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Emerging trends in mapping using LIDAR and Digital Camera Systems
 Donald E. Wicks President, EnerQuest Systems, LLC 1999 Broadway, Suite 3200 Denver, CO 80202 Tel: (303) 298-9847, Fax: (303) 292-9279 Email: dwicks@enerquest.com 7600 Jefferson Street, NE, Courtyard II, Suite 101 Albuquerque, New Mexico USA, 87109 Tel: 505.828.2700, Fax: 505.828.9200 Email: rcampos@enerquestnm.com
Abstract
The emerging technologies of airborne laser mapping and digital imagery compete directly with the older technologies of ground surveying and photogrammetry. A laser imaging distance and range (LIDAR) system, which measures terrain directly, can be integrated with a Digital Camera, and an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and GPS to calculate the exact position of the sensors at the time of data acquisition. Therefore, the need for ground control panels, film development and stereo plotting are eliminated for map generation. Laser generated data greatly exceeds traditional survey resolutions, with an average sample density of 100,000 points per square kilometer. Achieving this sample density with any other method is normally cost prohibitive. This paper will delineate the advantages of both LIDAR and Digital Cameras. It will also provide the user with the knowledge of what to specify during data acquisition and how to select a vendor or data acquisition system capable of delivering that data. |