Geomatics World #4 2020

winter 2020 Issue No 4 โ ข Volume 28

In Alliance with GIM International

WWW.GEOMATICS-WORLD.CO.UK

20 Years of Geomatics World

Plus รงa Change

01_cover.indd 1

Innovation, Resilience and Diversity at PCA

The Future of Geospatial

Integrating UAV-based Lidar and Photogrammetry

02-12-20 16:23

CONTENTS Geomatics World is published quarterly by Geomares Publishing UK Ltd on behalf of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Geomatics Professional Group and is distributed to group members and other subscribing professionals.

Publisher: Durk Haarsma Editor: Ian Dowman Advertising: Feline van Hettema Content Manager: Wim van Wegen Copy Editor: Claire Koers Production Manager: Myrthe van der Schuit

P. 21

20 YEARS OF GW Stephen Booth, editor from 1995 to 2017 looks at the highlights of GW, and key moments in geomatics.

P. 26

THE FUTURE OF GEOSPATIAL Vanessa Lawrence asks “are we everyone’s friend or do they not know we exist?”

EDITORIAL BOARD Ruth Adams, Stephen Booth, Pat Collins, Nick Day, Ian Dowman, Kate Fairlie, James Kavanagh, Jon Mills, Stuart Robson, Nathan Spencer, Thomas Wren.

P. 30

OVERSEAS SOURCES Roy Dale – New Zealand Nick Day – USA

P. 32

INNOVATION, RESILIENCE AND DIVERSITY Peter Folwell glances back and looks forward through the Plowman Craven lens.

THE EVOLUTION OF THE SMART SURVEYOR Craig Hill sets out five trends which will bring about the next generation surveyors.

CONTACT DETAILS Geomares Postbus 112 8530 AC Lemmer, The Netherlands Tel: +31514561854 E-mail: editor@geomares.co.uk Web: www.geomatics-world.co.uk MATERIAL TO BE PUBLISHED While all material submitted for publication will be handled with care and every reasonable effort is made to ensure the accuracy of content in Geomatics World, the publishers will have no responsibility for any errors or omissions in the content. Furthermore, the views and opinions expressed in Geomatics World are not necessarily those of the RICS. Reprints: Reprints of all articles are available.

Please send an e-mail to editor@geomares.co.uk for details.

Advertising: Information about advertisement rates, schedules etc. are available in a media pack.

Please email Feline van Hettema (feline.van.hettema@geomares.nl) No material may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission of Geomares Publishing © 2020 ISSN 1567-5882

P. 34

INTEGRATING UAV-BASED LIDAR AND PHOTOGRAMMETRY A case study using dense 3D point cloud generation with ultra-high precision from the University of Stuttgart.

P. 04 P. 05 P. 06 P. 12 P. 15

Editorial From the publisher Headlines RICS Policy Watch Gordon Johnston

P. 18 P. 20 P. 29

Undercurrents TSA Column Issues to Consider Before Using UAVs for Land Administration Projects.

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA bit.ly/geomaticstwitter bit.ly/geomaticsfacebook bit.ly/geomaticslinkedin

Design: ZeeDesign, Witmarsum, www.zeedesign.nl Printing: Veldhuis Media, Raalte, www.veldhuismedia.nl

winter 2020 Issue No 4 • Volume 28

in AlliAnce with GiM internAtionAl

WWW.GEOMATICS-WORLD.CO.UK

20 Years of Geomatics World

Plus ça Change

Innovation, Resilience and Diversity at PCA

01_cover.indd 1

The Future of Geospatial

COVER STORY

The cover image is a collage of covers from 1999 to 2020 showing key themes covered by GW.

Integrating uAV-based lidar and Photogrammetry

02-12-20 16:23

Winter 2020

03_contents.indd 3

3

03-12-20 11:23

Editorial

by Ian Dowman

The Key Message is Still Communication

Geomatics World and its predecessors have been published for many years, so it is particularly sad that this series of publications is coming to an end. The cost of publishing a hard copy magazine when so much can be done digitally and via the internet, compounded by restrictions imposed because of Covid-19, have forced this conclusion on us. This final issue looks back on what has Ian Dowman, editor of Geomatics World been included in GW over the past twenty years and at the major changes in geomatics, and also looks to the future.

Stephen Booth, whose role in making GW what it is, has been highly formative. Takes a detailed look at what has been covered in the magazine and at the developments which have changed the survey industry. Peter Folwell from PCA looks at how these developments have affected commercial companies.

Looking to the future, Vanessa Lawrence reviews the use of geospatial data in the wider international community and reflects that changes have altered the way in which geospatial data is perceived among decision-makers around the world; changes in no small part brought about by herself. She notes that there is still a lot to do to promote the understanding of the importance of location data. Craig Hill from Leica Geosystems looks at what a smart surveyor might look like in the future.

We also have space to include a technical paper on Integrating UAV-based Lidar and Photogrammetry using dense 3D Point Cloud Generation by Norbert Haala and colleagues, and a short summary of how UAVs can be used for land registration. All the elements of these papers being key to the future processing of data.

Our columnists all reflect on changes over the last twenty years and look to the future. Gordon Johnston, as ever not letting us forget the importance of the oceans, comments on how new technology can make

4

a major contribution to understanding and adapting to climate change. James Kavanagh looks at policy issues and reflects on this being the final issue of GW, but also notes some places where information on geomatics can still be found. A recent addition to GW has been the column from The Survey Association and this has kept readers up to date on their activities and those of The Survey School. TSA has also reported on the steps that they have taken to help stop instrument theft. these have been invaluable to practitioners.

The existence of GW has coincided with many changes in geomatics and the collection, management and use of geospatial data, but we still cannot decide on what to call our activities! James Kavanagh comments on this, but the point made by Vanessa Lawrence, and the Geospatial Commission, is surely the most critical - that we need to get the message across that geospatial data and location are vital for so many modern-day activities.

I would like to thank all those who have contributed to making the magazine successful. I took over from Stephen Booth who made GW the force that it has become, and his support and inspiration have been invaluable, as has help from Richard Groom, Technical Editor until recently. The editorial board has also provided support and of course we thank all contributors, especially the columnists. The staff from Geomares, led by Durk Haarsma, have always given excellent back up, as has James Kavanagh from RICS. It has been a great privilege to edit GW since 2017 and I hope that the magazine has reflected activities and developments in geomatics over that period. There are many on-line publications which report on new products and interesting projects, but we hope that GW has provided a useful UK focus on our profession.

We wish our readers an enjoyable Christmas season and a better 2021 than 2020!

Ian Dowman, Editor

Winter 2020

04-05_editorials.indd 4

03-12-20 12:07

n

FROM THE PUBLISHER

by Durk Haarsma

A Note on the End of GW

This is the last issue of Geomatics World. In recent years, it has become more and more difficult to continue with printed publications. Lower income and higher prices create constant pressure for publishers, whether they are commercial publishers or institutes like RICS. Your own Geomatics World has been a joint cooperation between RICS and a publishing company for years and years (you can read more about that link and the history of Geomatics World in other parts of this issue). This joint effort has not escaped from the real demolition that is going on in the media and, as an old-fashioned publisher and editor, that hurts. As a more forward-looking media-maker, I still believe in beautifully made magazines filled with good journalism, keeping a professional community up to date, while at the same time serving as a platform for that community.

