The American Surveyor

New 3D Mobile Mapping Technology to Revolutionise Surveying

October 1, 2014 – Routescene is to launch a new turnkey 3D mobile mapping solution, the Routescene LidarPod, at Intergeo which will save time, achieve more detailed and faster results and address many of the challenges currently facing the surveying industry. It will enable quick, exceptionally accurate, safe and cost effective surveys that previously could not have taken place.

We are seeing an increasing demand for 3D data, which is taking over from traditional 2D maps and this trend will accelerate in the next few years. We are also seeing an increased need to update mapping information more frequently, with customers displaying an ever increasing sophistication using a variety of applications which need 3D data, such as Building Information Management systems (BIM).

The Routescene LidarPod is a robustly engineered, high specification and high accuracy, lightweight, self contained system which uses Velodyne LiDAR technology to provide rapid 3D data collection and automated processing. It is simple to operate and enables rapid deployment in the field. It is the ideal tool for meeting the new demands being seen across the industry, it will transform surveying and how surveying is applied across many sectors.

The Routescene LidarPod is a flexible system which has been developed specifically for use on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) but can also be fitted onto any mobile platform required such as car, boat etc. This flexibility, particularly its’ use on drones, is attractive for many sectors and situations where accurate mapping is essential but difficult to achieve. It will enable surveys to take place in areas which previously would not have been considered.

This cutting edge technology has many wide ranging applications. The Routescene UAV LidarPod can be used in situations where physical access to land is limited, risky or otherwise too costly including mining, forestry, utilities & energy as well as academic research and traditional surveying and mapping. It is the only safe way to survey dangerous and hostile environments. It will be invaluable in awkward or rough terrain where access is difficult such as landslips or disaster zones, offering the only viable solution for remote locations or locations with little infrastructure where airborne (fixed wing) lidar is prohibitively expensive.

The fast data collection and analysis is perfect in situations where speed is of the essence and the outcomes are needed immediately, for instance, in opencast mine planning, reconnaissance or emergency response. The technology also provides a safer way to survey. Improvements in safety will be seen, as surveys are undertaken from a safe distance or from a vehicle, and in addition it reduces the time on site.

Our new disruptive technology offers a non-intrusive method to obtain detailed and precise geo-referenced 3D datasets. It can be used for 3D mapping; large scale topographic surveys; city planning and management; powerline inspection; scoping, planning and management of mines plus forestry design, management and operation.

To increase its’ appeal further, the Routescene LidarPod costs significantly less than a vehicle based mobile mapping system. The rate of return is much higher with a payback period calculated at around 100 days and there are certainly more benefits and advantages compared to traditional survey methods.

The turnkey solution includes LidarViewer, specially developed software to turn the raw data into valuable business information. It will enable users to convert, analyse and filter huge volumes of point cloud data to improve productivity and workflow. Powerful filters enable users to extract relevant data for use in third party software, such as GIS and CAD packages, which are unable to cope with such large data volumes.

About Routescene
Routescene is a global operation. We have a strong cutting edge culture, offering agility and innovation. Survey industry expertise is behind the Routescene LidarPod and LidarViewer. We offer authoritative insight across all aspects of data management and have industry recognition as data visualisation experts. We understand the problems the survey industry needs to solve and have combined intelligent thinking with experience to design a reliable and practical solution. With this knowledge we have invented the Routescene LidarPod and LidarViewer. These products will deliver fast geospatial data capture, analysis and visualisation to improve commercial decisions and performance. www.routescene.com

More about The Routescene UAV LidarPod
Data density, resolution, relative and positional accuracy
It combines the best technology on the market to capture survey grade positional accuracy together with a very high point cloud density. Will collect 700,000 points per second, which at an altitude of 40m and flying speed of 30km/hr equates to 300 points per square metre. This offers a fantastic richness in the dataset which greatly enhances the detail that can be collected.
Low weight
Total weight is less than 2.5kg for the complete system. This low weight will enable a 20 minute flight, allowing coverage of 1 square km on a single set of batteries.
Quality and level of resilience
Self contained turnkey LiDAR system. This means everything a user needs is built into the system including the GPS / INS, radio telemetry, data storage and power management. No external components are necessary which eliminates the possibility of integration issues and loose connectors.
Processing your data
LidarViewer, specially developed software, enables the user to easily import, visualise, apply filters to the large volume of data collected in a smart way, enabling the use of GIS and CAD packages thereafter.

Intergeo
Intergeo is the leading international conference trade fair for geodesy, geoinformation and land management. Intergeo has been running for 20 years and Intergeo 2014 will be hosted in Berlin on 7 – 9 October 2014.

LiDAR
Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) is an imaging technology. It is a remote sensing method that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser, which is scanned from side to side over the survey area, measuring thousands of points per second to build an accurate, high resolution model of the ground and the features upon it.

Velodyne Inc
The Routescene LidarPod includes a Velodyne sensor, a 3D mobile LiDAR scanner for unsurpassed image resolution. The Velodyne HDL-32E LiDAR sensor is small, lightweight, ruggedly built and features 32 lasers across a 40° vertical field of view. The HDL-32E was designed to exceed the demands of the most challenging real-world autonomous navigation, 3D mobile mapping and other LiDAR applications. The HDL-32E’s innovative laser array enables navigation and mapping systems to observe more of their environment than any other LiDAR sensor.

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