geoinformatics 2011 vol07

Intergeo 2011 A Report on the ISPRS York 2011 Conference Surveying Buildings Simultaneous Data Capture

Magazine for Sur vey ing, Mapping & GIS Profess iona ls Oct./Nov.2 0 1 1Volume 14

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Some remarks on this yearsIntergeo trade fairHaving returned from this years Intergeo trade show, a number of things caught myeye. First of all, the number of acquisitions in the industry which resulted in largebooths on the exhibition floor of big companies with smaller, local parties that areowned by the big guys. But that does not mean there are no small, interesting com-panies that do stuff that is promising for the future. On the contrary, my interestalways goes out to the OSGeo Park, where a number of small booths are combinedwith open source projects. Every year I see new initiatives happening that are sharedwith the audience. That these initiatives are no longer something that is happeningon the margins of the industry, is proven by the interest shown in them by the bigguys, or a major event such as FOSS4G.

Mobile mapping is a technology that seems to have reached its peak and is nowbeing replaced by a new trend, namely UAVs. In this issue there are some contribu-tions on this topic that have gained a lot of attention in both the academic worldand the industry itself. While still an interesting and relevant topic, I noticed lessattention to mobile mapping systems on the exhibition floor than at last yearsIntergeo.

The presence by Google at the exhibition was to be expected, since their GoogleEarth Builder cloud platform is meant for organizations who want to upload theirdata into the cloud. It will be interesting to follow where exactly this will take Googlein the geospatial market, since their services and infrastructure are meant as anadd-on to an already existing GIS infrastructure. But nonetheless, its a move thatcould prove to be interesting, although Google is known for trying out many thingsand not always succeeding in the long run.

Coming back to my first point about acquisitions, I noticed a trend where the wholecycle of data capture up to the final end product is now being handled by a num-ber of companies operating under the same umbrella or mother company (excep-tions aside, such as Esri). Hardware and software are being integrated and differ-ent flavors are available for different applications, in the case of Z/I Imaging andLeica Geosystems.

All in all, this years Intergeo once again was a good indication of how the industryis doing. For those of you who werent there to witness it, theres a review of theevent in this issue, as well as a series of specialized contributions that show that theindustry as a whole is moving forward at a fast pace.

Enjoy your reading,

Eric van [email protected]

GeoInformatics is the leading publication for GeospatialProfessionals worldwide. Published in both hardcopy anddigital, GeoInformatics provides coverage, analysis andcommentary with respect to the international surveying,mapping and GIS industry. GeoInformatics is published8 times a year.

Editor-in-chiefEric van Rees [email protected]

Copy EditorFrank Arts [email protected]

EditorsFlorian [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Contributing Writers:Hamish Grierson, Matt Sheehan, Henri Eisenbeiss,Gordon Petrie, Luigi Colombo, Barabara Marana,Monika Sester, Ruud Groothuis, Florian Fischer,

Financial DirectorYvonne [email protected]

AdvertisingRuud [email protected]

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3Latest News? Visit www.geoinformatics.com October/November 2011

C o n t e n t

A r t i c l e sSimultaneous Data Capture 6

The New Location Revolution 10

Surveying Buildings 26

Geosensor Networks 36

Glonass-M sent into Orbit 40

Cycloramas Globespotter 42

Supporting Ecuadors National GIS Initiative 46

At the Crossroads of Geovisualization 48

E v e n t sUAVs on Duty 12

Cultural Heritage Data Acquisition & Processing 18

Intergeo 2011 30

Racurs Conference 2011 52

I n t e r v i e wEsri and Cloud GIS Strategies 14

C a l e n d a r / A d v e r t i s e r s I n d e x 54

At the cover:CycloMedia brings accurate street level imaging to your desktop. At theIntergeo 2011 the availability of the GlobeSpotter application and data coverage throughout Europe were announced. An in depth interview detailsthe existing possibilities and future applications. (See page 42)

26

42

48The GeoWeb brings up moreand more new ways of map-ping the world that put the tra-ditional distance-based godseye view of the map on theedge. This article give a shortoverview about the changinglandscape of mapping fromthe authors point of view.

36

On the InterGeo 2011CycloMedia demonstratedtheir panoramic imagerywhich take away those

barriers and brings the 3rd dimension to your desktop.

Two examples from research atthe Institute of Cartographyand Geoinformatics at Leibniz

Universitt Hannover,Germany, are given in order toillustrate the potential and ap-plication areas of geosensornetworks in an exemplary fas-

hion.

This article presents the currentstatus of techniques and tech-nologies for the construction ofa textured model, through thesupport of experiences regar-ding an ancient historical buil-ding in the Lombardy region

of Northern Italy.

30In line with last year, there is not

only a 3-day exhibition, but also anacademic conference, this year supplemented with a NavigationConference and the first everIntergeo BarCamp an open

space conference devoted to OpenStreet Map.

14Esri IT Strategies Architectexplains where the companystands at the moment in

adopting this new technologytrend and announces a newpartnership and a private

cloud platform.

18

The development of the newclose-range digital imaging,photogrammetric and laserscanning technologies is

having a huge impact on themeasurement, recording,depiction and analysis of

cultural heritage sites and ob-jects world-wide as revealedat the recent ISPRS conference

held in York, England.

40The booster Soyuz-2.1b, car-rying a Global NavigationSatellite System (Glonass) satel-lite, was successfully launchedfrom the Plesetsk spaceport andput into orbit. Space Troop

teams monitored the launch th-rough the ground automated

control system.

Blom have a long history of owning and operating a range of digital cameras and sensors acrossEurope. Traditionally, these instruments would be used independently, even if multiple data formatswere required. However, the demand for higher quality resources, and the need for improved captureefficiency, has seen the long established techniques of aerial surveying put under the microscope. Onemethod to emerge is to use aircraft with dual sensor capabilities. In early, 2011 Blom UK adapted oneof their aeroplanes to enable simultaneous data capture with their Vexcel large format digital cameraand Optech ALTM LiDAR system.

The Second HoleCutting a hole into the fuselage of an aircraft is not as simple asone may initially think, especially if the plane already contains alarge survey hatch. Before the hole can be cut several things needto be considered. Will the control cables that run under the cabinfloor need to be rerouted? What is the strength and air worthinessof the plane and how many alterations will be required? What arethe logistics of fitting the equipment and operators into the cabinand will everything fit? Lastly, timescale and costs need to be con-sidered. How long will the plane be out of service and how muchwill it cost, both in down time and in parts and labour?

The original concept was to add a second full size survey hatch.Following many discussions it was deemed that, with the engineer-ing taking up to six weeks, this would be too expensive. More impor-tantly, it became apparent that a full size hole was not actuallyrequired. The ALTM head is a much smaller unit than the digital cam-era so it does not require such a large hole. It could, in fact, utilisethe existing Nav-Sight hole.Before the advent of GPS, nav-sights were used by operators of largeformat film cameras to ensure the camera was taking pictures at therequired rate and over the correct location. The nav-sight sat in frontof the operators seat and required a small hole in the aircraft floor

6 October/November 2011

A r t i c l e

ALTM and Large Format Digital Photography

Simultaneous Data

Figure 1 - Both sensors are located on the right of the aircraft and the operator sits between them.

By Hamish Grierson

to enable the ground directly below to be viewed. With the intro-duction of digital photography nav-sights were no longer requiredso the holes were closed up. By removing the internal and externalplates the resulting hole was ideally suited to accommodate the ALTMsensor. Luckily, this was the most cost effective and quickest adapta-tion for the plane, as minimal work was required to create the sec-ond hole.

System InstallationsWith two holes now established, the next problem to be resolvedwas how to get all the equipment in, powered up and leavingenough room for the operator. Both systems can be operated by oneoperator so there was no need to accommodate another person. With both hatches situated on the right hand side of the plane thereremained plenty of room on the left hand side for both control racks.And with the operator sitting between the two sensors it enablesthem to operate the systems efficiently (see Figure 1).Each sensor contains it own IMU, but the plane only has one GPSantenna. Rather than add an additional antenna to the top of theplane, a GPS Antenna Splitter (Diplexer) was fitted to feed GPS datato both systems.

Flight Planning and Data CaptureWhen flight planning for dual capture several factors need to beconsidered to ensure suitable data is collected. The primary factorsbeing the required point density from the LiDAR and the GroundSample Distance (GSD) of the imagery and their operational capa-bilities need to be assessed to ensure usable data is collected from

both sensors. The specification and operational capabilities of ourOptech ALTM 3033 means that the dual capture is flight planned tooptimise data from it. Blom wanted to capture both 4cm GSD imagery and 1m post spac-ing LiDAR and, to achieve this, planned to fly at 700m aboveground. At this height the imagery has a 60/40% overlap and theLiDAR has a 20% overlap.Several other factors need to be considered during flight planning.Due to the additional weight the endurance of the plane reduced,meaning shorter sorties have to be planned. Additional cross stripsneed to be included to help with the calibration and matching of theLiDAR data.Although the planning is optimised for the LiDAR, the capture has tobe optimised for the quality of the imagery. This meant that sunangles and cloud cover need to be assessed before any data isacquired.