Many, many people have given their best to this magazine over the years: editors, columnists, authors,

advertising and sales people, and the majority of the geo-companies in the United Kingdom. Naming names here would be unfair, particularly if I forget a few, so a big thanks to everybody involved in the production of Geomatics World throughout the years! It might very well have been the corona crisis that pushed us over the edge, and somewhere at the back of my mind I hope we’ll be back with a magazine for the UK geospatial community one day.

Durk Haarsma, publisher of Geomatics World

For now, I urge you to go to the website of GIM International at www.gim-international.com to find both global and UK news, and to stay updated with what’s going on in the world of geomatics.

Durk Haarsma, Publisher

Winter 2020

04-05_editorials.indd 5

5

03-12-20 12:07

HEADLINES Trimble and Boston Dynamics Partnership to Extend Use of Autonomous Robots in Construction Trimble and Boston Dynamics are entering a strategic alliance to integrate a variety of construction data collection technologies with Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot The Spot robot can be equipped with integrated platform. The scanning, total station and GNSS technologies. jointly-developed solution will combine the Spot robot’s autonomous mobility with Trimble’s data collection sensors and field control software to enable automation of repetitive tasks such as site scans, surveying and progress monitoring, while taking advantage of the robot’s unique capabilities to navigate dynamic and potentially unsafe environments. The relationship gives Trimble exclusivity to sell and support the Spot robot with integrated scanning, total station and GNSS technologies for the construction market.

This turnkey solution will streamline operation of the robot and provide quality control for missions, enabling construction project managers to easily get a clear picture of jobsite progress on an ongoing basis. Trimble technologies integrated with the robot enable accurate, scalable and rapid data acquisition while Trimble’s construction collaboration platforms provide a continuous flow of information between field and office. In addition, customers will benefit from local support and service from Trimble and its distribution partners. https://bit.ly/36KcQux

Murphy Surveys Rebranded as Murphy Geospatial This change reflects the rapidly changing land surveying industry and the evolution of the company’s services to meet these developing needs. The company, which employs around 300 people across offices in six countries, works with its clients to capture, collate, verify and govern geospatial data, allowing them to reduce risk and make strategic decisions with confidence.

Growing on the concept of geospatial certainty, the firm has recently enhanced its offering to the market with its GeoCERT platform – an integration of its people, processes and technology that is providing greater efficiencies for its clients. The platform will ultimately be developed to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and other new developments as the construction industry moves towards even greater technological involvement.

6

HxGN Content Program Aerial Imagery Available on UP42 Geospatial Marketplace High-resolution aerial imagery from the HxGN Content Program is now available on the UP42 developer platform for Earth observation data and analytics.

HxGN Content Program 15 cm-resolution UP42 customers imagery of Bahá’í House Of Worship, may now choose Wilmette, Illinois - RGB and NIR bands. from nearly 11 million square kilometres of 30cm orthorectified imagery for North America and Europe and over 500,000 sq km of 15cm data for major US cities in the Hexagon aerial image library. UP42 gives users direct access to extensive Earth observation data sets and advanced processing algorithms – along with cloud computing power – to create their own geospatial solutions easily and inexpensively. The platform provides all the tools UP42 customers need to develop geospatial workflows, applications, and even commercial products.

“The HxGN Content Program is a valuable addition to the UP42 marketplace because it is an extremely vast library of orthorectified aerial imagery available for Europe and North America,” said UP42 CEO Sean Wiid. “This data can be accessed within the UP42 console or via API, where it can be downloaded, processed, or integrated into geospatial products.” https://bit.ly/2K9hTgw

IHO Releases New Standards for Hydrographic Surveys Earlier this month, the IHO released a new edition of the Standards for Hydrographic Surveys (S-44). In addition to surveys to support the safety of navigation, these standards can be adapted for oil and gas, renewable energies, dredging, geophysics and geotechnics. By clarifying the required levels of accuracy, they will help define the requirements in terms of technology, time and human resources and will save valuable resources. One of the notable S-44 Edition 6.0.0 changes in this latest version is the Standard for Hydrographic introduction of a new, more stringent Surveys. classification for surveys called ‘Exclusive Order’, which expands the standards’ applicability. This is designed for specific critical areas such as harbours and channels with minimum under keel clearance and bottom characteristics which could be hazardous to vessels. In these specific areas, an increased accuracy of +/- 10cm on a map can help precisely determine requirements for dredging and avoid unnecessary costs. https://bit.ly/3f7qzzk

Winter 2020

06-07-08-09-10-11_headlines.indd 6

02-12-20 16:39

HEADLINES Bluesky and University of Leicester Partner in Lidar for Detailed Tree Analysis Bluesky International is co-funding research into the use of Lidar, machine learning and artificial intelligence Visual representation of a Lidar scan of a to create forest. (image courtesy: Tom Potter) citywide maps of trees enriched with new levels of information in an advanced postgraduate degree study in partnership with the UK’s University of Leicester. A specialist in aerial mapping, Bluesky uses aircraft mounted lasers (Lidar) to capture millions of highly accurate measurements called point clouds that detail the earth’s surface and features. Bluesky has already pioneered nationwide maps detailing the location, height and canopy cover of trees and this R&D project is expected to result in an automated workflow for the extraction of tree structural features and the classification of tree species. “We have recently upgraded the sensor used to capture Lidar point clouds so we have more detailed and accurate measurements than ever before. We are therefore exploring how artificial intelligence and machine learning can be applied to extract additional intelligence from this data in the most efficient, accurate and costeffective way,” commented James Eddy, technical director at Leicestershire-based Bluesky. https://bit.ly/3lH6OBf

Pix4D Launches Software for Large-scale UAV Mapping Switzerland-based photogrammetric leader Pix4D has announced the commercial release of Pix4Dmatic: digital photogrammetry software for accurate and fast corridor and large-scale mapping. Pix4Dmatic has been created to meet an evolving demand as professionals map bigger and bigger areas around the world. Projects that would previously have been mapped by aircraft are now being surveyed with drones. With Pix4Dmatic, these expert projects are made possible and easier. Drone flights beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS), when permitted by law, are often considered the next frontier of drone mapping. Pix4Dmatic now also offers support for the large datasets resulting from multiple flights by easily processing over 10,000 images without compromising the results’ accuracy. According to Pix4D, this software will potentially open the door to a new era of drone mapping. Christoph Strecha, Pix4D’s founder and CEO, explains: “Pix4Dmatic will revolutionize the way corridor and large-scale surveys are completed by creating the opportunity for every surveying and mapping professional to achieve high-quality and reliable results.” https://bit.ly/3nDsrTP

Pix4Dmatic, the digital photogrammetry software.

