Omans’s idea to use UAVs for aerial lidar gave operators the option to take on projects typically considered too small for manned missions, and with the added benefit of lower costs and liabilities. At that time, UAV-photogrammetry was a popular option, but for lidar, the weight and operating complexity continued to present obstacles for UAV integration. This magazine’s focus on the innovation and application of lidar technology led to our meeting in December 2017, where managing editor Stewart Walker met with Phoenix CEO Grayson Omans and several of his colleagues to discuss opportunities presented by integrating lidar technology with unmanned aerial vehicles. Phoenix LiDAR Systems specializes in building lidar systems for UAV integration, producing hardware and software for surveying and mapping companies to collect the data they need with as little operating overhead as possible. This modular system can also be mounted on vehicles and backpacks for more flexibility.Ī PDF of this article as it appeared in the magazine is available HERE Figure 1: Phoenix LiDAR’s miniRANGER UAV system is designed to acquire survey-grade LiDAR data and high-resolution 42 MP RTK photogrammetry at up to 100 meters AGL. Phoenix LiDAR Systems is an industry leader in building compact, survey-grade laser mapping and photogrammetry solutions, as well as cloud-based, automated data post-processing, enabling clients to collect detailed, 3D topographic information for a wide range of commercial and research applications, including engineering, construction, mining, and more. Phoenix LiDAR’s new platform enables, even more, companies to take advantage of the detailed 3D data LiDAR offers.Ĭommercial UAV Expo in Las Vegas, booth 700 (Oct 24-26). As the industry grows and hardware becomes more affordable, LiDAR Mill further drives down costs by automating post-processing and leveraging cloud computing.

The use of LiDAR for mapping and surveying has long been a preferred method for teams in mining, utilities, forestry, and more. “We’re excited to launch LiDAR Mill because it fills that gap in the UAV LiDAR mapping puzzle,” says CEO Grayson Omans, “it makes post-processing faster and affordable so that more organizations can use it.” The NavLab Pipeline, for example, can be used as a stand-alone module just for trajectory processing, or as the starting point for additional pipelines, like planimetrics, advanced classification, DTM (Digital Terrain Model) creation, and more. LiDAR Mill users can then download their data for further processing, or simply forward it to customers as a final deliverable.Īs LiDAR technology becomes increasingly affordable, organizations seeking to conduct surveying or mapping operations can further take advantage of customizable solutions within the LiDAR Mill platform. The final product is a calibrated and “de-noised” point cloud with basic “ground/non-ground” classification.

This trajectory is then fused with 3-dimensional XYZ LiDAR data to create an unfiltered LAS file, which can be further refined through other processing algorithm pipelines, like flight line matching, filtering, and more. The LiDAR Mill platform breaks the formerly manual and highly technical post-processing procedure into three automated steps, or “pipelines.” The first, christened as the NavLab Pipeline, is a trajectory module that processes inertial and GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) data in forward and reverse several times to achieve the greatest possible accuracy.

Phoenix lidar system drone