Whether it is a major urban area or a remote rainforest, airborne mapping technology is transforming how we develop, preserve, and maintain critical environments around the world.
Precision Agriculture
GIS and smart mapping are helping agriculture around the world. In Portugal it now plays an important role in producing some of the world’s best wine.
23 26 30 20
The Rise of Photogrammetry
In the past in emerging markets, photogrammetry was expensive and sourced to international companies. Now, affordable drones, cameras, and software are putting photogrammetry into the hands of traditional land surveyors.
Surveyor’s Corner
Surveyors are in demand, but we face several problems, but nothing good public relations between surveyors and clients can’t mend.
Lidar in Action
The Lunabotics 2024 competition showed us a lot about lidar and the future of engineers.
Maps as Art
What a porcelean figurine tells us about our mapping past.
Looking Forward
By Jeff Thoreson
The Place for Drones
I’M JUST BACK FROM THE COMMERCIAL UAV EXPO IN LAS VEGAS, and despite my misfortune at the tables and sportsbook, it is always a pleasure to walk the convention floor for a few days each year. As in the past several Expos, the drones on display are bigger, better, faster, and more accurate than the previous year.
The technologies continue to improve, and the uses for drones continues to expand. And one interesting aspect that few are considering, I found in a panel hosted by xyHt contributor Juan Plaza. He led a panel with two other experts on safety and why drone pilots should go through the same safety checklist as commercial aircraft pilots.
As our airspace, especially in major metropolitan areas, becomes more and more congested, safety is a growing concern. We must avoid incidents like the one late last year in Florida where a drone collided with a helicopter because neither was flying in the appropriate airspace.
Drone regulation was also the topic of the keynote presentation, giving you an idea of just how important this topic is. Lisa Ellman, executive director of the Commercial Drone Alliance and Jody Baker, deputy associate administrator for Aviation Safety at the FAA, covered a lot of ground on the topic, including recent progress in drone regulations and how the FAA is working to advance the industry.
For surveyors, UAVs continue to play a crucial role in our profession. It is imperative that we proceed safely. If you’re into drones, you should put the Commercial UAV Expo on your calendar for next September. If you go, I hope you do better in the casino than I did.
Publisher Shawn Dewees shawn.dewees@xyht.com
Editor-in-Chief Jeff Thoreson jeff.thoreson@xyht.com
Director of Sales and Business Development Chuck Boteler chuck.boteler@xyht.com
Creative Director Ian Sager ian.sager@xyht.com
Accounting and Classifieds Angie Duman angie.duman@xyht.com
Editor, Field Notes Eric Gladhill eric.gladhill@xyht.com
Contributing Writers Matt Ball
Tim Burch
Marc Delgado Adina Gillespie
Mack Kowalski
Juan Plaza
John Welter
Located Located Located
Mapping Your World | UAV/UAS | GNSS | New Products
Compiled by Jeff Salmon
Photo Courtesy: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Massive Reservoir of Liquid Water on Mars Could Be a Game Changer
WHEN I FIRST GLIMPSED THE NEWS OF WATER ON MARS, I nearly skipped reading the item. Water on Mars is hardly news. Polar ice caps and frozen water located in equatorial regions were discovered some time ago. However, two details piqued my interest. First, liquid water (as opposed to frozen) and second, vast quantities of it, enough to cover the surface of the Red Planet up to one mile deep.
What would be the benefits of such a vast supply of liquid water on Mars? Water for drinking, growing crops, and water converted into hydrogen and oxygen can be used for rocket propellant. With the right approach to prevent evaporation (i.e., domes), maybe create surface lakes? Dare I say even opening the door to terraforming the planet?
Now comes the inevitable bad news. The water is seven to 12 miles (11.219.3 kilometers) below the surface of the planet, and we know that humans will never be able to drill that deep. What’s a thirsty Martian colonist to do?
But wait, humans have drilled that deep. According to Wikipedia, the
Kola Superdeep Borehole SG-3 was bored in Russia and reached a maximum vertical depth of 12.26 kilometers (7.619 miles) way back in 1989. That’s well over seven miles deep and they did this 35 years ago.
I know what you’re thinking and you’re right. Conditions on Earth and conditions on Mars are wildly different. But we have a couple of things on our side, one of which is time. The most aggressive Mars colonization plan is SpaceX’s, which is aiming for a Martian city by 2050. That gives us 25 years to figure out how to drill to the same depth on Mars that humans drilled on Earth 35 years ago.
And, of course, we have human ingenuity. How did we go from the first successful human flight (the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk) to landing on the Moon in just 66 years? If you guessed “human ingenuity” I’d agree with you. So, let’s add this to the reasons why humans have a good chance of overcoming the obstacles of reaching deep Martian water and giving a big boost to colonizing the planet.
Ariane 6 Successful Launch to Improve European GNSS
GALILEO, EUROPE'S GLOBAL NAVIGATION SATELLITE SYSTEM (GNSS), can now expect additional satellites to its constellation with the successful launch of the Ariane 6 rocket in space. The maiden flight lifted off in July from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana and brought along with it non-commercial and research payloads to demonstrate the new rocket’s ability to deploy satellites in space.
Following this achievement, Ariane 6 is now slated to bring Galileo’s Second-Generation fleet into space. This new set of GNSS satellites, 12 in all, will have fully digital navigation payloads, advanced atomic clock
configuration, and inter-satellite link capacity, as well as a more powerful navigation antenna.
Four of these second-generation Galileo satellites will be launched on-board Ariane 6 by 2026. Another company hitching a ride in the Ariane 6 rocket will be Project Kuiper, Amazon’s own initiative to increase global broadband access through a constellation of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites.
—Marc Delgado, marc.delgado@xyht.com
Leica BLK2FLY’s New Autonomous Exploratory Scanning
EXPLORATORY SCANNING (BETA) ALLOWS USERS TO LAUNCH a BLK2FLY UAS to scan an object by defining the area containing the object, add height to that area, and derive a volume for the drone to explore and scan with autonomy.
