Presentations in this session will show how advanced photogrammetric techniques are applied to imagery acquired with a variety of optical sensors to produce high resolution/high-accuracy mapping and information products.
1:00 PM – 1:15 PM – The Digital Twin Advantage: How Accurate Geospatial Data Powers the Future of High-Fidelity Modeling
Digital twins are rapidly becoming essential infrastructure, transforming how we design, manage, and optimize the physical world. But creating accurate, scalable digital twins starts with precise, consistent, and high-quality geospatial data. This session explores how Vexcel delivers this foundation by combining advanced aerial camera hardware with industry-leading processing algorithms and workflows.
Vexcel’s geometrically and radiometrically calibrated UltraCam aerial cameras—such as the Eagle, Osprey, and hybrid systems like the Dragon combining imagery and LiDAR—capture high-resolution data with exceptional accuracy. This data is processed through highly automated workflows to produce photogrammetric imagery that forms the basis for derivatives such as DSMs, DTMs, ortho mosaics, and 3D TINs. The result is perfectly aligned and globally consistent datasets ready for large-scale applications.
Whether you’re modeling smart cities, managing critical infrastructure, or developing and monitoring utilities, Vexcel provides the data backbone to create living digital replicas of the world. Through the Vexcel Data Program—the world’s largest aerial imagery and geospatial data program covering over 40 countries—organizations gain seamless access to high-resolution and ultra-high-resolution data. This empowers confident reality modeling at scale, enabling smarter decisions, better planning, and more resilient infrastructure.
Bernhard Schachinger, Vexcel Imaging
1:15 PM – 1:30 PM – Absolute Accuracy Submeter 3D Satellite Imagery
We present our innovative method to improve satellite imagery to submeter 3D absolute accuracy using Mobile Mapping Vehicle roadway trajectories – pose points – as control. It is production ready and the coverage is global. In contrast to the traditional photogrammetric method we take an information theory approach to the improvement of the sensor adjustable parameters. Pose points are created every tenth of a second as a Mobile Mapping Vehicle travels along its route. Though they are not visible, not photo-identifiable, in imagery like GCPs these highly accurate three-dimensional points are very dense. Such control has already been collected, is available off-the-shelf nearly everywhere so the scope of the described capability is worldwide. The effectiveness of this method has been proven in dozens of cases. We will present examples in difficult parts of the world.
Jan Van Sickle, Van Sickle LLC
1:30 PM – 1:45 PM – Ground Control Points and Chaos: Managing Accuracy in Multi-Source Data Projects
Modern data acquisition for geospatial projects increasingly requires higher accuracy for survey data with lidar, GPS, and freely available geodata. While public datasets, such as state repositories, county GIS, and repeat orthophoto collections, offer valuable context, they often contain inconsistencies, questionable accuracy, or obvious misalignments with recent ground surveys.
This presentation explores practical solutions for identifying and resolving these discrepancies. We’ll dive into daily workflows involving GNSS-based surveying, total station work, and leveling, and how these traditional methods interface with lidar point clouds, photogrammetry, and external datasets. We’ll also examine the unique challenges posed by integrating subdivision plats from licensed surveyors and open-access datasets with project-specific data.
Drawing from years of hands-on field experience and data processing, we’ll discuss how acquisition methods and sensors create the desired products. Real-world project examples illustrate how smart data fusion, validation, and remote dataset management can improve both efficiency and data quality.
Philipp Hummel, CompassData
1:45 PM – 2:00 PM – Rebuilding Communities & Infrastructure Through Innovative Geospatial Approaches
In late September 2024, Hurricane Helene left more than a dozen Western North Carolina counties devastated by drastic rainfall, floods, and mudslides. Entire communities and the infrastructure that supports them were destroyed, significantly impacting locals and the relief efforts needed to assist them. At the request of NCDOT, GPI Geospatial provided emergency response surveying and mapping services for 22 miles of US19 West just 60 days after Hurricane Helene. The scope of work required land surveying, aerial lidar, and photogrammetric mapping to support the engineering design for this significant roadway. This project’s scale and time-sensitive nature required us to quickly assign and mobilize survey crews, flight crews, and production staff to meet the accelerated schedule. Roadways were damaged or destroyed in many areas, limiting access to viable control point locations, and area communication networks were down, preventing access to the NCGS Real-Time GNSS Network. Our team devised a solution to provide accurate GPS surveying for ground control points, and our flight team captured aerial lidar and imagery simultaneously to support design-grade surface modeling, orthophotography, and survey-grade mapping. This challenging project was completed and delivered on an expedited schedule to NCDOT and proved to be an effective solution for providing emergency response transportation progressive design-build projects.
Paul Badr, GPI Geospatial, Inc.
2:00 PM – 2:15 PM – Validating the Spatial Accuracy of VIIRS Active Fire Detections Using Ground Truth and Deep Learning-Derived Fire Maps
Accurate identification and mapping of burned areas are essential for informing legal guidelines, especially in addressing air pollution and public health. Traditional methods for analyzing agricultural biomass burning activities have relied heavily on localized reports and ground-based assessments. However, satellite-based observations offer the potential to evaluate fire activity across vast geographic regions and at varying spatial and temporal resolutions. The introduction of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) has enhanced the scope and precision of fire detection. Its capabilities, particularly the Day-Night Band and fire radiative power (FRP) measurements, enable improved detection of thermal anomalies, including nighttime fires, and provide valuable data on fire intensity. While several methods, such as reflectance bands, infrared sensors, and deep learning algorithms, have been developed to detect fire activity using satellite imagery, comprehensive comparisons of their results remain limited. This study aims to evaluate and compare the performance of thermal sensors and deep learning-based image segmentation models in detecting burned areas as indicators of fire activity.
Chris Flores, San Diego State University
2:15 PM – 2:30 PM – Shift Happens – Rethinking Geospatial in the Fourth Dimension
We live in a four-dimensional world. For centuries, surveying and mapping professionals have simplified our planet into 3D, 2.5D, or even 2D representations to mitigate shortcomings in technology, education, and scientific understanding. While some progress has been made on the third dimension in recent decades, the fourth dimension (time) has continued to elude significant consideration… until now. Widespread demand for systematic change detection analysis and growth of national geospatial data programs have forced the evolution of geospatial data into the fourth dimension in the USA and abroad. New developments such as ASPRS’s release of LAS 1.5, NGS’s imminent completion of NATRF2022 and NAPGD2022, and OGC’s development of WKT version 2 are just the beginning. This presentation will build on a myriad of practical case studies, culminating in a proven and repeatable approach to temporal geospatial data management and production. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of how to prepare their organizations for the next generation of geospatial data: dynamic, reusable, and future-ready.
Evon Silvia, NV5 / ASPRS