Esri Acquires nFrames to Prioritize 3D Capabilities experience, this acquisition enhances our ability to create Esri has announced its acquisition of nFrames, a German extremely high-quality 3D data from imagery, which is critical for technology company that develops SURE, an industry-leading our customers in the municipal, planning, and AEC industries.” imagery and Lidar 3D surface reconstruction software. This will enable the fusion of imagery with 3D GIS, allowing nFrames https://bit.ly/3ky1oY0 and Esri users to seamlessly capture and analyse 3D data from aerial, drone and ground-based sensors in an automated endto-end process. SURE scales 3D data creation to large city and countrywide airborne image datasets and projects, while giving professional photogrammetry workflows improved precision, speed, and simplicity on premises or in the cloud. Through this acquisition, Esri gains a robust production engine that transforms imagery and Lidar data into point clouds, phototextured 3D meshes, and true orthos. Users in government; urban planning; or architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) can use SURE to generate 3D maps at scales from individual construction sites to entire cities and countries. “nFrames is a leading provider of 3D image reconstruction software and services, and I am excited to welcome the company to the Esri family,” said Jack Dangermond, Esri founder and president. “As Esri continues down its path of innovation to create a multidimensional nFrames’ Sure software will become part of Esri’s ArcGIS platform.

Winter 2020

06-07-08-09-10-11_headlines.indd 7

7

02-12-20 16:39

HEADLINES

4 Earth Intelligence Launches Countrywide Satellite Intelligence Data Earth observation company 4 Earth Intelligence (4EI) has launched a suite of data layers providing insight into a country’s wealth, demographics and transportation links. Derived from satellite imagery and other reputable resources, including the World Bank, OpenStreetMap, census records and historical archives, the Country Intelligence data suite has been created to support economic analysis, policymaking and SMART Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) reporting.

“Satellite imagery records what is happening on the planet rather than what is being reported and so is the perfect resource, when combined with multiple, validated data sources, to provide off-the-shelf resources for countrywide intelligence on economic and societal health,” commented David Critchley, CEO of 4 Earth Intelligence. “Whilst each layer has enormous potential to inform the creation of adaption strategies, including the delivery of SDGs, and emergency responses, the true potential of the Country Intelligence suite is released when the layers are used in combination.” https://bit.ly/38Y5NB8

Esri UK Signs Partnership With Drone Hardware Specialist Heliguy to Create End-to-End Drone Solution for AEC Esri UK today announced a new partnership with drone specialists Heliguy to complete its end-to-end drone solution designed for the AEC industry.

The final piece in Esri UK’s strategy to offer all parts of the drone workflow, the partnership will provide customers with drone hardware, pilot training and flying services from Heliguy, adding to Esri’s existing drone flight planning, data capture, data processing and GIS software. Containing these processes in one solution provides users with a more cost-effective workflow and saves time.

Offering a compelling solution to AEC organisations looking for integrated and scalable drone programmes, the new partnership aims to streamline current processes, from drone management and data capture, through to data analysis and better sharing of outputs across a business, including integration with BIM and CAD workflows.

Current Esri drone software customers include Skanska Norway, Arcadis and PCL Construction in North America, while UAV specialist Heliguy manages some of Europe’s largest drone programmes, working with Balfour Beatty, Atkins and Network Rail.

Through the new partnership, Esri UK and Heliguy will work on joint projects, aiming to introduce new and more efficient workflows by bringing together customers’ GIS and Survey teams who have traditionally worked separately on drone-related projects. https://bit.ly/2Vk8hBQ

Multi-use image of Addis Ababa, combining Points of Interest & Landcover, Raw Imagery, and Wealth Index from top left to bottom right. (Image courtesy: 4EI, Mapbox, OpenStreetMap) UK Site Scan_3D drone flight planning.

University of Colorado to Establish Trimble Technology Lab Trimble allows the University of Colorado, Denver to integrate The University of Colorado in Denver, USA, has received a the latest technology into its curricula, empowering graduates significant gift from Trimble to establish a state-of-the-art to rapidly transform how buildings and living environments are Technology Lab for the College of Engineering, Design and designed and constructed.

Computing. The gift will also support the departments or programmes in construction engineering and construction https://bit.ly/32TKME6 management, geography & environmental sciences, physics, and urban and regional planning. The lab will expand the university’s access and expertise in a customized suite of construction hardware and software products. The Trimble Technology Lab will provide students enrolled across relevant programmes handson experience with a wide breadth of Trimble solutions. The lab will expand the university’s access and expertise in project management, architectural and structural analysis, design and engineering, mixed reality, 3D scanning, office-to-field solutions, and GIS data collection and GNSS positioning. Partnering with Trimble has awarded a Trimble Technology Lab to the University of Colorado.

8

Winter 2020

06-07-08-09-10-11_headlines.indd 8

02-12-20 16:39

HEADLINES Introducing Airwards: A Unifying Global Accreditation Scheme Championing Groundbreaking Drone Work Airwards was launched in London in October. Airwards is a unifying global accreditation scheme recognising best practice drone work. Launching in association with ARPAS-UK, this digital awards scheme and not-for-profit will champion a wide range of UAV work which is positively advancing human capabilities. Covering more than 20 different disciplines, Airwards will recognise the very best UAV projects, companies and individuals leading the way in innovation, responsibility and real-world solutions.

The brainchild of digital entrepreneur Richard Nichols, Airwards has been established to bring together the drone community and raise awareness of positive drone uses with the wider general public. The independent awards platform will champion UAV projects that are pushing boundaries, creating innovative solutions and transforming industries. Winners will be selected by a panel of expert judges who will be announced in the coming weeks.

How the awards work Airwards is open to a range of companies, including UAV specialists disrupting an industry, start-ups using drone technology for creative solutions, and large corporations driving innovation. There are more than 20 awards in total, spanning a wide variety of uses and sectors including technology, operations, supporting services, industry specific and giving back.

Entrants will be able to submit their work from 1 December 2020 until 12 February 2021. Award submission costs vary and winners will be announced by late May 2021. For full details on how to enter and more information, visit www.airwards.online.

Entrants must successfully meet the Airwards criteria to be shortlisted.

Amongst others, the three main criteria are: 1 Innovative: Promoting pioneering ideas that are successfully challenging the perception of what a drone is and can be.

2 Responsible: Recognising the key aspect of safety in every drone flight to advocate legitimate behaviour as a standard best practice.

3 Real-world: Asking the question: ‘How are drones making a difference?’ by demonstrating quantifiable outcomes and tangible solutions.

UK Firm Invests in Revolutionary 3D Ground Probing Radar (GPR) System Award-winning sub-surface radar experts Macleod Simmonds have announced that they continue to invest in their High-Density Array Ground Probing Radar (HDAGPR) fleet, with the addition of the new generation 2.1m 3D Radar system. This is the largest array of its type in the UK currently, covering a wider footprint with each pass which enables a higher coverage per shift and a greater general efficiency when on site. Mixed with the company’s GPR expertise, this new system opens up new markets, whilst providing existing markets with more information than was previously possible in a single application.