Until now, users would plan a BLK2FLY mission by selecting an area on the side of a building or on a 2D map to scan the area from
above. The BLK2FLY’s new Exploratory Scanning (Beta) takes that simplicity of planning to the next level. Using exploration mode, the scanner creates small sequential “blocks” to scan throughout the volume, one by one, showing how the BLK2FLY divides and conquers, scanning one small block at a time until the entire volume is scanned.
Complete Accessible 3D Dataset of the Moon Now
3D GEOSPATIAL PLATFORM COMPANY CESIUM HAS RELEASED the first readily accessible and accurate 3D dataset of the moon.
Cesium Moon Terrain was developed to
support NASA's Artemis mission to the moon but will be accessible to anyone who wants to build 3D apps, experiences, and simulations on a precise lunar surface.
Cesium Moon Terrain is comprised of precise terrain and imagery from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) program and other sources, and is provided as 3D Tiles, the Open Geospatial Consortium Community Standard created by Cesium.
Overture Offers New Browser Mapping Tool for Non-Coders
OVERTURE MAPS FOUNDATION (OMF) SEEMS TO BE IN OVERDRIVE this year with several noteworthy releases in a span of months. In April, it released its first global open map dataset, albeit in beta version. A month later, in May, it teased mapmakers with the addition of land cover data derived from the European Space Agency (ESA) WorldCover maps at 10-meter resolution, thus improving its dataset. And then came July with the launch of Overture’s Explore browser (www.explore.overturemaps.org).
Mapmakers who are curious to test OMF’s geospatial dataset, but have no or limited SQL coding skills, can now have a look around and test the waters first. With the Explore browser, users can view, zoom, inspect, and download maps on the fly. The map viewer is open source and data is hosted on Amazon S3 and Microsoft Azure cloud platforms.
“Our users are coming at the data with different perspectives and goals, and we want to provide as much information as possible,” Overture said in a press release. “Our goal is to give you the basic building blocks for creating your own tools around Overture data.”
—Marc Delgado, marc.delgado@xyht.com
BIM Behind Beautiful Paris Games
STILL HAVE AN OLYMPIC HANGOVER?
Maybe that’s because France’s capital was a gorgeous backdrop to this year’s Games. The two-and-a-half-week sports fest saw action in some of the most historic—and magnificent—spots around the City of Love, surprising both athletes and spectators.
To prepare for the gaming events, many of the city’s historic landmarks underwent renovation work, with design plans executed using BIM technology. The firms Chatillon Architects and Ingérop, for example, used building information modeling to create digital copies of the elegant Grand Palais where the fencing and taekwondo games were held.
Other BIM-designed venues include the Place de la Concorde (skateboarding, climbing), the Aquatic Center (swimming, diving), and the Olympic Village (athlete
RIEGL miniVUX-3UAV with RiLOC
RILOC-E IS A FULLY INTEGRATED SUBSYSTEM FOR LOCALIZATION and orientation (Localization/ Orientation Component) that is fully integrated to the RIEGL miniVUX-series UAV lidar sensors. This special version of the miniVUX-SYS includes a Micro Electromechanical System (MEMS), Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), a GNSS unit, and appropriate software. All components are included in a compact and lightweight housing, that is directly attached to the miniVUX-1UAV and respectively miniVUX-3UAV laser scanner.
EVENTS
GIS-Pro (URISA)
October 7-10
Portland, ME
Esri Infrastructure Management & GIS Conference
October 22–24
Palm Springs, CA
GoGeomatics Expo
October 28-30
Calgary, Canada
accommodation). BIM was also behind the renovation of the Eiffel Tower grounds, with Autodesk teaming up with the city of Paris as early as 2019 to create the largest digital model of the French capital’s iconic symbol and its surroundings.
The Tower’s 3D point cloud contains 10.3 billion points, and includes 1,000 buildings, 8,200 trees, three bridges, as well as several public statues and urban fixtures. One of the goals of the organizers of the Paris Olympics was to reduce the carbon footprint of the sports event, and BIM contributed to this effort by optimizing the design and construction of the various venues. Judging from the beauty and success of this year’s Games, Paris surely deserves a gold medal for its BIM efforts.
—Marc Delgado, marc.delgado@xyht.com
Trimble Dimensions
November 11-13
Las Vegas, NV
GeoBuiz Summit Europe
November 14-15 Novotel, Amsterdam
GeoBuiz Summit NA
January 13-15, 2025
Denver, CO
Geo Week February 10-12, 2025 Denver, CO
Amsterdam Drone Week & Commercial UAV Expo
April 8-10, 2025
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Stonex R120 Robotic Total Station
THE STONEX R120 IS A ROBOTIC ANDROID TOTAL STATION THAT PROVIDES exceptional precision with an angular accuracy of 1″ (2″ available) and an electronic distance measurement (EDM) accuracy of 1 mm + 1 ppm. It operates effectively up to 1000 m (800 m for 2” version) in reflectorless mode and features a rotation speed of 60 degrees per second. This instrument combines the capabilities of a robotic station with excellent cost-effectiveness. The R120 is designed with a 5.5-inch color touch screen and runs on the Android
operating system, making it user-friendly and similar in interface to a smartphone, which enhances data exchange capabilities. The onboard Cube-a software allows operators to seamlessly integrate GNSS tasks with surveys performed using the total station. Communication and data transfer between the station and the controller are facilitated via a Bluetooth connection. Additionally, the R120 has an integrated modem, enabling the operator to connect to the internet and send and receive topographic data.
Shape Begins Taking Landsat Next
LANDSAT IS FIVE DECADES OLD THIS YEAR, YET THERE SEEMS TO BE NO STOPPING IT from providing useful multispectral and medium spatial resolution imagery. Last June, NASA selected the Raytheon Company to build a series of new Landsat instruments for Landsat Next, the space program’s latest iteration, with a $506.7 million contract.
“The next-generation instruments for Landsat Next will ensure continuity of the longest space-based record of Earth's land surface," said Sandy Brown, vice president for Mission Solutions & Payloads for Raytheon.