Data ProcessingOnce the data has been acquired, the processing flow lines followthe standard processing procedures. The LiDAR is extracted to cre-ate the point cloud; matching to ensure that overlapping flight linesalign with one another; classification to create a ground class. Theimagery is colour balanced; using the IMU/GPS data and base sta-tion data an aerial triangulation is done; the images are mosaicedinto tiles; final QA and correction undertaken. One benefit of dual capture is that a DTM can be created from theLiDAR data and supplied for the imagery production to be used asa surface model during rectification of the aerial photography.


A r t i c l e

Capture

Figure 2 - Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol captured as part of our MetroHEIGHT product range.

And the end result isOnce we have completed all data capture and processing the LiDARand aerial imagery is added into our data archive as part of theproduct line called BlomMETRO. This creates a high specificationsuite of aerial survey data products, with the core of the databasebeing the 4cm GSD aerial photography and 1 point/m LiDAR, cre-ating a unique and up-to-date dataset of urban areas (see Figure 2). However, it doesnt have to end there. What if, on top of the coreproduct, we could provide derivative or value-added products? Wellthats exactly what we have done. From the aerial survey data fivecategories of sub products will be available.False colour and near infra red imagery is categorised asMetroSOURCE. This provides vital information for what can general-ly be categorized as environmental studies and this data is oftenused in coastal and environmental monitoring, crop and tree canopymanagement and deforestation studies. Exploiting our extensiveexperience in photogrammetry we use the stereo pairs captured withour Vexcel UltraCam to create 3D city models, and lastly, we haveproduced MetroINSIGHT. This is a value-added product designed tocomplement the core data with miscellaneous information such asflood risk modeling, or our solar potential analysis as used by BristolCity Council.As the economies of scale dictate, BlomMETRO is focused on thelarger urban areas across the UK. However, in keeping with Bloms

ethos of supplying exactly what the customer requires, areas thatare not currently in the program can be captured on a project byproject basis. Many targets have already been captured and moreare in the pipeline and a regular refresh program to keep the dataas up-to-date as possible.

ConclusionThe complexities of simultaneous data capture, especially whilst cap-tured in a high speed, high altitude environment, provide many chal-lenges, and its largely due to the resources and experience thatBlom has that make this not only possible, but a more effective andefficient method for both us and the end user. Reducing the time wespend flying not only reduces our costs, which we are then able topass on to the end user, but also offers CO2 savings, always animportant consideration in the present climate. Secondary to thesesavings, dual capture also ensures that we can offer multiple datasets created from data of the same age. For example, this can proveimportant when used as analysis for insurance claims or inspectionof transport routes. Lastly, collating this data into a package, suchas BlomMETRO, ensures that Blom is always able to offer a compre-hensive data set of any urban area, no matter what the clients pho-tographic and LiDAR needs are.

Hamish Grierson, Blom UK.Internet: www.blomasa.com

A r t i c l e


www.SPARPointGroup.com/Europe

Discover. Connect. Learn.

Images courtesy of Topcon

no C.err.vosciDAt SPAR Europe 2011, youll discover the latest advances and

technologies in 3D imaging and processing, learn from the

best minds in the business, and come away with the tools

gamD In 3e ocnerefnoCioncturtsonC/gnireneign Eorf

110r 2ebmevo8 & 9 Nmuor FdlorW | e uage HhTandslreht NeehT

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Alice Labs t A VEVVA AAVEV t Bentley t FIT ESIC t InfoEra t Intergraph Geosystems t MDL Laser Systems t Riegl t SPHERON-VR AG Unison Laser Scanning tFrhlich (Z +F)

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Bentley t ClearEdge 3D t ARO FA Intergraph t Kubit t Leica

MDL Laser Systems t Pointools SPHERON-VR AG t opcon TTopcon t rimble TTrimble t

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and knowledge to refine your processes and better your

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information and to register.

:GNIRUATEFKeynote by Ed Lantz, President & CTO,

ortex Immersion MediaV

17 Sessions

40+ Presenters


and knowledge to refine your processes and better your

www.SPARPointGroup.com/Europe for more

Keynote by Ed Lantz,

ortex Immersion Media

Keynote by Blaine R. , ITS,ookeyTTookeyechnology Chief T Technology

Office, BP

TECH FIAATECH meeting - 7 November 2011

Co-located with Digital Asset Management European Conference

*As of print deadline

TECH meeting - 7 November 2011

Co-located with Digital Asset Management European Conference

oRPASP.www

peoruE/mco.puorGtnio

Produced by:

echnical SeminarsTTechnical Seminars

User Meetings

Mobile Scanning & Mapping Demos

utorialPre-Conference T Tutorial

Exhibits

Mobile Scanning & Mapping Demos

REERSTTEIISTGGIEEGRRE &LYY &RRLYAEEA

EAVVESSAV

Copyright 2011 Esri. All rights reserved.

Connect to the INSPIRE NetworkWith Esri Technology, you can create a spatial data

infrastructure and services that ful ll European Union (EU)

Member State obligations. Esris ArcGIS for INSPIRE

provides an open source portal that allows your

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Learn more at esri.com/geoinfoinspire

Mobile and LBS

The New Location RevolutionLocation based data is about to move from the margins, to the core of many user applications. Bold statements, but should we believe the hype?

Looking back, the GIS and locationbased sectors were very much a niche.MapQuest and later Google takingadvantage of the Web, helped broaden theavailability, appeal and usefulness of maps.Slippy maps, free data and a plethora ofnew (free) tools, spawned a new breed ofWeb based location focused applications.Route finding, traffic data, locating points ofinterest, and traditional GIS could all bedone on the Web. The GeoWeb was uponus; a revolution of availability. But what of mobile devices? They offerportability, instant Internet access, geo-loca-tion and simple more intuitive interaction askey benefits. This article discusses mobile,with a particular focus on the location basedsector.

The Mobile Market in 2011Mobile remains a confusing market place.A turf war is being waged between rivalhardware and software companies. A multi-tude of new devices have been launched inthe last 6 months. Both smartphones andtablets of varying size and spec.Disagreements continue over software. Therecent spat between Adobe and Apple overthe Flash player, being but one notableexample. Many companies looking to

develop mobile solutions have remainedcautiously on the sidelines.But slowly the dust is clearing. For platforms;Android, Apple, Blackberry and Windowsdominate. Now, no longer is there the needto build multiple versions of an applicationfor each platform. A single code base whichcan run across mobile platforms is today areality, thanks to HTML 5 for the mobile Weband installed hybrid apps built with AdobeAIR.

Mobile ApplicationsThere are two ways to access applicationson a mobile device. The first is to simply fireup the mobile Web browser and load aWeb application. Existing Web sites aredesigned for mouse interaction. Mobileinteraction is with the finger, thus most Websites need to be optimized for the mobileWeb. This usually means a rework of bothdesign and functionality. Restrictions byApple mean that cross platform Web solu-tions are limited to HTML5/Javascript. Sitesbuilt with Flash, Flex and Silverlight are notaccessible on the iPhone or iPad. Installed applications are the second typeaccessible on mobiles. These can be down-loaded from the various app stores. Manyare written in so called native languages;

Objective C for Apples IOS, Java forAndroid etc. Native languages are specificfor a platform, meaning multiple versions ofthe same app need be developed for crossplatform operation. The recent launch ofmobile AIR by Adobe, means that so calledhybrid apps can be written which run acrossall platforms.

Mobiles and the Location Sector Portability and resulting location change arekey reasons for the popularity of mobiles.Location becomes a key piece of this newcomputing universe. The location based sec-tor should be well positioned to provide thetools for this new universe. Geo-location andcontext are important. Geo-location, trackscurrent GPS location. It has spawned a newlocation based services (LBS) sector. Thelikes of Foursquare, Facebook and Yelp areallowing mobile users to discover who andwhat are near them. Extend that to geospa-tial and users can start any GIS query anddiscovery from their current location.Routing, traffic and local search providedby MapQuest become more relevant anduseful in the field.Context is more subtle, but provides a deep-er understanding of data. GIS has been tra-ditionally used in an office or home. Taking


A r t i c l e

By Matt Sheehan

Figure 1 Mobile ArcGIS Viewer

Figure 2 - Enterprise Mobile Check-In Application Home Screen

these GIS applications into the field and run-ning them on a mobile device, dramaticallyimproves insight.