This groundbreaking unit is based on a continuous wave – a different technology to previous ‘impulse centre frequency’ based systems. The array operates at between 100Mhz and 3Ghz which allows it to see deeper, whilst also being able to collect high resolution information at shallower depths. Essentially, these advances allow the new system to perform a single acquisition, looking for both shallow and deep utilities, then re-analyse the same data for pavement construction information and/or buried structure conditional data.

The application specification is vital as the unit can be optimised to collect data at motorway speeds for some applications, which provides the expert team at Macleod Simmonds with the ability to customise the operation to best fit the environment and objectives of the survey.

In terms of deployment, the 3D Radar is easily transportable and ready to survey in minutes. The data produced is of exceptional clarity, providing highly accurate data to produce a more informed report. This enables the team to choose the best route before the ground is broken, increasing the effectiveness and productivity of the field teams by reducing the time spent on site. This results in huge cost savings to large infrastructure projects.

Winter 2020

06-07-08-09-10-11_headlines.indd 9

9

02-12-20 16:39

HEADLINES Stephen Slessor Becomes CICES President Stephen Slessor has become the thirtysecond President of the Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (CICES). Stephen is currently Regional Director within Scotland for Morrison Construction’s environment business, part of the Galliford Try group. He is a firm advocate of the digital transformation of the civil engineering industry.

Plans for his presidential year include introducing an online knowledge hub to support members in their professional development and improve support and communications internationally. He is keen to keep academic pathways to civil engineering relevant and engaged with industry, and recently became a visiting professor at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen.

He is a self-confessed example of ‘no wrong path’ into the civil engineering professions. He left school at 16 and went on to study for a degree in quantity surveying via day release, and later gained a master’s degree in construction law and dispute resolution.

Government Launches £2 million Transport Location Data Competition The Geospatial Commission has partnered with Innovate UK to create a £2 million transport location data competition to support the future of mobility for the UK. The Geospatial Commission has partnered with Innovate UK to create a new £2 million competition which will look at how location data can spark innovation and support the future of mobility for the United Kingdom.

Smarter mobility solutions, underpinned by location data, will enable us to make the most of our transport networks by boosting capacity, reducing environmental impacts and decreasing travel times.

This competition aims to stimulate commercial innovation to help create geospatial solutions to our transport challenges and support the future of mobility.

London Solar Opportunity Map Launched by Greater London Authority The London Solar Opportunity Map, created by UCL Energy Institute, has been launched by the Greater London Authority (GLA), showing the energy potentially available from photovoltaic (PV) installations or heat from thermal collectors on all roofs and open land within the M25 motorway.

The GLA launched the Solar Opportunity Map in early September 2020. The map was created by a team at the UCL Energy Institute and the UCL Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis. It shows the energy potentially available, either as electricity from PV installations or as heat from thermal collectors, on all roofs and areas of open land for the whole of the capital out to the M25 motorway. It is based on a 3D model of terrain, buildings, other structures and trees derived from Lidar – laser measurements made from overflying aircraft. This is a tool that will help to achieve the London Mayor’s targets of 1GW of installed solar power by 2030, and 2GW by 2050.

Solar Radiation Calculations are made of the amounts of direct and diffuse solar radiation falling annually on all surfaces, taking account of overshadowing by neighbouring buildings and trees. From these figures, the solar energy potential is estimated, allowing for the slopes of roofs and for different solar technologies. A minimum threshold is set, below which installations are likely to be uneconomic. The character of land surfaces and their suitability for solar are represented in the map: some areas such as roads, woodlands and royal parks are excluded. The map is linked to the London Building Stock Model, which makes it possible to know the uses and potential energy reductions if solar panels were installed.

Besides policymaking by the GLA, the map is intended for use by householders, building owners, solar installers and investors in solar power. Data are included in the map on some 100MW of existing solar installations. Early analysis of the map shows that around a quarter of the Mayor’s 2GW target could be met with PV on the roofs of 4,000 large warehouses. Alternatively, the entire 2GW could be achieved with installations on a third of a million houses, the majority of them built before 1939.

The members of the team responsible for the map are Stephen Evans, Ivan Korolija, Dominic Humphrey, Gareth Simons, Paul Ruyssevelt and Philip Steadman.

This competition follows the publication in June of the UK Geospatial Strategy, Unlocking the power of location. Under the strategy the Geospatial Commission will maximise the commercial opportunities for innovation and promote marketwide adoption of high value emerging location technologies.

10 Winter 2020

06-07-08-09-10-11_headlines.indd 10

02-12-20 16:39

HEADLINES Thermal Mapping Helps Target UK Government Green Home Grants Using a high-tech thermal imaging camera to measure heat loss from roofs, aerial mapping company Bluesky International is helping to identify poorly insulated homes and other public buildings.

The property level heat loss maps provide an accurate and up-to-date picture that could be used to pinpoint homes eligible for financial support such as the UK Government’s Green Homes Grants.

The UK Government recently announced a package of grants worth a total £2 billion for energy-efficient home improvements, including installing insulation, double glazing and replacing old boilers. The remaining £1 billion of the package will be spent making public buildings, including schools and hospitals, more environmentally friendly, with £50 million going towards retrofitting social housing with insulation, double glazing and heat pumps.

Geospatial colour-coded maps “The government announcement of support for homeowners to improve the energy efficiency of their homes as part of a wider green jobs package brings thermal surveys to the forefront,” commented Rachel Tidmarsh, managing director of Bluesky International. “The intelligence we can derive from a thermal image can help target this money, highlighting at a glance properties that would benefit from additional insulation and double glazing.”

A specialist in aerial surveys, Bluesky has already produced thermal maps for a number of towns and cities across the UK, covering a significant percentage of the population. Working with property owners, local authorities and energy companies, the colour-coded thermal maps, combined with other types of geographic data such as a local authority address database, are used to give accurate and up-to-date information to tackle fuel poverty, manage carbon emissions and improve energy efficiency. The heat loss data maps have also been used to identify illegal dwellings – known as beds in sheds, and even uncover cannabis factories.

Your Product Platform for Surveying, Positioning and Machine Guidance

Thermal surveys Thermal surveys are flown in the winter months, during the evening and after sunset, in order to capture the widest variations in temperature that can occur as a result of poor insulation or excessive energy consumption.

The data can be produced ready for use in a Geographical Information System (GIS) or Bluesky can produce a list of properties with high heat loss values.

Undertaken using a ‘microbolometer’ thermal camera, specifically designed for airborne surveying, and ideal for use in aircraft flying at night allows for measurements of heat loss from property roofs to be recorded with higher precision and more consistent results than other systems currently in use in the UK.

Search and compare Get insights Connect

Winter 2020

06-07-08-09-10-11_headlines.indd 11

11

02-12-20 16:39

POLICY WATCH

by JAMES KAVANAGH

RICS News and a Farewell to GW

2020 – the year that just doesn’t stop giving and I know that many of us wish it would hurry up and finish. Difficult days and sour times for many, but we do seem to be turning towards something a bit brighter as the dim, wintry light of 2021 becomes visible on the horizon, regime change occurs across the pond and a Covid-19 vaccine gives hope, at last.

James Kavanagh, Director of the RICS Land Group.

