By the Numbers: Mobile LiDAR Processing

• 18: Number different software packages we use to collect and process Mobile LiDAR data.
• 1,000: Number of concurrent users that can access our LiDAR web-portal running Orbit Publisher.  Michael Baker’s state-of-the-art portal enables clients to interact with their LiDAR, imagery, and planimetric data without the need of expanding their own enterprise architecture.
• 3: Number of primary LiDAR/LCMS processing centers in the U.S.: Hamilton, NJ; Pittsburgh, PA; and Jackson, MS.
• 90+:  Number of domestic Michael Baker International offices our fleet of Mobile LiDAR systems supports.
• 10:  Number of computers one LiDAR Technician can simultaneously operate to process data.
• 5:  Number of Terabytes that can be transferred to our LiDAR Centers each day.
• 100+:  Number of external hard drives in rotation between our fleet of 4 Mobile LiDAR systems and various processing centers.
• 50-200:  Local capacity in available Terabytes at each of our LiDAR processing centers.  The local storage is only used for short-term needs.  Enterprise data storage processing is handled by our own private cloud (see Belly of the BEAST) which can handle up to 1 Petabyte of data.

By the Numbers: Positioning and Navigation

• 4:  Number of individual positioning systems equipped on each of our 4 Mobile LiDAR systems: 1 dual antenna GPS/GNSS; 1 military-grade Inertial Measuring Unit (IMU); 1 Distance Measuring Instrument (DMI); and 1 GPS for vehicle navigation.
• 200:  Frequency at which the vehicle’s position is updated every second (Hz).  The IMU fine-tunes initial positioning generated by the dual-antenna GPS/GNSS by combining readings attitude (pitch, yaw, roll) calculations with distance traveled (DMI) to produce an accurate position at 200 Hz.
• 1:  Number of IMU’s onboard each Mobile LiDAR system.  One of our four IMU’s is also used by the U.S. Military as part of the guidance system of a Patriot Missile.  That system is regulated by the U.S. State Department through the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) – needless to say, there’s a little bit of red tape to clear if we want to take that unit out of the country.
• 12:  Number of miles of subterranean mine shafts surveyed during a previous project.  The combination of the IMU and DMI allow our systems to perform accurate collections during sustained GPS-outages using dead reckoning.  
• 1,024:  Number of wheel rotation measurements performed every second.  Our DMIs are directly affixed to the vehicle’s wheel to ensure reliable readings. Due the inherent positional errors with GPS the DMI is not only used to indicate accurate distance traveled, but also to alert the system when the vehicle is stopped - called the "Zero Update".
• 2:  The fluctuation in tire pressure (lbs.) which will result in inaccurate distance measurements.  During a collection, the DMI scale factor (a function of the tire's circumference) is constantly monitored and "calibrated" using other systems, including GPS.

By the Numbers: Lasers and Cameras

• 168:  The number of Megabytes of data created EVERY SECOND by each of our Mobile LiDAR systems when we fire the lasers and cameras at their maximum rates.
• 150:  Weight in pounds of each of our 4 Mobile LiDAR systems.
• 35:  Weight in pounds of each of the two onboard LiDAR sensors that comprise each of our systems.  The solid, machined-aluminum chassis of each sensor doubles as a giant heat-sink to dissipate internal heat generated by the sealed unit.
• 2:  Number of hours it takes to transfer and test one of our Mobile LiDAR systems from its regular vehicle mount to our boat or UTV.
• 1.2 Million:  Number of discrete laser shots each of our Mobile LiDAR systems is capable of generating EVERY second. 
• 4.8 Million:  The astonishing number of measurements calculated by each LiDAR system every second.  Each discrete laser shot can result in up to 4 returns (1st, 2nd, 3rd, and Last).
• 5:  The number of primary camera units deployed with each Mobile LiDAR system.  Four cameras can maneuvered to a myriad of locations along the vehicle and can simultaneously fire up to 2 frames per second (fps).  The 5th camera is our Ladybug 360 spherical unit, which can fire at a rate of 3 fps.
• 6:  The number of individual cameras that are housed in the Ladybug spherical camera system – software automatically stitches the individual images together for spherical viewing. The versatile spherical camera unit also produces individual calibrated images that can be used to colorize the corresponding LiDAR point-cloud, or loaded into 3rd-party applications (such as our Orbit WebViewer) for overlay of the point-cloud.

By the Numbers

Today we kick-off our new “By the Numbers” Blog series. As Surveyors, Geographers, Scientists, and geospatial professionals our daily life is consumed by numbers. This series will focus on some quick FAQ’s, stats, specs, and facts we thought you’d find interesting as well.

• 4.5: Typical number of days an average project occupies a Mobile LiDAR equipment resource (mobilization, collection, and demobilization).
• 60-100: Number of miles 1 LiDAR system can regularly capture per day under normal driving conditions for urban and rural areas.
• 37,500: Average annual mileage travelled by each of our 4 LiDAR systems.
• Since purchasing our first Mobile LiDAR system:
• 200+: Number of completed projects;
• 29: Number of U.S. States in which we’ve performed collections. We also have multiple Countries under our belt as well;
• 25+: Departments of Transportation or Transportation Agencies for whom we’ve successfully completed projects;
• 400+: Miles of railway captured from Hi-Rail mounted equipment throughout several projects;
• Fostered tens of Millions in econmic impact;
• Coached numerous agencies through their development of Mobile LiDAR Guidelines; and,
• 13: The Baker’s Dozen: 13 Laws of Mobile LiDAR

Cheers!

Aaron