Unmanned Aerial Systems – one tool in the geospatial toolbox

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) have become an established tool in the survey, mapping, and engineering fields. Incorporating these aerial imaging and mapping platforms into our services is adding new dimensions and perspectives as we measure, observe, and inspect project sites and structures. This technology excels in situations where site safety and accessibility are a concern. …

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“Orthos 101” webinar coming May 3, 2018

The science behind aerial imagery, orthoimagery production, and photogrammetry, and what it means for Wisconsin Our aerial mapping experts will be hosting an “Orthos 101” webinar on May 3, 2018 at 1pm. In today’s world of drones, obliques, and LiDAR (light detection and ranging), you may be asking yourself if the principles of photogrammetry still matter. …

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Integrating Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) with Geospatial Services

Ayres Associates has always been driven to develop the best solutions to fit our client’s needs by utilizing a combination of advanced technologies and work flows.  So, it should not be surprising that Ayres has embraced the use of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and now regularly integrates the data from such systems into its project …

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High Density Lidar for Colorado DOT Applications

High Density Aerial Lidar of Wray, Colorado (CDOT Front Range NPS – Region 4 – Riverine Design & Analysis) Ayres expands upon its use of high accuracy Lidar for important transportation corridor design and improvement projects throughout Colorado.  In the past year, our Aerial Mapping Services group has been working closely with our engineering staff …

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Baselines are Critical for Asset Management Solutions

Ayres Associates is excited to be sponsoring and attending the Cartegraph National Conference in Denver, Colorado, this week. We partnered with Cartegraph earlier this year to bring our clients improved asset management solutions and offer the best outcomes possible to our many municipal and private clients around the country. While at the conference, we’re among …

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Unmanned Aerial Systems – one tool in the geospatial toolbox“Orthos 101” webinar coming May 3, 2018Integrating Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) with Geospatial ServicesHigh Density Lidar for Colorado DOT ApplicationsBaselines are Critical for Asset Management Solutions

Jun 06

Ayres Geospatial team invited to present at HxGN LIVE

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A group of us from Ayres Geospatial attended the HxGN LIVE conference in Las Vegas earlier this week. The conference was a great opportunity to learn about emerging technologies from Hexagon’s geospatial and geosystems leaders. We attended a keynote presentation by Juergen Dold, the President and CEO of Leica Geosystems, in which he discussed how data collected from sensors in space, in the air, on the ground, and underwater is being processed into information to solve daily challenges. HXGN2014A recurring theme throughout the conference was how Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are changing how we collect geospatial data – especially in Europe where UAVs are already being deployed on commercial surveying and mapping projects. This is a topic that we have been monitoring closer to home, where UAVs are currently restricted for commercial use by FAA regulations. The UAV landscape is changing though, and we expect the technology to ultimately have a positive impact on our projects.

We were invited to give a presentation as well, which was focused on multispectral imagery applications for natural resource management. HXGN_ZNPresenting along with AES, we discussed projects that we have collaborated on using imagery we collected with our Leica RCD30 digital aerial sensor. The topic of urban forestry management using aerial imagery for tree canopy assessments has drawn significant interest recently. Urban trees are under increasing threats from invasive pests like the Emerald Ash Borer in the Midwest.

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Other topics we presented included vegetation management for gas and electrical transmission corridors and aquatic vegetation mapping. Overall the conference was a great opportunity to connect with leaders in the geospatial industry and see how other professionals are delivering the newest technology-driven solutions to their clients.

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May 28

Tree Canopy Mapping from LiDAR in Chicago Region

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Forestry/Vegetation, GIS Consortium, LiDAR

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Tinley_crowns

Urban Tree Canopy Mapping in Tinley Park, IL.