During these crises - Covid-19, political and climate - the geospatial profession has become even more of a vital part of the global, and national, strategic fightback. I won’t go into specific details; more can be gleaned from the constantly updated URLs below. But have you all noticed how adept organisations, agencies and news channels have become at explaining highly complex issues using geospatial data and imagery? The general public do seem to have much more of a grip on the geospatial implications of ‘track and trace’, and those of you on social media can experience a constant stream of geospatial related news and content. See Ordnance Survey, Geospatial Commission and Geospatial World.

If anything, 2020 has accelerated the often disparate sectors within Geospatial (a broad church of GIS, land survey, cartography, imagery, data capture, engineering survey etc etc) to become much more closely aligned into a Geospatial Profession. From an RICS perspective, this has seen us working much more closely with our colleagues on the Survey Liaison Group and within the Geospatial Commission. Globally, our links and collaboration with FIG, CLGE and the various international standards coalitions (www.ilmsc. org) underline the international unique selling point of our profession.

Other big issue terms such as Geo-ethics (Benchmark initiative – https://benchmarkinitiative.com/ ), geospatial economics (Spatial Finance Initiative – https://spatialfinanceinitiative.com/ ), climate change monitoring, biodiversity net gain, natural capital and carbon mitigation evaluation, engineering and AR tech and many more, make this a very exciting time to be

a geospatial professional. ESG (Environmental, Social Governance) disclosure and reporting frameworks are the thing to watch for 2021, as investment funds and corporations move towards a more, at least publicly, active stance on sustainability. Geospatial data has a really significant role to play in ESG development. The World Economic Forum (WEF) has recently released an important output on ESG connectivity with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

RICS NEWS That term geospatial, its growing use and acceptance, brings me to the end of Geomatics World. Geomatics, unloved by many, hasn’t really worked for us as a profession title. The adoption of the term was controversial (see Brian Coutts’s article, Geomatics World November/December 2017) and perhaps it is best to see it as a traverse station (with a very large error ellipse!) on the survey loop towards an evolving geospatial profession.

As mentioned, this is the final hard copy of GW. GW, and its forebear Surveying World (including the 1990s RICS divisional journal for land and minerals surveying), has been going for nearly 30 years and there have been some wonderful highlights. I wrote my first column for GW (or SW as it was then) in 2000; selective availability (SA) was just being turned off by the US on GPS signals, triggering a revolution in positioning and related geodetic applications – we’ve come a very long way.

All RICS output is now digital and our RICS journals (in the case of Modus and Land Journal) have moved to a new online platform. The website www.geomaticsworld.co.uk will migrate along with the GW archive to the main GIM geospatial journal website www.giminternational.com effectively bringing GW content to a new global audience. The hard copy catalogue will remain in the RICS library. This has not been an easy decision for GW and RICS, but it is one which will allow us to evolve into a more digitally orientated resource and to provide resources for members within the corporate environment of RICS, whilst maintaining the global geospatial communications channel of GIM journal. I’m sure that various columns will be maintained in some form and many of you will have noted a recent upsurge in geospatial content with RICS Journals (Modus – https://ww3.rics.org/uk/en/modus/technology-and-

12 Winter 2020

12-13-14_policywatch.indd 12

02-12-20 16:48

data/harnessing-data/all-mapped-out.html) Gordon Johnston mentions the RICS evening lecture series in his column and I’m delighted to add that this year’s Christmas lecture will be held (virtually) on Thursday, 17 December – Julia Stolle FRICS will speak on the new 4th edition Boundaries Guidance Note (GN) and the role of a surveyor in a mediated boundary dispute. More details at https://www.rics. org/uk/events/conferences-seminars/boundaries-landchristmas-lecture/. Free and open to all.

RICS has been supporting members, and staff, during this new lockdown period (UK) in numerous ways. We made all of our conferences, CPD, webinars and online training free to access and use for all RICS members.

Some of the geospatial related highlights can be sourced at https://www.rics.org/uk/wbef/webinars/ and https://www.rics.org/uk/news-insight/latest-news/ value-the-planet/ RICS has also reviewed and updated our Covid-19 information COVID-19 webpages, along with a Covid-19 guide for those members working in the boundaries and neighbour disputes sectors https:// www.rics.org/globalassets/rics-website/media/news/ covid19/covid-19-guide--rics-recommendations-oninspections-and-visits-for-neighbour-disputes.pdf If there is an issue we have not addressed in our guidance, please let us know by emailing covid19@rics. org Lionheart, an independent charity for RICS professionals can offer free and confidential advice, financial support, professional counselling and legal advice.

Member feedback and dialogue seems to suggest that the Geospatial profession is in rude health and actively recruiting. Indeed, we have noted an upsurge in APC/ AssocRICS applications in geospatial and also in the much broader Land & Resources pathway; assessors and interviewers are always welcome.

The post PG2020 Sector Advisory Forums (SAFs) are being formed; the Land & Resources SAF had its initial meeting in early November 2020. We expect Geospatial Surveying to form an Expert Working Group in early 2021.

Policy watch

GUIDANCE Boundaries 4th edition GN will have finished its consultation period by the time you receive GW and we expect to launch at the 17 December evening lecture.

The new GN is a full root and branch upgrade and encompasses all that was best from the seminal 3rd edition. It features an emphasis on mediation and has been reformatted and edited to include several new and expanded sections: • Key definitions are included in the front of the GN (as well as in an expanded glossary).

• Conduct (RICS Rules of Conduct) and professionalism is underlined and emphasized in a new section.

• A completely revised ‘setting up the project’ section focuses on the anticipated role of the expert in the process.

• Expanded and updated ‘research’ and ‘site visit/ measured survey’ sections – with a completely new ‘features on the ground’ sub section.

• Updated sections on Litigation, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and recording the outcome with HM Land Registry.

• Extensive supporting appendixes on mediation processes, model terms of reference, entering neighbouring land advice and highways agency advice.

• A customized survey accuracy table and a new data provenance table.

RICS Dispute Resolution Service (DRS) and Property Litigation Association (with the support of the Civil Justice Council) have just launched a new Boundary Disputes Mediation Service https://www.rics.org/uk/ products/dispute-resolution-service/drs-services/ boundary-disputes-mediation-service/ . We expect the new 4th edition to form a primary part of the framework for best practice in this joint service.

Imagery 6th edition GN should be in consultation in Dec 2020. This new edition is, again, a completely updated and reformatted edition. We have collaborated with our colleagues on the SLG, RSPsoc, ARPAS (UAVs) and other imagery industry experts for a wide-ranging expert working group process. The 2010 Vertical aerial photography and digital imagery 5th edition GN is used heavily in aerial imagery procurement procedures and the new 2020 has extended its remit into UAV imagery

Winter 2020

12-13-14_policywatch.indd 13

13

02-12-20 16:48

POLICY WATCH

and sensors, restated ‘traditional’ aerial imagery best practice and included information on the use of EO (earth observation) imagery and data. We expect the new GN to be launched in spring 2021, well in time for GeoBusiness 2021 https://www.geobusinessshow. com/

POLICY The Geospatial Commission has been busy launching the ‘Unlocking the power of location: The UK’s Geospatial Strategy’ (June 2020) - https://www.gov. uk/government/publications/unlocking-the-powerof-locationthe-uks-geospatial-strategy, moving forward on understanding the skills challenges facing the geospatial profession and also becoming more influential on a number of key policy fronts.

