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Digital surface models (DSMs) are nothing new, but as software and scanning equipment have become more sophisticated so have DSM’s. Digital terrain maps have many engineering applications, of course. but other sectors, such as agriculture, energy, and conservation, are finding uses for them as well. When you add AI to the mix, however, the capabilities…

Mine surveyors perform essential services. The data they glean helps plan work, make decisions, improve safety, and aid in mineral exploration. But ground-based surveying methods and manual calculation leave a lot to be desired. Slow and subject to human error, traditional mine surveys can take days or weeks. Traditional surveying often puts surveyors at risk.…

Metrology – the scientific study of measurement – has been around a long time. The first known attempt at creating a standard of measure came nearly 5,000 years ago in Egypt. The unit of measure, called a cubit, was modeled in black granite based on the length of Pharaoh’s forearm and hand. Pyramid builders using…

When most people hear the term “staking a claim,” their minds go back to their 4th grade history lesson about the California Gold Rush from 1848-1855. They recall images of grizzled miners crouched over a stream panning for gold, actively working their claim. Staking mining claims is not a thing of the past, however. The…

No matter how meticulously a construction project is planned, no matter how detailed the blueprints and no matter how prepared the builder and subcontractors are, there’s one thing you can always count on – changes to the original drawings as work progresses. Today’s digital as-builts contain detailed information about the changes that occur during a…

When conducting a commercial property transaction, an American Land Title Association survey (ALTA) will likely be required by the lender or title company or suggested by your attorney. In most cases, title insurance cannot be obtained without an ALTA survey. Far more accurate than a boundary survey, the details presented in an ALTA survey can…

UAV, UAS, uncrewed, unmanned, drone…the lexicon surrounding small, pilotless aircraft can get confusing. Do all those terms refer to the same thing? If not, what distinguishes one from another? How is a drone different from a UAV? What is the difference between uncrewed and unmanned? Drone or UAV? The word drone did not originally designate…

Artificial Intelligence is changing the construction industry, and we are just beginning to explore the possibilities. Starting with the design process and ending with a built environment’s decommissioning, AI is playing increasingly vital roles in achieving collaboration and connectivity in construction. AI, specifically the machine learning subset, is valuable because as data accumulates over time,…

Combining laser scanning, 3D modeling, and AI provides revolutionary efficiencies and innovations never before possible. Highly versatile digital twin solutions are a must for many applications and industries. The extreme versatility of laser scanning and 3D modeling, combined with AI to create “smart” digital twins makes this technology ideal for a host of applications and…

Digital Twins have been around for a little over two decades, but today’s digital twins can employ AI and machine learning, setting them apart from earlier virtual modeling capabilities. They are complex virtual representations built from multiple data sources such as processes, people, devices, and mechanical systems. Digital twins represent not just one process but an entire organization.

For anyone new to thermal imaging, it has been a game changer for so many industries and fields.  Thermal imaging, at its most basic, is the visual representation of infrared radiation-or heat-put off by something, be it organic or inorganic.  If an object or organic being has a temperature above zero degrees, it emits heat…

Drone thermography plays so many roles in the construction industry. Combining UAV and infrared (IR) capabilities, the technology can be used to: inspect work monitor and maintain systems diagnose problems early assess and help improve energy efficiency verify proper installation of mechanical systems like HVAC UAV thermography has many advantages over handheld IR technology.  Because…

3D mapping and modeling, which are accomplished using point clouds of data collected by laser scanner, have come very far very fast. Anyone around in the infancy of laser scanning can recall how large, heavy, and slow the equipment was. Once the technology became more efficient, affordable and widely available, however, there seemed to be no limit to its uses.

LiDAR created 3D maps and models are made up of individual data points. A point cloud is a massive collection of virtual data points, with each one representing actual points in the real world. These millions of individual data points, taken together, create a usable dataset. Using software to model physical objects in digital space makes point clouds imminently useful.

If time is money–and many argue that it is–then 3D drone surveying delivers a resounding mic drop. Traditional surveying and drone surveying are not even in the same ballpark when it comes to the amount of time it takes to complete a survey. The slowness of traditional surveying methods can contribute to costs running into the thousands of dollars for a single small acreage topographical map.

Before advances in underground surveying using 3D scanning technology, inspecting and mapping subsurface facilities was time-consuming, costly, and hazardous. Surveying mines is notoriously tricky, but today’s LiDAR, photogrammetry, and georeferencing tools paired with state-of-the-art software are capable of producing a phenomenal array of maps and models designed to tackle almost any underground conundrum in near real-time. Watching a video of a 3D tunnel scan is mesmerizing.

Exactly like the name sounds, an as-built survey is an accurate visual rendering showing a completed construction or engineering project. Today’s laser scanning makes the process fast, efficient, and affordable and will even save money in the long run. Cost reduction is so significant, in fact, the U.S. government General Services Administration (GSA) now requires building information models (BIM) to provide clash detection on every government construction project.

Innovations in mine surveying made possible by state-of-the-art survey technologies have revolutionized mine design and development, environmental and safety monitoring, and volumetric calculation.

Hyperspectral imaging, also known as imaging spectroscopy, refers to the gathering and processing of data from across the vast electromagnetic spectrum.

Modern aerial LiDAR equipment mounted on UAVs makes possible the collection of high resolution elevation data used to create 3D models of objects, detailed Digital Terrain Models (DTMs), and Digital Elevation Models (DEMs).