Crucial to many scientific and technical achievements in the past decades, Landsat has also been supporting many industries for their geospatial imaging needs, including the architecture, engineering, construction, and environmental consulting sector (AEC). Landsat Next is expected to continue that tradition. With a planned launch date as early as 2030, Landsat Next will boast a new constellation of three satellites that will provide images with resolution of 10 meters, higher than the currently available 30 meters. Revisit time will also be shortened from 16 days interval to six.
Another upgrade to look forward to is the addition of 15 more spectral bands from the usual 11. This super-spectral observation capability of Landsat Next is envisioned to result in better Earth-imagery products and open new geospatial uses in the AEC sector. Long live Landsat!
—Marc Delgado, marc.delgado@xyht.com
Teledyne Unveils Super Res Airborne Lidar and Edge Computing
TELEDYNE GEOSPATIAL HAS INTRODUCED GALAXY EDGE, the newest generation of its award-winning Galaxy airborne lidar solution. Galaxy Edge delivers high-resolution data with the most efficient acquisition in steep terrain, resulting in a lower carbon footprint and a 20 percent to 50 percant reduction in collection costs..
The new Teledyne solution responds to market needs for uniform point density by accelerating the scan speed and delivering straight and parallel scan lines. It also optimizes wire detection and reduces atmospheric noise and processing labor. Galaxy Edge is compatible with fixed wing, pressurized aircraft, drone, or helicopter platforms. Real-time processing powered by Galaxy Onboard delivers lidar point clouds for immediate use upon landing.
Saildrone Surveyor USV Mapping Cayman Islands EEZ
Trimble Releases New R980 GNSS System
TRIMBLE HAS INTRODUCED THE TRIMBLE R980 GNSS SYSTEM, the newest addition to its Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver portfolio. Building on advanced features available on Trimble’s latest receiver models, including the Trimble ProPoint positioning engine, the new R980 adds several new elements, including upgraded communication capabilities to support uninterrupted field operations.
The Trimble R980 brings together several top Trimble GNSS technologies
SAILDRONE, A LEADER IN COLLECTING OCEAN DATA using autonomous, uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs), announced the start of a first-of-its-kind mission to map the 29,300 square nautical miles (100,530 square kilometers) of the Cayman Islands’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The mission is being conducted using a 20-meter Saildrone Surveyor USV.
This mission represents a major milestone in ocean mapping: surveying 80 percent of the Cayman Islands’ EEZ using autonomous technology. A high-resolution bathymetric map of a country’s EEZ is a prerequisite for exploring, identifying, characterizing, exploiting, conserving, and managing natural resources in waters extending up to 200 nautical miles from its shores.
to create an indispensable tool for land surveying, transportation infrastructure, construction, energy, oil and gas, utilities, and mining projects. Well-established features include Trimble's ProPoint GNSS positioning engine and Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU)-based tilt compensation using Trimble TIP technology. These features make it possible to work in dense urban environments and under tree canopy, removing the need to level the pole when capturing data points.
Helps Solve the World’s Most Pressing Challenges AIRBORNE MAPPING How
BY JOHN WELTER AND ADINA GILLESPIE
Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska.
From cities to rainforests to glaciers, the evolving application of airborne mapping technology is transforming how we develop, conserve, and maintain crucial environments across the globe. Comprehensive digital twins of entire areas can now be easily generated thanks to advancements in hybrid airborne mapping sensors.
These new systems allow simultaneous collection of high-resolution imagery and lidar data, which is crucial for creating digital twins. Advanced capabilities are driving transformative change, from informing sustainable city growth to incentivising conservation efforts.
This article explores three unique stories of how high-resolution data captured from the skies is driving change on the ground: enhancing urban planning in the UK’s historic city of Nottingham, conserving biodiversity in the Costa Rican rainforest, and safely maintaining critical infrastructure built on an Alaskan glacier.
DRIVING SUSTAINABLE CITY GROWTH IN NOTTINGHAM
To drive more efficient and sustainable urban planning in the UK, there is an increasing demand to see cities and planning processes in 3D. Nottingham City Council set out to do this by creating a complete digital twin of their city. As one of the first UK cities to do so, this project would act as a blueprint for other cities aiming to do the same against tight budgets and emission targets. The aerial surveying company Bluesky International was tasked with collecting the data to generate Nottingham’s digital twin.
With the image and LiDAR data captured in a single flight with a hybrid airborne sensor from Leica Geosystems, part of Hexagon, Bluesky created high-resolution 3D building models and meshes. This hybrid approach cut flying costs and carbon emissions while capturing a total of 7.5 terabytes of data, including 13,885 images, enabling the creation of the city’s digital twin.
The access to the digital twin of the city increased accessibility, adaptability, and decision-making speed for the council across all departments. The digital twin now enables city planners to visualize proposed developments by inserting 3D building models into the virtual environment, linked with relevant documents such as planning permissions and proposals. Planners can then quickly assess the impact of new developments digitally using tools like line of sight, shadow assessment, and embedded measurements.
This immersive environment supports more sustainable city development by facilitating the accurate planning of green spaces. With developments easily visualized in a photorealistic setting, the digital twin is enhancing transparency and public engagement, enabling changes to be fully understood by all. 3D models have now become fundamental to
Nottingham City Council’s assessments, streamlining everything from highway scheme planning to public safety measures, such as flood risk defences or optimal CCTV placement. By deploying the latest aerial mapping technology, Nottingham City Council has positioned itself at the forefront of urban planning practices and established a blueprint for other local authorities across the UK.
CONSERVING BIODIVERSITY IN THE COSTA RICAN RAINFOREST
While aerial mapping technology is reshaping urban development, it can also be a vital method to measure and protect the biodiversity of natural habitats. Wildlife populations have declined 69 percent over the past 50 years, according to the World Wildlife Fund––largely due to deforestation driven by livestock farming and palm oil production.
