Nottingham, UK, 05 January 2012 – 3D Laser Mapping is set to revolutionise the investigation of motorway collisions following the award of GBP 2.7 million (USD 4.2 million) by the Department of Transport. The funding will enable 27 police forces across England to purchase 3D laser scanners – used to collect highly detailed, 3D images of crash sites up to 50 percent faster than traditional survey techniques. 3D Laser Mapping has established itself as the primary supplier of laser scanning technology for collision investigation.
Equipment supplied by 3D Laser Mapping is already being used to drive down the GBP 1 billion annual cost of congestion caused by collisions on motorways. Its RIEGL scanners have reduced the time spent collecting evidence at the scene, in turn reducing road closure times by an average of 90 minutes. Data from the scanners is used to produce high quality graphics and detailed plans of collision scenes for use in subsequent enquiries and court cases.
Richard Auty, Senior Collision Investigator in the Metropolitan Police Road Death Investigation unit commented, “Having run a pilot in which we tested a number of scanners, we found the RIEGL laser scanner collected 30 percent more data, in less than half the time of any other Pulse scanner and it has helped us cut the road closure times in London by an average of 90 minutes.”
“It is an amazing tool that has transformed how we collect evidence at collision scenes; allowing us to provide the courts with the collision scene in a virtual world and view the scene from the positions of the various parties.”
The RIEGL VZ-400 laser scanner has been proven to provide a significantly greater level of detail and colour compared to other laser scanners and can be used during the day, even in low light conditions, and at night. The VZ-400 was also significantly faster than other laser scanner devices in the independent trials. Comparison of the Riegl with total station surveying, widely used by Police Forces across the country, identified an on-site time
saving in the region of 50 percent.
The RIEGL VZ-400 utilises unique echo digitisation and online waveform analysis to achieve superior performance and accuracies of measurement, even under adverse weather conditions. Achieving accuracies of 5mm at ranges of up to 600 metres (an increase of 100 metres on earlier models) the VZ-400 can measure up to 122,000 points per second with a 100 x 360-degree field of view. The evaluation of multiple targets combined with a reliable, robust and lightweight construction makes the VZ-400 ideally suited to civil engineering, city modelling and architectural projects, for example.
3D Laser Mapping is a global developer of laser scanning solutions for sectors such as mapping, mining and manufacturing. 3D Laser Mapping specialises in integrating laser scanning hardware with their own software and peripherals to create solutions at the cutting edge of technology. Through a worldwide network of distributors 3D Laser Mapping is able to provide frontline support and service for a growing international client base. 3D Laser Mapping is also the RIEGL Premier Distributor for the UK, Ireland and sub-Saharan Africa and the leading distributor of TerraScan software. For further information see www.3dlasermapping.com
RIEGL has over thirty years experience in the research, development and production of laser rangefinders, distancemeters and scanners. Primarily a technology company RIEGL specialise in producing technically innovative solutions for specific applications working in partnership with organisations such as 3D Laser Mapping to produce powerful turnkey solutions for multiple fields of application. For further information see www.riegl.com