Mobile Hardware andApplication DevelopmentThe mobile market is made up of smartphones and tablets. Historically dominatedby the iPhone and iPad, new launches byother manufacturers have started to chal-lenge Apples preeminence. Mobile devicescreen size is an important applicationdevelopment and design consideration.Screen sizes range from the 2.6 HP Veer,through the 3.5 iPhone, and 9.7 iPad tothe 10.1 Samsung Galaxy Tab. An appli-cation designed for a tablet will not neces-sarily work well on a smart phone and viceversa. Applications built for a tablet can bericher and more complex than thosedesigned for smart phones. The smart phoneis ideal for quick snapshots of information.These differences are best illustrated withtwo examples.

Mobile ArcGIS Viewer for theTabletThere are a number of excellent Web basedArcGIS viewers on the market. One of themore notable is the Esri Flex Viewer. Thisprovides a rich GIS user experience. But,given its architecture, and the fact it is writ-ten in Flex, it will not run on any Appledevice. This posed an interesting problem;can a viewer of this type be run on a mobiledevice? We took some of the moduleswhich make up the Esri Flex viewer andstarted work on integrating them into amobile viewer. Using mobile Adobe Air, we

found we could modify the base modulecode and run it across all platforms. Figure1 shows the final application interface. Once built, we started testing the applica-tion across devices. It soon became clear,that even on the largest smart phone, thatthis was a viewer best accessed on a tablet.The tools were far harder to use on the smartphone, and subtle details in the map hardto see. The free application is now availablefor Apple, Android and Blackberry.

Enterprise Mobile Check-InApplication for the Smart PhoneMobile check-In has become very popularin marketing and advertising. Florian Fischerdiscussed this phenomenon in Issue 5 ofGeoInformatics. To date this has been a con-sumer focused phenomena. But enterprisesare now looking at the potential use of thecheck-in. Facility management companies,surveyors, multilevel marketing, insuranceclaims, pipeline companies, water utilities;all have field workers who would benefitfrom this type of mobile application. Notonly checking in to work sites, but keepinga record of the work done; notes, pictures,video, even voice records. Using the newFlash tools from MapQuest, we went aheadand built an application which provided thisfunctionality. Figure 2 shows the homescreen of the application.Not only does the application include check-in and data collection, but routing, localsearch and a geocoder. Functionality of theapplication is tied to either a point of inter-est or GPS location. The application allowsa field worker start the day by viewing anoptimized route of the days calls. On arrival

at each call, the user can use the check-in/out screen to register job location andprovide data relating to the call, see Figure3.The local search and geocoder provideadditional tools for discovering who or whatis nearby and address search capabilitiesrespectively.A link to a video showing the application isprovided at the end of the article. This appli-cation was found to be ideal for a smartphone. It provides snapshots of informationregarding routing and local data. Check-inand data collection are simple interactions.And portability of the smart phone, makesit easy for field workers to both carry anduse.The new mobile revolution offers excitingopportunities for the location based sector.The combination of geo-location and con-text provides the potential to extend existinglocation focused applications. It also opensthe way for new, innovative applications.Maybe most importantly it offers the possi-bility of integrating with a wide range ofother applications.

Matt Sheehan is a Principal and Senior developer atWebMapSolutions. The company builds mobile applications, specialis-

ing in location based services (LBS), GIS and mapping.www.webmapsolutions.com

Links:Mobile ArcGIS Viewer www.webmapsolutions.com/arcgis-ipad-

android-blackberry-playbookEnterprise Mobile Check-In Application -

www.webmapsolutions.com/checkin-data-collectionWebMapSolutions Blog

www.webmapsolutions.com/category/mobileWebMapSolutions on Twitter www.twitter.com/flexmappers

A r t i c l e


Figure 3 Check-In/Out and Data Collection Figure 4 Directions and Local Search

E v e n t

12October/November 2011

Civil Applications of UAVs

UAVs on DutyUAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) are highly developed flight systems, which can be used for a greatvariety of applications, such as monitoring of natural hazards (landslides, flooding and volcanoes etc.)and the documentation of archaeological excavations, gravel pits, and construction sites. Furthermore,UAVs can be used for mapping of agricultural and forest areas as well as for cadastral tasks in combi-nation with traditional surveying methods.

Worldwide interest in UAVsThe UAV-g 2011 conference was a get-together at ETH Zurich andairfield Birrfeld of 220 scientists, users, delegates of governmentauthorities and manufacturers coming from over 30 different coun-tries. At the conference the current research on UAVs with the empha-sis on applications in Geo matics was presented and discussed underthe consideration of user requirements. The focus of the conferencewas on the exchange of UAV-g research activities between the dif-ferent disciplines (artificial intelligence, robotics, photogrammetry,geodesy, computer vision,and aerospace engineering)and furthermore, the needsfor future developments wereformulated.

Use of UAVs underlegal regulationsIn the keynote speech RolandSiegwart (Vice President Re -search and Corporate Rela -tions and chair of the auto -

no mous system lab ETH Zurich) gave a fascinating overview ofautonomous navigation, positioning and collision avoidance andshowed the trend towards the miniaturization of UAV systems.Currently available UAV platforms can already be used as measur-ing system for various mapping and monitoring applications.However, the operation of UAVs is limited by legal regulations. Forexample, in Switzerland autonomous flying model aircrafts with atake-off weight of over 30 kg require a particular authorization bythe Federal Office of Civil Applications (FOCA). Furthermore, UAVswith a take-off weight of fewer than 30 kg can only be operated inrestricted flight zones, line of sight and operated with a back-up pilotwho can take over the control of the system at any time.

Fascinating live demonstrationsThe experts were impressed by the live show at the airfield Birrfeld.During the demonstration various autonomously flying UAVs werepresented, such as open source systems, fixed wings, a helicopter,multicopters, a blimp and a motorized kite. The best presentationsof the live show were awarded with the Most Innovative UAVApplication and Demonstration - Award sponsored by HexagonTechnology Center/Leica Geo systems. The R-Pod system could per-suade the jury due to the light take-off weight (500 g) and the flexi-ble applicability. A quadrocopter (open source project MikroKopter)realized by a team of the Swiss College of Agriculture (SHL / BFH)was awarded with the second price, while the third price went toAscending Technology for the Falcon 8 system.Future research and developments will be presented at the confer-ence UAV-g 2013 in Rostock (Germany).

Dr. Henri Eisenbeiss, [email protected], ETH Zurich, Institute for Geodesy and Photogrammetry

More information under http://www.uav-g.ethz.ch

By Henri Eisenbeiss

UAVs presented during the UAV-g demonstration.

Exhibition during the UAV-g conference.

Blo

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Blo

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CAPTURING. MODELLING. ANALYSING. SERVING.

Combining a global reach with local expertise to fulfil your geographical data needs

Blom is one of the largest providers of aerial imagery and geospatial data in Europe. Utilising a versatile fleet of aircraft and sensors, Blom captures oblique and vertical aerial photography plus topographic survey data using LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology.

Blom uses this information to produce a range of datasets and solutions, such as 3D models and vector maps. This information is a vital intelligence resource and is used by local and regional government, transport, infrastructure, engineering and environmental industry sectors.

Come and see us on stand 22 at ELMF 2011 or contact your local sales office at www.blomasa.com to find out more.

On Stand 22 at ELMF 2011

CAPTURING. MODELLING.



YSING. ANALLYSING. SERVING.

YSING. SERVING.

New Initiatives and Perspectives

Esri and Cloud GIS StrategiesIn the last months, Esri has made a big step forward in embracing the cloud. With developmentsregarding ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Server for the cloud, the company's cloud systems illustrate thatEsri is at the edge of an upswing concerning cloud technology and solutions. Victoria Kouyoumjian,Esri IT Strategies Architect explains where the company stands at the moment in adopting this newtechnology trend and announces a new partnership and a private cloud platform.

During the last Esri UC in San Diego,the company announced their plansfor the cloud. This fall, the ArcGISOnline system will be shifted to a full GIS-in-the-cloud environment. It will be an openplatform for mapping and geographic infor-mation in the cloud, where everything is tiedtogether with intelligent web maps that aredescribed as a new medium where multipleservices are integrated and shared. Esri ITStrategies Architect Victoria Kouyoumjian

confirms that things are happening fast, asopposed to one year ago: We are fullsteam ahead, that's for sure. We are just atthe edge of an upswing of getting in thecloud and providing more cloud solutions.

Cloud Adoption by the Esri com-munityWith new tools and services, the communityhas a better understanding and capabilitiesof adopting the new technology.