RICS responded to a number of policy consultations during Autumn 2020; the HM Government National Data Strategy was a bit of a beast of a document but still worth responding to. We also responded to the • Planning for the future white paper -https://www.gov. uk/government/publications/planning-for-the-future – this was a full spectrum RICS response, but we made sure to emphasize the role of geospatial data in the proposed digitally driven planning system of the future.

• Environment Bill 2020 https://www.gov.uk/ government/publications/environment-bill-2020/30january-2020-environment-bill-2020-policy-statement – the new biodiversity net gain and environmental land management aspects of the post Common Agricultural Payments (CAP) will bring enormous change to land management in the UK. Geospatial data will be at the heart of the new payments and monitoring scheme(s).

• Agriculture Bill 2020 https://www.gov.uk/ government/news/agriculture-bill-to-boostenvironment-and-food-production – as above.

HM LAND REGISTRY The HM Government emphasis on planning, housing and development for the post Covid-19 and Brexit economic recovery has at its heart the establishment of a digital and data driven restructure of processes and procedures. HM Land Registry has been at the forefront of recent developments and has been commissioned by the Geospatial Commission to undertake a project to explore the potential of a new transactional, multi-source data service, and the impact it could have on housing, land, and property related processes. A review of several recent HM Land Registry initiatives: • E-signatures https://hmlandregistry.blog. gov.uk/2020/07/09/electronic-signatures-inconveyancing/.

• Registered Leases and Restrictive Covenants datasets https://www.gov.uk/government/news/hmland-registry-backs-innovation-and-transparencywith-new-data-releases.

• HMLR and RoS release ‘Inspire’ land ownership polygon data https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ inspire-data-to-be-shared-under-open-terms.

With OS also adding to the open data mix with their new https://osdatahub.os.uk/ the UK is really looking to geospatial data to help rebuild its economy.

As mentioned, I want to underline that RICS is here for its members during these crises; we have opened new ‘yammer’ based digital communities for members and I’ll be in contact. Do make sure your RICS contact details are up to date.

It’s been a pleasure and an honour to write this column for GW, signing off for now.

If you have any comments, do contact me at jkavanagh@rics.org

14 Winter 2020

12-13-14_policywatch.indd 14

02-12-20 16:48

by GORDON JOHNSTON

LAND AND RESOURCES BOARD

Plus ça Change

We live in challenging and ever-changing times, plus ça change. For many of us the impact of the pandemic will be significant and create a lasting effect. The Covid-19 pandemic has brought the concept of data and, in particular, geospatial data into the mainstream. Through GIS we have been able to track and appreciate some of the trends of the pandemic. In early November, we also got a relatively clear impression of how the voting in the US election played out through the use of maps to show the electoral votes per state.

Behind these maps and GIS dashboards, there is a tremendous amount of data that has had to be collected, managed, and made available.

In general therefore I believe the future of the geospatial profession is strong and very much one that will be part of any recovery. I’d like to think that one aspect of the surveying profession that will continue is the strength of the personal networks, bonds and friendships that develop through work. Personal relationships may not feature high on the job description or in career guides, but in these times, they can be really important. In the digital virtual world it may be a challenge to develop these.

MOVING TO DIGITAL Building networks may take a different approach, but it’s heartening to see the engagement of members on the digital platforms for meetings, seminars and workshops. I suspect quite a number of those online are attending when they would probably not have been able to be present physically. Looking forward, the traditional RICS Geomatics lecture series will transfer to a digital and virtual platform and I encourage you all, when the announcements and invites are published, to sign up and get engaged in what promises to be an interesting array of topics and speakers.

More and more activities are to be found exclusively online and in a virtual or digital form and here in the UK there are a number of important publications that have been opened for consultation and comment. These types of initiatives are almost all now handled and managed in an online environment so if you are not signed up, logged in, or a member, then the chances are you will be missing out on opportunities to influence how the geospatial profession develops in the future.

The closing date for the UK National Data Strategy is 2 December, so you need to be quick to get your thoughts in. See https://www. gov.uk/government/consultations/ uk-national-data-strategy-ndsconsultation/uk-national-datastrategy-consultation The IOGP Geomatics Committee has a new Task Force to look at software that uses geospatial data. The GIGS, or the geospatial Gordon Johnston, Chair of the RICS integrity of geoscience software, Geomatics Professional Group. Gordon Task Force is working to ensure that welcomes your comments and thoughts digital applications can consume so please email to the following address data correctly with minimal user geochair.rics@gmail.com intervention and that we can trust and verify the integrity of the underlying calculations and operations. See also https://www.iogp.org/blog/geomatics/trust-but-verifynew-geomatics-task-force-puts-geospatial-integrity-onthe-digitalisation-map/ In relation to the UK’s Geospatial Commission, its strategy 2020-2025 “Unlocking the Power of Location” was published in June and offers a chance to comment and provide expert insight before the next phase.

Current topics such as the National Underground Asset Register (NUAR) project, a skills analysis review, and opportunities for involvement through Geovation, albeit using virtual digital methods, all bode well for the future. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/ uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/894755/ Geospatial_Strategy.pdf Traditionally, each year in October, many of us would be attending the biggest show in Geomatics: INTERGEO. Sadly, as with almost every other event, it has had to be cancelled and replaced with a digitally-based virtual version. The InterGEO conference with themes covering Smart Cities, BIM and trends in Surveying was as strong as ever.

SKILLS Trailblazer apprenticeships have been operating since 2018 and have developed some traction but are not yet, at least in my view, a roaring success.

In general, the Trailblazer has suffered from some

Winter 2020

15-16-17_geomaticschair.indd 15

15

02-12-20 16:40

LAND AND RESOURCES BOARD

government rules and limits on how it is funded, but it does offer an opportunity for those interested in the geospatial profession, either at Level 3 or at Level 6, to gain a qualification that supports their career and offers the opportunity to become a member of one of the professional institutions. I believe there are a number of reasons why it has been hard for the very dedicated people involved in developing and promoting these courses to attract more apprentices onto various courses. There is a lack of funding for travel which is important as many potential students would be required to either travel long distances (in comparison to their work) or even stay overnight. Not ideal for the one day a week “day release” scheduling.

The geospatial apprenticeship has not attracted any specific reviews on the apprenticeship review site ( https://www.ratemyapprenticeship.co.uk/ ) which is disappointing and perhaps indicates that there is more to do to promote these relatively new courses.

A further challenge for geospatial is what I consider as a disjoint between the general secondary schools’ curriculum that is perhaps not geared or connected into applied apprenticeships like geospatial. In relation to that point, we need to ensure that the teachers and the schools’ careers advisors are aware and appreciate what geospatial has to offer. It’s a work in progress and with the Geospatial Commission looking at the skills required for the future it does need some clear thinking, innovative plans and a committed environment to develop and implement a sustainable set of paths for the geospatial profession.

