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Optech Newsletter - Q2 2014

 

 
In This Issue
Recent News
Product News
Recent Articles
Optech Profile
Did You Know?
Special Events

Optech TLS User Group Meeting Coming in Rome

Optech is gearing up for the 7th International Terrestrial Laser Scanning User Group Meeting, to be held at La Sapienza University of Rome on June 12-13 in Italy, where Optech clients and expert users will come together to discuss solutions for static and mobile land-based scanning technologies. With collection rates rising for both lidar and imagery, users need new data handling and processing workflows, so the UGM will be showcasing automated and streamlined collection methods and post-processing solutions. Users will also share their experiences and best-practice implementations on topics, including monitoring natural hazards and man-made structures, techniques for efficiently mapping large natural and urban landscapes, modeling inaccessible features, and analyzing lidar datasets. The deadline for abstracts is April 30, so if you want to present, be sure to   submit your abstract soon!
Events
Vienna, Austria
Apr 27 - May 2
Stand #G08

Baltimore, USA
May 5-9
Booth #407

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Jun 16-21
Booth #88

AfricaGEO 2014 
Cape Town, South Africa 
July 1-3   
Booth #7 & 8
 
San Diego, CA
July 14-18
Booth#1512

Free Geospatial Magazine Subscription for Optech Clients

Did you know that Optech customers, clients and partners are entitled to receive a free subscription to North America's newest geospatial publication, xyHt?  In an agreement established between Optech and Flatdog Media, xyHt magazine will be sent to anybody in the precision measurement, positioning or imaging field in North America at no cost.  xyHt, which reflects precision positioning over time, will launch to the geospatial community this June.  The magazine and corresponding website will carry relevant content on aerial imagery, UAVs, surveying, remote sensing, lidar, GNSS/GPS applications, hydro and much more.  Take advantage of this special customer benefit by heading to
whatisxyht.com/magazine
and subscribing today!
2nd Quarter 2014
April - June Issue

Welcome to the Q2 Optech Newsletter for 2014!

 

It's still early in the year, and Optech is already off to a good start with a technology innovation award for CZMIL HydroFusion, new productivity-enhancing sensor configurations, enhanced workflows, and more. See below for what's been happening... and what's coming up!

Recent News
Psomas Chooses Optech Lynx SG1 for Highway Surveying

As part of their goal of using advanced technologies to deliver the utmost engineering data accuracy while maintaining a focus on safety, engineering and survey firm Psomas has acquired an  Optech Lynx SG1 with a fully integrated  360° Ladybug® camera. One of the top-ranked firms in the United States, Psomas was immediately impressed by the accurate point clouds that the Lynx lidar sensors produced and by the power and flexibility of its automated post-processing workflow,  Optech Lidar Mapping Suite. The Psomas team recently completed training with Optech Services on field operations and post-processing, and is now ready to start collecting georeferenced 3D models and imagery with unparalleled accuracy at highway speeds.

CZMIL HydroFusion Recognized by MAPPS Award  

Optech CZMIL HydroFusion recently confirmed its

reputation as the best all-in-one workflow and hydrographic data processing solution for high operational productivity by winning the 2014 MAPPS Geospatial Products and Services Excellence Award for Technology Innovation! Explaining the judges' decision, Professor Emeritus at Ferris State University and chairman of the judges' panel Robert "Bob" Burtch stated that CZMIL HydroFusion optimized the process of data fusion by combining input from CZMIL's lidar, camera and hyperspectral sensors into a multitude of deliverable data products, all while maintaining a simple and streamlined workflow. HydroFusion is an important reason why CZMIL can reach depths of up to 80 m in clear waters and provide accurate bathymetry in common turbid water conditions. With a major award in hand and multiple systems validated and in use by government agencies, CZMIL and its integrated HydroFusion workflow are recognized as the premier choice for coastal zone bathymetric mapping and submerged object detection under real-world water conditions.

