bathymetry systems and has delivered
many systems to an array of international
users for measuring the depth and water
column characteristics of inland and coastal
waters around the world. For example, our
fi rst operational airborne Lidar bathymeter,
the LARSEN 500, was delivered to the
Canadian Hydrographic Service in 1984
and was used to produce Canadian Chart
#7750 of Cambridge Bay in the Canadian
Arctic, the fi rst hydrographic chart created
using airborne Lidar bathymetry. FLASH was
delivered to the Swedish Defence Institute
(FOA) to detect submerged objects, while
ALARMS, a scanning system for the detection
of underwater mines, was developed for the
U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency (DARPA) during the fi rst Gulf War
in 1988. This was a most unusual airborne
system, since it used a copper-vapour laser
operating at a temperature of around 1,500C°
to produce multi-kHz output at 510nm.
We have many years of collaboration with
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
in the development of hydrographic Lidar
systems, beginning with development of the
200Hz SHOALS-200. Originally installed in a
Bell 212 helicopter, in 1988 this system was
upgraded to a SHOALS-400 and outfi tted
for operation in a Twin Otter fi xed-wing
aircraft. In 1994 and 1995 Optech delivered
Allan CarswellAfter studies at the University of Toronto and a post-doctoral year in The Netherlands, Dr Allan Carswell
joined RCA Victor in Montreal as director of the Optical and Microwave Physics Laboratory. He began Lidar
studies at York University as a professor of physics and, both there and at Optech, he has pioneered the
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FEBRUARY 2015 | INTERNATIONAL | 1717FEBRUARY 2015 | INTERNATIONAL |
soon developed for operation at distances
up to 500 metres. One of these systems was
used in the late 1980s by colleagues at the
University of Stuttgart to produce the fi rst
high-precision airborne laser profi ling data,
incorporating the capability of vegetation
removal for surface surveying under a tree
canopy.
In 1995, GPS became fully operational, signifi cantly boosting your terrain mapping activities. Can you give us an overview of that development?Indeed, after a modest start our activities
were boosted by access to GPS in the
mid-1990s, Optech pioneered the
development of a large family of airborne laser
terrain mapping (ALTM) systems. Hundreds
of ALTMs are now in use worldwide, covering
the full range of airborne applications,
including wide-area mapping, engineering-
grade surveys and corridor mapping.
Present-day ALTMs incorporate a number of
proprietary technologies, including advances
in lasers, high-speed data acquisition
and processing, and integrated Optech-
developed cameras. In addition to their
high-performance hardware, these systems
include software covering the complete
workfl ow encompassing fl ight management,
airborne data processing, real-time in-air
data monitoring and automated processing at
amazing speeds.
The modern units have a wide range of confi gurations, sizes and operational capabilities. How would you describe them?Our leading Pegasus ALTM uses multiple
lasers and fi xed multi-pulse technology (FMP)
to operate at higher altitudes and with higher
ground point density than any other airborne
laser system. The Orion ALTM is small in
size and weight, having originally been
designed for UAV installation, and has three
different models optimised for high-, mid- or
low-altitude corridor applications. Our high-
level expertise in 3D mapping technologies
has again been recognised by NASA’s
selection of Optech, in partnership with MDA
Space Systems, to develop the OSIRIS-REx
laser altimeter (OLA). This will be aboard the
fi rst US-led mission to return a sample from
an asteroid (Bennu) to Earth. Scheduled for
launch aboard OSIRIS-REx in 2016, OLA will
scan the surface of Bennu to create a highly
accurate 3D model of the asteroid’s shape
and structural topography.
With its laser scanning systems, Optech has been offering complete solutions for terrestrial surveying since the early 1990s. Can you share more details of those systems with us?The tripod-mounted intelligent laser ranging
and imaging system (ILRIS) quickly scans
and outputs XYZ geospatial data, producing
accurate 3D point cloud information of any
scene at ranges up to several kilometres.
Such rapidly acquired scanning/imaging
data is in increasing demand by surveyors
for geological surveys, emergency response,
civil engineering and mining applications. The
dual-axis scanning and motion compensation
of the ILRIS allows collection of survey-grade
data even on unstable platforms such as
boats and off-road vehicles. A very recent
Optech collaboration with the German
company geo-konzept GmbH combines the
ILRIS’s long-range, high-accuracy models of
vertical surfaces with the downward-looking
images of the small geo-X8000 octocopter
UAV and its onboard non-metric camera.
Current studies have shown that this dual-
view approach greatly speeds up surveys
while providing many advantages in terms of
the quality of the data.
These high-speed, programmable laser
scanners and camera technologies have
contributed to our pioneering development of
the Lynx family of systems for mobile surveying
and mapping. Dozens of such systems are
now in operation including the Optech Lynx
SG1 mobile mapper, with integrated cameras
including the Point Grey Ladybug, which is
ideal for mobile surveys where accuracy,
precision and resolution are critical.
Your company is well known for its interactivity with the market. How do you benefi t from this?Thanks to Optech’s close collaboration with
many interested user groups around the
world, we have learned the incredible value
of working with potential users to clearly
establish the solutions they need. In other
words, we have learned how to integrate
their ‘market pull’ with the ‘technology push’
from our team of ‘techies’. We have likewise
learned the high value of close collaboration
with worldwide university and government
research groups, enabling Optech staff to
remain at the cutting edge of the technologies
and the science involved with advancing
state-of-the-art Lidar. Such activities have
been a major reason why Optech has
maintained its industry leadership position
over the last 40 years. Looking back, I
think this has helped us to truly pioneer
the advancement of Lidar technologies and
applications. Nowadays, we are providing
Lidar solutions for an ever-expanding array of
applications that, even in our wildest dreams,
we could never have imagined at the start.