Members of the RICS as representatives of the profession are active, vocal and aiming to ensure that the voice of surveyors is heard. There is an opportunity to influence and direct the strategy. Again this is a digital effort.

REMOTE Remote - no, not the device to control the daytime television during the Covid-19 crisis, but the trend to develop operational capability that supports governments’ aims to create net zero fuel emissions for marine services and, in this context, offshore and hydrographic survey services. There are already clear opportunities to adopt technologies that support this strategy. The ocean is a big place; it is not well covered by surveys and weather and conditions can often be hazardous, so any technology that removes the need

to have personnel deployed could be advantageous.

The introduction of digital sensors, global positioning and satellite-based telecommunications have all contributed to and facilitated the development of remotely monitored and autonomous operations. This is now regularly being adopted for various surveys, some of which still carry a marine crew and have scientific survey personnel on board, others that rely upon automated and robotic craft, either on the sea surface or submerged at depth. Autonomous and remotely controlled craft are now being developed to work not only alone or in support of a mother ship, but also to be deployed as a fleet of (relatively) small vessels, each fitted with sensor packages, that provide a force multiplier. We already have virtual vessel management that relies on digital streaming of views to provide the spatial context in and around various ports. It is therefore only a matter of time before automated survey operations are developed to be more commonplace and accepted as the default. I for one believe a discussion around standards in relation to this type of operation and the transfer of geospatial data is overdue. Until some standardization comes into being, there will be inefficiencies and limits to the integration of such systems. Remote surveying will potentially still offer a much more cost-effective option for surveying, meet the aims of the Net Zero Emissions and of course it will change the skills portfolio required for offshore and hydrographic surveying. In 1975, it was estimated that in the North Sea alone there were over 400 surveyors and engineers engaged exclusively on survey work for the oil and gas industry. How times have changed.

Just as land surveying technologies and skills have evolved with automated digital sensors, integrated units, greater data capture and coloured rendition in some virtual form, so too has the hydrographic surveyor had the benefit of new technologies. Prior to the 60s, almost all hydrographic surveying was to support transportation of goods and maintain safe passage for commercial trading vessels and navies.

That changed with the advent of offshore oil and gas exploration. The new digital systems and, in particular, the availability of telecommunications from ship, vessel, or some other platform, to shore, are supporting remote surveys and this presents some challenges for both the surveyor and the client in determining what skills are necessary and how to ensure that the

16 Winter 2020

15-16-17_geomaticschair.indd 16

02-12-20 16:40

LAND AND RESOURCES BOARD

project has competent personnel involved. The costs of undertaking work offshore are still significant and the associated risks can still develop, in spite of plans to mitigate them. Some regions there have certification requirements and require the surveyor to maintain a logbook. In this way, a potential client can have some assurance that there are qualified and competent personnel on the project. In the UK, the Hydrographic Society has commenced the development of an Accreditation Scheme to enable surveyors to gain acceptance at a certain level of competence. It will be really interesting to see how this will influence and impact on our profession.

SPACE Talking of technologies, it’s come to my notice that the various satellite-based positioning systems all updated their constellations this year with GPS setting SVN 75 operational, China’s BeiDou launching its

54th satellite and GLONASS adding a further satellite to its constellation. It really is now a utility and so also strategic. The pressure on the radio frequencies has never been greater, so it will be interesting to see what path the UK adopts since its June 2020 investment in OneWeb. AND FINALLY….

I’ve been very fortunate and privileged to have been able to contribute to Geomatics World over the last few years and I sincerely hope that you will all be able to benefit from the future digital articles and blogs that will continue going forward. After over a quarter of a century, it will be odd to not receive a GW through the letter post. I don’t have one of the first volumes published but I did find some extracts from an earlier publication simply called “Chartered Surveyor”. The articles related to technology, boundaries, an apparent skills gap and the use of satellites. Plus ca change!

Remote: A glider in the Antarctic. (Image courtesy: David White)

Winter 2020

15-16-17_geomaticschair.indd 17

17

02-12-20 16:40

UNDERCURRENTS

by MALCOLM DRAPER WITH STEPHEN BOOTH

So Farewell and Thanks to All

As this is the last printed Undercurrents you will see, we look back at some past issues. It’s been nearly 25 years since GW former editor Stephen Booth took over the joint writing of the column from Peter Gilbert, Surveying World’s first editor, with Malcolm Draper.

Malcolm Draper Owner of Rentalengt

We’ve literally travelled the world for copy for this column. We’ve visited the National Archives at Kew, The Science Museum at South Kensington, The Military Intelligence Museum at Chicksands, Bletchley Park, The Royal Society and many more.

We’ve enjoyed reporting from exhibitions, conferences and seminars. Perhaps one of the best was FIG in Washington DC in 2002. The country was still coming to grips with 9/11 (everywhere signs flashed “Stay alert!”). The cream was not so much FIG but a concurrent Little Richard concert, to which five of us Brits blagged our way in. The guy had lost none of his trademark, “Le whap boppa looma, le whap bam boom”. I still have the sequin that fell from the great man’s outfit.

FIG in Munich in October 2006. Although the opening ceremony (always a chance for local organisers to shine) was a tad dour, it was nevertheless all about meeting surveyors from around the world and they all seemed to be having the same problems! I was chatting to an American surveyor, who runs a private firm, and I asked him if he had any little sayings or

witticisms that guided his business life. Like my dad’s six P’s: proper preparation prevents piss-pour performance! My American friend added to the list with, “I tell ‘em what I’m gonna tell ‘em, then I tell ’em, then I tell’em what I told ‘em!”.

We’ve enjoyed seminars like that at the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) two years ago given by Alastair Macdonald. He was the author of “Mapping the World”, a book about his time working for the Directorate of Overseas Surveys (DOS) after the Second World War. Bilby Towers, CTS theodolites and Tellurometers were the technology back then.

As readers will know, we’ve tirelessly plugged the Royal Geographical Society’s lectures, many of which remain memorable. The most impressive were those told by travellers who went on foot. They told great tales from their explorations like Bear Grylls and Levison Wood.

Exhibitions we have enjoyed and encouraged readers to visit include “Sunken cities – Egypt’s lost worlds” at the British Museum. At London’s Science Museum, “Fox Talbot: the dawn of the photograph”. The Design Museum’s “Ferrari Under the Skin”. A stand-out was the British Library’s Cook’s Voyages, celebrating James Cook’s three voyages in the 18th century to the Southern Ocean. A talented surveyor and cartographer, Cook took with him to assist navigation a copy of Harrison’s H4 Chronometer; and took home Ormai, an islander from Huahine (celebrated in Joshua Reynold’s famous painting) to meet the King and receive the gift of a suit of armour! The exhibition coincided with another on Oceania at the Royal Academy showing stick charts and other navigation aids from the Pacific islands. Meanwhile, the RGS heard a lecture on Hunting for the Southern Continent by Alasdair MacLeod which included a private view of the Society’s collection of Cook memorabilia, like his cooking pots!