In response to this alarming decline, R-evolution, Hexagon’s green-tech subsidiary, teamed up with La Gamba Tropensation, an Austrian research station associated with the University of Vienna, to preserve and expand the COBIGA corridor, a key rainforest area connecting lowland and upland regions and home to numerous endangered species.
To do this, they needed a way to constantly monitor rainforest health, structure, density, and biodiversity indicators. However, traditional surveying methods were inadequate due to the size and density of the rainforest.
By deploying a combination of a hybrid airborne sensor for large-area data collection and a groundbased handheld scanner from Leica Geosystems, the team captured 100 square kilometres of rainforest with three centimeter accuracy over two weeks in early 2024. Researchers can now visualize and monitor a complete digital twin of the rainforest, with volumetrically precise measurements for quantifying and tracking biodiversity.
One critical part of the mission is ensuring sustainable income for local landowners so they are incentivized to protect and maintain the rainforest. So, the “Green Cubes” approach was developed: each cubic meter of the digital twin is equal to one Green Cube. These Green Cubes can be sponsored by companies worldwide to help them proactively contribute to biodiversity conservation, while also providing a source of income to the local community.
This differs from other corporate offsetting schemes which just plant new trees because it focuses on restoring existing rainforest, while providing a model to accelerate biodiversity conservation globally.
MAINTAINING THE BALANCE IN DENALI NATIONAL PARK, ALASKA
However, in so many places around the world, human construction and nature must co-exist. The advance-
ment of aerial mapping technology has become crucial to manage the intersections of infrastructure and environment where they are most volatile. One instance of this is in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska’s most popular tourist destination.
Permafrost thaw is causing the park to shift beneath the very feet of its visitors. Its major roadway is built on top of rock glaciers, which have a core of ice but are covered in rock. The park, which often attracts more than half a million tourists annually, has left many disappointed that full access to some of its most popular sites was curtailed by a major landslide in 2021, triggered by the rapid warming of a glacier on which the roadway was built.
Repairing and maintaining the roadway had been a challenge since it was built in the 1960s, and in response to the 2021 landslide, park officials called on the National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping (NCALM) to create a first-of-itskind terrain map of the roadway corridor.
Given Alaska’s typically short flying windows due to adverse weather conditions and dramatic elevation shifts around Mount Denali, NCALM used an airborne sensor carrying a lidar and camera system to capture 500-square-kilometers. Compared to traditional methods, this method meant they completed their flight and field operations in nearly half the time.
The resulting model serves as a 2023 baseline, helping Denali officials measure, track, and predict future road movement as thawing continues. Coupled with ongoing elevation mapping, the terrain model not only enables fully informed infrastructure maintenance and repair to keep the park safely
open for visitors, but also supports ongoing research into the landscape’s dynamic changes and preparation for the impact of harsh weather conditions and landslides.
TRULY GLOBAL INNOVATION
The evolution of hybrid aerial mapping technologies and techniques is unlocking new ways to tackle critical global challenges. From digitally recreating cities for sustainable development, to enabling new business models for biodiversity conservation, to safely managing infrastructure in changing environments, aerial mapping technology is improving the speed, accuracy, and adaptability with which we build and conserve our world.
As digital processing software and AI capabilities advance, the data we gather will become increasingly insightful and accessible, not just for planners or researchers, but for everyone. ■
John Welter is the President of Geospatial Content Solutions at Hexagon Geosystems, based in Washington D.C. With three decades of extensive and demonstrated experience in the information technology and services industry, Welter is an expert on topics including geospatial services, airborne mapping technology, big data concepts, and IT strategy.
Adina Gillespie is the Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Hexagon Geosystems. With more than 15 years of experience in Earth observation (EO) technology, she focuses on advancing technology and data analytics adoption in institutions. Her primary goal is to optimize remote sensing technology utilization in both the public and private sectors.
The digital twin of the city of Nottingham in England.
A lidar point cloud of rainforest vegetation in the COBIGA corridor in Costa Rica.
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Better Wine with GIS
One of the best vineyards in the world receives care and correction guided by smart maps
BY MATT BALL
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF THE SYMINGTON FAMILY ESTATES
The conditions that propelled the 2011 Dow’s Vintage Port to be named Wine Spectator’s 2014 Wine of the Year are well documented but difficult to duplicate. That’s why the phrase “it was a good year” resonates so strongly with winemakers and wine enthusiasts everywhere.
According to Pedro Leal da Costa, head of viticulture at Symington Family Estates, the rain came at the right time, the temperature and humidity fluctuations were perfect, and the ripening pace was ideal.
Symington Family Estates produces some of the top port wines of
the world, in the Douro River Valley in Portugal, for brands that include Graham’s, Dow’s, Warre’s, Cockburn’s, Quinta do Vesuvio, and Prats + Symington. While the company can’t control the weather—especially now with the more extreme conditions brought on by climate change—it can refine its processes.
“We’re always looking for the top science in agriculture to produce a better product,” Leal da Costa said.
Symington’s winemakers record the changing conditions and the corresponding health of the grapes and soil by using an enterprise geographic information system (GIS). It allows them to track the variables for each of the family’s 27 estates.
The health and ripeness of every bunch of 53 different varieties of grapes of the Grape Library project managed by the R&D team, along with the maturation network, get tracked in GIS. The data is used to create maps that guide field crews across each winery.
GIS also helps determine timing, which Leal da Costa calls its superpower.
“We have to wait for the grapes, to know when to stop, when to advance, and when to harvest,” continued Leal da Costa.
QUALITY HINGES ON THE HARVEST
Leal da Costa often sends pickers to the same
vines many times to ensure that only the ripest grapes are harvested. Grapes are monitored, sampled, tasted, and chemically analyzed to determine the right timing.
“We have a map of the phenological stages of the grapes,” Leal da Costa said, referring to the seasonal biological events that are influenced by climatic factors. The mapping includes close-up photos of grape clusters and high-resolution aerial imagery for both the micro scale of each vine and the macro scale of each winery. Analysis of the samples and images of the size and color of the grapes helps determine where the best quality grapes are at that moment.