FURTHER READING- S. Sizgoric, A.I. Carswell, ‘Underwater Probing with Laser Radar’, ASTM STP 573, American Society for
Testing and Materials, 398-412, 1975.
- J. D. Houston, S. Sizgoric, A. Ulitsky, and J. Banic, Raman Lidar system for methane gas concentration
measurements’, Applied Optics, Vol. 25, Issue 13, pp. 2,115-2,121 (1986)
- J. Whiteway, M. Daly, A. Carswell, T. Duck, C. Dickenson, L. Komguem, C. Cook, ‘Lidar on the Phoenix Mission
to Mars’, J. Geophys. Res., 113, Planets, Phoenix Special Issue, 2008
- A.I. Carswell, ‘Lidar Imagery – From Simple Snapshots to Mobile 3D Panoramas’, pp. 3-14, Photogrammetry
WE HAVE LEARNED THE HIGH VALUE OF CLOSE COLLABORATION WITH UNIVERSITY AND GOVERNMENT RESEARCH GROUPS
Optech’s 40th anniversary celebrations at Niagara Falls.
GIM0215_Interview 17 28-01-2015 13:17:01
1818 | INTERNATIONAL | F E B RU A RY 2 015181818 | INTERNATIONAL | F E B RU A RY 2 015| INTERNATIONAL | F E B RU A RY 2 0151818
The risk of devastating fl oods is being
increased by heavier and more frequent
rainfall due to climate change, as well as
by the removal of vegetation and soil that
used to absorb water. Flooding can damage
infrastructure and buildings, costing human
lives and causing considerable economic
losses. Decision-makers need to estimate
how susceptible various elements are to
the impact of fl ooding. This is called ‘fl ood
Floods have a high impact in densely populated areas, especially when strategic infrastructure is affected. There are various human and territorial factors that infl uence an area’s vulnerability to fl ooding. Intensive agricultural activity and large urbanised areas are examples of such human factors, while the soil’s ability to absorb water is a major territorial factor. A quantifi cation of fl ood vulnerability can be created by combining numerical indicators for the various factors into a single index number that is easy to interpret for decision-makers. GIS tools can easily be applied to calculate these indicators from various open spatial data sources, offering a low-cost methodology to produce vulnerability maps.
vulnerability’. Maps that show the spatial
distribution and quantify the vulnerability of
at-risk elements facilitate decision-making.
The challenge is to quantify multiple human
and territorial factors and express fl ood
vulnerability as a single index number.
The severity of fl ood damage depends on how
many people live in an area, the economic
value of land and the density of buildings,
roads and other infrastructure. These factors
are combined to form the human vulnerability
index. Furthermore, the extent of the area
affected by fl ooding depends on the ability of
the soil to absorb water and on the presence
of dams, dykes and other fl ood-protection
infrastructure. If local protection volunteers
or early warning systems, such as monitoring
stations, are present in an area, the
vulnerability will be lower. All of these factors
are included in the territorial vulnerability
index.
VULNERABILITY INDEXThe overall vulnerability index ranks the
vulnerability based on four classes: low,
medium, medium-high and high. Its
calculation combines two main components:
the human vulnerability index and the
territorial vulnerability index (Table 1).
Commonly available open spatial datasets can
be used in GIS to calculate the factors each
index comprises.
The human vulnerability index includes three
factors:
1. Human system indicator (HSI): the
normalised percentage of people younger
than 5 years of age and older than 65,
multiplied by population density within a
given municipal area. This is a combination
of statistical data and municipal
boundaries.
2. Social system indicator (SSI): the type of
Mapping Flood Vulnerability
DERIVING RISK INDICATORS FROM OPEN DATA
Figure 1, Spatial distribution of the human vulnerability index over the Musone watershed area (Marche Region, Italy)
with high values along the coast and in towns near the Castreccioni dam.
GIM0215_Feature Sini 18 28-01-2015 13:30:08
FEATURE
19FEBRUARY 2015 | INTERNATIONAL | 19FEBRUARY 2015 | INTERNATIONAL |FEBRUARY 2015 | INTERNATIONAL | 19
BY CHIARA TAGNANI, MARCHE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, FRANCESCA SINI, MARCHE REGION, AND MARCO PELLEGRINI, LIF SRL, ITALY
example in case of opening the bottom
outlet of a dam. Maps with predicted
fl ooded areas from hydrologic and
hydraulic models in combination with
topographic maps are needed, and these
are usually provided by dam owners.
TEST AREA AND MATERIALThe test area was the Musone watershed,
located in the Marche Region, which is in
the eastern part of central Italy. The basin is
mostly mountainous, except for the urbanised
coast. The national and regional cartographic
and statistical datasets which were used are
publicly accessible via web portals [1,2,3]
or provided by the relevant organisation for
institutional purposes [4]. Table 2 shows
the open datasets which were employed to
calculate each of the vulnerability factors.
1:10,000 orthophoto maps dating from 2006
were used as a reference for overlays with the
fl ood vulnerability maps.
GIS PROCESSING AND RESULTSRoad, land use and geological maps were
classifi ed as indicated in Table 1. The
vulnerability indicators were calculated and
their values were assigned to the attribute
tables of the associated layer. For each layer,
a 10m x 10m vector grid was created to
enable spatial comparison of the datasets
and addition of the associated vulnerability
indicators. The grid divides the vector map
into individual grid cells which are polygon
land cover from land-use maps, ranked
based on estimated population density as
an indicator of economic damage.