Ayres Associates derived tree crown and centroid data in the Village of Tinley Park using fixed-wing aerial LiDAR acquired at ~ 20 points per square meter. Individual tree crowns and centroids were prepared in shapefile format along with a rasterized Canopy Height Model (CHM). These vectorized features are attributed with calculated statistics for forestry applications, shown below:

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In addition to providing an efficient method for street tree inventory, this data provides urban foresters with critical information for managing the health and diversity of the canopy across the entire community – including forested parks and private lands.

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A follow up mission has been scheduled to collect multi-spectral imagery during the peak fall colors. This information will be integrated with the LiDAR derived data to assist tree species identification.

The Village of Tinley Park, as part of the GIS Consortium (www.gisconsortium.org), is modernizing their topographic and planimetric base mapping  using new technology and software applications. As a member of the Consortium, they share access to advanced digital imaging and LiDAR systems at significant cost savings.

 

 

 

 

 

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May 01

Ayres Associates Featured in Leica Article on Colorado Floods

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Colorado, Flooding, Imagery, Municipal Engineering

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Leica Geosystems publishes article about aerial imagery collected during the historic Colorado floods in 2013

http://www.leica-geosystems.us/en/Flooding_pdf_v3.pdf   

south_platte2The article does a great job of highlighting the efforts of the professionals on the user end.  The engineers, floodplain and stormwater managers, surveyors, emergency responders, GIS specialists, and others deserve a great deal of thanks for their hard work during and after this catastrophic event.

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Apr 29

GIS Consortium Utilizes the New UltraCAM Falcon in 2014

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GIS Consortium, Imagery, Municipal Engineering

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The GIS Consortium (GISC) successfully wraps up another spring aerial imagery mission.

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Approximately 130 square miles of high resolution aerial imagery was acquired for the Consortium in 2014 using Microsoft’s new UltraCAM Falcon. The imagery will ultimately support a wide range of municipal applications including engineering, planning and zoning, and public safety.

 

Falcon_CutoutWe are excited about the integration of the UltraCAM Falcon into this program not only because it produces spectacular imagery, but it also introduces flexibility into the flight planning process.  Most of the GISC falls within a 10-nautical-mile radius of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport – one of the most challenging environments in the United States for acquiring high resolution aerial imagery. This camera system has allowed us to adjust flight plans on short notice to account for ever-changing restrictions imposed by Air Traffic Control. Read more about the camera system here:  http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/ultracam/UltraCamFalconSpecs.aspx

 

ElkGrove_Sample 1-50scaleThe Illinois-based GIS Consortium (GISC) is a group of 23 communities in the Chicago region that work together to develop GIS solutions.   The GIS Consortium continues to expand the use of digital cameras for specialized municipal mapping applications. This technology has allowed the participants to acquire high accuracy, high resolution aerial imagery at a lower cost. Unit pricing based on volume of participation has also translated to significant savings – discounts up 40% are being realized for individual communities. We offer the benefits of this cooperative effort to all communities in the area; formal membership in the Consortium is not required.

For more information about the GIS Consortium, please visit: www.gisconsortium.org

 

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Apr 20

Municipal Geospatial Partnerships

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GIS Consortium, Imagery, LiDAR, Municipal Engineering

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Geospatial data such as topographic mapping, aerial imagery, and planimetrics create the digital foundation for any engineering project.  If you manage floodplains and storm water your first priority should be obtaining accurate up to date topographic data.  Flooding is not the only application that benefits greatly from geospatial data.  The potential applications for quality geospatial data have never been greater.  If planned well, data collection efforts can have multiple uses across cities, counties, and even between multiple entities.  With shrinking budgets we need new ways to think about serving the people of our cities and counties.  Rather than individual entities going it alone in their data collection projects, approaches exist that, are not only more cost-effective, but also encourage intergovernmental cooperation.

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Since geospatial information can be widely utilized by multiple entities, forming collaborative partnerships with those entities is an effective way to achieve the same goal in a less overwhelming manner. Through these relationships, participants benefit through collective buying power, cost savings, exchanging of ideas, and sharing of personnel resources.  Depending on the overall goal of the cooperative effort, some partnerships will vary (i.e. formal, informal, a consortium, or comprised of dis/similar participants) and be more successful than others.