Kouyoumjian: ArcGIS Server for the cloudhas been out there for a year. New featuresto be released on desktop will allow thegeospatial community to publish right to thecloud. So I think the message is clear thatthis is not just a single step into the cloudtechnology landscape - it's something Esriintends to put a lot of research and devel-opment into. Kouyoumjian's task within Esri is to workbetween cloud vendors and the company's


I n t e r v i e w

By Eric van Rees

Esri's ArcGIS Online allows you to take advantage of a cloud-hosted platform for creating and sharing your maps on-demand, including ready-to-use and customizable templates for to create a web application with your own look and functionality.

customers to see where both can meet eachother: Primarily, my role involves a consul-tative business approach to examiningwhich technologies are worth adopting, par-ticularly as these emerging technologiesmove from a blip to a trend. So I spend alot of time in the cloud, so to speak. We lookat various cloud providers, for instance, tosee if there's an opportunity there for Esriand for our customers. We are fullyengaged with Microsoft and their WindowsAzure platform and we are looking at otherproviders going forward. The whole idea ofthe cloud is sometimes hard to get, so Ihelp to facilitate that, distilling loads of infor-mation into consumable content, forinstance, through frequent presentations,white papers and articles.

Cloud solutions within the EsriportfolioOne might wonder where exactly does thecloud fit into Esri's existing portfolio of desk-top, server and mobile solutions. Will itreplace or complement the existing productsand what does the cloud mean in terms oflicensing costs and models? About this,Kouyoumjian is clear: One of the channelsof thought that Esri has is that cloud comput-ing is not exclusively the solution. It comple-ments the portfolios of solutions we haveand not meant as a 100% replacement.Indeed, it is intended to be another platformfor organizations, individuals or businessunits that see the benefits of leveragingcloud storage, or with disaster responseoperations, or for economies of scale or costpurposes. Organizations that already haveon-premise solutions create their data main-ly through their field operations or in-houseand then push that out to the cloud, storingit there so they can access it through vari-ous applications and services, statesKouyoumjian.

Licensing for the CloudWhen asked how licensing works for thecloud in relation to existing software licens-es for desktop and server, Kouyoumjiananswers that currently, to leverage ArcGISfor Server on Amazon EC2, you need tohave an ArcGIS for Server license. Termlicenses are also an option: Term licenseare attractive to a lot of people because, inlieu of 'pay as you go' licenses for Server,Esri offers licenses in 1-month, 3-month and12-month terms. Of course, with ArcGISOnline, you dont need a license to initial-ize a SaaS-based solution to immediatelystart building a cloud-based applicationthrough ArcGIS Exporer Online or the WebMap Viewer.

Going forward, Esri will be expandingArcGIS Online to include the ability for orga-nizations to store, manage, and host services, personalizing their geo-cloud pres-ence for on-premise or off-premise con -sumption. Esri will have a subscriptionbased offering for hosting map servicesdepending on what you're doing withArcGIS Online: With private cloud enable-ment through Portal for ArcGIS, and Esrileveraging SaaS, PaaS and IaaS, in a way,Esri is taking on the role of a comprehensivegeo cloud broker. Looking ahead, out of all the many cloudproviders, only the select few will remain:So you've got Microsoft, Amazon andthere's all these other ones coming out of the

I n t e r v i e w


Victoria Kouyoumjian, Esri IT Strategies Architect

woodwork for cloud adopters to select from,but you can't predict how long they will bearound for. The prediction is that the numberof cloud providers will eventually peak andthose cloud providers that are the most robustand trusted and have a successful track-record will survive and rise to the top.

VblockRecently, Esri has become more engagedwith VCE a company formed as a jointventure by Cisco and EMC with investmentsfrom VMware and Intel. VCE released a pre-

configured infrastructure platform calledVblock Infrastructure Platforms, enablingrapid deployment for cloud computing appli-cations. Kouyoumjian states that this plat-form offers interesting opportunities for cus-tomers since Vblock platforms have computestorage, networking, security managementand virtualization, so users can put theirapps and everything on it, plugging it intotheir existing data center as a private cloud:It's very attractive to a lot of organizationsthat don't want to leverage the public cloudand don't want to put their data, applica-

tions and their sensitive information in thepublic cloud space. Weve tested ArcGIS onthis platform with impressive results. Kouyoumjian is looking forward to seewhats happening with Vblock platforms:It's a private cloud infrastructure platformthat is moving quickly into this new cloudskyscape for a lot of organizations that wanton-premises, but also want to leverage thetechnology capabilities of a cloud.

Clearly, cloud computing has moved quick-ly into the mainstream geospatial environ-ment, and is impacting nearly every verticalleveraging information technology. For Esriand GIS, the skies the limit or is it thecloud? Watch this space.

A white paper by Victoria Kouyoumjian on GIS in the cloud can be downloaded through:

www.esri.com/library/ebooks/gis-in-the-cloud.pdf


I n t e r v i e w

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A Report on the ISPRS York 2011 Conference

Cultural Heritage Data Acqui The development of the new close-range digital imaging, photogrammetric and laser scanning tech-nologies is having a huge impact on the measurement, recording, depiction and analysis of culturalheritage sites and objects world-wide as revealed at the recent ISPRS conference held in York, England.

As mentioned in the report on the ISPRS Commission VSymposium held in Newcastle that was published in theSeptember 2010 issue of GEO infor matics, one of the mostactive groups within this particular ISPRS technical commission isWorking Group (WG) V/2 - which is concerned with cultural her-itage data acquisition and processing and its applications. The work-ing group had 30 papers presented on this topic at the NewcastleSymposium. A follow-up conference was held by the working groupin York in Northern England between 17th and 19th August 2011and produced a further 47 papers. The conference was organisedby the chairman of WG V/2, Paul Bryan of English Heritage, whowas ably assisted by a small team drawn largely from his own organ-isation and the University of York. The actual venue for the confer-ence was the Kings Manor, which comprises a group of medievalbuildings that are currently occupied by the Department ofArchaeology and the Centres for Medieval Studies and EighteenthCentury Studies of the University of York. It proved to be a very suit-able venue for a conference concerned with cultural heritage.

The format of the conference provided a one-hour keynote addressat the start of each of the three days over which it was held. Thesewere followed by two technical sessions and an industry sessionheld on the first day; two further technical sessions and a poster ses-sion held on the second day; and a final technical session on the

third (half) day. The conference also included a technical exhibitionof photogrammetric and terrestrial laser scanner hardware and soft-ware products. The accompanying social events included a recep-tion by the Lord Mayor at the citys Mansion House; an evening boatcruise on the River Ouse that passes through the city; and the con-ference dinner which was held on one of the platforms in the hall


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Fig. 1 A perspective overview of the faces of the fourpresidents from left to right: George Washington; Thomas Jefferson; Theodore Roosevelt; and Abraham

Lincoln at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in theBlack Hills of South Dakota, which has been produced by

the digital laser scan survey. (Source: CDDV)

Fig. 2 The scanning team, supported by harnesses and ropes, are using a custom-made tripod and trivet to act as the mount for a Leica ScanStation laser scanner during the

survey at Mount Rushmore. (Source: Doug Pritchard)

By Gordon Petrie

housing the royal trains at the National Railway Museum. In total,the conference had a busy and satisfying programme of activities.

Keynote AddressesThe first of the three keynote addresses was given by ProfessorJon Mills of Newcastle University, who is the president of ISPRSCommission V. He first reviewed the past and present activities ofthe Commission, before going on to outline the extensive interna-tional cooperation that is taking place in the acquisition and pro-cessing of cultural heritage data. The second address, entitled AnUpdate on the Scottish Ten was given by Doug Pritchard, whois the Head of Visualisation at the Digital Design Studio of GlasgowSchool of Art and Director of the Centre for Digital Documentation& Visualization (CDDV). The Centre is a collaborative venturebetween the School of Art and Historic Scotland, which is the agen-cy of the Scottish Government charged with safeguarding the coun-trys historic environment. One of its major projects is the so-calledScottish Ten which aims to deliver the comprehensive digital docu-mentation of the five UNESCO World Heritage Sites located inScotland and a further five International Heritage Sites. Using a com-bination of airborne and terrestrial laser scanning and imaging,three of the Scottish sites - (i) the New Lanark industrial settlementand village dating from the late 18th Century; (ii) the group ofNeolithic sites in the northern island of Orkney; and (iii) the remoteand now-deserted Atlantic island of St. Kilda have already beensurveyed. The survey of a fourth large site the old town of

Edinburgh is currently under way. On the international front, incooperation with the U.S. National Park Service, the CyArk organi-sation and local specialists, the Scottish team has already carriedout the survey of the spectacular national memorial of four formerAmerican presidents that has been carved out on the side of MountRushmore in South Dakota in the U.S.A. The images that have beenacquired by the team using Leica ScanStation scanners that wereshown during this address were really outstanding [Figs. 1 and 2].Currently the planning of the survey of the Rani Ki Vav (The Queen'sStepwell) site in Gujerat, India dating from the 11th Century is wellunder way and will take place soon. Once this has been complet-ed, the next international site that will be surveyed (in 2012) will bethe Eastern Qing Tombs, located northeast of Beijing, where numer-ous Chinese emperors and empresses are buried.