3. Infrastructure system indicator (ISI): the
summation of the type of road (R) from
road maps and number of buildings per
square kilometre from topographic maps,
assigning the highest value to hospitals (B).
The territorial vulnerability index also takes
into account three factors:
1. Monitoring and prevention system indicator
(MPSI): the summation of the number of
hydro-meteorological monitoring stations
and local civil protection volunteer corps
per square kilometre within a given
municipal area. Meteorological-hydrological
monitoring networks can provide these
numbers which can be combined with
maps showing municipal boundaries.
2. Morphology indicator (MI): the ability of
the soil to absorb water. This data is gained
from geological maps.
3. Waterway infrastructure indicator (WII):
the highest ranking for fl ooded areas, for
Figure 2, Spatial
distribution of the territorial
vulnerability index with high
values in the mountains of an
impermeable rock complex
and few monitoring stations
or protection corps.
Human vulnerability index Territorial vulnerability index Ranking valueHSI SSI R B MPSI MI WII28 – 57 Forest areas Local roads 0.7 – 26.3 0.320- 0.131 Calcareous rock complex - 1 (Low)
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Lidar systems have fundamentally changed
the world of mapping and surveying. Airborne
systems can cover large areas and remote
places, while terrestrial systems can be used
for local yet detailed scans both outside and
inside buildings. The ICESat satellite has even
shown that Lidar technology can be used for
mapping from space. Since the introduction
of the fi rst Lidar system there have been
many technological developments such
as multiple pulses in air and full waveform
recording, and the next major development
will most likely be multispectral Lidar.
Until now, most commercially available airborne Lidar systems have operated on one single wavelength, refl ecting energy from a pulse which is then used for classifi cation or visualisation. New developments have produced the fi rst multispectral Lidar systems, which scan using laser pulses in a number of different wave-lengths. Multispectral Lidar data contains valuable information about the objects scanned. The fast-moving advancements in this fi eld are likely to represent the next technological leap in Lidar systems.
IMAGES AND LIDARMultispectral imaging data has been used for
decades. Apart from the visible red, green and
blue values, these datasets contain refl ection
data for many other wavelengths in the infrared
part of the electromagnetic spectrum. The
technology relies on cameras that are sensitive
to a large number of different wavelengths.
Cameras which can pick up between four and
20 wavelengths are called ‘multispectral’, and
the term ‘hyperspectral’ is applied to cameras
that are capable of recording more than 20
wavelengths. Multispectral imaging data is
used to classify regions or objects by their
spectral response, for instance to recognise
different plant species. In recent years there
has been growing interest in combining such
multispectral data with Lidar data. This can
be done by gridding the Lidar data in a raster
with a cell size similar to the multispectral data.
Alternatively, a look-up method can be applied
to fi nd the corresponding value from the
multispectral data for each laser point.
Figure 1 shows an example of a point cloud
that has been coloured by fusing the points
with aerial images.
Bringing Colour to Point Clouds
DEVELOPMENTS IN MULTISPECTRAL LIDAR ARE CHANGING THE WAY WE SEE POINT CLOUDS
Figure 1, Single-wavelength Lidar dataset from Milton Keynes, UK, coloured by combining it with an aerial photograph.
GIM0215_Feature Fleming 22 28-01-2015 13:56:45
FEATURE
23FEBRUARY 2015 | INTERNATIONAL | 23FEBRUARY 2015 | INTERNATIONAL |FEBRUARY 2015 | INTERNATIONAL | 23
BY SAM FLEMING, IAIN WOODHOUSE AND ANTOINE COTTIN
This necessitates access to the multiple
Lidar systems, and also to an aircraft which
can carry multiple systems and provide the
associated power supply. This set-up results
essentially in a number of overlapping point
clouds. A point in one of the point clouds will
not be exactly coincident with points in the
other, overlapping point clouds.
A more robust alternative to this is to obtain
the spectral information directly from the
Lidar using multiple wavelengths of light
simultaneously. The concept of using two
wavelengths in combination is not particularly
new. In fact, the use of multi-wavelength
Lidar for bathymetric applications is an
old technology, with the principle fi rst laid
out in 1965. Traditionally, there are two
wavelengths for these systems, one in the
near-infrared portion of the electromagnetic
spectrum (1,064nm) and one in the green
(532nm). This is done because the infrared
beam is refl ected by the sea’s surface and
hence enables easy identifi cation of where
the water meets the air. The green beam
(532nm) passes through the water’s surface
and is used to locate the seabed. However,
since these systems were not designed
to extract spectral information about the
surfaces from which they are refl ected,
differences in the spectral signature cannot
be accurately analysed and put to meaningful
use. More recent developments include the
use of radiometrically corrected instruments
produced by Optech’s CZMIL system, and the
previous SHOALS systems.
THREE WAVELENGTHSIn December 2014, Optech announced the
fi rst commercially available multispectral
Lidar system, the Optech Titan. This system
combines three separate wavelengths
PASSIVE OR ACTIVECurrent multispectral imaging systems work
on the principle of passive remote sensing.
They detect the sunlight that is refl ected
from a surface towards the camera. Hence,
the data recorded is highly dependent upon
the light conditions, the position of the sun
and the way the sunlight is refl ected in all
directions by the surface material. Conversely,
Lidar is an active remote sensing system
which detects the refl ected laser light emitted
by the sensor itself. It is independent of
light conditions and can even work in the
dark. An active system capable of sensing
multispectral data is of great interest to
scientists and professionals since it can
provide multispectral data that is independent
of solar illumination or the refl ectivity of a
surface material. Active systems can also
benefi t from multiple returns from a single
pulse, thus making it possible to see beneath
higher-lying points.
