Driverless Car Revolution is Running Late

Posted on November 19, 2018 by lidar

The adoption rate for the driverless car is behind schedule.

  • Engineering challenge of the decade
  • Auto makers are becoming more cautious
  • Greatest obstacle is fear of trusting a robot
  • Vehicle insurance and laws would have to be overhauled

In this outstanding article from The Week the staff explains:

Photo of AutoX - part of Driverless car revolution

Driverless Car Revolution Update

“Carmakers have been claiming that autonomous vehicles, or AVs, will start filling the roads by 2020 and take over by 2030. Instead, AVs are pumping the brakes, as their futuristic technology has faltered in the unpredictable chaos of real-world roads.

The rollout of General Motors’ self-driving car subsidiary, Cruise Automation, is years behind schedule, and prototypes by Ford, Tesla, and the Google affiliate Waymo would still flunk driver’s ed.

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Posted in AI, artifical perception, artificial intelligence, Augmented reality, Autonomous vehicles, Consumer, Laser Scanning, Lidar, Mapping, Mobile LiDAR, Research, solid state lidar, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How to Specify 3D Laser Scanning Services

Posted on November 18, 2018 by lidar

How to Specify 3D Laser Scanning Services:

  • It has to be all or nothing
  • Make it performance vs. prescriptive – results, not methods
  • Rely on the expertise of the laser scanning services provider
  • Must provide results that the client can act on – not the other way around
Photo of Surveyors - How to Specify 3D Laser Scanning Services

How to Specify 3D Laser Scanning Services

First of all this blog post is not meant to provide the technical details for how to specify 3D laser scanning services. Quite the opposite. There are a couple of references that I will provide at the end of this post that are more along those lines, like the Caltrans Survey Manual.

This post is, however, intended to advise primarily owners who need to understand that in the hands of an experienced 3D laser scanning services provider (LSSP) the 3D laser scanner hardware and software is simply “another tool in the surveyor’s toolbox.”

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Posted in 3D Modeling, airborne LiDAR, BIM, Certifications, Hardware, Laser Scanning, Lidar, Mapping, Quality, Software, Surveying, Surveying Engineering, Technology, The Industry | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Joe Wolf – “Spotlight on a Younger Geospatial Professional”

Posted on November 16, 2018 by lidar

This interview with Joe Wolf  is the fifth Lidar News Younger Geospatial Spotlight Interview. Congratulations to Joe for what he has accomplished in a short time and please think about sharing your story with us.

photo of Joe Wolf

Joe Wolf

Please provide a recap of your post high school education and training. Do you have any licenses or certifications? Are you a member of any organizations?

After high school I completed my college General Education courses. I am pursuing my part 107 for drones and have been toying with the idea of getting my PLS in Idaho. I was a member of the California Land Surveyors Association.

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Posted in 3D Modeling, Feature Extraction, Laser Scanning, Mapping, point clouds, Research, Surveying, Technology, The Industry, UAS, UAVs, Young Geospatial Professional | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

October 2018 Lidar News Video of the Month

Posted on November 15, 2018 by lidar

It’s time to vote for the Lidar News Video of the month for October 2018. Here is the list of outstanding videos:

logo for October 2018 LN Video of the Month

October 2018 LN Video of the Month

To cast your vote please click here. The voting will close on Monday November 19, 2018 at midnight.

 

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Posted in 3D Modeling, airborne LiDAR, archaeology, BIM, Construction, cultural heritage, Data, Ground penetrating radar, Historic Preservation, Laser Scanning, Lidar, LN Video of the Month, Mapping, Mobile LiDAR, point clouds, UAS, UAVs, Visualization | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Geospatial Monitoring with Hyperspatial Point Clouds

Posted on November 13, 2018 by lidar

Papers are being requested for a special issue of the ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information concerning Geospatial Monitoring.

image of building Geospatial Monitoring

Geospatial Monitoring

In recent years, the capabilities and applications of advanced geospatial technologies—such as 3D laser scanning (i.e., lidar), structure from motion, multi-view stereo, photogrammetry, etc.—to support the spatio-temporal monitoring of the natural and built environment have exploded.

These systems have become more portable, flexible, faster, and produce hyperspatial (sub-meter) point cloud data of higher quality in terms of resolution and precision. Example applications include geohazards (e.g., landslides, rockfall, seismic/tectonics, glacial degradation, and coastal erosion), ecosystems and biodiversity (e.g., forest biomass, post-fire regrowth, and habitat), infrastructure condition monitoring, and structural heath monitoring.