“Harvest time is the most important time of the year for our use of GIS,” Leal da Costa said. “We look at the results from all parcels in real time, recording all the grapes as they are gathered.”
Every Monday throughout the year, Leal da Costa examines the data with Fernando Alves, head of Symington’s research and development viticulture team, and all team technicians. They look across the operation at the timing and amount of applied fertilizer and pest treatments, the weather, and the work being done.
The data is visualized and pored over to map problems and solutions and adjust for efficiency and profit. If results indicate that a specific treatment worked well, it gets repeated across vineyards.
THE FOUNDATIONS OF SUSTAINABILITY
The Symington family has a long-term view of investments in its vineyards. Every
Images and data are collected for each vine and grape bunch to time treatments and harvest.
The steep Douro River Valley contains all 27 port wineries owned by the Symington family, which is now managed by its fifth generation.
plant matures for six years before it reaches full production. That’s a long view for most agricultural operations, but not a long time for the family business, which extends back five generations.
“It’s a very slow business,” Leal da Costa said. “This is not for people who want to make money quickly.”
Symington prides itself on constant improvements and staying at the forefront of the port and winery business. A data-driven approach has been applied for decades to monitor each estate as well as to keep track of grape maturity.
Through GIS, viticulturists manage the health of the soil, ensuring its fertility for future crops. GIS also helps them to implement strategies aimed
at mitigating the impacts of climate change on their vineyards.
Soil health is of particular importance in this rocky region.
“We have to improve the quality of soil, breaking down our soft stone soil to construct new soil that’s better and deeper,” Leal da Costa said.
The attention to soil is another long process of care and correction. The rocky schist soils of the Douro River Valley have low levels of organic matter and are too acidic. Using GIS to analyze the different parameters affecting soils, vintners can make informed decisions on how to improve and maintain the quality.
“We have to introduce calcium to up the pH of soils closer to 6.3 when
Top: The app includes dashboards that display progress of harvest and other metrics. Bottom: A map of each of the Symington family’s 27 estates displays detailed data.
they naturally are at 4.8. It’s not easy, but it works,” he said.
DECADES OF DATA-DRIVEN IMPROVEMENTS
“You can make good wine or bad wine with good grapes,” Leal da Costa likes to say, “but you can’t make good wine with bad grapes.”
His background in soil fertility and plant nutrition includes work with a lab located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, that prides itself on having scientists who don’t mind getting dirty. He would send soil samples from Spain and Portugal and get results that improved production quality.
“It was quite a revolution because we didn’t sell fertilizers, we sold ideas,” Leal da Costa said.
In this work, he helped farmers growing grapes, olives, and other produce. His passion for viticulture, and the geographic approach, led him to Symington. There he has concentrated on improving the fertility of the soil with a focus on quality grapes rather than abundance.
“A big amount does not produce the best results,” Leal da Costa said. “You make the most money when you have perfect grapes, and you produce the best wine.”
To make the grapes better, detailed management plans are adapted to each location. Approaches differ for sites that are too humid or too dry, and for different soil profiles. The maps inform the field work.
“We know what to do in each place and more or less when,” Leal da Costa said. “We have all the information, and we know the results and where we are spending our time.”
DEVELOPING RESEARCH WINERIES AND A LIBRARY OF RESILIENT GRAPE VARIETIES
With five generations of port making in Portugal, Symington Family Estates has a strong commitment to the uniqueness of the growing conditions and the grapes that make port wine.
The company set aside a vineyard in 1997 for research to dive more deeply into the science and to experiment with planting and identifying the best varieties to use for each of its 27
vineyards. Since then, two more research sites have been planted at different altitudes to account for all of the conditions in the Douro River Valley.
The vineyards contain 53 grape varieties (29 red and 24 white), with careful attention paid to providing equal conditions for all grapes to conduct meaningful comparisons with the help of researchers from various universities. The aim is to understand how varieties tolerate heat and drought to safeguard and preserve Portuguese grape varieties from the pressures of climate change.
The data gathered from each vine is carefully mapped to conditions with an eye toward future conditions to make sure port wines continue.
“It’s not just for us,” Leal da Costa said. “It’s for the region.”
ADAPTING TO THE LOCATION AND CONDITIONS
Maps aid the connection between viticulture, the cultivation of the grapes, and enology, the winemaking. The common language involves the micro terroir of each vineyard, which relates the influence of altitude, temperature, and proximity to the river in the taste of the grapes. The level of detail and precision of this knowledge improves the quality of the grapes and determines the right mix of grapes in each wine.
“We are always talking between the winery and the fields with maps,” Leal da Costa said. The maps go to field managers to show exactly where to harvest. Changes to the map inform everyone of the work ahead and keep them centered on quality.
Wine Spectator commended the 2011
Dow’s Vintage Port for its chocolate and spice flavors and its “almost endless finish.” All the workers at Symington can relate to the endless comment, since that’s how they approach the work—learning from the data to make constant improvements.
“I meet with Charles Symington every two days,” Leal da Costa said. “We can see where problems are, where we have advanced ripeness, and where we should slow down because we’re going too fast.”
GIS is a perfect fit for an organization that emphasizes quality over
quantity. “We can do an excellent job using this microscopic viticulture in big areas,” Leal da Costa said. ■
Matt Ball is the editor of the Esri Blog and writes about innovative applications of geospatial technology. With nearly 30 years of reporting on GIS technology, he has chased future-forward user stories and watched as ideas, tools, and approaches have become common practice.
The viticulture team can access data from phones to check on grape conditions and quality readings.
A map of each of the Symington family's 27 estates displays detailed data.
MET EOR IC Rise of Drone Photogrammetry in Emerging Markets
By Juan Plaza
The general aviation (GA) industry in the United States is enormous, and that has contributed to the rapid development of traditional aerial photogrammetry in our country over the last six or seven decades. Aircraft acquisition, maintenance and adaptation of cameras and sensors are relatively easy and certifications of such modifications with the federal aviation administration (FAA) are straightforward.