MULTISPECTRAL LIDARConventional Lidar systems operate on a
single wavelength, usually in the infrared part
of the spectrum. To obtain multispectral Lidar,
one option is to fl y multiple Lidar systems
using different wavelengths simultaneously.
Figure 2, False-colour image generated using Titan Lidar wavelength combinations (Image courtesy of Laserdata GmbH and Optech).
A MORE ROBUST ALTERNATIVE IS TO OBTAIN THE SPECTRAL INFORMATION DIRECTLY FROM THE LIDAR USING MULTIPLE WAVELENGTHS OF LIGHT SIMULTANEOUSLY
GIM0215_Feature Fleming 23 28-01-2015 13:56:46
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o 26
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GIM0215_Feature Fleming 24 28-01-2015 13:56:46
FEATURE
FEBRUARY 2015 | INTERNATIONAL | 2525FEBRUARY 2015 | INTERNATIONAL |
SAM FLEMINGSam Fleming is a remote sensing expert with
an MSc from University College London and a
BSc in Geography from the University of
Edinburgh, UK. His expertise lies in utilising Lidar data
about forests for extracting structural parameters. He
THE ASHTECH MB-ONE — A NEXT GENERATION COMPACT, POWERFUL GNSS OEM RECEIVER MODULEImpressive GNSS and RTK technology paired with Ethernet support in a
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accuracy for unmanned applications and more.
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• L1-only RTK and L1/L2 RTK with Precise Platform Positioning (P3) including Heading
Trimble GNSS OEM
No
2669
GIM0215_Feature Fleming 26 28-01-2015 13:56:47
FEATURE
27FEBRUARY 2015 | INTERNATIONAL |FEBRUARY 2015 | INTERNATIONAL | 27
BY MATHIAS LEMMENS, SENIOR EDITOR, GIM INTERNATIONAL
Long-term changes in the extent and
thickness of glaciers, ice sheets and snow
covers are indicators of temperature changes
and thus climate change. Snow refl ects
80-90% of the incoming solar energy, while
soil, vegetation or rock absorbs 80-90%.
Absorption results in a warming of the Earth’s
surface causing yet more snow to melt – a
typical feedback loop. Study of the places
where water often alternates between a solid
and liquid state provides insight into the
changes in the extent and thickness of ice
and snow and thus in temperature changes.
When ice sheets and glaciers plunge into
the sea, the water level rises; however, their
subsequent melting does not affect the sea
level. Glaciers, which cover 10% of the land
and store 75% of the world’s fresh water,
change the morphology of the landscape
when they plough through bedrock.
Continuous study of these phenomena and
their changes over time requires collection
of data over many years on snow depth, ice
surface elevation, ice thickness and the shape
and composition of rock beneath the ice.
FROM ICESAT TO ICEBRIDGETo collect such data in the Arctic and
Antarctic regions NASA launched the Ice,
Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) in
2003. It stopped collecting data by the end of
2009, and ICESat-2 is scheduled for launch
in 2017. The time gap in data collection
between ICESat and ICESat-2 will be bridged
by airborne surveys: IceBridge. Flights with
the DC-8 laboratory (Figure 1) began in
October 2009, later joined by a P-3 Orion,
a King Air B-200, in 2010, the Gulfstream V
in 2011 and the Guardian Falcon in 2012.
The campaigns are carried out when the ice
Operation IceBridge completed its 2014 Antarctic fi eld campaign, the sixth in a row, at the end of November. The campaign was aimed at recapturing a part of the Antarctic ice sheet which appears to be in irreversible decline. For six weeks from 16 October 2014, NASA’s DC-8 airborne laboratory collected a wealth of data for the benefi t of gaining insight into climate change. The fi rst IceBridge fl ights were conducted in spring 2009 over Greenland and in autumn 2009 over Antarctica. What is Operation IceBridge, which sensors are used, what can the data be used for and who may use the data? The author provides an overview.
surface is stable. For the Arctic region this
is from March to May and for the Antarctic
region from October to November (Figure 2).
The daily fl ights each last 8 to 12 hours in
which two to three terabytes of data are
captured. Compared to a satellite, an aircraft
can observe an area of far less extent (Figure
3) and can only collect data for a few weeks.
Conversely, the benefi t of using aircraft is that
they can carry a suite of dedicated sensors.
SENSORSThe suite of sensors installed on the
DC-8 laboratory and other aircraft during
campaigns includes:
- Digital mapping system (DMS)
- Airborne topographic mapper (ATM)
- Land, vegetation and ice sensor (LVIS)
- Gravimeter
- Magnetometer
- Four radar sensors.
The four radar sensors will be treated in the
next section. The DMS is a nadir-looking
camera recording digital images which are
stitched into mosaics and used for detecting
openings in sea ice and to create detailed
maps. The ATM is a scanning Lidar that
measures the surface elevation. Changes
in elevation of the ice surface over the
years and thus volume changes can be
determined from a time series. The LVIS
Operation IceBridge LARGEST-EVER AIRBORNE SURVEY OF EARTH’S POLAR REGIONS
Figure 1, A view of the Forrestal Range in the Pensacola Mountains, fl ight 14 November 2014
(Courtesy: NASA, Michael Studinger).
