This article is part of our Road to Geo Week series.
Click here to register for Geo Week in Denver, CO, February 6-8, 2022.
From the earliest days of the International Lidar Mapping Forum, the latest in lidar technology, and speculation about the future were always top of mind. Today, it seems we are miles away from the first lidar sensors in terms of accuracy, versatility, and speed. As the industry continues to bring new sensors to market as well as improve software, processing and workflows, the lidar industry has a world opportunities ahead of it for growth.
Some of the innovations have been incremental, like moving from thousands to millions of points captured per second, and others have been more punctuated, like the development of hybrid lidar/photogrammetry systems that can ‘colorize’ point clouds with data from captured images, new lasers at different wavelengths, and the migration of point cloud processing to the cloud.
On the sensor side, in 2021, several mid-range lidars entered the market, some of which are even able to be mounted on either surveying aircraft or UAS for more versatility. These systems can allow for lidar use where UAS may have difficulty flying, and can also be used for larger-area scans with larger aircraft.
On the processing side, artificial intelligence and machine learning have helped improve the process of classification, and vertical-specific applications (including forestry, agriculture, mining, and more) are now possible thanks to specialized processing workflows.
At Geo Week 2022, content sessions will showcase the latest in lidar and surveying technology, bringing together experts to discuss successes and lessons learned through detailed case studies, and demonstrate the cutting-edge in sensors, techniques and applications.
Sessions showcasing the latest in lidar technology include:
- Advances in Processing of Point Clouds where you’ll learn about the latest workflows and techniques being used to process lidar data.
- Hybrid Approach: Multi-Sensor Integration where unique and innovative hybrid sensors and analysis techniques will be shared.
- Advancements in Sensors, where you’ll get a rundown of what’s possible with the most advanced lidar sensors currently available.
- What’s the Future of Aerial Lidar: The Sensors Manufacturer’s Point of View, where a panel of experts from Hexagon, Teledyne, GeoCue and more will share their insights to the future of lidar technology.
As the technology for capturing information with lidar and other sensors continues its rapid pace of technological breakthroughs, the industry is continuing to innovate in the use of lidar for ever-broadening applications. To keep up with the latest in lidar, join us at Geo Week 2022, use the link below to register or see more of the lidar-related conference sessions here.
