Techniques, hardware and software supporting the surveying profession have continued to evolve, including the introduction of new technologies driving more efficient, accurate and powerful surveying workflows. Learn more about the evolving world of surveying through a series of real-world case studies and a discussion from experts about the latest technologies. 

Session moderated by Stewart Walker, LIDAR Magazine

How Three Survey Techniques Combined to Create a Digital Twin of Murray Dam

On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union successfully launched into orbit the world’s first artificial satellite, Sputnik. The significance of the successful launching was not so much Sputnik, but the huge Soviet rocket that hurled the satellite into space. The US evaluated the strategic importance of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM) to national security. During the cold war, a vast arsenal of nuclear missiles were placed around the country. The Minuteman family of missiles have served as the backbone of the U.S. land-based nuclear strategic force since 1961 and currently has 440 missiles in its arsenal.  

The Space Force and Air Force is now moving forward with the follow-on missile program, the Ground-based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD). One component of the project was to capture the existing conditions of the original ICBM facility for cultural and historical preservation as well as other tasks. The focus on this presentation will cover how we leveraged various data acquisition payloads (e.g. drones, lidar, 360 cameras, etc.) to capture outside and inside a launch facility as well as a missile silo site. We will also cover the advantages and obstacles encountered during the survey and the overall benefits of the digital twin and future plans.  

Carlos Femmer, HDR Engineering, Inc.

How UAV/UAS Solutions Are Leveraging AI to Optimize Lidar for Mapping and Surveying Operations

In this presentation, Brad Smith, Drone Nerds' Director of Sales, will discuss how drones use lidar for collecting and processing geospatial data, and how those drones can leverage new AI technologies to optimize surveying and mapping operations throughout various industries. Because UAV programs are new to many industries, our presentation will also discuss how to develop and implement a program within an organization, from discovery to maintenance.

First, we will discuss what drone solutions are being used by other organizations within the industry, and the different types of payloads and software that are available. Then, we will discuss how to begin the discovery process for selecting the right drone program for your organization's needs, and how to use them to optimize the different processes used within that set of specific use cases. 

Throughout the presentation, we will dive into how to select the right hardware, software, and sensors to achieve the best outcome, and discuss the typical selection process. We will go over how organizations can build a solution that guarantees reliable uptime. 

Toward the end of the presentation, we will highlight the importance of understanding the benefits drones can provide, and the ROI a properly implemented drone program offers.

The presentation will have examples of other organizations' success, using case studies of current customers that we have helped scale over the last few years.

Brad Smith, Drone Nerds, Inc.

Producing Combined Datasets from Numerous Terrestrial, Mobile, and Subaqueous Platforms

The presentation will focus on working with numerous platforms and sensors to collect geospatial data and integrating that data into a seamless dataset. Data collection platforms shall include boats, automobiles, UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), USVs (unmanned surface vessels), airplanes, and backpacks. Sensor technology shall include terrestrial lidar, aerial (fixed wing aircraft) lidar, mobile lidar, UAV lidar, SLAM mobile lidar, single beam and multi beam sonar. The presentation shall discuss methodology for producing combined datasets, including collection methodology, processing, and quality control of the data, and deliverables. Including deliverables of digital twins, imagery, or 2D and 3D map products. Utilizing all of the above technology in a small business.

David O'Brien, SurvTech Solutions, Inc.