The third keynote address was given by Paul Backhouse, who isthe head of Imaging Graphics & Survey of English Heritage, whichis the official agency that is charged with the preservation and man-agement of the historic built environment of England. He gave anaccount of the strategies and the technologies that have been adopt-ed by his agency in acquiring measured data of a large number ofheritage sites in England and the lessons that have been learnedfrom these surveys. Details were given of four case studies (i)Coombe Down, a huge underground stone mine located near thecity of Bath in south-west England; (ii) Chedhams Yard, an old black-smiths workshop located in Warwickshire; (iii) the Dover Tunnels,

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sition & Processing

Fig. 3 Stonehenge showing its circles of large standing stones. (Source: Gareth Wiscombe on Wikipedia)

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the maze of underground tunnels lying beneath Dover Castle on thecliff coast of south-east England facing France that have been con-structed for defence purposes over a period of several centuries;and (iv) the World Heritage prehistoric (Neolithic) site of Stonehengewith its famous circles of standing and fallen stones (dating fromaround 2500 BC) and its surrounding ring bank and ditch earth-work [Fig. 3]. Again the documentation resulting from these varioussurveys in the form of images, maps, plans, 3D perspectives andvideo fly-throughs was often eye-catching in the extreme.

Technical SessionsThe first of the technical sessions (TS-1) was entitled SensorDevelopment & Mapping Solutions and featured several very inter-esting presentations. Among these was that given by KonradWenzel of the University of Stuttgart. He and his colleagues fromthe Universitys Institute of Photogrammetry have devised a low-costphotogrammetric imaging system comprising five small-format cam-eras equipped with very short focal length lenses and a near-IR ran-dom pattern projector. All of these are mounted together on aportable metal frame that can be used to undertake very close-rangeimaging surveys [Fig. 4 (a)]. The highly automated processing ofthe resulting data is then carried out using an image matching algo-rithm that has recently been developed for use with very dense datasets. The imaging system has been used to survey the huge triangu-lar stone tympana (each 25 m in width and 6 m in height) whichare mounted at the top of the faades of the Royal Palace located inthe Dam Square in Amsterdam [Fig. 4 (b)]. The scaffolding andscreens that have been erected to carry out the restoration of thewhole building [Fig. 4(c)] only allowed imaging distances of lessthan one metre. With an object (post) sampling distance of 1 mm,the point cloud that results from the images acquired at circa 2,000different camera positions is simply enormous, as is the subsequenttask of processing this data mountain (or cloud). Another interestingpresentation in this session included a comparison of range-based(laser scanner) techniques with image-based (photogrammetric) tech-niques for the surveys and documentation of rock art shelters in Spainthat was given by Professor Lerma of Valencia Polytechnic. Yetanother eye-catching presentation was that given by Dr. CaterinaBalletti of the CIRCE Photogrammetric Laboratory of the IUAV

University of Venice. This involved the survey of the historic build-ings lining Venices Grand Canal, which was carried out using aboat-mounted Riegl VMX-250 mobile mapping system [Fig. 5] andprocessed using Riegls RiPROCESS software.

The second Technical Session (TS-2), entitled Imaging Solutions fromAerial to Underwater, proved to be no less interesting. Dr. GeertVerhoeven from the University of Ghent gave an entertainingaccount of the aerial photogrammetric survey of an ancient Romanquarry located at Pitaranha in the central part of Portugal, close tothe Spanish/Portuguese border. This was implemented using a NikonD80 small-format (10 Megapixel) digital camera which was mount-ed on a low-flying Helikite aerostat attached to a tether [Fig. 6]. TheHelikite is a combination of a balloon and kite that is manufacturedby Allsopp Helikites Ltd. in the U.K. The subsequent data processingof the 1,000 often quite tilted images that covered the Pitaranha sitewas carried out using the Structure from Motion (SfM) software thatis popular in machine vision and robotics to handle multiple-viewimages. [N.B. The SfM software appears to implement a set of fairlyconventional multi-image photogrammetric solutions, even though ituses a wholly different terminology to that in common use in pho-togrammetry.]

Also of much interest in this second (TS-2) session were the presenta-tions on the aerial surveys of heritage sites from low-flying UAVs.The first of these was given by Greg Colley of sUAVe AerialPhotographers, who used a Canon 5D camera mounted on a UAVthat was operated from a very low altitude to survey the RomanAmphitheatre in Chester in north-west England. The second presen-tation was given by Dr. Sara Bursanti of the University of Trieste.She utilized a quadcopter UAV equipped with a Canon IXUS com-pact digital camera to carry out a survey of the city walls of theRoman city of Aquileia in north Italy - which is yet another site thathas been included in UNESCOs World Heritage List. These twopresentations were supplemented by a poster by Andrew Bloggof the KOREC company in the U.K., who brought along (in a suit-case) and showed an actual example of the very lightweight SwingletCAM flying-wing mini-drone with its 80 cm wingspan that is pro-duced by the SenseFly company in Switzerland [Fig. 7]. It features

Fig. 4 (a) This photogrammetric imaging systemcomprises four small-format digital cameras equippedwith short focal length lenses and filters that only trans-mit near-IR radiation. The fifth camera transmits light inthe visible part of the spectrum and is equipped with aneven shorter focal length lens. The five cameras aremounted rigidly on and are protected by an aluminiumframe. At the top of the frame is the projector from aMicrosoft Kinect device that projects a random patternin the near-IR part of the spectrum to provide additionaltexture to the images. This helps with the later auto-mated image matching process. (Source: Institute ofPhotogrammetry, University of Stuttgart)

(b) This triangular clay relief was made in around 1655to act as a model for the tympanum mounted at the topof the faade at the rear of the Amsterdam town hall,now today's Royal Palace on Dam Square. (Source:Rijksmuseum)

(c) The front faade of the Royal Palace with the scaf-folding and screens which have been erected during itsrestoration. The Palace is located in the Dam Square inAmsterdam. (Source: Institute of Photogrammetry,University of Stuttgart)


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a miniaturized GPS/IMU unit that allows the pre-programmedautonomous flight of a 12 Megapixel camera over a site. Apparentlythis flying wing drone has already been used to survey the remainsof ancient walls in Switzerland. Finally what was for me a fascinat-ing lecture within this session was that given by Dr. DimitriosSkarlatos of Cyprus University of Technology. He has investigatedand evaluated the quite staggering amount of free (or nearly-free)open-source software or software components that are available onthe Web and can be used for the photogrammetric processing ofthe images acquired using low-cost digital cameras. Much of thisinformation was simply unknown to me (and to other photogram-metrists in the audience) and it needs to be publicized more widelywithin the cultural heritage community as well.

The third Technical Session (TS-3) was entitled Remote SensingTechnologies & Single/Multi Image Approaches. The presentationsincluded a description of the DART project at the University of Leedsthat is investigating the underlying physical, chemical and biologi-cal properties and factors in the soil and vegetation that affect thecontrast in the images that have been recorded by aerial camerasand, in turn, affect their interpretation for archaeological purposes.This was supplemented by a contribution from Poland that investi-gated the site formation of medieval landscapes in Pomerania.Another presentation from Nottingham Trent University described anew hyperspectral imaging system for the inspection and analysis ofwall paintings and other large surfaces, while Ian Anderson ofSiteScene described his work of monitoring and recording heritageplasterwork within the ruined Cowdray Castle in West Sussex. FinallyLindsay Macdonald, who is the Professor of Digital Media at theLondon College of Communication, gave an interesting account ofhis comparison of alternative photogrametric and photometric meth-ods of constructing a digital model of an Egyptian funerary urn, com-paring the results with the dense point cloud that has been generat-ed by a high-resolution Arius 3D colour laser triangulation scanner.This work was done in collaboration with University College Londonand the University of Parma.

