How Will Mobile Mapping Affect Your Business?
Mobile mapping has increasingly become a hot topic for the surveying and mapping professions. From the pages of POB to conferences on laser scanning and LiDAR, it’s hard to escape the evidence that mobile mapping is the wave of the future. But talk to the average surveyor, and you’ll find that there’s still a lot of skepticism about the technology and its potential. As with the emergence of stationary terrestrial scanning more than a decade ago, the upfront cost of the equipment is a concern. And then there’s the issue of software—how do you quickly and easily convert billions of points of data into a format that clients can actually use? Is mobile mapping really a viable technology today?
Absolutely, says Jim Van Rens, president of Riegl USA. “Mobile mapping technology is very viable. You need to look at the Google and Bing Street view efforts at the consumer level and understand that over a thousand vehicles are mapping the world as we speak. Other firms in the mapping business are developing data sets of roadway infrastructure that are being sold commercially. There are very large corridor projects that are now going the design/build route. Mobile mapping provides very fast data capture that is much lower in cost and faster in delivery than traditional methods.”
Of course, Van Rens is a bit biased—Riegl pioneered the compact VMX-250 system, which has a measurement rate of up to 300,000 measurements per second and a scanning rate of up to 100 rotations per second with software that facilitates data extraction. But there’s no denying that Van Rens has his finger on the pulse of the market. He says one of the most exciting recent developments was the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) contract for mobile mapping, which serves as a model for other DOTs that are looking to gain efficiency. He’s also seen both large and midsize firms successfully implement the technology and grow their businesses.
“If you look at the progress that airborne and tripod laser mapping has achieved, you will see the true direction of mobile mapping over the next 10 years,” Van Rens says. “It’s definitely something to watch closely, even if you’re not ready to jump in just yet.”
To learn more about mobile mapping market trends and technology, be sure to sign up for the free Webinar on September 9, Mainstream Your Business into 3D Mobile Scanning. Van Rens will address attendees’ questions during the live interactive event.
What are your predictions for how mobile mapping will affect the surveying profession? Please share your thoughts below.
Absolutely, says Jim Van Rens, president of Riegl USA. “Mobile mapping technology is very viable. You need to look at the Google and Bing Street view efforts at the consumer level and understand that over a thousand vehicles are mapping the world as we speak. Other firms in the mapping business are developing data sets of roadway infrastructure that are being sold commercially. There are very large corridor projects that are now going the design/build route. Mobile mapping provides very fast data capture that is much lower in cost and faster in delivery than traditional methods.”
Of course, Van Rens is a bit biased—Riegl pioneered the compact VMX-250 system, which has a measurement rate of up to 300,000 measurements per second and a scanning rate of up to 100 rotations per second with software that facilitates data extraction. But there’s no denying that Van Rens has his finger on the pulse of the market. He says one of the most exciting recent developments was the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) contract for mobile mapping, which serves as a model for other DOTs that are looking to gain efficiency. He’s also seen both large and midsize firms successfully implement the technology and grow their businesses.
“If you look at the progress that airborne and tripod laser mapping has achieved, you will see the true direction of mobile mapping over the next 10 years,” Van Rens says. “It’s definitely something to watch closely, even if you’re not ready to jump in just yet.”
To learn more about mobile mapping market trends and technology, be sure to sign up for the free Webinar on September 9, Mainstream Your Business into 3D Mobile Scanning. Van Rens will address attendees’ questions during the live interactive event.
What are your predictions for how mobile mapping will affect the surveying profession? Please share your thoughts below.
Comments
Date Posted: Oct 16, 2010 at 1:14 AM
In the US, Ohio State University and another firm in Wisconsin have tried mobile mapping and
apparently the two systems have ceased their uses. It appears that the Europeans have given
mobile mapping more of a chance. Supposedly SAM Inc in Austin bought the rights to the Canadian Applanix system. Three decades ago, Motorola
had an intertia system which they sold for a million bucks. They could have lowered the price
to $50K and sold more than 20 times what they did. That was a failure in marketing. There have
been a bunch of optical tooling, data collection boxes, and GPS equipment that have been marketed
to the federal government and highway departments only.
mobile mapping more of a chance. Supposedly SAM Inc in Austin bought the rights to the Canadian Applanix system. Three decades ago, Motorola
had an intertia system which they sold for a million bucks. They could have lowered the price
to $50K and sold more than 20 times what they did. That was a failure in marketing. There have
been a bunch of optical tooling, data collection boxes, and GPS equipment that have been marketed
to the federal government and highway departments only.
Date Posted: Sep 9, 2010 at 1:41 AM
Mobile Mapping has tremendous potential in the coming decade. In India too, National Highways Authority of India, Indian Railways are looking for Asset Inventorization. Such organisations would like to have this to have a complete picture as on date and plan for the maintenance, upgradation etc. With WAAS, SBAS option available for GPS, it has increased the possibility of using Mobile Mapping technology even in far off areas.
Quantum of data that is collected open up lot of options. Depending on the one's requirement, such data set will definitely have multi-use. Mobile Mapping is going to see lot of growth in this decade.
Quantum of data that is collected open up lot of options. Depending on the one's requirement, such data set will definitely have multi-use. Mobile Mapping is going to see lot of growth in this decade.
Date Posted: Sep 2, 2010 at 9:39 AM
In general I think it's always good to look at what the NGS and DOT's are doing. They have the funds to get in on the ground floor of emerging technologies and the staff to evaluate them. In the early days of GPS we saw the costs fall to where 'average' surveyors could afford to purchase and incorporate it's use into their business model as the technology matured.
I see scanners and mobile mapping heading the same way. While watching emerging trends then it's good to also look for potential new places to employ this technology.
One of the potentials that I see for mobile scanning is to document progress on large construction projects. An asbuilt over time to document a build of some infrastructure such as a bridge. Perhaps marketed as something to reduce liability for those constructing a project.
One trend that is picking up steam is the ability to track the life of a project. From concept to build to years after the build on sustainment. I think this is called BIM or such. Scanning can be incorporated into this model very easily to help aid in the documentation.
There likely are no Surveyors who do not use aerial imagery, whether in the bid process or in the final delivery. At the ESRI conference then several said that within a few short years this imagery would be accurate to less than 10 cm nationwide. That is a pretty significant thing not only for Land Surveyors, but for those in the GIS industry.
On of the speakers at the ESRI conference told how he used Mobile Mapping to actually see a project in the field before construction started using mobile maps served up to his mobile device.
Can it be all that far before we can grab data from the cloud then add our own designs in the field to see what a project might look like at completion?
I see scanners and mobile mapping heading the same way. While watching emerging trends then it's good to also look for potential new places to employ this technology.
One of the potentials that I see for mobile scanning is to document progress on large construction projects. An asbuilt over time to document a build of some infrastructure such as a bridge. Perhaps marketed as something to reduce liability for those constructing a project.
One trend that is picking up steam is the ability to track the life of a project. From concept to build to years after the build on sustainment. I think this is called BIM or such. Scanning can be incorporated into this model very easily to help aid in the documentation.
There likely are no Surveyors who do not use aerial imagery, whether in the bid process or in the final delivery. At the ESRI conference then several said that within a few short years this imagery would be accurate to less than 10 cm nationwide. That is a pretty significant thing not only for Land Surveyors, but for those in the GIS industry.
On of the speakers at the ESRI conference told how he used Mobile Mapping to actually see a project in the field before construction started using mobile maps served up to his mobile device.
Can it be all that far before we can grab data from the cloud then add our own designs in the field to see what a project might look like at completion?
