Welcome

Welcome to the fourth issue of the Geomatics Group eNewsletter. As you may have noticed this issue is running a little late. This is because we have been very busy in the first half of 2011. Our aerial survey team have been out and about around the UK completing a number of surveys for organisations including the RSPB, NIEA, SEPA and the DART project. We have also completed an exciting new mobile terrestrial LIDAR survey for Caterpillar, more details below. Having won a major new contract for the New Forest NP we also have plenty to look forward to in the coming months. In April we conducted this year’s Customer Satisfaction surveys for both archive customers and those commissioning new surveys. A summary of the results can be found in this issue of Sensing, along with some interesting market data.

On a glorious day in June, Geomatics Group were involved in the filming of a new episode of the long running hit TV show Time Team. Having provided LIDAR data and change analysis for a stretch of coastline near Dunwich, which includes a medieval Friary and Maison Dieu, Geomatics Group demonstrated the effects that coastal change can have on areas of archaeological significance.

Remote sensing in the UK has a chequered history, with both notable successes and failures to deliver outcomes. The remote sensing industry has been guilty of failing to engage with end users, delivering technology led products, rather than working towards solutions based on user requirements. In recent years this has changed...

In April and May, Geomatics Group conducted the second annual archive LIDAR customer survey and first new data acquisition survey. Thank you to all those customers who participated in these. Read on for a summary of the very encouraging results we received.

Detailed quarry survey for Caterpillar

Aerial and mobile terrestrial LIDAR

We recently carried out a simultaneous aerial LIDAR and mobile terrestrial LIDAR survey of a quarry for Caterpillar. The purpose of the survey was to provide high resolution elevation data of the quarry site and its landscape context. The quarry is used for vehicle testing and Geomatics were asked to gather data to enable the client to simulate vehicle movement over the many features and routes involved in the rigorous testing procedures. Airborne LIDAR was collected at 0.5m resolution over the whole area with full RGB photography. At the same time our terrestrial LIDAR instrument was being driven round the training runs on the quarry floor capturing data up to 0.05m resolution. The airborne data provides a backdrop and the terrestrial LIDAR fills in the detailed areas and vertical cliff faces at a higher resolution. This allowed us to deliver a product that gave the required coverage over the entire site. Simultaneous data capture ensured that the different datasets integrated to provide a seamless elevation model. More information about this survey will follow in a later issue of Sensing.