Leading Mining Company Praises New Optech Services Product

One of the largest mining corporations in the world recently expressed satisfaction with repair and turnaround times for its Optech Cavity Monitoring Systems (CMS).  When they purchased multiple CMS-V400 units in 2011 for their Sudbury, Ontario-area operations, dependability and up-time were among their highest priorities. After examining the marketplace, the client decided that Optech was best suited to provide a customized support regime aimed at maximizing the up-time of its systems. Possibly the most important element was the need for such a support system to accommodate the real possibility of simultaneous occurrences at different mines. Commenting favorably on Optech's 24/7 response, rapid turn-around time and dedicated customer support, a company official recently thanked Optech for having met this client's expectations. Optech Services was pleased to receive confirmation of their efforts, and looks forward to providing other customers with industry-leading support in the years to come.

Applications, Tradeshows and More on New Optech Website

We launched a brand-new Optech website  last February, showing off a fresh look, new imagery, and improved navigation. In addition to full information about all of Optech's lidar and camera products, the new website also has resources for a multitude of applications, including Surveying & Mapping, Engineering, and Defense & Security, with sample data images, suggested products, and application notes. You can check out the latest news and featured videos on our main page, and if you want to meet up with us and see Optech products in person, head to our  Event & Tradeshow list to find out when we'll be visiting your part of the world.

New Video of CZMIL Korea Coastal Survey Released

Optech's Coastal Zone Mapping and Imaging Lidar (CZMIL) system surveyed the coast of South Korea in late 2013. You can now see a video highlighting this survey on our website or the Optech YouTube channel. The video and data footage clearly show the seamless topography and bathymetry, exceptional water penetration in various conditions, and the ability to efficiently cover large areas from the air.  CZMIL also demonstrated its ability to penetrate turbid waters further than any other bathymetric lidar sensor, collecting highly accurate data even in the more challenging water quality situations.

Product News

HydroFusion Turbid Water Module Opens New Areas to CZMIL



 

Turbid water, muddy seafloors, and shallow depths have historically been a challenge for lidar bathymeters, greatly restricting their potential target areas. Now, Optech has released the CZMIL HydroFusion Turbid Water Module, a powerful new tool that has successfully extracted valid bottom returns from previously impossible conditions, including very shallow waters (depth <1-2 m) with high turbidity (Kd > 0.5 m-1) and dark, muddy bottoms (reflectance = 3-5%). With the Turbid Water Module, users of the  Optech CZMIL can venture into large new areas inaccessible to other lidar bathymeters and even survey right up to the edge of the shoreline for a seamless bathymetry/topography transition.

New Configuration for Lynx MG1 Mobile Mapper™

Visitors to SPAR International 2014 got the first chance to see the new, compact installation design for the   Lynx MG1 Mobile Mapper™. The mapping-grade Lynx MG1 was designed for users wanting the best-in-class laser data quality of the survey-grade Lynx SG1, while only needing mapping-grade accuracy and a lower price point. Optech has now refined the design to improve installation speed and flexibility. The new design fits a lidar sensor, IMU, GNSS antenna and optional Ladybug® camera together on a single platform, that minimizes the footprint and installs on a vehicle's in minutes. Click on the link to learn more today.

Recent Articles

LiDAR News: Optech Profile

Marc Cheves, editor of The American Surveyor, recently stopped by Optech to talk with CEO Don Carswell, and the results of his visit are detailed in a company profile titled 3D Pioneers-A Visit to Optech. Marc got the inside story of how Optech's acquisition by Teledyne Technologies has tripled the company's R&D budget, why Optech is focusing so strongly on the automated rectification capabilities of Optech Lidar Mapping Suite, and what causes Optech's oscillating scanner technology to provide superior results to competing polygonal scanners. The article also covers some of Optech's early history, describing how it grew from an offshoot of founder Allan Carswell's scientific research into the worldwide high-tech company that it is today.

