Norcross, Georgia, USA, 13 December 2011 – Leica Geosystems Inc. today announced that Southern Resources Mapping Corp. (SRMC) in Northport, Alabama, has chosen the Leica RCD30 as its first digital aerial imaging camera. SRMC expects the upgrade from film cameras to the Leica medium-format digital system will expand its market share in the region while enabling the firm to offer faster product turnaround to its customers.
“We checked out all of the available digital systems and compared resolution, image clarity, pixel count, and price…and decided the Leica RCD30 was significantly more valuable than others on the market,” said John Matthews, President of SRMC. “It will allow us to be more responsive to our clients.”
Introduced by Leica as a digital follow-on to its highly successful RC30 film cameras, the RCD30 is a medium-format digital imaging system developed for a variety of photogrammetric and remote sensing applications. The 60 MP single camera head design delivers co-registered, multispectral imagery in the Red, Green, Blue and Near IR portions of the spectrum. The sleek modular design allows the camera to fit easily in aircraft previously outfitted with film cameras, and the RCD30 integrates with many LiDAR sensors, including the Leica ALS series.
“The RCD30 offers performance that is otherwise only known from large-format airborne cameras – but at a lower cost,” said Jean Gardiner, General Manager for Leica Geospatial Solutions. “This camera makes digital multispectral photogrammetry available to everyone.”
SRMC purchased the digital camera from Leica in October 2011 in a package with a NovAtel SPAN GPS and Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU). The tightly coupled GPS/IMU will enable SRMC to use less ground control during its flights and cut days of processing time from its production cycle. The firm expects to turn some orthorectification projects around for delivery to clients in as little as 48 hours.
“We’re going to save a lot of labor and time,” said Matthews, who added the decision to upgrade to digital technology was largely driven by the fact the firm was starting to see RFPs they couldn’t quote on because the projects required digital imaging.
Southern Resources Mapping has provided digital aerial mapping services to the Southeastern United States from the Tuscaloosa area since 1974. Most recently flying Zeiss RMK-A 15/23 film cameras aboard a Cessna 206 and 210, the firm has built a solid clientele photographing and mapping mines, landfills, subdivision developments, airports, and a variety of public and private engineering projects.
“The digital camera allows us to offer superior products to our existing clients and expand into some new markets,” said Matthews. “The ability to provide color-infrared imagery will appeal to the agriculture and forestry sectors – which are largely unexplored markets for us – and we plan to pursue them.”
Southern Resources Mapping Corp.
SRMC is a full-service photogrammetric firm providing precision aerial photography, digital topographic mapping, digital orthophotography and GIS solutions. For over 35 years, SRMC’s use of qualified personnel, up-to-date technology, and sound business practices has established it as a leader in photogrammetry in the Southern United States. Learn more at www.srmcmaps.com.
About Hexagon Geosystems’ Geospatial Solutions Division
Following the acquisition of Intergraph by Hexagon in 2010, Hexagon Geosystems’ newly formed Geospatial Solutions Division has brought together Leica Geosystems Airborne Sensors and Z/I Imaging. Committed to continued innovation on all major product lines, the combined airborne sensor portfolio includes the widest range of medium and large format imaging as well as LiDAR technologies and offers a choice of sensor for every application. A full suite of software from flight planning to post-processing provides end-to-end workflow for high accuracy orthophoto generation, feature extraction and map production. In addition, Hexagon Geosystems operates a global network of customer service and support centers to ensure highest productivity around the clock.