GIM0215_Feature Lemmens 27 28-01-2015 13:52:32
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FEATURE
29FEBRUARY 2015 | INTERNATIONAL |FEBRUARY 2015 | INTERNATIONAL | 29
is an additional Lidar sensor optimised for
operation at high altitudes, thus enabling
the survey of large areas. The gravimeter
senses the density of the materials under
the ice surface. Water has less density
than rock and thus has a lower gravitational
pull, enabling rock to be distinguished
from water and the shape of water cavities
under fl oating ice shelves to be determined.
Accelerometers measure the force of gravity
while gyroscopes keep the pose of the
sensor stable. GNSS measurements enable
removal of the accelerations caused by the
motion of the aircraft. Density combined with
magnetometer data gives indications about
the type of bedrock material. Shape and
composition of bedrock helps to predict how
moving ice interacts with bedrock and how
warm sea water might fl ow beneath the ice.
RADARRadar allows sub-surface mapping from
high altitudes. IceBridge uses four radar
sensors integrated in one package: (1)
Ku-Band radar altimeter; (2) snow radar; (3)
accumulation radar; and (4) multichannel
coherent radar depth sounder (MCoRDS).
The sensors operate in the microwave part
of the electro-magnetic (EM) spectrum. The
high frequencies can see more detail but the
depth of penetration is limited, whereas low
frequencies can penetrate several kilometres
into snow and ice. The frequency bands of
the four radars differ. Combined they enable
the entire snow/ice sheet to be examined,
from the surface to the bedrock or sea
surface. The Ku-band radar is a wideband
altimeter that operates over the frequency
range from 13-17GHz (wavelength ~ 2cm),
which is similar to the primary sensor on the
CryoSat-2 operated by the European Space
Agency (ESA). The Ku-band penetrates
through snow and refl ects off the surfaces
of ice sheets and the sea. Combining this
with ATM data enables the thickness of snow
over sea ice to be determined. The snow
radar uses the frequency range from 2-8GHz
(wavelength range: 4-15cm) to map the
characteristics of snow on top of ice sheets
with high vertical resolution, thus allowing
detection of the snow and ice surfaces and
the layers in between. Its data is used to
measure recent snow accumulation rates
and to calculate sea-ice thickness. The
frequencies of the accumulation radar range
from 600-900MHz (wavelength range:
33-50cm) which may penetrate snow and
ice to a depth of 100m. It shows the layers
with strong and continuous refl ection, thus
providing insight into snow accumulation
rates in the past or over longer time spans.
Figure 4 shows an example of a profi le
generated from such radar data. The data
from the accumulation radar, snow radar
and Ku-band radar combined enable a study
of the top 100 metres, but it is not possible
to build a decent ice-sheet model without
good elevation data representing the bed
topography. For this purpose a fourth radar
has been developed: the MCoRDS, which
employs many frequencies to image internal
ice layering and bedrock. MCoRDS data
enables improvements to computer models
aimed at forecasting how ice sheets will
respond to climate change.
Figure 2, West Antarctica: glaciers and mountains in the evening sun of 29 October 2014
(Courtesy: NASA, Michael Studinger).
Figure 3, Flight lines of the missions over the Arctic region, particularly Greenland, since the start of IceBridge in
October 2009.
THE SENSORS ENABLE REMOVAL OF SNOW AND ICE IN VIRTUAL LANDSCAPE MODELS TO UNCOVER BEDROCK
GIM0215_Feature Lemmens 29 28-01-2015 13:52:34
RIEGL Laser Measurement Systems GmbH, Austria RIEGL USA Inc. RIEGL Japan Ltd. RIEGL China Ltd.
www.riegllidar.com
RIEGL
International User ConferenceTerrestrial Airborne Mobile Unmanned Industrial
LIDAR 2015
Join us for the third RIEGL International User Conference in May 2015!
The conference will cover terrestrial, airborne, mobile, unmanned and industrial laser scanningapplications. Choose to participate in Hong Kong (May 5 through 7), Guangzhou (May 7 and 8) or both locations!
One conference in two exciting locations!
CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS
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» Experience the future of LiDAR technology
» See and hear about the latest RIEGL hard- and software products
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» Meet with members of the worldwide RIEGL community
33FEBRUARY 2015 | INTERNATIONAL |FEBRUARY 2015 | INTERNATIONAL | 33
BY JOSÉ CARLOS GARCIA AND RAFAEL TORRÓ, SPAIN, AND DAVID HINE, AUSTRALIA
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
users, the key benefi ts are the simplicity of
implementing new algorithms to generate any
output and the possibility to launch these
algorithms easily in a tile structure, thus
allowing processing on different computers
to improve speed. The platform is based
Basic tools for processing Lidar point clouds, which can be extended depending on needs, provide a fl exible 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.
on open-source software, primarily gvSIG
and SEXTANTE. Open source enables the
use of many functionalities for free, which
reduces development costs and time, and the
extension of services without any licensing
costs.
QUALITY ASSURANCEThe core of the platform is the quality
assurance (QA) part, which enables basic
statistics to be derived from the headers
of the LAS fi les, in particular the bounding
boxes of the captured areas and tables (Table
1). Added to this, statistics are determined
about the area captured by every fl ight line,
including the shape of the area captured in a
fl ight line together with a table (Table 2). The
QA module also computes height accuracy
using ground truth and the redundancy in
the overlaps between fl ight lines. A check
on completeness is performed by indicating
regions with gaps, which usually correspond
with water bodies but may also concern areas
which have erroneously not been captured.
Furthermore, the software outlines the point
density of regions as intervals indicated
by the user and thus also highlights the
regions that do not comply with the point
density requirements (Figure 1). A measure
of matching errors is obtained from height
differences of points in fl at areas within
overlaps.