The same is not necessarily the case in every country around the world as GA aircraft are rare and aviation mechanics and spare parts are not easy to find. That is why in most developing countries, aerial photogrammetry needs were fulfilled by international contractors, the mandatory military mapping agency, or, though rarely, a local company with a small single-engine plane and a simple camera.
With the advent of drones, small cartographic cameras, and incredibly powerful and inexpensive photogrammetry software, more and more traditional land surveyors are adopting and add-
ing aerial capabilities to their practices.
Chile in particular is a very interesting case because of the complexity of its geography and the enormous distances that professionals have to encompass in order to attend a national clientele.
We found a company in Santiago de Chile, Ingenieria Geomatica Tres, or IG3, that has been mapping with drones since 2011 when the company adopted a crude, early platform and some basic photogrammetry software to complement their field work. We spoke with IG3’s founder and CEO Alfredo Solorza for a fascinating conversation on how our industry has evolved from exclusive and expensive to available and affordable.
“I was lucky to be a geodesy professional and serving in the Chilean navy at the same time. That allowed me to join the area of the force that was in charge of mapping the coast,” Solorza said. “We had our own aircraft and an entire battery of stereoplotters and for years I learned the tricks of the trade. For example, how to strategically place ground control points (GPT)
to satisfy the strength of our photogrammetry model, the requirements of photography overlap, both longitudinal and transversal. It was a crash course in the entire workflow of a photogramme-
try mission, from planning the flight to plotting the final map.”
In 2005 the Chilean navy began using satellite photographs to add cartography to some of the more isolated and remote
areas of the country. Areas that were difficult to access with traditional aircraft due to altitude or distance.
“I used satellite imagery to create some great maps of regions that had never been mapped before.” Solorza said. “But in 2008 the time came for me to retire, and I created my own land surveying practice in partnership with a Canadian company that had an earlier lidar sensor mounted in a helicopter. With this technology we began creating amazing 3D imagery of areas that were earmarked for development of roads and electric transmission lines.”
The transition from government work to private practice gave Solorza a new perspective on the importance of costs and profit, and therefore he embarked on a crusade to find ways to replace the helicopter and still be able to provide his customers with the same quality aerial product.
Introduction of fixed wing platform in support of road infrastructure in southern Chile.
A UAV flies a mission of a photogrammetric project involving an electric transmission line project in Region de Atacama Chile.
“In 2011 we bought our first DJI drone and a copy of an early version of PIX4D, and with that we began our incursion in the world of aerial photogrammetry with a remotely piloted aircraft (RPA),” Solorza said. “The first few jobs were just to use the drone to complement the ground crews by creating a digital terrain model (DTM) that would allow the office personnel to digitally remove buildings and structures that cluttered the final cartographic product.”
It would be useful to remember that PIX4D launched its first version in 2011 and that drones that year had limited capabilities to perform complex photogram-
“In 2022 we upgraded our DJI platform with a lidar and at that point the accuracy and quality of the end product was so spectacular that we moved 90 percent of our mapping operations to be aerial, with the ground crews only playing a support role,” Solorza said. “We fly the area with two sensors, one conventional imagery and then with the lidar and this way we have an orthophotomosaic that contains precise elevation and a healthy number of control points to prove our accuracy.”
There are a number of ways to use drones in photogrammetry, and Solorza and his team have decided that the best and most efficient way to use their uncrewed aircraft would be using PPK (post processing kinematic) for some more precise missions and RTK (real time kinematic) for less rigorous jobs.
have specialized in two basic products, one is the 1:1,000 with contour lines every meter (3.28 feet) and second, the 1:500 with contour lines every 50 centimeters (1.64 feet). These two digital maps are essential for the design of roads and electric transmission lines that our customers require. With this basic cartography, we can create 3D models of any surface, allowing the design engineers to create their networks over a realistic 3D version of the terrain as opposed to a flat surface that requires a lot of conversion work to be effective. Now we are planning to upgrade to the latest generation of lidar technology and keep up with the pace of technology.”
It is clear that traditional photogrammetry will continue to exist for large areas and high-altitude jobs, such as mountains and high plateaus, but companies around the world are adopting these incredible and affordable aerial uncrewed platforms which have the capability to convert any land surveying firm into a solid aerial photogrammetry concern. ■
metry mission, and therefore Solorza and his team at IG3 were world pioneers in the emerging science of uncrewed mapping.
“Today we can deploy our drones to any part of the country in a matter of days and execute the most complex jobs in record time,” Solorza said proudly. “We
Juan B. Plaza is CEO of Plaza Aerospace, a drone and general aviation consulting firm specializing in modern uses for manned and unmanned aviation in mapping, lidar, and precision GNSS.
More than 13,000 feet above sea level, a renewable energy project in Atacama desert Chile.
A photogrammetric project using idar for an expansion project of an electrical substation in Santiago, Chile.
SURVEYORS IN DEMAND
An exercise in public relations
We live in an age where everything is expected to be instantaneous and have our needs met within our short attention span of self-gratification. Because of technological advances borne from measuring and positioning systems surveyors use every day, the world around us has brought literally everything to our fingertips.
Groceries and household goods? Instacart. Takeout food? DoorDash. Need a ride? Uber. Handyman services? Angi. Everything else? Amazon. All these companies/apps share a common bond of location-based services, and they put the power of summoning them to your door within the confines of your cellphone.
The lack of flying cars aside, have we truly reached the age where civilization looks like “The Jetsons” cartoon from the early 1960s? (The show is supposed to take place in 2062, so flying cars could still happen.)
The advancement of technology has placed an expectation of nearly every service into one’s immediate availability and need, with an added twist of non-personal communication as the conduit for establishing your service request.
al Surveyors (NSPS), we constantly field calls, emails, and social media messages from potential surveying clients who think we are going to put them in touch with someone to serve their needs. The general context of the message goes like this:
• I only need a “simple” land survey.
• Why do I need the survey anyway?
• Most surveyors will not answer a phone call or return email,
• If they do, the time frames are “outrageous” (four weeks to six months).