Promoting Standards Through Use Cases

In his latest article in LiDAR News, Optech Development Manager Chris Siebern explores issues related to the adoption of standards and related barriers to growth in the mobile lidar mapping segment. He presents the issues first from the point of view of someone outside the lidar mapping industry. He then clearly demonstrates a solution by applying mapping guidelines and documenting results from an actual Optech Lynx mobile mapping survey. He makes the point that performance-based specifications benefit both owners and service providers: Owners can contract for mobile mapping services without an expensive investigation of the technology, while service providers, thanks to some forethought in their tools and equipment, can prove to their clients that the project meets specifications without a lot of extra work. Chris Siebern is a seasoned geospatial technologist, professional engineer and land surveyor specializing in integrating emerging data collection technologies with infrastructure and industrial design and operations services.

Accurate but Fast Surveys with ILRIS and Aerial Triangulation

 
Optech clients are always combining lidar with other technologies in new and innovative ways, as exemplified in a recent article in LiDAR News by Janos Faust of geo-konzept GmbH. A geo-konzept client in the business of surveying open-pit mines needed a way to reduce the time spent in the field while still capturing the critical parts of the mine with sufficient precision and data density. In response, Janos devised a workflow combining the  Optech ILRIS terrestrial lidar scanner with the  geo-konzept Geo-Copter X-8000 UAV and camera system. While ILRIS captured the most critical areas from a handful of survey positions with its famous precision and data density, the X-8000 collected overhead imagery of the whole mine for quick conversion into 3D topography via aerial triangulation.  This new process promises great advances in survey efficiency, and proves that Optech customers are at the forefront of workflow innovation!

Towill Finishes Surveying Bay Bridge with Orion ALTM

Towill, Inc. recently completed a decade of surveying the construction of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, finishing their work in style with an as-built survey of the new eastern span using the Optech Orion ALTM. As described in a recent article for Professional Surveyor magazine, the challenge was to fit the survey in a very short window before the bridge was opened to traffic, so operators used the real-time data display and on-the-fly plan adjustments of Optech FMS NAV to make sure they caught the entire span in a single flight. The new span, built for improved seismic resistance in light of the damage caused by the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, holds world records as the longest self-anchored suspension bridge, and as the widest bridge, with 10 lanes of traffic plus a bike path.
Optech Profile

Meet Dr. Viktor Feygels, Senior Scientist

April 12, 2014 marked Dr. Viktor Feygels 20th year as part of Optech's science team, first as a consultant and for the last ten years as a permanent staff member. With a long interest in lidar bathymetry, Dr. Feygels is the author of more than 60 scientific papers and holds 10 patents. At Optech, Dr. Feygels has worked on Optech's Coastal Zone Mapping and Imaging Lidar (CZMIL) and its predecessor SHOALS, developing several of the data processing algorithms and hardware elements, including its advanced photo-receivers and optical systems, that help CZMIL achieve unparalleled depth penetration of up to 80 m in clear waters. Using his expertise in lidar waveform analysis, Dr. Feygels also designed and tested many of the advanced detection and filtering algorithms used in the Optech CZMIL HydroFusion workflow that enable CZMIL to survey in conditions too muddy, turbid or shallow for other systems. Shown in the photo is Dr. Viktor Feygels with the JALBTCX 532 Award that he received jointly with Optech's Dr. Paul LaRocque in 2012, recognizing their cumulative achievements in airborne lidar bathymetry and coastal mapping and charting.

 

Did You Know?

Optech Services Open 24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a Week

Optech is committed to manufacturing a superior product and providing timely, value-added assistance to our customers. A knowledgeable and helpful group of instrument professionals we call Optech Services remains on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to help you get the best from your product. Every new system carries a 12-month manufacturer's warranty, and for continued support of customer systems, Optech is committed to offering a service plan to meet your needs for 7 years (5 years camera) post-production. Service plans may continue to be offered beyond this period, subject to parts availability. To protect your investment beyond the manufacturer's warranty, Optech offers Service and Support Plans that are renewable annually, maintaining your investment over the long term.