New sensor will help diversify aerial services, provide new business opportunities with local and state governments and strengthen its partnering position in the National Aerial Imagery Program (NAIP).
(Norcross, Ga., 06 April. 2010) Phoenix-based Main Aerial has expanded its digital airborne capacity and flexibility with the purchase of the Leica Geosystems’ ADS80 digital airborne sensor.
Already an avid digital airborne user, the new Leica ADS80 technology complements Main Aerials’ existing aerial imaging capabilities and provides the platform to actively pursue increasing opportunities for ADS-based airborne acquisition programs. In particular, Main Aerial is now well positioned to meet the rising requests from local and state governments for ADS technology.
“The data acquisition speed of the sensor and the post-processing speed of the image processing software are significant benefits of the Leica ADS80,” said James Main, the company’s CEO. “However, of even more importance is the ADS80 employs a telecentric lens design, which maintains position and width of all filter edges over the whole field of view. What this means is that light from the different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum are intersecting the focal plate at right angles, eliminating any bending of the light as seen in other camera systems. This provides better image integrity, enhancing the data value for remote sensing and offering an overall better appearance.”
At the federal level, supplementing its existing DMC technology with the Leica ADS80 will enable Main Aerial to raise its profile as a strong partner to prime contractors providing aerial imagery to the USDA’s National Aerial Imagery Program (NAIP), the largest aerial photography campaign in US history. With approximately 60 percent of NAIP data acquisitions being flown with ADS technology, Main Aerial is in the pilot’s seat to gain more flight campaigns from the ADS NAIP providers, said Main.
“Main Aerial’s purchase of the Leica ADS80 was a great complement to Leica Geosystems and further validation to our commitment to continually improve our technology to better serve our customers’ growing businesses,” said Shawn Slade, Airborne Imaging and LiDAR Sales for Western U.S. & Western Canada with Leica Geosystems. “With the ADS80, Main not only has an imaging platform that will enable them to efficiently and quickly capture large-area acquisition projects such as NAIP, it will also be able to capitalize on the imagery’s unrivalled base-to-height ratio – a critical element for accurate stereo compilation – which will allow them to produce highly accurate map products with ease.”
Main Aerial
Main Aerial is based in Phoenix, AZ. The single focus of our operation is precision digital image acquisition. Main Aerial deploys versatile RVSM equipped Commander aircraft and the latest generation digital camera technologies with solid state image storage, AGPS and IMU. Flight and camera operations, image-processing services, and quality programs administration are lead by an experienced and dedicated team to assure every project is accurate, timely, and will enhance the finished product. Contact: 602.903.0434, info@mainaerial.com, www.MainAerial.com.
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.