In addition to QA, the platform enables a
variety of parameters to be derived from the
Lidar point cloud and these parameters to be
compared against other (vector) geodatasets.
The latter enables validation of the content of
geodatasets and detection of changes over
time.
POWER-LINE CORRIDORSCorridors of power lines often follow strips
where vegetation may grow quickly and
become so tall that encroachment with
cables and pylons may cause damage and
dangerous situations. Mapping of such
corridors is among one of the fi rst-ever
Lidar Quality Assurance
OPEN-SOURCE SOFTWARE FOR PROCESSING LIDAR POINT CLOUDS
Figure 1, Red indicates areas where the point density is too low.
GIM0215_Feature Garcia 33 28-01-2015 15:19:31
| INTERNATIONAL | F E B RU A RY 2 0153434 | INTERNATIONAL | F E B RU A RY 2 0153434
applications of airborne Lidar. To obtain
reliable results quickly after fl ight, automation
is key. A total of 35 steps enable vegetation
risk analysis reports to be provided within
three weeks and ground clearance reports
within four weeks. 15 steps focus on QA, 10
steps are carried out fully automatically and
10 steps require manual editing. Cables and
pylons are manually digitised from maps and
Lidar data and stored as vector layers and
these represent the corrected network. Next
over 40 types of classifi cation – including
buildings, roads, ground, towers, conductors
at different voltages and crossing wires – are
manually identifi ed and outlined from the
Lidar point cloud. After QA of the corrected
network, it is used to cross-check the Lidar
classifi cation results. Next any vegetation
which may interfere with cables and pylons
is manually outlined. To ensure that the
polygons do not contain errors, such as points
in a pylon classifi ed as vegetation, they are
manually checked (Figure 2). Computation
and QA is then repeated, resulting in a
vegetation encroachment report. Finally,
minimum distances to the ground, roads or
to other conductors are determined for each
conductor. The resulting report shows ground
clearances of conductors based on weather
conditions at the time of Lidar data capture.
LAND USEThe Spanish Cadastre wanted to automatically
detect land-use errors in its datasets. To
support this aim, Dielmo developed the
Catastro Lidar module. Based on vegetation
parameters such as height and canopy
coverage, different land uses including arable
land, vineyards, olives, grapevines, citrus,
riparian trees and meadows can be identifi ed
in Lidar point clouds based on a maximum
likelihood classifi cation. The type of land
use is defi ned in the module but the user
is free to add extensions. The module also
allows detection of swimming pools, irrigation
reservoirs and other constructions which
are not represented in the cadastral data.
Changes in building heights (Figure 3) and
displacement of buildings can be identifi ed
as well as buildings present in the dataset but
non-existent in the Lidar point cloud.
RIVERBEDSA variety of parameters which can be derived
WORKING WITH DŠGS FLYEYEIn addition to building the UAV, we also had
to learn how to operate it. Piloting skills were
fi rst practised using a small quadcopter toy
called Hubsan. This turned out to be quite
diffi cult because none of us had previously
operated radio-controlled (RC) aerial vehicles;
just like when learning to drive a car, we had
to get used to the RC transmitter controls and
quadcopter responses.
Next we had to learn how to adjust and
calibrate the UAV for fl ying, and plan an
autonomous fl ight with Mission Planner.
Fortunately, Mission Planner is very user
friendly, particularly in terms of planning
an autonomous fl ight path for surveying an
area of interest (Figure 2). Depending on
the required parameters (spatial resolution,
overlap, sidelap) and characteristics of the
area (size, diversity of terrain), the height and
fl ight speed were set and automatic data
capturing positions were programmed.
For our fi rst planned fl ight, we had to set
several ground control points (GCP) in order
to produce georeferenced data. These were
The DŠGS FlyEye is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) built from scratch as a data-capturing tool and learning exercise by members of the Slovenian Students of Geodesy Association (DŠGS) at the University of Ljubljana. Having started as just an idea over a year ago, today the FlyEye has exceeded all goals and expectations. The process of learning to build and operate a UAV, and collecting and processing the data, has opened our eyes to new possibilities in the world of UAVs and 3D representations. Hopefully, it will continue to inspire generations of geodesy students.
3838 | INTERNATIONAL | F E B RU A RY 2 015| INTERNATIONAL | F E B RU A RY 2 0153838
e-Capture is a private company founded in
April 2012 by engineer Pedro Ortiz Coder who
was inspired by photogrammetry research
conducted during his studies. Six out of seven
of the other partners within e-Capture are
professional surveyors with more than 10
years’ experience in the sector.
e-Capture began its research and
development work fi nanced only by its own
funds, until in the summer of 2013 it received
support in the form of public funds from an
European tender (FEDER-INNTERCONECTA).
That tender required cooperation with other
two companies and the investment of EUR1.5
million in order to receive a non-repayable
grant of EUR800,000. In the shareholders’
agreement, the other two companies involved
in the project (Solventia and Toponova) both
agreed to give e-Capture ownership of the
developed technology.
INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGICAL PROJECTSe-Capture comprises 8 engineers plus other
research groups which actively collaborate to
create new technology and products in order
to recoup their investment. The company
is currently working in two projects based
on the technology created: EyesMap and
EyesCar.
The main product, EyesMap, is a tablet-
based instrument which performs real-time
measurements and is also a 3D dense model
generator. EyesMap enables calculation of
coordinates, areas and surfaces of all kinds of
objects and environments. The instrument is
portable and allows the movement, location,
modelling and utilisation of augmented
reality visualisation in redefi nition and
alignment in the space of multiple elements.