The fourth Technical Session (TS-4) was concerned with DataProcessing & 3D Modelling Solutions. Contributions included the

development of automated texture mapping; the 3D modelling ofbuilding interiors; and the development of the CityGrid softwaresuite for 3D city modelling by the Austrian UVM (Urban Visualisation& Management) company. Next came a description of low-cost 3Dmodelling as applied to the London City Wall project. Finally therewas an account given by Professor George Fraser of the SpaceResearch Centre of the University of Leicester of the use of SiemensTeamcenter data management and archiving software in the contextof the laser scanning of two tomb-monuments of the Howard Dukesof Norfolk. Another interesting contribution within this area of 3Dmodelling came from the Virtalis company and the British GeologicalSurvey (BGS). This described their joint development of theGeoVisionary software for the 3D visualization and interpretation ofvery large spatial data sets though this contribution was, in fact,presented in both the industry and poster sessions instead of TS-4.The LFM software suite from Z+F which provides a complete solu-tion from the initial registration of laser scan data to the final as-built3D modelling was also presented both in the industry session andin the exhibition.

The fifth Technical Session (TS-5) had the title Development ofStandards & Best Practice Applications. It began with a most inter-esting and thoughtful presentation by Dr. Stuart Jeffrey of theArchaeological Data Service (ADS) at the University of York. Thisexpressed his views about the long-term archiving and maintenanceof the enormous volume of heritage data that is being generated byphotogrammetry and laser scanning, especially given the process-ing and re-processing that is likely to occur in the foreseeable future.He then went on to discuss the revision of the Guides to GoodPractice for the archiving of archaeological and heritage data thatthe ADS has produced in partnership with the University of Arkansasand Arizona State University. This work has been carried out in sup-port of the U.S.-based Digital Antiquity organisation that is con-cerned with the preservation of and access to irreplaceable archae-ological records and data. It also oversees the use, development,and maintenance of the Digital Archaeological Record (tDAR), whichis a unique digital repository for archaeological data. The other con-tributions to this session included two separate accounts (i) of therecent very detailed high-precision 3D survey of Stonehenge under-taken on behalf of English Heritage by the Greenhatch Group, AtkinsMapping and Archaeo-Environment Ltd. using Z+F Imager 5010

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Fig. 5 This RIEGL VMX-250 Mobile Laser Scanning (MLS) measurement system comprises two RIEGL VQ-250 scanners and accompanying inertial and GNSS navigation hardware. The system has been mounted on a specially built frame on the boat that has been used to carry out the scanning of

the historic buildings along the Canal Grande, Venice. (Source: RIEGL)

Fig. 6 Inflating the Allsopp helikite prior to it being used as the platform for the lightweight digital camera that has been used to carry out the low-altitude imaging survey of the Roman stone quarry at

Pitaranha, Portugal. (Source: G. Verhoeven)

and Leica C10 laser scanners and digital photogrammetric proce-dures; and (ii) a similar survey by ArcHeritage using a Leica C10scanner that has produced a 3D model of the 17th Century StaveleyHall and its grounds in the Peak District of England [Fig. 8].

Poster SessionTwenty or so of the presentations given at the conference took theform of posters. Often at conferences, poster sessions are poorlyattended and supported, but not at this meeting. The session waslively and very well attended and most of the authors had an inter-ested group asking questions and seeking more information aboutthe topic concerned. No fewer than five of the poster presentationscame from different Italian universities concerned with the survey ofvarious different buildings, monuments and landscapes. As noted inmy report on the previous Newcastle symposium, this is not whollyunexpected given the extent of the cultural heritage from Romantimes onwards that is so prominent in that country. Two other posterswere contributed by Por tu guese participants, where again there is asimilar interest in the countrys national heritage. There were alsotwo or three presentations that were concerned with satellite remotesensing which, in my opinion, did not seem too appropriate, giventhat ISPRS Commission V is concerned with close-range imaging andmeasuring techniques and their applications. Either ISPRSCommission VII, which deals with the thematic processing, modellingand analysis of remotely sensed data, or Commission VIII, whichcovers remote sensing applications, would seem to be a more muchappropriate platform for the presentation of these contributions.

Industry Session &Exhibition As one would expect, these twoparts of the programme mainlyfeatured the manufacturers andsuppliers of terrestrial laser scan-ners and the accompanying soft-ware. They also supplementedtheir presentations by displayingand demonstrating their instru-ments and systems both in thetechnical exhibition and in thegrounds of Kings Manor. Most ofthe laser scanners that wereexhibited were of the short-rangetype based on the phase measur-ing technique that are best suitedto heritage and building applica-tions. They included the LeicaHDS6200, the Z+F Imager 5010,the Faro Focus3D and theSurphaser from Basis Software.On the photogrammetric side, thewell known suite of Vr photogram-metric and lidar processing prod-ucts that have been developed byCardinal Systems in the U.S.A.were demonstrated by its U.K.agent. What was more unusual was the presence in the exhibitionof a single example of a rotating panoramic line scanner in the formof the SpheroCam HDR from Germany [Fig. 9]. This instrument pro-duces digital panoramic images in a single pass without any needfor stitching. I have long been mystified as to the almost completelack of knowledge and application of this type of precision imagingdevice (which is also produced by several other German and Swissmanufacturers and by Panoscan in the U.S.A.) on the part of the cul-tural heritage community in the U.K. The instruments seem very wellsuited to the imaging of the interiors and exteriors of the large build-ings that form a major part of the cultural and architectural heritagein so many countries and especially in the U.K.

ConclusionThis was a very worthwhile meeting to attend - well organised andwith a friendly but serious atmosphere and a useful outcome. Withonly a few exceptions, the presentations were of a really good stan-dard and were very focussed on the specific topics that have beenset out in the Working Groups terms of reference. Thus there was agreat deal of new information for the participants to assimilate, bothon the hardware and software systems side and on the very widerange of applications to cultural heritage documentation that werediscussed. Undoubtedly the cultural heritage area has already bene-fitted greatly from its successful adoption of modern close-range dig-ital photogrammetric and laser scanning technologies. Furthermore,on the evidence of this meeting, there is much more to come!

Gordon Petrie is Emeritus Professor of Topographic Science in the School of Geographical & Earth Sciences of the University

of Glasgow, Scotland, U.K. E-mail - [email protected];

Web Site - http://web2.ges.gla.ac.uk/~gpetrie

October/November 2011

Fig. 8 A perspective view of the exterior faade of StaveleyHall that has been produced from digital 3D laser scan data.(Source: ArcHeritage)

Fig. 7 The lightweight SenseFly Swinglet CAM flying wing mini-drone is shown together with its carry-ing case and laptop control computer. It is an electrically-powered UAV capable of autonomous flight overan operational range up to 20km and can operate in winds up to 25km/h. (Source: KOREC Group) Fig. 9 This diagram shows the horizontal

rotational motion of the SpheroCam HDR digitalpanoramic line scanner around its vertical axis.When used together with the near 180 verticalfield of its fisheye lens, the instrument can gener-ate spherical (360 x 180) digital images in asingle rotational pass. The instrument is producedby the Spheron-VR company, which is based nearKaiserslautern in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate

in Germany. (Source: Spheron-VR)

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24

Point Clouds and Multi-image Panoramas

Surveying BuildingsThe development of building knowledge systems is nowadays a meaningful step when planning architectural maintenance and managing emergencies during a buildings life cycle. A 3D photo-tex-tured model, which can describe both spatial connections and material properties, is a measurable virtual object that is achieved via terrestrial survey techniques, such as laser scanning and imaging.This article presents the current status of techniques and technologies for the construction of a texturedmodel, through the support of experiences regarding an ancient historical building in the Lombardyregion of Northern Italy.

Knowledge technologies Survey and representation techniques can provide, without contact,spatial numeric plots and drawings with an assigned precision, toproduce a geo-database of architectural information.The survey process can be enhanced using image measurement (closerange photogrammetry) or scanning laser sensors, which record asequence of spatial points describing the selected object. Usually, thecombination of both methodologies will overcome accessibility andvisibility problems, which often affect the employment of optical instru-ments during a terrestrial survey.

Photogrammetry is based on the use of an imaging camera (film ordigital), in which the acquisition of many overlapping images pro-duces spatial and orthographic representations, thanks to the appli-cation of projective geometry algorithms. Photo gram metric solutions,despite offering interesting and complete application fields, do notpermit simultaneous processing with acquisition. This said, it is nowin competition with the emerging laser scanning technology, whichprovides real-time, fast, and increased automatic metric output.A sophisticated digital sensor, placed over a standard support, isused to emit a thin laser beam towards the object to be measured.The beam, while rotating in the horizontal and vertical planes,describes pre-selected areas, directly recording a cloud of spatialpoints (coordinates x, y, z). The reflected energy and, under certaincircumstances, the photographic information, produces an object

point model of given density with materials and natural colours.As with photogrammetric methodology, the laser device is located at dif-ferent spatial positions providing overlapping cloud sequences in order toguarantee software connection in a global model.