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Posted in 3D Modeling, Agriculture, airborne LiDAR, Data, Environmental, Forestry, Full waveform, GIS, Infrastructure, Laser Scanning, Lidar, Mapping, Mobile LiDAR, Photogrammetry, point clouds, remote sensing, Research, Standards, Structure from motion, Surveying, Surveying Engineering | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Oracle Wants to Lead the Digital Revolution in Construction

Posted on November 13, 2018 by lidar

It seems as though a number of software companies, like Autodesk and now Oracle see the construction market as a big, missed opportunity. In Oracle’s case at least, the key word is big, as in Big Data.  It will be interesting to see if they can turn that database expertise into construction innovation.

  • Oracle Construction and Engineering has invested heavily in a new Innovation Lab, located in Deerfield, Il.
  • They are relying on a number of strategic partners to accelerate their growth in digital construction
  • Oracle is building a second site inside that will simulate a structurally complete site.

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Posted in 3D Modeling, BIM, Construction, Infrastructure, intelligent cities, Internet of Things, Laser Scanning, smart cities, Software, Technology | Tagged | Leave a comment

USGS 3DEP – The 3D Elevation Map is Half Full

Posted on November 12, 2018 by lidar

The USGS 3D Elevation Program, or 3DEP is a momentous undertaking in terms of the cost, organizational requirements and the data management, but the good news the country is 50% completed. There will be a keynote presentation at ILMF 2019 by Jim Reilly and Kevin T. Gallagher of USGS on this topic.

status map of USGS 3DEP Partners

USGS 3DEP Partners

When 3DEP was initially envisioned in the 2014 USGS Call for Action publication, a nationwide lidar program seemed an impossible dream due to the estimated cost at $1B and the unprecedented data management challenge that would result. However, rapidly growing data demand, industry efficiency and cost improvements, and documented annual program benefits estimated to potentially reach $13B, convinced the USGS to undertake the audacious goal of nationwide data coverage in 8 years.

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Posted in 3D Modeling, Agriculture, airborne LiDAR, Environmental, Feature Extraction, Forestry, GIS, Government, Lidar, Mapping, Photogrammetry, remote sensing, topography | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Autodesk University 2018 is Next Week in Vegas

Posted on November 10, 2018 by lidar

Autodesk University 2018 takes over the spotlight in Las Vegas, NV this coming week from Trimble Dimensions with a complete slate of education and training. AU runs from November 13 to 15.

logo for Autodesk University 2018

Autodesk University 2018

“Learn – Connect – Explore” is the theme of this year’s Autodesk University. The tag line is the “Future of Making, and there is also a longer version, “The conference for those who design and make the world around us.” Autodesk is focused on the idea of making things whether it’s a highway, building, machine, product or a movie. They see that as their unifying marketing message.

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Posted in 3D Modeling, 3D Printing, artificial intelligence, Augmented reality, BIM, Business Development, Cloud, Conferences, Construction, Education, Entertainment, Infrastructure, intelligent cities, Internet of Things, Laser Scanning, Lidar, Mapping, Marketing, reverse engineering, smart cities, Software, Surveying, Surveying Engineering, Technology, The Industry, Visualization | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Younger Geospatial Professionals, Meet Older Geo Pros

Posted on November 9, 2018 by lidar

We have a great mix started on the LinkedIn group of Younger Geospatial Professionals (YGPs) and “older geospatial professionals” (OGPs). As a result, I would like to invite and encourage both groups to provide your thoughts on how this co-mingling of age groups can benefit the 3D geospatial industry.

Photo of rock fall Force of Younger Geospatial Professionals

That’s the Force of Younger Geospatial Professionals

If you are no longer qualified to be a member of the Younger Geospatial Professionals (35 and under) this is truly your chance to give back to the profession by positively influencing the entire group, or just someone that works for you, or who you may know. Stop, take the time to encourage and perhaps most importantly of all – listen. The YGPs tell me that they are thrilled that someone is treating them as the future of the geospatial profession.

Perhaps the OGPs could take a few minutes to introduce themselves and then share their thoughts on the importance of Younger Geospatial Professionals.

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Posted in Admin, Education, Geomatics, GIS, Orgs, The Industry, Young Geospatial Professional | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

3D BIM – What is the Real Adoption Rate?

Posted on November 8, 2018 by lidar

The 3D laser scanning industry has certainly demonstrated that they have the technology to deliver an as-built 3D BIM. The question is – “Are the building owners willing to pay for it?

Slide for 3D BIM

3D BIM

I had a chance to speak with some knowledgeable people in the Boston commercial real estate market this week. One was with a national real estate firm and the other with a large consulting engineering firm with over 1400 employees.

This was not at a 3D laser scanning event. These people had over 30 years of experience. They had no vested interest in 3D laser scanning, but were familiar with it.

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Posted in 3D Modeling, BIM, Business Development, Construction, Indoor Mapping, intelligent cities, Internet of Things, Laser Scanning, point clouds, Technology, The Industry | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments