Courtesy of Phys.org

Zebedee scanner in use at Fort Lytton.

Australian researchers are using a novel mobile laser 3D mapping system called Zebedee to preserve some of the country's oldest and most culturally significant heritage sites.

The new joint research initiative between CSIRO and The University of Queensland aims to collect detailed 3D maps of historic sites of Moreton Bay. With the assistance of Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services, the research team have collected data from a number of heritage sites including the 19th century Brisbane River defences at Fort Lytton and Peel Island's leper colony buildings.

At the core of the technology, developed by CSIRO's Autonomous Systems Lab in Brisbane, is a laser scanner that swings back and forth on a spring to capture millions of detailed measurements. Zebedee gives researchers the ability to reliably map an environment in 3D by simply walking through it.

"This technology is ideal for cultural heritage mapping, which is usually very time consuming and labour intensive. It can often take a whole research team a number of weeks or even months to map a site with the accuracy and detail of what we can produce in a few hours," said Dr Jonathan Roberts, Director of CSIRO's Autonomous Systems Lab.

Bunkers at Fort Lytton.

"Zebedee has allowed us to capture a detailed record of several key cultural heritage sites ranging from those which are fragile and at risk of damage through natural disasters to those which are remote and difficult to get to," said Professor John Macarthur, Dean and Head of the School of Architecture at The University of Queensland.

"We're looking to use these maps in the future to create an archive of rich data about cultural heritage sites, which will allow us to analyse them without costly and time consuming hand measuring. From this, we have already analysed important aspects of Australian history. For example, the detailed map of Peel Island's many small buildings allowed us to analyse architecture used to racially segregate people within the leper colony. The point cloud data clearly depicts how cramped and crowded the living quarters for Indigenous people were, when compared to the non-Indigenous people who lived in their own huts with scenic verandas," he said.

The research will be officially launched by the Honourable Andrew Powell, Queensland's Minister for Environmental Protection and Heritage during an event to mark the beginning of Australia's National Heritage Week celebrations at Fort Lytton today.

About Zebedee
Zebedee is a handheld 3D mapping system developed by CSIRO that can scan an environment as an operator walks through it. The system produces a 3D map of the environment as well as an accurate record of the trajectory followed. The primary sensing technology utilised is LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), in which an infrared laser measures ranges to surfaces in the environment.

The distinguishing feature of Zebedee's design is that the laser scanner is mounted on a spring, which provides a lightweight solution for ensuring a wide scanning field of view. The spring converts the natural motions of the operator into a suitable sweeping motion of the scanner. A low-cost inertial sensor provides rough measurements of the spring's rotations. Specially designed software is able to convert the raw range and inertial measurements into a 3D map, represented as a pointcloud, which consists of millions of points expressed in a common coordinate frame. 

Laser scanning specialist 3D Laser Mapping has embarked on a research project, in partnership with Durham University, following the award of a share of a multi-million pound government grant.

The project, which aims to develop new models for slope failure monitoring, will be used to improve the safety and operational efficiency of mining companies around the world.

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP), like this one between 3D Laser Mapping and Durham University, help businesses improve their competitiveness and productivity through the better use of the knowledge, technology and skills that already reside within UK colleges and Universities. 

“KTP supports innovation led partnerships between commercial organisations such as 3D Laser Mapping, leading academic institutions like Durham University and external stakeholders such as the Technology Strategy Board,” 
commented Dr Graham Hunter, 3D Laser Mapping’s Executive Chairman and founder. “ It is the leading knowledge exchange programme in Europe and we are extremely proud to be a part of it.”

Dr Hunter continued, “By utilising the recently gained knowledge and expertise of our KTP Associate we can build on our existing mine monitoring solution SiteMonitor and incorporate the latest principles and innovations from academic research.”

The project sees KTP Associate Dr Ashraf Afana, right, join the 3D Laser Mapping team from Durham University where he will work on a three year placement on the integration of full waveform (FW) data processing into the ‘SiteMonitor’
 product. Dr Afana, who has a PhD in Fluvial Geomorphology from the University of Almeria in Spain, will be working in a ‘hands-on’ technical position developing and implementing a slope monitoring system that utilises strain-rate based failure modelling. He will work closely with 3D Laser Mappings Research and Development division and will undertake project work with some of the world’s leading mining companies. 

Dr Afana added, “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I get to work at the cutting edge of slope monitoring research and development software using my knowledge and skills to further develop a system that is already saving lives and improving efficiencies. I will gain hands-on experience of the system and get the opportunity to extract first-hand feedback from existing and potential users.”

This partnership received financial support from the Knowledge Transfer Partnerships programme (KTP), the Technology Strategy Board and other government funding organisations. 

About 3D Laser Mapping
3D Laser Mapping is a global developer of laser scanning solutions for sectors such as mapping, mining and manufacturing. 3D Laser Mapping specialises in integrating laser scanning hardware with their own software and peripherals to create solutions at the cutting edge of technology. Through a worldwide network of regional offices and local distributors 3D Laser Mapping is able to provide frontline support and service for a growing international client base. 3D Laser Mapping is also the RIEGL Premier Distributor for the UK, Ireland and sub-Saharan Africa and a leading distributor of TerraScan software. For further information visit www.3dlasermapping.com

About Knowledge Transfer Partnerships
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships are relationships between a company and an academic institution ('Knowledge Base' partner), which facilitate the transfer of knowledge, technology and skills to which the company partner currently has no access. Each partnership employs one or more recently qualified people (known as an Associate) to work in a company on a project of strategic importance to the business, whilst also being supervised by the Knowledge Base Partner.

KTPs facilitate the transfer of knowledge through projects undertaken by high calibre, recently qualified people under joint supervision from a company and an academic institution. They provide company-based training for recently qualified people to enhance their business and specialist skills, stimulate and enhance business-relevant training and research undertaken by the academic institutions and increase the interaction between businesses and academic institutions, and awareness of the contribution academia can make to business development and growth

According to figures, KTP associates benefit from a competitive salary, a fully funded professional management qualification, the opportunity to make an impact on a business from day-one and 75% are offered employment by the host company. According to Knowledge Transfer Partnership figures, 52% of companies who completed a final report had an increase in the overall value of the business whilst 62% had an increase in sales. For further information visit www.ktponline.org.uk or the Technology Strategy Board - Driving Innovation - www.innovateuk.org 

Today via their maps dev blog, Google announced details of the new Google Maps Android API v2 – some noteworthy customers using the API include Trulia, Expedia, and FlightTrack.  A number of new features and functionality are included: Maps API now uses vector tiles, Caching is improved, and Maps are now 3D. About the maps API… With the Google Maps Android API, you can add maps based on Google Maps data to your application. The API automatically handles access to Google Maps servers, data downloading, map display, and response to map gestures .

From Google GeoDev blog… With the new version of the Google Maps Android API, developers can utilize Google Maps to its fullest. We’ve incorporated many of the highly-requested features developers want, such as:

• More dynamic and flexible UI designs for large screen Android devices, such as tablets, using Android Fragments
• Adding more Google Maps layers in their apps including satellite, hybrid, terrain, traffic and now indoor maps for many major airports and shopping centers
• The ability to create markers and info windows with less code
• 3D Tilt
• Traffic data and more… 

See an intro to Maps API v2 HERE

See more details HERE

Courtesy of Geospatial World

3D data has been collected and used for over 100 years. What has changed recently is the ability to collect vast quantities of 3D data, to present and interrogate the data in new ways. While BIM has become essential for professionals in construction industry, 3D technology is finding huge utility in defence and internal security, facilities management, urban planning, gaming and entertainment industries. Read on to find out the trends in 3D technology, which is being actively pursued by geospatial industry..

Geospatial information is three dimensional. However, it is often presented in 2D, 3D or even 4D. Instrumentation and software to collect 3D data have changed significantly over the past 10 years. Laser scanning from the air and the ground is the biggest development, but the development of digital cameras and the software to carry out stereo matching has allowed the use of images to compete with laser scanning. Laser scanning and imagery is combined in mobile mapping systems. In addition, the collection of 3D data for database updating, often covering small areas, has been greatly enhanced by the use of GNSS, allowing accurate, rapid collection of data on tablets. Today, 3D information can be visualised dynamically on large computer screens, but users also want information on their tablets and phones, which is not easy. 

The introduction of building information models (BIM) in the construction industry is certainly a growing professional application. 3D visualisations have found an important niche in navigation, where the emphasis is on the data being up-to-date rather than being accurate at centimetre scale. A more professional application is mapping of public facilities for inventory and facility management. Today, the use of 3D data is not confined to large scale applications. There is a growing interest in ''''''''digital globes'''''''' showing information on both natural and man-made features worldwide. In this case, visualisation is often dynamic and the question of scalability becomes important. Let us explore the trends and look at the direction in which the collection and use of 3D data is moving. 

DATA ACQUISITION
Geospatial data has been collected for centuries, initially only in two dimensions. But since the 18th century, principally starting in France and India, elevation data has been collected and shown in various ways. Elevation has been shown as contours, giving an accurate model of relief and through various forms of texturing. The data for these 2D maps has been collected by traditional survey methods: plane tables, tacheometry and later from aerial survey. With the advent of computers, the concept of a digital elevation model (DEM) has been introduced. This allowed computation for earthworks, for example, to be done and even basic visualisation. By the 1960s, DEMs has become commonplace and excellent visualisations were available. The main source of elevation data was then aerial survey, contours were initially drawn manually, or spot heights measured manually, but the development of stereo matching software in the 1980s allowed this to be done automatically. At first, the DEMs generated had errors and gaps but now they are much more reliable, though manual editing is still required. Images come from aerial cameras and satellite sensors. There are several global DEMs available as shown in Table 1: 

In the past decade, laser scanning has become an alternative technique of collecting 3D data, both from the air and ground. Images can be taken with the laser data from the air to generate photorealistic orthoimages and mobile mapping systems from the ground combine images with laser scanning. Laser data and DEMs generated from images can be collected separately and combined. 

Fully automated generation of very dense 3D point clouds and digital surface models (DSM) from stereo aerial images (nadir and oblique) is rapidly gaining ground. The most efficient method is to use Semi Global Matching (SGM) algorithms. There are a number of software packages which produce accurate point clouds for 3D analysis as well as textured DMSs from imagery collected in flight missions by aeroplanes, helicopters, UAVs, satellite imagery or terrestrial photography collected by mobile mapping vehicles (Table 2). 

A new development in mobile mapping systems is Trimble''''''''s Indoor Mobile Mapping System (TIMMS). It is a manually operated push-cart designed to accurately model interior spaces without accessing GPS. It consists of three core elements: LiDAR and camera systems engineered to work indoors in mobile mode, computers and electronics for completing data acquisition and data processing workflow for producing final 2D/3D maps and models. The models are geolocated, meaning that the real-world position of each area is known. Refer to April 2012 edition of Geospatial World for a more detailed explanation of mobile mapping systems and airborne LiDAR. 

PRESENTATION OF 3D DATA
Three dimensional solid models date back to the 18th century and what is claimed to be the oldest large scale mountain relief in the world, created between 1762 and 1786 by F. L. Pfyffer von Wyher can be seen, along with other examples in the exhibition room of the Lucerne Glacier Garden. These models were expensive and only used for special purposes and were essentially for display purposes rather than to provide accurate dimensions. Raw data can be processed by a user with a range of tools. These are improving today but for a long while, there were limitations to the processing possible with laser scanned data. The presentation of 3D data used to be constrained by the media available. Until the 1970s, the medium was paper. The advent of the electronic computer allowed 3D displays of the data; the big breakthrough was the concept of the DTM or DEM, at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1956. Originally developed for the terrain, the DEM has now progressed for the representation of anything from surfaces of oil paintings to the surface of the earth and other planets. Not only has the range of scale expanded, but so has the detail shown. 3D visualisations are now widely available for display on a wide range of devices. These range from 3D street views, such as those available from Google and Bing, to view on phones, tablets or large computer screens through to massive scientific models such as used by the Japanese supercomputer centre for environmental modelling. 

For simulations to present an accurate picture of the real world, the accuracy of the geodata used is extremely important. Besides, it should be based on the latest available imagery. 3D city and terrain models form the basis of simulations across a plethora of applications and industries. 

There are a range of 3D city models available today. ComputaMaps, France, has recently introduced its DxM digital elevation product line, which covers over 275 metropolitan areas worldwide. DEMs serve as the base layer for mapping across a broad range of applications such as urban planning, environmental monitoring, defence and security. LandSIM3D allows the creation of 3D virtual models of entire cities and landscapes by combining geospatial data with 3D or CAD objects in a realtime 3D georeferenced environment. This allows improved decision making related to planning, management and development of sites and territories. 

Esri's CityEngine is a standalone software that offers professional users in urban planning, architecture, GIS, entertainment and general 3D content production with a conceptual design and modelling solution for creating 3D cities, buildings and streetscapes. 

Bentley Map V8i offers the capability to visualise smart 3D models; create thematic maps; capture smart 3D features of buildings, roads and other infrastructure; integrate 3D data from different sources; and thus create realistic renderings and animations. 

CityGML is a common information model for the representation, storage and exchange of 3D urban objects and landscape models. It is an OGC standard for presenting real-world features in 3D with different levels of detail. It offers a mechanism for describing 3D objects with respect to their geometry, topology, semantics and appearance. This makes it possible to employ virtual 3D city models for sophisticated analysis tasks in different application domains like simulations, urban data mining, facility management and thematic inquiries. 

PLETHORA OF APPLICATIONS
3D digital data is being used in building information modelling (BIM). BIM is an innovative approach to the designing and documentation of building projects. BIM offers the ability to model and manage not just graphics, but also information, which in turn allows the automatic generation of drawings and reports, design analysis, schedule simulation and facilities management. All this gives the building team the ability to make more informed decisions. Besides, BIM supports a distributed team which allows effective sharing of information throughout the lifecycle of the building and eliminates any possibility of data redundancy, data re-entry, data loss, miscommunication and translation errors. An example of the use of BIM is with Crossrail in UK (discussed in Geospatial World in March 2011). In MASDAR City (Geospatial World July 2011), 3D models have been used to estimate temperature rise due to solar heating and structural shapes and to look at the contribution of cities and suburbs to heat dissipation. It appears that tall buildings and urban canyons actually are cooler than open residential areas. The use of 3D models to look at how sound travels is another planning application. 

Defence and homeland security: Governments around the world are today faced with monumental challenges tackling the threats to national security. Technology breakthroughs are offering the advantage of low-cost, easy-to-use and realistic visualisation capability for planning, training and decision making. 3D technology is used for diverse purposes in the defence sector including hazardous material safety training, emergency response training, maritime security training, crisis management and war training. 

A three-dimensional virtual model of the enemy territory or actual mission place can be created using satellite imagery and emergency procedures can be practiced for various scenarios in advance. Real-time 3D visualisation is a fundamental tool in any situation related to defence and homeland security. Developed by Bohemia Interactive Australia, Virtual Battlespace is a military simulator which uses 3D gaming technology to offer realtime scenario management facilities. The combination of military simulator functionality and modern gaming technology has led to a broad military customer base from around the world including the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and the Australian Defence Force (ADF). 

Entertainment industry: Geospatial technology has today become an integral part of the 3D entertainment industry. The use of satellite imagery has gained popularity in the video games. The availability of high-resolution stereo satellite imagery allows users to experience video games in a realistic 3D simulated world. 

High-resolution stereo satellite images, together with a terrain elevation model, helps game developers to create a simulation model and visualise the landscape in three dimensions. 3D terrain models are used for map updating and in the creation of 3D city models, which are a prerequisite for generating virtual reality environments. 

While these were earlier used to simply visualise the built environment, they are used nowadays as 3D interfaces for refined simulation modelling. 

In most cases, models of buildings, vegetation and terrain surface are the major features of interest. LiDAR technology can be used to obtain the DSMs. LiDAR data can further be combined with satellite images to generate DEMs to create a 3D virtual world. In Microsoft''''''''s aircombat game titled H.A.W.X. 2, satellite imagery from GeoEye-1 has been used to present diverse vistas such as mountains, coastal regions, deserts and some prominent cities like Cape Town, which allows gamers to pilot the fighter jets with amazingly realistic experience.

Nokia''''''''s Ovi Maps Racing is a location-based racing game that makes use of Ovi Maps to let the users experience the thrill of racing on the tracks through real world cities by utilising maps data by NAVTEQ and the gaming device''''''''s GPS. The game offers 3D environment of real world cities created using actual site imagery.

3D visualisations from images are used in the film industry with films such as The Matrix and Spiderman making extensive use of photogrammetry in constructing action scenes. Another 3D application is Hawk-eye used in tennis and cricket to determine the path of the ball. 

