How an engineering software development firm tackled one of the key challenges facing CAD-to-GIS conversion intiatives.

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Surveying is not a game. However, a game-like virtual environment could be a valuable tool for training, site safety, planning, project management, and more.

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Rapid and accurate data capture is crucial to collaborative design, construction, and operational ecosystems. The solutions for capture have greatly improved, and so have the mechanisms for bringing the resultant models into the process.

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How interior spaces like mines are being scanned and imaged by a drone that works without a pilot or connectivity. 

There are more reasons to consider domestically produced drones than just policy/security concerns. We profile one of several domestic manufacturers that are competitive in versatility, reliability, price, and performance.

Aerial capture is getting easier and faster, but the subsequent step of CAD linework generation is a bottleneck—especially given the present shortage of qualified drafters. AI is stepping in to help.

A joint development program by the Department of Homeland Security and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has produced a solution that is unique among indoor positioning and location technologies. POINTER shows great promise for first responder operations and many other applications.

Ubiquitous vehicular autonomy may still be many years away. However, there is a growing market for defined zone applications. How an autonomous vehicle solution provider has found success with a vehicle-agnostic approach. 

The addition of scanning capabilities to robotic total stations, provides the power of two instruments integrated into one platform. This also enables operation of a GNSS rover simultaneously, with the same field data collector and software. 

Technologies developed for autonomy and consumer applications are opening up new user segments and rewriting conventional workflows.

The boom in the development of corrections services for applications such as autonomy and robotics has brought a whole new slate of market players, and an expansion of services from established corrections providers.  

2022 saw the addition of a new category in the annual Year in Infrastructure – Going Digital Awards: Surveying and Monitoring. It is great to see the vital role of surveying and geomatics highlighted in these prestigious awards.

Recognizing that with the right equipment and practices, specifications for ALTA surveys can easily be met, surveyors have rapidly adopted UAS for these and many other types of surveys.  

All-in-one mapping-grade GPS/GNSS handhelds shined in their day, but advances in mobile computing, bring-your-own-device, affordable high precision, and pay-as-you-go options, are seeing a rise in more flexible component systems.

It is not just about the advances in technology; these peak times demand peak productivity.

Capturing underground utilities while the pit or trench is open has always been a best practice, but not practiced enough. This has now become so simple that reasons not to document are running out.   

It’s about more than advances in technology — peak times demand peak productivity  

A “metaverse” holds so much potential beyond just social media and marketing platforms. Substantive uses for infrastructure design, construction, and management get little mention. The geomatics, geospatial, and AEC communities need to change the narrative. Perhaps a bit more  “infrastructureverse”?   

Offering training as recruitment/retention incentive is difficult if such opportunities are limited. A renewed focus on creating more training opportunities, within the profession and supporting industries, is changing this.  

Presently, what are some prime candidate technological innovations that utility operators, particularly for underground utilities, should we be looking at? 

Despite a boom in the use of small unmanned aerial systems for surveying and mapping, manned systems have seen growth.   

Data capture is getting easier and faster, but the subsequent step of CAD linework generation is a bottleneck, and even more so with the present shortage of qualified drafters. AI is stepping in to help.   

How HERE Technologies added LiDAR to their mobile data capture in 50+ countries and are now providing this data on-demand. Plus, example tools from Bentley Systems for ingesting, extracting features, analyzing, and sharing. 

Traditional pathways for creating, using, and sharing modeled 3D reality data presents challenges to broader adoption. Montreal-based Prevu3D provides a unique solution to remove those barriers.

There is a growing ebb in the tide of UAS adoption for aerial surveying, mapping, and remote sensing—finding the right balance between manned and unmanned aerial operations.

NextNav's beacons of hope for positioning, navigation and timing alternatives.

Exploring the esoteric world of precision timing by “following the White Rabbit”.