The measurement instrument takes shape
through a powerful tablet with two integrated
cameras as well as a depth sensor, an inertial
system, a GPS-GNSS and other devices.
A functional prototype is currently being
validated and EyesMap is expected to go
on sale to the general public in March/April
2015.
The second project, EyesCar, is very closely
related to EyesMap as it uses some of the
same technology. The aim is to develop
the fi rst mobile mapping system based on
advanced photogrammetry. Its technology
validation has been completed and, as a pilot
project, EyesCar has produced impressive
results but it now requires investment to
complete its development. Private and public
funding is currently being raised for the
creation of a prototype.
As a small company, e-Capture benefi ts
from the deep involvement of all its
engineers and employees in its projects.
e-Capture is a modern company which
prides itself in taking special care of its
members to ensure a productive working
atmosphere.
e-Capture Research and Development S.L. is a technology-based company located in Mérida (Badajoz), Spain. e-Capture creates image-based products which allow users to perform accurate measurements on portable devices. One of the company’s focal points is to democratise the survey industry and make things easier for non-professionals.
E-CAPTURE R&D
The Future Is in Our Hands
3D point cloud of a small lizard. Macro options and 3D modelling of small objects, insects and
animals are among the other possibilities.
THE INSTRUMENT PERFORMS REAL-TIME MEASUREMENTS AND IS ALSO A 3D DENSE MODEL GENERATOR
GIM0215_Company View 38 28-01-2015 13:22:27
COMPANY’S VIEW
Every month GIM International invites a company to
introduce itself in these pages. The resulting article,
entitled Company’s View, is subject to the usual copy
editing procedures, but the publisher takes no
responsibility for the content and the views expressed are
not necessarily those of the magazine.
39FEBRUARY 2015 | INTERNATIONAL |
BY PEDRO ORTIZ CODER, TECHNICAL MANAGER, E-CAPTURE R&D, SPAIN
e-Capture has been forced to extend its market
to include new dealers and commercial fi elds.
VIEW OF THE FUTUREA new generation of mobile measurement
systems is coming. EyesMap is an open
system available for software and hardware
developers through the EyesMap store. New
algorithms can be trialled, and the system
can be improved using new software for
multiple potential applications. New capture
sensors can be another part of such portable
systems. All software can be managed,
in this case, from Windows SO using a
powerful tablet, and the 3D modelling or
measurements can be created and sent
immediately to others teams of engineers via
3G/4G or Wi-Fi.
EyesMap combines communication with
measurement, and at e-Capture they
believe that these kind of smart devices
will be an indispensable part of the future.
Compact and accurate capture devices are
embedded in the company’s future vision.
In order for such small devices to be used
in big projects, and if all the measurements
need to be done in near real time, cloud
computing will be essential. For 2015,
the R&D department’s main objective is
to integrate new sensors and to generate
powerful new algorithms to improve the
accuracies and capacities of EyesMap. For
the company as a whole, the key target in
the months ahead is to successfully launch
EyesMap and, subsequently, EyesCar, and to
establish a high-quality network of dealers
and customers.
INTERNATIONAL SCOPEe-Capture already has a strong basis for its
international sales activities, since many
dealers from all over the world have been
in contact with the company to express
their interest in EyesMap. For now, the main
focus of the sales department is to create a
dense network of dealers to promote and sell
EyesMap in 2015.
WIDE-RANGING APPLICATIONSHowever, EyesMap has not only attracted
interest from dealers in the geomatics
sector; one of the most attractive aspects
of the EyesMap concept is that it can be
used for many different kinds of applications
including security (police/forensics, accident
reconstruction), medical (rehabilitation,
dermatology), art restoration, forest engineers,
biology and many others. Hence, regular use
of EyesMap is not only limited to surveyors,
architects and archaeologists, which is why
More information
www.ecapture.es
EyesMap can measure points, distances and coordinates in real time at the touch of a fi nger.
e-Capture has created
an attractive user interface, which is easy
to use, even for non-professionals.
3D scanning using EyesMap with photogrammetry of a building in Mérida, Spain.
EZSURV ® POST-PROCESSING SOFTWAREPROVIDES YOU WITH:
Access to more than 8,000 CORS stations data all around the world
Support multiple receiver native data format
State-of-the-art processing engine
Easy-to-use application
Flexible licensing mechanism
White Label version available for manufacturers
No
2626
kubit
Trimble
SPAR Internationalis a conference & exhibition focused on end-to-end business and technology considerations for 3D measurement and imaging for architecture, engi-neering and construction; industrial facilities; and civil infrastructure.
New Learning Levels for 2015! TECHNICAL – Advanced topics for the experienced 3D professional.
BUSINESS – Content focuses on building the case for using 3D technologies.
INTRODUCTION TO 3D TOOLS – Sessions for surveyors interested in exploring 3D tools.
www.SPARPointGroup.com/international
MARCH 30 APRIL 2, 2015 HOUSTON, TEXASRegister for a full conference passport by February 28 for discounted rates!
Exhibit-only passes are just $50!*
*Qualified buyers only.
