Unique Case Studies

How are lidar, photogrammetry, and other emerging technologies being used in unique, innovative, and forward-thinking ways? This fast-paced session will showcase some of the most interesting and sometimes category-defying applications of lidar and reality capture, coming from places you might not expect, and at scales that we have not seen before. Don’t miss this session if you want to be inspired and hear about some truly unique projects.

Drones for Orphan Wells: Applying Modern Solutions to a Century Old Problem
Oil, brine, and/or methane, a potent greenhouse gas, can leak from the estimated 3 to 4 million abandoned oil and gas wells in the U.S. and Canada, including an estimated 900,000 orphan wells in the U.S. Many of these wells from the early discovery era are over 100 years old, are poorly documented, poorly plugged, and lie waiting under the surface leaking into the soils, and groundwater.  Many of these wells, especially those abandoned around the World War II era, were stripped of their steel casing for scrap causing conventional surface magnetic detection methods for locating the wells to be inconclusive.

Utilizing new UAV-mounted magnetometers and LiDAR, large parcels of property can be quickly surveyed to reveal the locations of these abandoned and often long-forgotten wells with great accuracy, even with tops of casing several hundred feet below surface, through dense vegetation, uneven terrain, and wetlands that would hinder ground survey methods. Utilizing up front surveys with UAV sensors, hydrogeological investigation areas can be effectively pinpointed along with complete terrain mapping, shareable via web-based GIS, to reveal the most efficient access routes and expediting any necessary permit applications.

Ron Krawczyk, Parsons Corporation

Navigating Digital Twins: Reality Capture in Student Housing Projects
“Digital Twin” is a broad term – especially in the construction industry. From facilities maintenance information tied to models to as-built location data to feedback sensors, the term grants contractors to ask clients, “What do you actually want as an end deliverable?” Often, clients may have a convoluted view of what is necessary, desired, or even useable data on their projects. Join as the Weitz Company reviews how they approached a lofty request from a client – and utilized an arsenal of reality capture solutions to deliver a complex “digital twin.” We will discuss the challenges and strategies used, as well as the plethora of data captured that served to support the build outside of the end deliverable needed.

Logan McGuinness, The Weitz Company

The Mystery of Windmills: Preserving World’s Cultural Heritage through Photogrammetry
Embark on a journey through time as we explore the preservation of windmills. This presentation takes us from Lithuania to neighboring countries, digitally preserving over 500 windmills in just three years.

Windmills hold historical significance, symbolizing human ingenuity in harnessing the power of nature. Through aerial photography and ground-level data collection, photogrammetry techniques were used to create immersive 3D models, breathing new life into endangered heritage structures.

Witness the urgency of documenting windmills before they are lost forever, as captured before the collapse of one windmill. This sparked an experiment resulting in a unique 4D model, showcasing the windmill in its erect and collapsed state, revealing the dimension of time.

The digitized windmill assets have diverse applications. They form a digital gallery, transcending geographical barriers, allowing viewers to explore their beauty and stories. Virtual tours provide immersive experiences, augmented reality overlays models onto the real world, and virtual reality takes viewers on a journey back in time.

Preserving windmills goes beyond capturing their physical form. Author will share insights into the challenges, triumphs, and the significance of preserving windmills as a testament to our shared cultural heritage. From initial tools like drones to advanced cameras, witness the evolution of the workflow, driven by passion and dedication. Link to gallery: https://skfb.ly/oIsOH

Saulius Zaura, Dronepartner.lt (NGO Time signs)

DrSOLAR – Drone-based Solar Panel Inspection with AI
With the EU Green Deal’s national commitments, massive growth in solar energy is expected, leading to an increased number of areas to be covered and with regular inspection and maintenance work. This poses a significant cost burden while emphasising the importance of early detection for warranty provision, insurance requirements, and maximising energy output; but also offers an opportunity in solar O&M services, with 14% annual market growth until 2030 (source: Wood Mackenzie). At AIR6 SYSTEMS, AI plays a significant and increasing role as we strive towards full “end-to-end, systems-of-systems” autonomy by 2025.

In the realm of commercial drone services, automated data collection and analysis through AI is an essential element for our customers and our journey towards full autonomy. DrSOLAR offers an automated drone-based solution for solar panel inspection, specifically for fault detection. Our solution involves a semi-autonomous drone equipped with high-resolution RGB (visual) and SWIR (short-wave infrared) cameras from AIR6 Systems. The drone performs an orthophoto mapping of the entire solar farm, and the SWIR sensor analyses individual solar panels to autonomously classify faulty modules using AI and their geo-referenced locations .This innovative approach allows for a more comprehensive analysis using AI algorithms, enabling accurate and automatic identification of faults. While thermal cameras can detect faults better than the human eye.

Alex Fraess-Ehrfeld, AIR6 SYSTEMS

Accelerated Asset Data Collection & Processing in Nevada: A Case Study Using AI and Collaboration
This presentation will delve into the successful collaboration between GIS Surveyors, Inc, Mandli Communications, and the Nevada Department of Transportation, where we managed to collect and process asset data for 9,500 miles from January to March 2023. A significant aspect of our success was the incorporation of AI, specifically the use of ChatGPT for natural language interaction with the data. We will discuss the process, challenges, and key strategies used, providing valuable insights for similar large-scale asset data projects.

Ray Mandli, Mandli & GIS Surveyors Inc

USAFA Chapel Scan & Fab
Under the umbrella of Robot-Assisted-Methods, this presentation introduces direct-delivery of pose as an alternative project delivery method that assists skilled tradespeople in a high-volume production space with the goal of bringing computation to an otherwise labor, material, and logistic intensive operation. Specifically, we look at these processes through the renovation of the iconic Air Force Academy Chapel in Colorado Springs where the repairs require parts with utmost accuracy, quality, and performance. The structure of this iconic building is comprised of 100 nearly identical tetrahedrons, each roughly 75 feet long, and enclosed with aluminum panels that are spaced to house colored Dalle de verre glass in between. This geometric excellence presents the current day challenge of rebuilding water-tight enclosures for all unique conditions of the structural steel due to the construction tolerances of the 1960’s.

Starting with digitizing as-built conditions of structural steel, we walkthrough the reconciliation modeling of critical interface points that drive the fabrication model as a digital twin and subsequent delivery of positional information that assist tradespeople in layout both in the shop and field. In the shop, we bring direct-delivery of pose with Robot Assisted Welding (R.A.W.) with a Kuka KR 270 R2700 and in field with SurveyLink with a Leica MS60 along with custom software and tools.

Burcin Nalinci, Zahner R&D