Kiln, Miss. (Feb. 1, 2018) — WMR-532 recently hosted a training session on the Coastal Zone Mapping and Imaging Lidar (CZMIL) program for Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) personnel. This session, which took place over five days at Stennis International Airport in Kiln, Miss., was supported by the Joint Airborne Lidar Bathymetric Technical Center of Expertise (JALBTCX), Teledyne Optech and the Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission.
WMR-532 is a joint venture between Woolpert and Optimal GEO, two industry-leading geospatial companies that each specialize in lidar, orthoimagery and photogrammetric mapping services. Together as WMR-532, these firms are providing operations and maintenance of airborne coastal mapping and charting sensors in support of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and NAVOCEANO all over the world, as well as technical support to JALBTCX.
CZMIL is a USACE and JALBTCX program designed to develop and evaluate a sensor for mapping and charting the coastal zone to improve performance and data products.
“The consistent and accurate mapping of coastal regions is vital due to these regions’ inherent capacity for quick, large-scale change, as evidenced most recently by the hurricanes in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico,” said Mark Smits, WMR-532 geospatial program manager. “This training illustrates the benefits, technology and production associated with bathymetric lidar, and the vital role CZMIL plays in the advancement of this science.”
Actual datasets from the previous year’s USACE National Coastal Mapping Program (NCMP) served as training material to work through starting from raw data, taken from the airplane, and progressing through each step of the process to arrive at edited point clouds.
The training series involved multiple industry experts. Nicholas Johnson, a physical scientist with USACE at JALBTCX, kicked off the series by presenting “Lidar 101.” This briefing was designed to introduce light detection and ranging technology for bathymetric data capture to a wide audience of potential users. Johnson, a recognized expert in the calibration of the CZMIL sensor, is well known within the bathymetric community. He continually provided insight and was available for questions on this process throughout the week of training.
The CZMIL sensor and the Optech HydroFusion data processing flow were introduced by Brant Smith of Teledyne Optech, under the firm’s maintenance and support agreement. Smith also presented on the sensor and the software technology, including the use of derived products and processes to yield analytics.
Alfred Aranas, a senior systems analyst with WMR-532, led the class for multiple days through instruction and by providing one-on-one support. He was assisted by Jason Ellard, also of WMR-532.
Those who attended the sessions commented via anonymous feedback forms that they found the information beneficial and engaging. Many said they appreciated that the classes were tailored to the NAVOCEANO audience. The week concluded with a NAVOCEANO-led discussion of the acquisition to production process.
“We wanted to thank all who presented and assisted, as well as Kevin Carlisle, airport director at Stennis International Airport, and the Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission for providing space and access for two weeks of preparation and presentation,” Smits said. “They all contributed to furthering the development and application of CZMIL.”
For more information on training, contact Mark Smits at mark.smits@woolpert.com.
About Woolpert
Woolpert is a national architecture, engineering and geospatial (AEG) firm that delivers value to clients by strategically blending engineering excellence with leading-edge technology and geospatial applications. With a dynamic R&D department, Woolpert works with inventive business partners like Google and Esri; operates a fleet of planes, sensors and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS); and continually pushes industry boundaries by working with advanced water technologies, asset management, building information modeling (BIM) and sustainable design. Woolpert’s mission is to help its clients progress and become more progressive. For over 100 years and with 25 offices across the United States, Woolpert serves the needs of federal, state and local governments; private and public companies and universities; energy and transportation departments; and the United States Armed Forces. The firm currently is doing business in all 50 states and in six countries. For more information, visit woolpert.com or call 937-531-1258.
About Optimal GEO
Optimal GEO is a small business geospatial firm that specializes in executing a full range of geospatial services including Photogrammetric Mapping, Orthoimagery, Lidar, GIS, and GEOINT. Our team is well versed and has a long history in providing these services to the defense and intelligence communities. As a passionate and exceedingly capable small business we stand together with our clients from the development of their goals, through technical project execution and identification of future geospatial strategies. Having an in-depth knowledge of a broad range of geospatial data, products and services affords Optimal GEO the ability to communicate and implement solutions with an understanding of the interoperability and opportunities today’s geospatial marketplace affords. From the collection of Lidar to produce highly accurate topographic and bathymetric data to the design and development of mobile GIS and web apps we are dedicated to advancing your geospatial program. Optimal GEO provides expert guidance in geospatial solutions that put the needs of the end user up front while saving clients time and money through the streamlining of resources. Optimal GEO’s clients include federal and state government entities including the United States Department of Defense. For more information, visit optimalgeo.com or call 256-882-7788.