It is interesting to note that this motorized sensor can record up to1,000,000 object points per second, with an accuracy of a few millime-tres, and within a range of more than one hundred metres.


A r t i c l e

By Luigi Colombo and Barbara Marana

Fig. 1- The Monte Oliveto Sanctuary, suggestively placed inside a small valley

Fig. 2 The church interiors, with Z+F scanner at work and mobile targets

The produced sketchy model can be observed and processed using vari-ous software packages available with many well-known and establishedCAD systems.It is easy to think that each cloud could contain redundant information (forinstance too many points) for zones with simple and regular geometry. Onthe other hand, there could be too little information (voids) caused by theposition of the measurement device not allowing for by complex objectmorphologies and object roughness. Therefore, editing is necessary tosimplify and refine the collected data. In addition, the phases regardingadjacent cloud connection and texture mapping require manual work andthe use of different dedicated packages.

The Monte Oliveto survey: a new experience The 16th century Monte Oliveto Sanctuary is located at Adrara St.Martino, on the first Val di Pieve reliefs, at the eastern border of theBergamo province (Fig.1).The church interior shows one nave divid-ed in three spans by masonry pilasters (Fig. 2).The building (its insideand part of the outside, due to restoration) was recently surveyed bythe Geo-Technology Lab from the University of Bergamo. This pro-gram of analysis, documentation and cataloguing, was done in col-laboration with the Historic Research Group of Adrara St. Martino,which has been studying the valley monuments for many years.

It was planned to employ, as usual in the Lab applications, both scan-ning and imaging techniques in order to obtain a 3D spatial modelof the building. The assigned parameters were 10 mm expected accu-racy, that is a level of detail corresponding to the traditional 1:50scale, scanning density at the highest level (for a linear sampling ofabout 3 mm or 4 mm of the walls), and object detail detection ifgreater than 10 mm, with a 60% level of confidence.The technology used was a panoramic laser device (field of viewequal to 360x320) from Zoller+Frlich (500,000 points per sec-ond rating and cloud scanning time under seven minutes) plus anexternal Nikon reflex camera with panoramic lens (180) and high-resolution sensor.In this application, an external camera was preferred for photo-graphic texturing, instead of the motorized photo camera, superim-posable to the scanner, adopted in a previous Lab experience[Geoinformatics 4, 2011]. The new choice allowed photographictextures to be generated more independently from the scanning con-ditions and times, a solution that presents less constraint fordevice/object distance.

Both the aforementioned selections however provide approximate solu-tions. Only a laser with an integrated photo camera, but of a selectablehigh resolution, allows for the production of a truly coloured point cloud.As yet, this option is not provided by Z+F.The photo camera was installed over a mechanical support with a roundhead, to be connected to the laser tripod. In this way, 360 images arerecordable from the same scanning positions (without parallax errors) forthe final model photo-texturing. For each of the panoramic scans, manu-ally, six horizontal shots and one zenithal shot were carried out (Fig. 3).

These seven images were then processed inside photographic stitch-ing software so as to generate a global spherical multi-image panora-ma to be mapped over the point cloud or point-derived triangularmesh. This way, it is possible to manage a reduced number of

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Fig. 3 The sanctuary faade,with the panoramic photo camera on its spherical support

Fig. 4 Single images (top) and the corresponding multi-image panorama (bottom)


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images, bypassing the heavy step dedicated to each photo projec-tion and the need for several homologous tie points.

Altogether, fifteen scans (each of 800 Mb) were produced, sevenover the exteriors and eight for the interiors, with the aid of thirteenplane targets (mounted over a mobile support to optimize the surveyinter-visibility) located inside a selected area and suitable for thecloud connection.The external survey was undertaken in the morning under a cloudedsky, this way avoiding the unwanted effects of image shadowing.The interiors were measured under artificial lighting due to the lowlevel of natural illumination provided by the windows.

The church model and photo-texturing With the aid of targets, the sanctuary point model was generated byconnecting each cloud to the central one, selected as reference. Fromthe same scanning positions, proper overlapping images were acquiredvia manual shooting using the Nikon camera.The following photo-texturing process was automatically carried outthanks to the PTGui stitching package, in order to perform sphericalmulti-image panoramas, which were then imported inside 3DReconstructor software, switching on spherical projectors for model ren-dering.A series of photographic images is shown describing the building faade

and the corresponding spherical panorama pro-duced with PTGui (Fig. 4).Finally, the following figures (Figs. 5, 6) show somestriking perspective views of the reconstructed 3Dchurch model (points and meshes), with the photo-texture superimposition.Entity edge detection, for the building vector draw-ing generation, was done by automatic extractionof the angular discontinuity lines from the pointmodel; this 2D product is performed by applyinggeometric tests regarding the local attitude of thesurface-perpendicular in every point of the model.The process provides sketchy elevations of a build-ing. Figure 7 shows an example of the churchmain elevation, achieved both through the angu-lar surface discontinuity analysis (sketchy drawingbeing completed in CAD) and by tracing a pre-produced colour orthophoto.

Final remarks Laser scanning techniques provide an interest-ing 3D point or surface model, which can beintegrated with colour images and is fully mea-surable.

The extraction of 2D plots from this model is still a complex step:starting from the scanned data and using cutting planes, it is possi-ble to produce horizontal and vertical cross-profiles to be usedtogether with orthophoto backdrops to complete building cross sec-tions. However, 2D elevations have to be realized with the heavysupport of manual editing and the photo-texturing step causes thegreatest difficulties and errors. Nevertheless, the 3D model and its derived 2D plots represent aneffective tool for the metric analysis of a building (geometry, shape,symmetries, alignments, parallelisms), for thematic inspections(colours, materials, preservation and/or decay condition) and glob-ally for the generation of a knowledge database of an historicalmonument.

Luigi Colombo, [email protected], is professor of Geomatics and Barbara Marana is assistant professor at the University of Bergamo - Faculty of Engineering - DPT - Dalmine (Italy)

Acknowledgements:Thanks are due to some graduated students of Geo-Technology Lab

at the University of Bergamo and to 3DTarget for Z+F technology support.

Fig. 5 Wireframe model with local photo-textures

Fig. 6 Perspective view of the textured model

Fig. 7 Sketchy elevation for the main faade (to the left); the same drawing performed by orthophototracing (to the right)

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More than just an Exhibition

I n t e r g e o 2 0 1 1Intergeo is more than just a huge geospatial exhibition. In line with last year, there is not only a 3-dayexhibition, but also an academic conference, this year supplemented with a Navigation Conferenceand the first ever Intergeo BarCamp an open space conference devoted to Open Street Map.

IntroductionIntergeo is Europes major exhibition for thegeoinformation industry. This years event washeld in Nuremburg, Bavaria during 27-29September. The 17th edition of the event,which normally combines a trade fair with aconference, was for the first time combinedwith a Navigation Conference, held during 27 and 28 September, jointly organized bythe German Federal Ministry of Transport,Building and Urban Development and theFederal Association for Information Tech no -logy, Telecommunications and New Media(BITKOM). No less than 527 exhibitors were to be expect-ed from over 30 countries, the visitors amountwas over 16,000 and 1,500 conference par-ticipants from around 80 countries from all con-tinents. The event claims to cover all the trendsalong the value-added chain, from data acqui-sition to sophisticated applications, on a grossexhibition area of 28,000 meters. The overarching motto for this years confer-ence, the 59th German Cartographers Day

and the Geodetec Week was Knowledge andaction for planet Earth. For the first time, thisyears event also sees the integration of theNavigation Conference, held on Wed nesday.One new feature aimed at the open data com-munity is a BarCamp devoted to the potentialof OpenStreetMap. The BarCamp was part ofthe Intergeo Academy launched in 2010 withgreat success and started on the Mondaybefore the fair. Participants were to determinethe program of presentations themselves at theoutset.The BarCamp is a type of open-space confer-ence and centers on the idea that coffee breaksare the most important part of a conference,providing an opportunity to share knowledgeand float new ideas. Beforehand, 250 partici-pants were expected.

Press ConferenceThe German Intergeo event hosted a press con-ference with several major people from theindustry on Wednesday 28th of September. Aninteresting point made by Prof. Dr. Karl Fr.

