LiDAR Images and The Power of Visualization

1. I think those of us in the industry tend to take for granted the power of visualization.
2. It is in all of our best interests to spread the use of LiDAR imagery to those who are not part of the 3D laser scanning community.
3. Take the quiz to see if you can guess what the line in the image represents.

I think we often tend to forget about the power of visualization, especially when it comes to working with people who are not technically trained. Those of us who are immersed in 3D laser scanning technology tend to overlook the value created bya 3D point cloud or animation. That is why the growing  interest in products like Leica Geosystems’ TruView continues to amaze the product managers.

For those of us in the business we are more interested in cutting edge technologies like mobile scanning and automated feature extraction, than in visualization, but to build interest in the use of 3D laser scanning technology we have to make it more accessible and valuable to the non-believers, and casual users. This is the challenge and responsibility of all of us that are inside the industry.

The following is a striking example of the power of LiDAR imagery. So time for a quiz. For those of you not aware of this image, can you guess what the line in this image represents? If you need a clue you can look at the reference. Answer next time. The prize for the first correct answer is a free subscription to LiDAR News.

http://quake.usgs.gov/research/geology/lidar/tn-Site2.2.jpg