The airborne market for area-wide 3D data acquisition is experiencing a noticeable trend towards a hybrid mapping concept. In the near future, most airborne data collection will increasingly be performed by a combination of active and passive sensors. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, collecting all relevant data while flying is an efficient and cost-effective solution, even when the flying restrictions and regulations are factored in. Secondly, exploiting the advantages of both light detection and ranging (Lidar) and dense image matching (DIM) point clouds will improve the quality of the final geospatial products. This article reports on the latest developments in the field of airborne hybrid systems, including both data acquisition and processing.
Almost all new generations of airborne Lidar systems integrate a Lidar unit and a passive imaging unit (in a single-camera or multi-camera fashion) in the same platform for concurrent acquisition of ranging and imagery data. Different combinations of the most recent technological trends in ranging and imaging are available, including (i) single-photon Lidar (SPL) or linear mode, multi-spectral and topo-bathymetric laser scanners, and (ii) nadir and oblique-looking cameras, equipped with RGB, NIR or hyperspectral sensors.
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Source: GIM International
Image Credit: nFrames
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