Best Practices

While mounting our Mobile LiDAR spring offensive, I didn't have much time to prepare articles for LiDAR News, much less update and maintain the blog.  Therefore, my colleague Dr. Srinivasan Dharmapuri stepped up and prepared an article on Best Practices for Mobile Mapping System Data collection and Processing.  Dr. Srini, Baker's resident LiDAR Scientist, has served on the ASPRS Mobile Mapping Committee since it's inauguration and is an integral part of our LiDAR organization.

Should you have recommendations for what you would like to see on the blog, in a more detailed article, or just a question to "Ask the Doctor," please leave a comment.

Cheers!
Stephen

Picture of the Week

About three years ago, we held a Name that Car Contest.  The objective was to identify the make and model of vehicles captured by our Mobile LiDAR unit utilizing only the point cloud colored by intensity.  Now, we have a point cloud of our system courtesy of a few static scans.  There is no mistaking this vehicle.

I have linked to the results of the Name that Car Contest for your convenience.

Cheers!
Stephen

Hello World!

In the animal kingdom, whales are the mammals that can hold their breath the longest. I believe that after a tremendous spring, we are finally coming up for a short breath of fresh air. Our collection team has kicked off a record year with projects spanning from the plains of Texas, to the bayous of Louisiana, to the icy upper Mid-west, to the hills of the Blue Ridge, and the mid-Atlantic coast. Projects have ranged from small transportation corridors, to complete regions or metropolitan areas. We have collected on highways, in residential neighborhoods, off-road, and on the water – with the christening of a hydrographic survey vessel.

The collections have generated thousands of hours of processing for our team of technicians and analysts. We are simultaneously developing engineering/survey quality data for numerous clients, and supporting a myriad of product platforms employed by our clients including MicroStation design files and InRoads DTM’s; servicing others that require AutoCAD Civil3D products;, not to mention the generation of GIS deliverables in a host of Geodatabase models or schemas.

Over the years, we have developed the capacity to simultaneously manage multiple, challenging projects across geographies. After all, the act of a whale porpoising for air is only temporary. Before long, it’s back under the surface.

Cheers!
Stephen

Processing and Internal Communication

After a brief hiatus from writing for LiDAR News, I made time after the holidays to prepare an article. One of the most crucial elements to project performance is communication.  Often when working across professional disciplines, markets and office locations, the communication can become increasingly difficult.  Couple that difficulty with the perceived complexity of Mobile LiDAR (often a new technology to many of our consumers) and you are bound to need additional tools to facilitate understanding.  Therefore, I've prepared an article on Processing and Communicating - Internally to discuss some methods for collaborating within a team/project environment.

Should you have recommendations for future articles or blog postings, please leave a comment.

Cheers!
Stephen

Safety and Record of Survey

While I have started drafting new posts to start the new year, nothing is complete to date.  However, this is too important a topic to discuss to delay posting.  My esteemed colleague Aaron Morris pointed me to an online story that speaks directly to the topics of safety and record of survey.  We take every precaution to successfully and safely complete a collection.  Baker operates our Mobile LiDAR vehicle with two persons - one dedicated to driving, while the other concentrates on the data collection.  There are numerous road obstacles that warrant a driver's undivided attention, particularly when an expensive piece of equipment is mounted to the roof.  Therefore, the operator is also responsible for assisting with navigation and hazard detection when it is warranted.

As data is collected - both LiDAR and imagery - detailed survey information is recorded. The data is georeferenced and time-stamped.  It is simple to retrace the field activities to determine application of best practices; that necessary routes were/are collected; the information meets the scope of work and other conditions.  We review vehicle trajectory, raw LiDAR data, or photography to validate the information and communicate results.  We do place close attention to operating speeds with respect to posted speed limits and the environment being collected. These are some of the measures we employ to ensure a culture of safety, achieve safety ratings, and mitigate any potential liability.

Typically, however, we do not publish our information freely on the web.  Should we elect to do so, I believe the precautions we take would eliminate confusion and stories such as this:  Story

After a quick search, we learned that you drive on the left-hand side of the road in Botswana.  Perhaps that wasn't taken into consideration by the reporter.  You decide.