High resolution, precise imagery offers 2008 U.S. Open viewers a look at extraordinary 3D models of fairways, greens and hazards.
(Norcross, Ga., 04 June 2008) Golf enthusiasts have grown accustomed to animated imagery and artist renderings detailing every complex aspect of a championship golf course from challenging bunkers to multi-contoured sloping greens. When the U.S. Open begins on June 9, 2008 at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, California, viewers will have a far more advanced visual experience.
At the request of the United States Golf Association (USGA) and IBM, Terra Imaging is developing a 3D terrain and imagery model of Torrey Pines using powerful Leica GPS – RTK (Real Time Kinematic) hardware and Terra Imaging‘s patented LASN ™ (Local Area Spatial Network) to gather high resolution airborne digital imagery and airborne LiDAR data to ultimately process hyper accurate 3D models.
Karl Engstrom, CTO of Terra Imaging, says, “This is an incredibly precise and amazing visual experience, superior to the usual artist renderings provided in the past. The golfer will have incredibly precise range distances, + – 2.5cm (1" – range from cart to hole), hyper accurate “play by play” analysis, and increased precision for player statistics. Our horizontal mapping accuracies are millimeter, sub-centimeter.“
On the ground, Terra Imaging surveyors rely on the Leica TPS1200+ total station with reflectorless EDM that measures distances over 1,000 meters as well as the one-man versatility of the Leica SmartStation high performance total station with powerful GNSS/GPS receiver.
Once all the data from the air and the ground is gathered, Terra Imaging relies on the Leica Cyclone II TOPO, a new generation of laser scanning software. With a simplified CAD-like interface and familiar office automation displays, the Leica Cyclone II TOPO is designed to take the complexity out of creating highly accurate topographic maps from laser scan data.
Gerard Manley, Vice President of Engineered Solutions with Leica Geosystems, adds, “We’re excited to work with Terra Imaging on this unique project to push visual imagery and user interaction to the next level. The combination of Terra Imaging’s innovative modeling concept and aerial imagery with the mobility and collaborative nature of our high definition scanners and total stations has created a seamless visual experience that will impress and excite viewers, announcers and professional golfers.”
Engstrom concludes, “Our partnership with Leica Geosystems provides us with the best GPS technology in the world. Leica Geosystems has amazing optics and GPS sensors and we are happy to be working with them.”
Terra Imaging will be processing this highly detailed aerial and 3D view of Torrey Pines which will be available presented by IBM on the USGA’s website and will also be used in Terra Imaging’s golf cart based GPS navigation system, Recon – GC. Terra Imaging’s new website, www.3dgolfcourse.com, gives golfers a “first glance” at the new technology.
Leica Geosystems – when it has to be right
With close to 200 years of pioneering solutions to measure the world, Leica Geosystems products and services are trusted by professionals worldwide to help them capture, analyze, and present spatial information. Leica Geosystems is best known for its broad array of products that capture accurately, model quickly, analyze easily, and visualize and present spatial information. Those who use Leica Geosystems products every day trust them for their dependability, the value they deliver, and the superior customer support. Based in Heerbrugg, Switzerland, Leica Geosystems is a global company with tens of thousands of customers supported by more than 3,500 employees in 28 countries and hundreds of partners located in more than 120 countries around the world. Leica Geosystems is part of the Hexagon Group, Sweden.