CONCLUSION
The third dimension is an integral part of geospatial information. 3D data has been collected and used for over 100 years. What has changed is the ability to collect vast quantities of 3D data using new technology, and the ability to present and interrogate the data in new ways. There is no doubt that tools such as BIM will become essential for professionals, particularly in the construction industry. Those working on the environment will use 3D models of the terrain, enhanced with environmental information, at all scales from global to local. 

3D city models and landscape models are now available, but one would want to know who the users are. Can a single specification satisfy all? How do National Mapping Agencies (NMAs) respond to different requirements? NMAs are handicapped with uncertain or vague possibilities for the utilisation of 3D landscape models. This stops them from deciding the level of detail to adopt. Then there is the problem of accuracy. Is the DTM accurate enough to allow the 3D features to fit into it without misfits? How will data be captured to ensure that there are no gaps and that roads and rivers fit properly to the terrain? Workflows will need to be adjusted to collect 3D data from images, LiDAR or field survey; and staff will need to be trained in the new requirements. All of this suggests that it will be some time before NMAs add 3D landscape models to their portfolio of products.

Siemens PLM Software  is involved in a collaborative project that aims to develop powerful tools designed to create virtual work environments in which radiation exposure can be simulated and estimated prior to conducting maintenance tasks at nuclear power plants.

Partners in the radiation management program included Electric Power Research Institute, Fiatech and CSA. 

Advanced algorithms and state-of-the-art visualization software are being combined into powerful tools that can be used by nuclear plant workers to more effectively plan maintenance activities by simulating how dose exposure will change as an avatar moves through a work environment. Various what-if scenarios can be visualised and evaluated at multiple locations and elevations in advance to minimise worker exposure and to communicate potential risks.

The issue

Work activities at nuclear power plants are planned to an exceptional level of detail to protect the health of plant workers and to ensure the plant is maintained in a safe condition. Nuclear plants therefore, conduct detailed surveys of work environments to measure radiation levels, and work planners then use this information to determine how a specific task can be performed with minimal exposure.

Traditional dose estimation techniques, however, have limitations and do not fully capture dose variations in a particular work environment. These limitations hamper the ability of work planners to determine the actual dose a worker may receive when standing near a particular piece of equipment.

The solution

Using information collected from radiation surveys and laser scanning, 3D data and visualization software can now be used to produce high-quality simulations of nuclear plant work environments. When coupled with an improved dose estimation capability, this software can help ensure individual and task exposure levels that meet ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) planning and compliance requirements in maintenance tasks.

The new solution was developed collaboratively with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) first developing a subroutine using the three-dimensional aspects of radiological conditions to estimate dose rates for workers during each step of the work activity, including predictions of dose rates for locations that had not been surveyed. The algorithm relies on survey or real-time radiation data and technician knowledge of radioactive sources, including possible hot spots. 

Working with Fiatech, various advanced technology companies including Siemens PLM Software and CSA, have developed visualization software packages that can produce accurate models of industrial work environments using 3D laser scanning and 3D CAD technology. These software systems can integrate the EPRI dose estimation algorithm and generate visual models that represent the differences in dose levels in three dimensions.

Using more accurate dose estimates, planners can develop the most efficient plan for individual work tasks to minimise radiation exposure. The 3D models enable various simulations to be conducted, such as simulating a constraint on worker time while performing a task in a particular location, or installing protective shielding.

EPRI validated the dose estimation algorithm in a 2011 pilot scale demonstration using data from a Midwest U.S. nuclear plant, and the 3D software vendors subsequently validated the integration of their individual products with the algorithm.

EPRI coordinated a full-scale demonstration of the combined algorithm and software visualization products at the same Midwest plant in 2012. 

Additional adjustments will be made to the EPRI algorithm based on the full demonstration scenario. The participating vendors will be working with host plants to test and refine their prototypes in preparation for commercial application.

Key benefits of the solution:

• More effective planning of work activities to minimise worker exposure and cost
• More accurate dose estimation in work environments
• Visual representation facilitates scenario analysis and evaluates use of dose reduction strategies such as shielding
• More effective use of radiation surveys by integrating data with a laser scan or 3D representation of the facility
• Improved communication of radiological conditions and risks to workers
• Enhanced training of new workers using modern tools
• Support of compliance reporting