• The fees are ridiculous and many times
BY TIM W. BURCH
pick up the call, what are their timeframes?
Do you get a range of fees? How do you know if the fees are competitive? Same goes for an architect or engineer; how do you evaluate their cost estimates and lead times?
How about a contractor for a non-emergency service or project? If they give you a reasonable timeframe, how do evaluate their cost estimates for your project? They might not have professional licenses or certifications, but they do perform a service that involves significant cost and coordinated timeframes.
what my attorney/realtor says they should be.
• Is there any way I can do this myself?
So, other than the location-based information, what does this have to do with professional surveying? Everything, so let’s dive a bit deeper into today’s business environment.
PROBLEMS WE FACE
Here at the National Society of Profession-
Before diving into what the typical NSPS staff rebuttal is to these requests, let’s examine a few other professional services and businesses for reference to our situation. When is the last time you have cold called a personal service provider (doctor/dentist/ optometrist/attorney) to inquire about an appointment? Do they return calls and/or emails about your inquiry?
If you are fortunate enough to have them
The simple answer is the public does not place the professional surveyor in the same high standing as these services. Each of these professions are seen through the eyes of the public as professionals, whereas the professional surveyor is still seen as a tradesman who performs a menial service typically required by necessity.
THE COMMON GROUND
What do all these professional and construction services have in common? They all lack the necessary number of workers to meet the demands of the public, who have become accustomed to instantaneous response and satisfaction, all at reasonable pricing. In many places throughout the U.S., the scarcity of a professional surveyor is obvious (see map).
The surveying profession has also been afflicted with several factors that has set it back for decades:
• Surveying practitioners who have provided their services with low profit margins,
keeping the normal standard of price expectancy below the actual value of the service rendered.
• Opinions of survey pricing provided by attorneys and real estate agents to prospective clients that establish an artificially low value of our services.
• Lack of professionalism by the surveyor in conducting their services.
Another factor that has influenced (and lowered) the importance of the professional surveyor is the decreased cost for purchasing equipment and software for performing survey-related tasks. This situation has led to expanded usage of GNSS through handheld devices and cellphone technology by non-surveyors.
The public’s perception is that anyone can find property markers with a low-cost metal detector in conjunction with publicly available GIS information to perform their “survey,” so why pay a professional to do it?
EDUCATING THE PUBLIC
Rather than continuing with the status quo of blindly turning our clients away with unexpected timeframes and costs, we need to build upon a forward-thinking strategy of educating them on the value of surveying by a professional. Here are several key strategies to consider when corresponding with our clients:
• Create a compelling narrative: Develop a story that highlights the value and impact of the profession.
• Understand their needs:
• Why do they need a survey?
• What information are they seeking?
• What are their pain points?
• Interact with your audience: Respond to comments and
Surveyors should participate in career fairs and events to connect with potential students and employees.
messages promptly.
• Address misconceptions: Correct inaccurate information about the field.
• Consistent messaging: Ensure all communication aligns with the brand identity.
• Identify key demographics: Who needs to know about your profession? Students, job seekers, potential clients, or the public?
• Tailor your message: Create content and messaging that resonates with your target audience.
• Highlight success stories: Showcase the positive impact of the profession.
• Open houses: Invite the public to learn about the profession firsthand.
• Webinars and workshops: Offer online and in-person events to share knowledge about our profession.
• Collaborate with other professionals: Build partnerships within the industry.
• Offer mentorship opportunities: Connect experienced professionals with aspiring ones.
• Leverage employee advocacy: Encourage employees to share their experiences.
By increasing our communication with the public and helping them to understand the impact of surveying on the world around us, we can raise the professional profile of the surveyor. The goal of our practitioners should be to elevate the value and respect of the profession, but we must do our part to earn those characteristics from the public we serve. While the surveyor might not be seen as a potential lifesaver like a medical professional, the services we provide do directly affect how our clients interact and function in their daily lives. We simply need to become better storytellers of who we are and be greater advocates for our professional services.
There is an adage that states: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best is now.” If we start planting those survey “trees” now, the sooner we can become the trusted profession the public needs us to be. ■
Tim W. Burch is executive director of the National Society of Professional Surveyors.
Technology in Action
What the Lunabotics 2024 competition tells us about lidar and the future of engineers
BY MACK KOWALSKI
Two judges monitor the competition.
If I were to use the word “regolith” would you know what I meant?
Honestly, I didn’t until I sat down with Shawn Asher and talked about a robotics competition he took part in. In the famous words of the security guard from Joe Dirt, “Don't try to church it up son, don’t you mean dirt?"
Regolith is another word for dirt. On Earth, we have soil mixed with organic living matter, but on other planets and the moon, it is a consistency more like dust. Generally, when people refer to regolith, they are using a fancy word for moon dirt.
Asher’s journey began with a call from Parks Easter, who was deeply involved in developing moon-like regolith for research and educational purposes. Parks needed an expert in lidar technology to ensure that the robots used in the competition could accurately measure the volume of collected regolith. Asher, with his extensive background in lidar technology, was the perfect fit for this challenge.
One of the first tasks was to select a suitable lidar sensor that could perform reliably in a dusty, harsh environment. Asher’s extensive research led him to the RIEGL VZ-600i, a state-of-the-art lidar sensor known for its robustness and precision. Tan Nguyen, the RIEGL USA division manager of terrestrial laser scanning, assured Asher that the VZ-600i was not only capable of being integrated into a robot but also equipped with onboard processing capabilities to handle volume calculations. This was crucial because the environment in which the robots operated was designed to simulate the moon's surface as closely as possible, complete with fine, pervasive dust particles.
The reliability and accuracy of the lidar sensor were paramount. The competition’s environment, a large room divided into two sections, required precise measurement tools. To ensure consistency, two RIEGL VZ-600i sensors were used. RIEGL provided one, and Allen & Company provided the other. The challenge was to mount these sensors in a location free from vibrations and other disturbances that could introduce errors in the measurements. Given the stringent conditions—entry to the area required full protective gear—Asher and his team had to devise a solution that minimized the need for adjustments or
repairs during the competition.