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Apr 18

Geospatial Solutions for Urban Forest Management

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Forestry/Vegetation, Imagery

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Urban forests are a valuable asset to the growth and prosperity of human ecology.  Not only do city trees increase property value and help to conserve energy by shading and cooling buildings, they also contribute to a number of health benefits by improving the quality of our air and water. A diverse population of trees reduces storm water runoff, and its accompanying pollutants, from entering fresh water sources, thereby helping to maintain the clean, uncontaminated water that is essential to our daily life.

 

Ayres Associates and Applied Ecological Services (AES) have worked together to develop a method for mapping urban forests from the air.  As discussed in the previous article on monitoring aquatic vegetation, our RCD30 camera is designed for capturing 4-band multispectral imagery. The infrared band responds to the chlorophyll found in vegetation and allows for the identification and examination of urban tree canopies.Fitchburg We fly aerial missions “just-in-time,” such as when tree species exhibit distinct canopy colors, and are able to capture the imagery at a custom resolution that is tailored to the local tree cover characteristics. This imagery, together with accurate ground truth sampling, is a powerful management tool for urban forestry.

 

The collection of multispectral imagery produces many benefits in monitoring the health of urban forests.  canopy classificationIt allows for the ability to gain a better estimate of tree composition by species group, locate areas with high concentrations of trees susceptible to pest invasions and target areas for closer inspection and preventive treatment.  This information is useful to urban forest managers in responding to and protecting against the spread of invasive species infestations, such as those caused by the Asian longhorned beetle or emerald ash borer.

 

canopy extractionAdditionally, acquiring this digital imagery enables us to establish a baseline dataset for quantifying canopy gain or loss and identify the resulting trends, as well as determine the most effective locations for planting trees on both public and private land.  Implementation of this service is often done through assisting local governments with the input of our data into existing models, such as i-Tree, to quantify the monetary and ecological benefits of their urban forest.

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Apr 14

NoCO (Northern Colorado) Geospatial Consortium

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Colorado, Imagery, LiDAR, Municipal Engineering

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Local municipal governments in northern Colorado team-up to build high accuracy base mapping through LiDAR and aerial imagery.

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mapAyres Associates worked with several local governments throughout northern Colorado to form an informal consortium with map modernization as their primary objective. This group broadly consists of the City of Fort Collins, City of Loveland, Larimer County, and Colorado State University (CSU).  A myriad of City and County departments from within these entities were included as important stakeholders in the project.  This partnership enabled the participants to update their base mapping data at significant cost savings over a go-it-alone approach and provided an opportunity to economically upgrade to a higher accuracy product.

 

stadium1Through this cooperative effort, these participants received 3-inch resolution digital orthoimagery and 1-ft interval contours derived from LiDAR.  These products were standardized to create a seamless product across all participating jurisdictions.  Imagery was collected by Ayres Associates in April 2013 using the Microsoft UltraCam digital imaging system.  The LiDAR was collected in the same timeframe using the Riegl LMS-Q680i system.  The LiDAR was classified and edited to support FEMA accuracy standards.  Hydro-flattening breaklines were compiled from the LiDAR intensity images in a 3D environment.  A FEMA compliant accuracy report was conducted using independent, GPS surveyed check points distributed throughout the project area.

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Beyond these standardized products, the communities developed additional customized planimetric products tailored to specific needs.  For example, Fort Collins received building footprints for the entirety of the City’s Growth Management Area (GMA), approximately 77 square miles.  The City of Loveland collected electric distribution assets within their municipal electric service areas west of the City.

