The impact of forestry on the East Coast came to the fore last month as Tolaga Bay was deluged with offcuts. How did it come to this, asks Michael Smith. Satellite images show how the disaster in the forests at Tolaga Bay on New Zealand’s was a long time in the making. The length of time and the extent of …
Aquila: Facebook Shuts Down Internet Delivery Drone Project
Facebook has quietly announced that it will no longer be continuing with its Aquila project, a giant drone designed to fly at high altitude and beam down internet connectivity to remote areas. In a blog post written by director of engineering Yael Maguire, the company admitted that growing competition in the space from established aerospace businesses meant that Aquila was …
Point Clouds: Laser Scanning vs UAS Photogrammetry
Are photogrammetric point clouds superior to Lidar point clouds, or is it the other way around? To address this topic of ongoing debate, a study Switzerland-based study by Lerch Weber AG conducted a terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) survey together with an unmanned aerial system (UAS) photogrammetric survey of a gravel pit. In modern surveying, the numerous measurement methods can be …
Move on joint forest management standard
Australia and New Zealand are closer to developing a joint trans-Tasman standard for forest management following a joint meeting recently between the boards of Responsible Wood and the New Zealand Forest certification Association (NZFCA) in Wellington. Responsible Wood and the NZFCA operate PEFC-endorsed sustainable forest management systems in Australia and New Zealand respectively. A significant outcome of the meeting between …
Drones could add £42 billion to the UK economy
Drone technology has the potential to transform our economies to be more sustainable and efficient, according to a new report from PwC. The professional services group looked at the impact that drones could have upon the UK economy, finding significant improvements across all sectors. Adopting new technologies, such as drones, are seen as important ways to monitor and manage the …
How will open data affect the geospatial business?
Open data is becoming increasingly available all over the world. How will this trend affect the geospatial business? ‘GIM International’ has asked experts from some of the sector’s most influential companies for their opinions. How do Leica Geosystems, Trimble, Esri, Topcon and Bentley view the shift towards open geospatial data? Is it a blessing or is there reason for caution …
New Report: What are drones being used for in New Zealand?
Airways’ latest Drone Tracker Survey is out – providing a detailed snapshot of where the drone industry in New Zealand is at and what are the key issues for users. So what are the implications for the future of the technology? And what industries stand to benefit the most from more drones in the sky? The report surveyed 1,442 drone …