Drone Roof Surveys and Aerial Inspections

Roof surveys and building inspections using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or 'drones') have become a more efficient data collection process for many building and construction projects, compared to traditional ground-based methods. Major cost savings and speed of collection are the main reasons why an increasing number of companies are using drone mapping software. Drone Photography Services, based in Cornwall, UK, uses various DJI drones with zoom cameras and the latest software to deliver efficient, high-quality surveying and mapping data. Drones are not practical in all surveying applications, but the company has recently done surveys of a church roof and structure... (read more)

2019-11-19 10:23:13

Indoor Mobile Mapping Goes Mainstream

Mobile mapping is well past the tipping point and is about to go mainstream. Read this column by Felix Reinshagen to find out why. In his previous column about the future of indoor mobile mapping, Felix Reinshagen made the case for why this technology was on the brink of widespread adoption. That was just over a year ago, and a lot has changed since then: brisk expansion of the products and services on offer, together with a widening field of applications. So, after another incredible year, Reinshagen has written a new column outlining why he believes that mobile mapping is... (read more)

2020-01-16 09:27:27

Bridging the Gap between Aerial Imaging and Terrestrial Data Capture

The Challenges of Drone Use in Facade Mapping

There have been rapid advancements in unmanned aerial systems over recent years, yet there is widespread consensus that we have still only seen a fraction of how unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or ‘drones’) could ultimately improve efficiency for geospatial professionals and their customers. To get a glimpse of the future, 'GIM International' spoke to Mark Nicolai, co-founder of industry start-up Aeroscan. Here, he shares his vision of how drones could form the missing link between aerial imaging and terrestrial data capture. According to independent research by the likes of PwC and Goldman Sachs, the construction industry tops the list in... (read more)

2019-03-20 10:24:53

Using Drones in Construction for Aerial Inspection, Photogrammetry or Lidar

Drones are creating new workflows, processes and applications in construction design, surveying and mapping, and many see them as the future of the construction industry. Rick Rayhel, Microdrones' sales manager for United States' Western Region, is one of those people; he's seen first hand how drones can enhance the construction business. In the U.S., drones have only been used to aid construction in the last couple of years. On the precipice of drone potential, Rayhel said, “There’s never a lack of ideas or interest on what can be done with drones.” Perhaps the biggest advantage of drones in construction, though,... (read more)

2019-10-22 08:49:04

UAS Mapping – Where Is It Heading?

The use of a UAS to acquire geodata for mapping purposes has evolved beyond infancy and is now rapidly maturing. How will it evolve in the foreseeable future? The use of an unmanned aerial system (UAS) – cameras and Lidar sensors mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV or ‘drone’) – to acquire geodata for mapping purposes has evolved beyond infancy and is now rapidly maturing. How will UAS mapping evolve in the foreseeable future? To envisage where exactly UAS technology is heading, it is appropriate to start with the big picture before examining the details. So what is the... (read more)

2020-05-13 04:05:36

The Smartphone as a Professional Mapping Tool

To what extent will the smartphone become a professional mapping tool? Modern smartphones already contain many of the important functions to be used as mapping tools. However, whether they are suitable for use as such professionally depends not only on the built-in sensors, but also on the available computing power, RAM and data storage capacity. For data acquisition, a smartphone usually has two to three cameras, a GNSS sensor, an acceleration sensor and a gyroscope for positioning the system in 3D space. In addition, a smartphone has a magnetometer which displays the orientation or north direction by a compass, and... (read more)

2020-02-05 03:54:54

Kaarta Announces Stencil Pro Mobile Mapping System

Kaarta, a specialist in real-time mobile 3D reality capture, is introducing Stencil Pro, a professional-grade mobile mapping platform with high-quality dimensional and visual fidelity. The multipurpose Stencil Pro mobile mapping system provides accurate results with impressive speed, even in challenging environments such as in underground mines or along utility corridors. An all-in-one system to scan, process and view captured data in real time, Stencil Pro offers panoramic high-definition 4K imagery and colourized point clouds. With robust surround-view perception in a wide range of light conditions, Stencil Pro is optimized for both indoor and outdoor performance. Featuring a 32-line high-density, low-noise Lidar with... (read more)

2020-06-04 10:12:32

Rebuild Ready: 3D Mapping of a Quake-damaged Cathedral

After the cathedral of Christchurch, New Zealand, was hit by an earthquake, drones and advanced photogrammetry software supported the rebuilding work. Surveying a damaged building can be dangerous. Mapping, using drones, reduces risk to staff and costs to the community. This case study of the iconic cathedral of Christchurch, severely hit by an earthquake, demonstrates how drones and advanced photogrammetry software delivered the orthomosaic map, enabling the accurate spatial planning needed to rebuild the cathedral. In February 2011, New Zealand’s second most populous city was rocked by an earthquake. The iconic Christchurch Cathedral was shattered in the shake, and the clean-up is... (read more)

2020-01-21 11:03:54

GeoSLAM Launches New Innovation for Rapid Urban Mapping

Recently, GeoSLAM announced its latest innovation for rapid urban mapping – the ZEB Discovery. Officially unveiled at Intergeo 2019 in Stuttgart, the ZEB Discovery signifies a new era in data capture and integration of a point cloud with high-resolution imagery. The mapping solution is capable of rapidly capturing intricate data with the use of the company's industry-leading simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) technology and NCTech’s iSTAR Pulsar panoramic camera for ultra-high-definition image capture. The end-to-end solution automatically synchronizes the point cloud with imagery for a unique walk-through of the area of data captured. Combining the two data sources into one... (read more)

2019-10-01 11:33:14

Indoor Mapping: We Have Only Seen the Beginning

Indoor mapping is often associated with the rise in location-based services, but over the past few years there has been a growing demand for indoor mapping for a much wider range of use cases. In fact, it is fair to say that the evolution of indoor mapping has only just got started. Read on to find out why. The biggest trend is that mobile indoor mapping is taking on more of the work traditionally performed by static laser scanners. Some of the earliest adopters of simultaneous localisation and mapping (SLAM) technology were surveyors and engineers. Faced with growing demand for... (read more)

2018-09-20 08:48:58