 

Project Facts:bldgs2

Total Area Mapped: 260 square miles

Imagery and LiDAR Acquisition Dates: April 15-30, 2013

Total number of images collected: 5135

Number of buildings mapped in Fort Collins: 77,271

Calculated RMSEz of the LiDAR (Vertical Accuracy): 0.178’

 

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Apr 05

Mobile LiDAR for Transportation Design Mapping

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LiDAR

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Ayres Associates provided Mobile LiDAR services for the Interstate 43 corridor in Milwaukee and Ozaukee Counties in Wisconsin.  The project consists of approximately 50 total linear miles of Mobile LiDAR collection to support survey grade data. A digitally leveled primary and secondary control network was established. LiDAR and digital imagery was collected to maximize detection of features within 70 feet of the paved road edge. The LiDAR derived DTM will also be supplemented with photogrammetric stereo-compilation. This ongoing project for WisDOT is an example of a highly complex LiDAR effort. The overall size of the corridor represents a significant mobile LiDAR project, demanding attention to detail and thorough understanding of LiDAR and survey technology and local site conditions.

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Ayres Associates has been providing mobile LiDAR (ground-based) services since 2011. In 2012 Wisconsin DOT called upon Ayres Associates to provide a total solution for the IH-43 mapping project.  This effort required the expertise of multiple disciplines within Ayres Associates: a geospatial staff with a thorough understanding of how to integrate multiple mapping technologies, highly trained survey personnel to establish the primary and secondary control networks, and experienced construction services crews to manage all field crews operating in a high-risk environment.

Ground control and targeting has been a critical component for each mobile LiDAR project that we’ve. The control strategy that we employ involves setting chevron targets or “photo-id” targets on pavement that are clearly identifiable in LiDAR intensity images. From our experience, targets placed at approximately 1000-foot intervals with supplemental targets for areas such as medians, emergency crossovers, and ramps is the most effective targeting methodology to support survey grade accuracy.

iso colored intensity1For the IH-43 project, Ayres was responsible for establishing the control network, which included setting and leveling through 240 primary control points and benchmarks, as well as 570 secondary targets. All primary and the majority of secondary points were digitally leveled to achieve the highest level of accuracy that can be practically obtained through the mobile LiDAR platform. Additionally, check points were established to verify the accuracy of the calibrated point cloud prior to classification and data extraction.

 

Chevron-camera capture

Control Networks. Ayres established approximately 540 LiDAR ground control targets and digitally leveled most of them. Four-person, daytime leveling crews operated on closed shoulders to minimize impact on traffic. Leveling of all shoulder targets was completed in one pass and without crossing live lanes of traffic. Because some targets were required in traveled lanes, our survey crews painted and measured these during off-peak travel time in second- and third-shift schedules – in conjunction with lane closures. LiDAR acquisition crews and base station operators maintained flexibility to work around high volume traffic during morning and evening commutes, holidays, and sporting events.

Safety and Traffic Control.  This high traffic environment requires special focus on safety in the field at all times. Ayres has a high degree of familiarity with WisDOT lane closure restrictions and safety procedures and had the necessary experience to organize such an effort. Our Safety Coordinator wrote customized safety procedures for this project and coordinated field operations with survey crews, the traffic control company, LiDAR acquisition crew, and WisDOT’s Traffic department. Additionally, on-site meetings prior to key phases of the project to ensure that all parties held a common understanding of schedules and responsibilities.

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Mar 31

What’s Growing In Your Lake?

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Forestry/Vegetation, Imagery

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Monitor and Measure Your Aquatic Vegetation with the Latest Mapping Technology

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Monitoring the conditions of riparian areas is an integral part of protecting the health of aquatic ecosystems. Together with Applied Ecological Services (AES), our team at Ayres Associates has developed a method for mapping lakes and riparian zones from the air.  Our partnership provides a blend of expertise in geospatial services and ecological science, which enables us to offer innovative services for lake managers across the United States. Equipped with our cutting-edge digital camera, we are able to collect highly detailed aerial imagery in both natural color and color infrared (IR) bands. The IR band responds to the chlorophyll in vegetation and therefore allows us to capture the location, composition and condition of aquatic plant communities.

