(Norcross, GA, USA, 20 Sept. 2011) Hexagon Geosystems today announced that Midwest Aerial Photography of Galloway, Ohio, has purchased a second Z/I Imaging DMC II-140 large-format digital mapping camera system. Midwest Aerial was among the earliest airborne mapping companies to purchase the DMC II when it was rolled out in 2010 and is the first to buy a second.
“The demand for the DMC II far exceeded our expectations, and we’ve never had any major failures,” said Ken Scruggs, President of Midwest Aerial Photography. “That’s why we bought a second one.”
The firm conducts aerial image acquisition projects for federal, state, local and private organizations throughout the U.S. In many cases, Midwest Aerial performs pre-processing of the digital imagery and then delivers the data to its customers for orthorectification and generation of related products. Increasingly, the company is seeing the DMC II requested in project RFPs where extremely high-resolution, high-accuracy imagery is required.
“Responses from our customers have been great because the DMC II makes them more competitive,” said Scruggs. “There are time savings throughout the production process.”
When the original Z/I Imaging DMC was introduced as the first large-format frame mapping camera in 2000, photogrammetry firms were able to cut three to four weeks from their processing time because there was no film to develop and scan. Data can now be downloaded from the camera’s Solid State Disk (SSD) storage directly into processing software for a completely digital workflow. No special sensor model is required because the data can be processed with standard aerial triangulation algorithms.
“Today, the DMC family of cameras is best known for their superior image clarity, spatial resolution and accuracy,” said Jean Gardiner General Manager of Geospatial Solutions. “The DMC II has built upon this tradition of excellence.”
Designed specifically as a photogrammetric mapping camera, the DMC II offers a rigid square frame and a fixed pixel geometry in a single pixel array that result in very high-quality geometric resolution. All DMC systems collect four-band multispectral (Red, Green, Blue, Near IR) and black-and-white panchromatic imagery. Automated forward motion compensation and rapid refresh rate enable operators to fly the DMC at low altitudes for large-scale survey applications and at higher altitudes for small-scale regional projects.
“We’ve flown the DMC II in our full spectrum of mapping projects, and we have achieved 3-centimeter pixel resolution [GSD] when requested,” said Scruggs.
The DMC II-140 cameras represent a significant evolution in the innovative digital technology introduced with the original DMC. The DMC II is the first digital aerial camera to add a single monolithic panchromatic (PAN) camera head to produce extreme wide-ground coverage for capturing large-scale, high-resolution imagery. This improves overall geometric accuracy and radiometric quality, eliminating the need for image mosaicking during post-processing. The PAN-to-multispectral pixel ratio is 1:2, resulting in extremely crisp pan-sharpened imagery.
Other advances in the DMC II-140 include a new customized lens design by Carl Zeiss in Germany and a single, ultra-large CCD sensor developed by Teledyne DALSA to power the PAN camera head. The radiometric resolution has also been improved in the DMC II from 12- to 14-bit, which resolves greater detail from dark shadows and highly reflective surfaces. The DMC II integrates with commercial GPS/IMU devices for high-accuracy data collection using minimal ground control.
For more information about this product, visit www.ziimaging.com/en/zi-dmc-ii-camera-series_20.htm
Midwest Aerial
Midwest Aerial Photography has established itself as the only firm in the Ohio region that specializes in aerial mapping photography. Our very survival as a business entity has always depended on our ability to deliver a high quality professional product in a timely manner. We are a professional service organization and take great pride in the quality of the work we produce. Quality and service to our clients is our first priority. Please visit http://www.midwestaerialphoto.com for more information.
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.