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Next Regional Sales Manager Optech Incorporated davidc@optech.ca  LiDAR sensors and the data produced from such systems are finally coming of age in Asia after being widely used and accepted in Europe and North America for a number of years. In fact the LiDAR industry as a whole is very young, with the first commercial systems being flown only about 15 years ago, as compared to traditional aerial photography which has been around for more than 50 years. Within greater Asia, Japan were early adopters of LiDAR technology as they quickly recognised the benefits LiDAR sensors afforded with excellent point elevation accuracy and the far less dependence on favorable weather conditions that governed the use of passive optical sensors. Today, Japan still has more LiDAR sensors in total than any other Asian country. Australia was soon to follow Japan in adopting airborne LiDAR technology, although the sensor numbers are significantly less. However, as one would expect from a country the size of Australia, the size and variety of LiDAR projects is often very large as compared to projects in, say, Japan. The provision of LiDAR acquisition in Asia has generally taken a different path to that of the traditional aerial photography business in which the latter usually involved Governments directly owning optical sensors or contractors operating under strict supervision. These aerial cameras rarely left the country. In contrast, LiDAR sensors are overwhelmingly owned by private companies and as such are deployed far and wide to maximise their return on investment. Furthermore, airborne LiDAR is a complementary business to photogrammetry, with many companies that started in photogrammetry, quickly taking up this newer technology and building successful businesses by providing LiDAR services and data. It is no longer unusual for a LiDAR sensor to be relocated to a country in Asia for a specific project or projects and then upon completion moved on to another country. Such mobility of sensors is a characteristic of the LiDAR business, for example, it was recently reported that Geokosmos of Russia undertook a project in Vietnam, and AAMHatch of Australia completed a project in Hong Kong. There seems a clear connection between countries with open dynamic economies and the adoption of LiDAR technology as seen in Japan, Australia, Malaysia, and China. As always there are exceptions, with a handful of countries maintaining tight restrictions on the use of any airborne sensors within their territories. Despite repeated assurances from the highest officials, India remains all but closed for the private sector to operate any airborne sensors. If ever there was a country of the size, population and economic resources that could benefit from adequate and timely mapping using modern technology it is India, but for security reasons, a legitimate but often misused justification, no commercial flying has yet been approved. In contrast, China with its decade of rapid economic growth has deployed many new mapping technologies including a number of LiDAR sensors procured from all the leading systems vendors. In this case pragmatism is triumphant. So what niche in the geospatial data market does LiDAR satisfy? Key drivers for LiDAR projects are high elevation accuracy, direct 3-dimensional acquisition, rapid capture to output, with further attractions being LiDAR’s ability to see through vegetation and flexibility in acquisition timing, be it day or night and reduced ground control requirements. Essentially there are two kinds of projects - those that follow linear features such as roads, rail lines, power lines, coast lines, the so called corridor projects, and then area projects where large geographical regions are flown. For corridor projects, the focus appears to be on planning for new roads, rail lines, pipelines etc, although some projects acquire LiDAR over existing infrastructure for maintenance and monitoring purposes such as power transmission lines. Page 1 of 2
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