We can use this technology to create high-resolution orthophotos that serve as a lake management planning tool.  Utilizing these orthophotos, we are able to map existing aquatic plant populations, thereby identifying invasive species that may be present, and monitor changes that might occur throughout the season or year.  For instance, by mapping blue-green algal blooms, we can determine the presence and size of potential toxic threats. Additionally, we have the capability of mapping invasive aquatic vegetation, erosion, bank stability and buffer vegetation, as well as document water quality variables and track sediment plumes.

BigLake_unclass

A few of the benefits from this approach include reducing the need for labor-intensive manual plant identification, the ability to document the effectiveness of aquatic invasive control methods and increasing the analytical capabilities from an office environment.  This method additionally allows users to modernize their records with GIS-ready imagery for base mapping and digitization of aquatic features.  Most importantly, this new technology introduces another tool for improving the quality of our irreplaceable lakes.

 

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Mar 28

The GIS Consortium – a role model for municipal cooperation

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GIS Consortium, Imagery, LiDAR, Municipal Engineering

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bldgs-skokie

The Illinois-based GIS Consortium (GISC) is a group of 23 communities in the Chicago region that work together to develop GIS solutions to support a wide range of applications including municipal engineering, planning, forestry, and public safety.

 

 

GISCMembersMapSimple_v2013Ayres Associates has been providing high-accuracy mapping and surveying services to member communities since the 1980s. The GISC recently awarded Ayres Associates a five-year renewal of geospatial services that will extend our partnership with the Consortium through at least 2018.

 The GIS Consortium continues to expand the use of digital cameras for specialized municipal mapping applications. This technology has allowed the participants to acquire high accuracy, high resolution aerial imagery at a lower cost. Unit pricing based on volume of participation has also translated to significant savings – discounts up 40% are being realized for individual communities. We offer the benefits of this cooperative effort to all communities in the area; formal membership in the Consortium is not required.

 

Aerial missions are conducted annually to maintain up-to-date base mapping data, consisting of 3-inch resolution orthoimagery, 1” = 50’ scale planimetrics, and 1-foot interval contours derived from high resolution LiDAR. Ancillary products have included leaf-on aerial imagery for urban forestry, 3D modeling of structures, and tall building-lean mitigation in business districts.

GISC_IR In addition to LiDAR and aerial imagery collected each spring, several communities have participated in summer “leaf-on” flights in support of urban forest management. Invasive species, including the emerald ash borer, are having a significant impact on urban ecology. Understanding urban tree health and diversity is now more important than ever. Infrared imagery has become an important tool for this analysis and is now being employed by communities in your area.

 

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Most of the GISC falls within a 10-nautical-mile radius of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. This is one of the most difficult airspace environments in the United States and presents unique challenges every flying season. Ayres Associates has built strong relationships with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), TRACON, and the O’Hare Air Traffic Control Tower. Recurring temporary flight restrictions add another dimension to security restrictions in the vicinity.

 For more information about the organization, please visit: www.gisconsortium.org

 

 

More about the GIS Consortium:GISC4

The GIS Consortium (GISC) is a public entity consisting of local governments that work collectively to achieve the benefits of GIS and related technologies. The mission of the GIS Consortium is to create value by managing cost and risk within an environment of cooperation where all members, regardless of size will succeed. Private industry plays a role in this model to the extent that it can provide specialized aspects of these systems. This partnership provides an environment where success is predictable and costs are contained.

 

OB2The GIS Consortium recognizes that small- and medium-size communities face special challenges when implementing technology. By collaborating communities unlock opportunities otherwise unavailable because of complexity or cost. The GIS Consortium is a public entity formed under a state statute that encourages Intergovernmental Agreements between units of local government. Above all, the GIS Consortium works to foster cooperation to solve common problems.

 

 

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The GIS Consortium is recognized as a strategic partner in the greater-Chicago region GIS industry. Organizations that share our values of efficiency and cooperation are seeking our advice. As we all face new challenges in these economic times it is important to work cooperatively. The GIS Consortium stands as a symbol of what the future of local government may look like.