Produced by Diversified Communications.Maser Consulting
GSDIGLOBAL SPATIAL DATA INFRASTRUCTURE ASSOCIATION
PRESIDENT & EXECUTIVE DIRECTORDavid Coleman, Canada
PAST PRESIDENTAbbas Rajabifard, Australia
PRESIDENT ELECTDavid Lovell, Belgium & UK
SECRETARY GENERALHarlan Onsrud, USA
SECRETARYAlan Stevens, USA
TREASUREREddie Pickle, USA
BUSINESS MANAGERMarilyn Gallant, USA
OPERATIONS & COMMUNICATIONSRoger Longhorn, Belgium & UK
RECRUITMENT MANAGERBruce Westcott, USA
NEWS EDITORKate Lance, USA
GSDI STANDING COMMITTEES
1) LEGAL AND SOCIOECONOMICChair: Dr ir Bastiaan van Loenen, Delft University of Technology, The NetherlandsChair: Dr ir Joep Crompvoets, KU Leuven Public Governance Institute, Belgium
2) TECHNICALChair: Eric van Praag, Venezuela
3) OUTREACH AND MEMBERSHIPChair: Denise McKenzie, UK4) SOCIETAL IMPACTSChair: Carmelle Terborgh, USA
International Geospatial Society
President: Sives Govender, South AfricaPresident-elect: Dav Raj Paudyal, Australia
GSDI OFFICEGSDI Association
Attention: Marilyn Gallant, Business Manager
946 Great Plain Avenue, PMB-194 Needham, MA 02492-3030, USA
www.gsdi.org
GSDIGlobal Spatial Data
Infrastructure Association
43FEBRUARY 2015 | INTERNATIONAL |
More information
1. www.abdatapartnerships.ca
www.gsdi.org
Alberta Data Partnerships: A Public-Private Partnership Approach to SDI
A new brand and long-term agreement with
the Provincial Government of Alberta, Canada,
will provide more opportunities for Spatial
Data Warehouse Ltd. (SDW), AltaLIS, Alberta’s
geospatial community and all Albertans.
SDW was created in 1996 as a not-for-
profi t company to take over digital mapping
activities – at that time primarily cadastral
mapping – that were previously handled by
the Government of Alberta. The original board
members were the provincial utility companies
and the Alberta government. In 1999, a joint
venture agreement was signed with AltaLIS,
a for-profi t private corporation, to provide the
day-to-day updating, licensing, sales and
distribution of cadastral mapping data, while
SDW remained a virtual company focused on
governance and strategy.
Today, SDW board membership has
broadened its depth to also include
organisations that represent the energy
and forestry sectors, urban and rural
municipalities, and the Alberta Energy
Regulator. This board structure has
strengthened SDW’s governance and strategic
vision, as well as the ability to leverage this
group of land users to explore unique mapping
business opportunities. The products offered
by the joint venture have continued to expand
as SDW and AltaLIS have worked together
to provide title and public lands disposition
mapping, as well as to become as a distributor
for imagery, Lidar and utility data.
This business model is extremely successful
in delivering important mapping products
at low costs to users and signifi cant savings
to provincial taxpayers. The introduction of
the cadastral mapping product eliminated
operational data maintenance and
management costs (CAD2.5 million to 3
million annually in 1996) to the Government
of Alberta. The fi ling fee charged to those who
submit plans to be integrated into the fabric
has not changed during that time, and the
licence fee to customers who access the fi nal
product has been cut in half.
Economic, regulatory, legislative and
technological changes have presented SDW
with new opportunities, and the organisation
has recently rebranded itself as ‘Alberta
Data Partnerships’ (ADP)[1]. ADP’s tagline
is ‘Sustainable Spatial Data for Responsible
Development’ and a big part of that is
its commitment to open data, exploring
new business models and stakeholder
engagement. ‘Responsible development’
means regulating, building and operating in
Alberta as transparently and effi ciently as
possible to meet the needs of all stakeholders.
Having accurate, affordable and accessible
data to support Alberta’s industry, government
and the public is important to ensure
that Albertans achieve the best possible
outcomes from the development of the
land base.
On 1 November 2014, ADP signed a new
long-term mapping data agreement with
the Government of Alberta allowing ADP to
undertake greater investment in technology
with AltaLIS as part of the joint venture. It will
also enable ADP to more fully explore other
business opportunities with government and
private industry.
A key deliverable of the agreement was to
begin distribution of selected data products
at no-cost through AltaLIS – data that will
be subject to the Alberta Open Government
Licence. This is the fi rst public-private
partnership that the Government of Alberta
has entered into to distribute open data and is
a result of ADP’s ongoing efforts to offer more
no-cost data to its stakeholders.
Initial feedback on the new brand,
‘Agreement’, and particularly the availability
of open data products has been very positive.
Information sessions held in November
2014 in Edmonton and Calgary have given
stakeholders the chance to share their
ideas and opportunities as ADP undertakes
strategic renewal.
Erik Holmlund, MEng, is executive director of Alberta
Mapping, South AfricaMenno-Jan Kraak, ITC, The NetherlandsSukendra Martha, Bakosurtanal, IndonesiaPaulo Menezes, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Anne Ruas, IFSTTAR, FranceTim Trainor, Census Bureau, USALiu Yaolin, Wuhan University, China
PAST-PRESIDENTWilliam Cartwright, RMIT University, Australia
CHRISTIAN HEIPKESECRETARY GENERALLeibniz Universität HannoverInsitut für Photogrammetrie und GeoInformation (IPI)Nienburger Str. 1,30167 Hannover, GERMANY
ORHAN ALTAN1ST VICE PRESIDENTIstanbul Technical University Faculty of Civil EngineeringDepartment of Geomatic Engineering34469 Ayazaga-Istanbul, TURKEYEmail: [email protected]
MARGUERITE MADDEN2ND VICE PRESIDENT Center for Geospatial Research (CGR)Department of GeographyThe University of GeorgiaAthens, Georgia 30602-2305, USAEmail: [email protected]