With the technical setup finalized, the competition commenced. More than 50 collegiate teams from across the United States gathered at the University of Florida for the first round. The primary task for each robot was to navigate the simulated lunar environment, collect regolith, and create a pile for volume measurement. After each robot completed its task, the regolith had to be raked and rescanned to establish a new baseline surface for subsequent measurements. This process ensured that each robot had an equal opportunity to demonstrate its capabilities.
The robots then collected regolith, which was scanned to create a surface model. The lidar system then performed a volume calculation. This process was crucial in determining the efficiency and effectiveness of each robot. Out of the 50 teams, 10 were selected to move on to the next round at Kennedy Space Center, where the regolith presented a new challenge due to its magnetic properties.
While the laser scanning was a small part of the overall competition, its impact was significant. Many of the participating teams had only encountered lidar technology in the context of self-driving cars or basic distance measurements. This competition exposed them to the broader potential of lidar, including environmental mapping and route planning. This exposure is invaluable for young engineers, helping them understand the practical applications of their studies in real-world scenarios.
The competition at Kennedy Space Center introduced a new layer of complexity. The regolith used there had magnetic properties, presenting additional challenges for the robots and the lidar sensors. However, the RIEGL VZ-600i sensors proved up to the task, demonstrating their versatility and reliability in diverse conditions.
The teams that advanced to this stage had to adapt to the new environment, recalibrating their robots and adjusting their strategies to handle the magnetic regolith. This stage of the competition further underscored the importance of adaptability and innovation in engineering, as teams had to think on their feet and troubleshoot unexpected issues.
Throughout the competition, the role of lidar technology remained pivotal. The ability to accurately measure the volume of collected regolith was essential for determining the success of each robot's task. The precision and reliability of the RIEGL VZ-600i sensors ensured that the measurements were consistent and accurate, providing a fair basis for judging the competition.
Asher’s involvement in the competition didn’t end with the selection and setup of the lidar sensors. He played an ongoing role in ensuring that the sensors operated flawlessly throughout the event. This involved monitoring the data collected, troubleshooting any issues that arose, and supporting the teams as they navigated the competition’s challenges. Nguyen also assisted Asher with the volume calculations during the testing phase, ensuring the data accuracy.
During competition, an autonomous vehicle builds a berm with near real-time updates via lidar data from RIEGL VZ-600i.
In the end, Lunabotics 2024 was more than just a contest. It was a valuable learning experience. The students gained handson experience with advanced technologies and learned to apply theoretical knowledge in practical situations. They also developed problem-solving skills, teamwork, and the ability to adapt to new challenges—skills that are essential for any engineer.
For Asher, the competition was an opportunity to mentor the next generation of engineers and share his expertise in lidar technology. It also provided a platform to demonstrate the capabilities of the RIEGL VZ-600i sensors in a challenging and innovative application.
Lunabotics 2024 highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in advancing technology. The partnership between Exolith Labs, the University of Florida, RIEGL, and the participating teams showcased how combining expertise from different fields can lead to innovative solutions and new discoveries.
As the competition ended, it was clear that everyone involved had gained valuable insights and experiences. The students walked away with a deeper understanding of lidar technology and its applications and a sense of accomplishment from overcoming the challenges presented by the competition. Asher and his colleagues saw firsthand the potential of the next generation of engineers and were inspired by their creativity and determination.
Looking ahead, the success of Lunabotics 2024 opens the door for future events and collaborations. It sets a precedent for using robotics competitions as a platform for education and innovation, inspiring more students to pursue careers in engineering and technology. The lessons learned from this competition will undoubtedly inform future efforts to develop and refine technologies for space exploration and other challenging environments.
Lunabotics 2024 was a groundbreaking event that brought together talented individuals from various fields to tackle a unique and challenging problem. Through their collaboration and innovation, they demonstrated the power of technology to solve complex issues and inspire the next generation of engineers. The competition not only advanced our understanding of lidar technology and its applications but also highlighted the importance of hands-on, practical experiences in engineering education. ■
Mack Kowalski has more than 10 years of experience in layout management and laser scanning to provide innovative solutions and services to our clients and partners. His passion to push the boundaries of technology and delivering high-quality results in every project led him to co-found LiDAholics consulting firm.
During competition, an autonomous vehicle builds a berm with near real-time updates via lidar data from RIEGL VZ-600i.
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Street vendors in 18th century Europe hawked just about anything to satisfy the needs of their clients. They sold staples such as fresh fish, meats, kitchenware, as well as the latest fashionable clothes and home accessories. They also peddled maps.
It was popular back then to hang maps on walls of houses, not only among affluent families, but also in modest homes and workshops. Whatever geographic accuracy that these maps lacked was filled-up instead with an abundance of colorful lines, symbols, and shapes. People bought these decorative maps as status symbols and rarely used them for orientation or navigation. They also offered their owners a snapshot of how the world was expanding in distant lands.
This elegantly dressed-up map seller holds a map showing just that. In his right hand is an unfurled map
displaying the North and South American continents bounded in staggered green lines. Check closely and you can see the boundaries of Florida, Brazil, and Peru as they existed during that time.
Toward the Carribean and the Pacific Ocean are a scattering of islands depicted as dots and colored with tints of orange, yellow, and red. Look for other classic map elements that the designer added to the figure, such as the line of the Equator that divides the map in half, and the bold horizontal line just above the word “AMERICA,” which appears like a scale bar (it’s not). He also holds a rolled-up map in his
left hand, and on his back he carries a pack full of other maps. The cartographic business must have been brisk. Small porcelain figures like this one were once popular items for collecting, and were inspired by Guillaume de Villeneuve’s 13th century poem, “Crieries de Paris” (Street Hawkers of Paris). Made by the Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory in England around 1755, the map seller is now part of the porcelain collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. When this small seven-inch figurine was made, much of the western United States has not yet been settled. Clearly, California was not deliberately left out due to lack of space.