Thne was that politics was also present atIntergeo, which means not only the focus onbusiness and technology. The importance of thisremark was proven by the Galileo project,scheduled for 2014/2015 which will yield alot of work for not only satellite building com-panies but also for the industry as a whole.Also, it was stressed that its important to beindependent as a country as a whole for hav-ing such as system for itself. Rainier Bomba State Secretary in the BMVBS,The German Federal Ministry of Transport,Building and Urban Development, spoke aboutthe use of navigation systems in transportation,as well as building future housing more energyefficient, all through the use of geospatial soft-ware and hardware. Matt Delano (Trimble) spoke about the survey-ing industry and the company he represented:he described that the future for geomatics pro-fessionals is not only about location since thetechnique tells you all about the location. Thisvision was shared by Ed Parsons, also presentat the same press conference, who held a


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By Eric van Rees

mobile device in his hand as to show wherethe future is headed for mobile data capture.Of course, surveyors claim rightly that mobileconsumers devices cannot deliver the accuracythey can with professional devices, but the trendis clear. The geomatics industry as a whole ischanging quickly.Delano described surveyors as the custodiansof spatial information, but the technology hasput an end to the monopoly position of survey-ors as data collectors. This is no news for any-one in the industry. What was interestingthough, was that both Delano and Parsonsshared the same ideas about acquisitions in thegeospatial industry: both agreed that acquisi-tion and innovation are closely linked and there-fore acquisitions are a good thing. Delanoargued that integration of technology leads toa better use of the technology as a whole.Googles focus on data gets a new perspectiveby their Enterprise suite that makes use of thecloud infrastructure thats already there.Parsons claimed to be able to innovate for morequickly because of this cloud infrastructure.

A question for all participants about how todeal with a lack of finance was discussed indetail. For governments, the current financialcrisis meant less budgets for geospatial activi-ties and for the industry itself harsh competition.Although the answers from the participantswere far from original (necessity if the motherof invention, a crisis calls for creativity andthe like), Rainier Bomba stressed that Germanyitself was well-prepared in terms of budgetingfor the future, as an example the Galileo-project.

Key ThemesKey themes for this years event were sensors,geodata infrastructures and 3D mapping. Inoticed a lot of UAVs whereas mobile map-ping seemed to be less present than the lasttwo years. The sudden interest in UAVs hasto do with pricing: a system can be purchasedrelatively cheap. Mavinci was a new compa-ny present at the exhibition floor that offersUAV services. Although cheap, its not easyto use UAV since permission is needed for car-

rying out surveys. Everyone with a UAV willtell you how difficult and time-consuming it isbefore all required permission has beenobtained for carrying out a survey. Open source keeps an interesting topic on theexhibition as well. As well as the last fewyears, there was an open source park(OSGeo Park), with presentations and boothsof open source initiatives and booths. It wasannounced that for the first time there weremore than ten exhibitors, making the OSGeoPark an integral part of Intergeo. A new com-pany I havent seen before was CSGIS, aGerman-Spanish collaborative project thatoffers GIS services through open source, fromweb design to cartography, geodata man-agement and Web GIS. Other interestingopen source initiatives present wereOpenSeaMap, a project that makes use ofOpen Street Map data, but for sea routes.The OSGeo-Park organized a day of presen-tations, with German presenters of differentopen source initiatives. This makes clear thatthe open source community in Germany is big

and has a large following.Familiar faces such fromQuantum GIS and rasmadanwere present, but also a lot ofnew companies such asOmniscale, MapMedia, Inte -va tion, in mediares, Where -Group and terrestris, as well aspresentations with technicaldetails on how to manage datain open source, or Web GISclients for Smartphones, theaforementioned Open StreetMap, MapServer 6, Earth - Server and Mapguide, amongothers.Google was for the first timepresent at the exhibition floorwith a booth to promoteGoogle Earth Builder, the com-panys cloud-based mappingplatform and Google EarthEnterprise.

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Product releases at IntergeoAs always, there were a number of productreleases at the trade fair. The following is aselection of these releases.

TrimbleTrimble introduced a new version of its terres-trial mobile mapping office softwareTrimbleTrident Analyst 4.7. The software isdesigned to effectively manage and interprethigh-resolution digital images and large pointclouds, and automatically extract features fromTrimbles MX Mobile Mapping and Surveysystems. These capabilities allow land mobiledata to be transformed into geospatial intelli-gence.The latest version incorporates new qualitycontrol tools for efficient review of positionaland orientation accuracy, and quick valida-tion of boresight parameters and registrationresults using passive objects in the mappingenvironment. In addition, new 3D point cloudclassification capabilities increase productivi-ty and enhance usability throughout corridormapping and survey workflows.Trident Analyst is designed for robust objectpositioning, measurement, and data layer cre-ationideal for the analysis of geo-referencedimagery and laser scanner data. New func-tions can accelerate projects and increase pro-ductivity, including key automated processessuch as surface modeling, roadway sign andpole detection, lane marking detection, edgeand breakline detection, road geometry andclearance measurements.Trimble introduced additions to its portfolio ofConnected Site survey solutions for the fieldand office. The new and enhanced tools allowsurveyors to collect, share and deliver datafaster to improve accuracy, efficiency and pro-ductivity.

Additions to the survey portfolio include: Trimble S6 Robotic Total Station withTrimble VISION Technology

Trimble M3 Total Station with TrimbleAccess Field Software

Trimble GeoExplorer GeoXR NetworkRover

Trimble Business Center Software version2.60

Trimble Access Field Software DevelopersKit (SDK)

Leica GeosystemsLeica Geosystems announced version 4.0 ofthe easy-to-use Leica SmartWorx Viva onboardsoftware being available in November 2011.This new version is packed with exciting newfeatures to make data collection and stakeouteven simpler and even more productive. Alsoannounced were the CGR10 and CGR15

radio modems for its Leica Viva CS 10 & CS15 Controllers. Both modems are an idealextension to the Leica Viva NetRover and LeicaViva GS12 rover. They can also be used withthe Leica Viva GS10, GS15, and the newGS25 receiver. Leica Geosystems announces Leica GR25GNSS Reference Server, with integrated inter-nal and external device management, multi-user management, high end security, modularand scalable design, the GR25 GNSSReference Server will grow with users needsand keep their GNSS applications and net-works fully up to date. The newest member ofLeica Geosystems trusted GNSS Spider fami-ly is designed for numerous permanent andsemi-permanent GNSS network installationsand monitoring applications. Including RTKand static networks, single base station, fieldcampaigns, structural monitoring, atmosphericand seismic studies and offshore positioning. Also announced was Leica Exchange. WithLeica Exchange, secure two-way wireless infor-mation transfer between the field and office isseamless and instant. As soon as field work is

complete, measurements can be sent to theoffice; or upon design changes, updates canbe sent instantaneously to field personnel.Lastly, the Leica Viva GS25 is the ultimate high-end GNSS Surveying Receiver and furtherexpands Leica Geosystems GNSS surveyingportfolio of its successful Leica Viva family.

Topcon/SokkiaTopcon released the IS-3 Imaging Station.Following in the footsteps of its QS A roboticcousin, the IS-3 now features the patentedprism auto-tracking scanning interface technol-ogy, XTRAC 8 to increase productivity whenused in two-man auto-tracking or single opera-tor robotic modes. When used in conjunctionwith Topcons unique RC-4 remote control sys-tem, the IS-3 will track prisms up to 1000 maway. Alternatively, use the innovative long-range Wi-Fi WT-100 wireless device, to con-trol the instrument via live video feed from upto 300 m away.Also announced was the MR-1 modular GNSSreceiver. The new MR-1 receiver is aruggedised GNSS platform that deliversTopcons G3 and VISORTM technologies in acompact and easy to integrate package. Itincorporates 72 universal tracking channelsand is capable of tracking all signals fromGPS, GLONASS and SBAS satellite systemsthat are currently operational and available forpublic use.Topcon further announced Tesla - large screendata collector .The Tesla is a controller runningWindows Mobile 6.5.3 operating system. Thenew unit operates with Topcons full suite ofsoftware, including Magnet, Pocket 3D andLayout. All three Topcon Tesla units Standard,Geo and Geo G3 come with Wi-Fi andBluetooth wireless technology. The Geo andthe Geo 3G add a 3.2 MP camera and GPScapability; the Geo 3G also has a 3G GSMmodem (AT&T network approved).Topcon also announced Magnet, cloud-basedsoftware for real-time collaboration. This newsoftware solution makes it possible for real-timecollaboration between project manager, fieldcrews, office personnel, engineers, or consul-tants.For the first time, a software solution isavailable that combines every facet of manag-ing a companys projects, data, and assetsThe Magnet family includes four basic productmodules: Field, Tools, Office, and Enterprise.The Field, Tools, and Office products can bepurchased outright, or can simply be activatedon a subscription basis by picking from one ofthe Magnet Solution packages. The heart ofMagnet is a cloud-based web environment thatconnects every user within a company to eachother, within the productivity application youuse, or by simply logging in using your webbrowser.


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geoinformatics 2011 vol07

Documents

mapping gis

gis industry

number of acquisitions

mobile mapping systems

years intergeo trade

number of small booths

number of things

existing gis infrastructure