 

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Mar 27

Emergency Response Aerial Imagery

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Imagery

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AES CessnaSpringtime and quick-response scenarios go hand-in-hand. Are you prepared?

 

Ayres Associates can provide on-call aerial imagery services for your springtime infrastructure needs. This valuable imagery can help you effectively perform a range of crucial tasks:

  • Accurately assess flood damageMarquette_MI
  • Analyze and evaluate stormwater efforts
  • Prepare wisely for future flood vents using historical data in the form of high-resolution imagery.

 

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Mar 26

Congrats, Adam! WLIA President Elect

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Adam_Derringer_2013Adam Derringer, a Project Manager in the Geospatial Division of Ayres Associates was recently elected as President Elect of the Wisconsin Land Information Association (WLIA).  Adam has served on the Board of Directors for WLIA as well as on multiple committees for many years.

 

 Adam explains, “It is a true honor and an even greater responsibility to be elected to represent my peers and colleagues in the state.”

 

WLIA is a grassroots organization with over 1100 members in the state representing a collection of concerned professionals from the public and private sectors working to develop, maintain, and apply a network of statewide land information systems. Specifically, the Wisconsin Land Information Association’s mission is focused on promoting sound policy, promoting interaction and cooperation, technical research and education.

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Mar 20

Mapping Transmission and Distribution Lines with Fixed-wing Lidar Systems

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Colorado, LiDAR

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Ayres Associates is mapping transmission lines in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado through the use of fixed-wing Lidar systems.  Poles, conductors, and utility structures are being extracted from high density Lidar point clouds and modeled as vectors in a geodatabase.

Much of the focus on as-built transmission surveys over the past few years has been on 100kV+ networks.  The most efficient means of surveying and modeling these lines has been through the use of helicopter-based systems.  These systems are capable of achieving the accuracy needed for electrical engineering design and maintenance.  These surveys tended to be long corridors with meanders that can be easily followed by helicopters.Wires1

Since much of the 100kV+ lines have been surveyed, the focus is shifting towards collecting and analyzing information about lower voltage transmission and distribution lines. This information is being used for a variety of applications, including asset inventories, assessing encroachment, and wildfire mitigation.

Although these types of surveys do not always require the same accuracy achieved using helicopter lidar, it does require a sufficient density of points in order to extract poles, conductors, and other important information.   Until relatively recently, there were few fixed-wing aerial Lidar systems capable of supporting the necessary point density – with any sort of efficiency.  However, there are several new multi-pulse systems manufactured today that capable of collecting sufficient density over wide areas.

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Mar 05

Feature Extraction from Aerial LiDAR

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LiDAR

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2-vegetation extraction2-builiding feature extractionLast post I touched on how you can get more from your aerial LiDAR data – beyond contours and surface models. For more information on the topic, revisit my presentation from the 2014 Wisconsin Land Information Association Conference.

Topics covered include feature extraction for buildings and vegetation, in addition to electric transmission and distribution applications. The presentation also examines practical use of the data, as well as technical and economical limitations to keep in mind.

 

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Mar 05

3D Building Extraction from Aerial LiDAR

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GIS Consortium, LiDAR, Municipal Engineering, Uncategorized

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1-3D community1-3D houseGet more information from your aerial LiDAR – beyond contours and surface models. Recent advances in LiDAR systems and software are leading to new tools for extracting valuable information from point clouds. High-density point clouds can be used to extract 3D building shapefile polygons using customized algorithms inTerrasolid’s TerraModeler software.

Complex 3D building models are useful for myriad urban applications, including planning, zoning, and building code/permitting enforcement. This process can be applied to entire communities or targeted sites like business districts.

Although primarily an automated process, there are some key points to consider:

  • High-density LiDAR is best; > 4 points/square meter is recommended.
  • The process may require manual editing to clean up polygons in areas of tree obstructions.

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