In October 2016, we headed off to Belgium, the guests of Professor Jan De Graeve, to view my collection of old electronic instruments and calculators in the “Pushing the Boundaries” exhibition; now all safely housed at the University of Ghent. Whilst there, we visited the best car museum in Europe, Autoworld in Brussels. It was a fantastic day out. Don’t miss it if you’re ever in Belgium; it’s not just for petrol-heads!

18 Winter 2020

18-19_undercurrents.indd 18

03-12-20 11:30

H

Two events we covered in May/June 2015 were a visit to the British Library to view the Magna Carta exhibition. As we commented, “Its influence flows through 800 years of history, through the Civil War, the American Declaration of Independence, the Chartists, the Suffragettes and even inspired the drafters of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.”

We mustn’t forget the GEO events run by PV Publications. The 2013 was especially memorable as it was the setting for a grand reunion of former employees of JA Story & Partners, the “Jasbeens”.

Over the years, we have helped answer many questions for readers. In Nov/Dec 2015, we recorded how many miles in the coastline of Great Britain? 19,491 according to Ordnance Survey (note that excludes Northern Ireland). Last year, before the era of Covid-19, we asked readers for poetry involving surveying. Dr Arthur Allan came up trumps with this ditty, the author of which was Martin Hotine, head of DOS: When the last observation is taken, And the theodolite stowed in its box, And the surveyor’s coffined up also, And his soul at St Peter’s gate knocks, Then this surveyor, not understanding, That of all earthly troubles he’s rid, Says to Peter, “Come over and tell me, What projection you use and what grid?

And Peter will answer benignly, “There’s no need to fuss about that, Projections and grids don’t concern us, Ain’t you ‘eard, this is Heaven – it’s flat!”

MISCELLANY This section of our column has contained many witticisms, bon mots, jokes or wordplay. Let’s recall a few, but first a very recent one from north of the border. A newspaper headline we liked for its focus on the important outcome of the US presidential election: “South Ayr golf course owner loses election”.

And in memory of Donald Trump: The Chinese built a border wall 2000 years ago and they still don’t have any Mexicans.

Staying with headlines running unchecked, we were intrigued by “Panda mating fails; veterinarian takes over”.

Undercurrents has always been a signed-up “lexophilist” (the joy of word play). Here’s a few from the archives beginning with a personal favourite.

• Police were summoned to a day care centre where a three-year old was resisting a rest.

• A dentist and a manicurist married: they fought tooth and nail.

UNDERCURRENTS

• A woman who fell into an upholstery machine is now fully recovered.

• If people from Poland are called Poles, why aren’t people from Holland called Holes?

• And on a safari park’s sign: “Elephants, please stay in your car”. mployee evaluations have also been a rich source for E Undercurrents: • He has reached rock bottom and has started to dig.

• A gross ignoramus – 144 times worse than an ordinary ignoramus.

• He’s got a full six-pack but lacks the thing that holds it together. uc NOBEL AWARDS The Ig Nobel Awards for 2020 happened entirely online this year. The awards go to some of the world’s most pointless academic research studies. Past years have found that a fly in a glass of wine can be detected by smell, and that taking a roller coaster ride can shift a kidney stone. We have also seen the invention of a self-colonoscopy device. This year’s crop included the Acoustics Prize, which went to an international team for inducing a female Chinese alligator to bellow in an airtight chamber filled with helium-enriched air.

The Psychology Prize went to Miranda Giacomin and Nicholas Rule for devising a method to identify narcissists by examining their eyebrows. And our favourite, the Economics Prize, went to an international team for trying to quantify the relationship between different countries’ national income inequality and the average amount of mouth-to-mouth kissing.

If you want to see them all go to https://www. improbable.com/ig-about/winners/ ADIEU, UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN We hope you’ve enjoyed this column down the years.

Let’s sign off with a little beaut’ we picked up via the web: • Q. My child will not eat fish, what can I replace it with?

A. A cat. Cats love fish.

A big thank you to all our many fans, far and wide, over the years. Farewell for now. And in the words of the great Irish comedian, Dave Allen, ‘May your god go with you’.

Undercurrents is a joint column by Malcolm Draper and former GW editor Stephen Booth. Do feel free to drop us a line with any (vaguely!) relevant surveying stories to: rentamalc@aol.com. For the sake of a good story we are always prepared to change names, details etc to protect the innocent as well as the guilty.

Winter 2020

18-19_undercurrents.indd 19

19

03-12-20 11:30

TSA NEWS

Innovative Thinking Through Changing Times

As we look towards 2021, it is with some sadness that Geomatics World will not be reporting on what we hope will be the start of a sustained period of recovery for the profession. While the impact of the Covid-19 crisis is likely to be felt for some time, TSA has taken steps to ensure the Association will continue to support and inform Members.

TSA has taken soundings from Members on their desire to move events online. The result of our poll indicated that 81% of Members were interested in online networking sessions. TSA prides itself on being a dynamic and responsive trade body and, as a result, will initially be running a ‘drop-in’ hour on Zoom for TSA Members.

The aim will be to allow them to discuss challenges in a supportive and confidential environment. Providing opportunities to connect is very much part of addressing the hugely important mental health issues that have arisen in these challenging times. TSA continues to provide resources to ensure that members are aware of all the support packages available, combined with business support and relevant webinars. The online sessions are also an opportunity for the Secretariat and Council to make sure Members are fully up to speed with those benefits.

During the pandemic, TSA has had a series of online Survey Liaison Group (SLG) meetings with RICS, CICES and the Geospatial Commission. The SLG normally meets twice a year, but six online meetings have already been held and more are scheduled.

Secretary General Rachel Tyrrell says, “We have also been in regular contact with the GEOBusiness team, as they have had to change their plans a few times during the year and have always kept us up to date. The main focus is on how to make the online world a truly meaningful and engaging one, providing real value and not just neverending screen-time and ‘Zoom fatigue’.”

TSA is unable to make firm plans for 2021 but it is hoped that physical meetings will resume.

TSA From Abu Dhabi to Worcester for practical training at The Survey School.

NEW TSA MEMBERS TSA Membership has doubled in size since 2006 and currently stands at 197 companies. The newest members include Subscan UDS Ltd, Affiliate Member, Via East Midlands Ltd, and Supplier Member, SEP Geospatial Ltd. THE SURVEY SCHOOL Staff at The Survey School continue to ensure that the implemented H&S procedures provide a Covid-19 - safe environment. The School is now registered as an NHS Contact Tracing facility.

TSA Surveying Course 55 commences on 21 January 2021 and the School also runs a range of short courses, covering all the ways in which geospatial data is now used.

TSA Members benefit from a 25% discount on all courses and a huge 50% off the Level 3 Diploma in Engineering Surveying. For dates, booking and full information see the school’s website www.surveyschool.org.uk NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS AND AWARDS TSA shared many of the significant milestones in TSA’s history with Geomatics World readers and in this final edition it is fitting that we welcome our new TSA Council Members, Claire Fenwick, Maddy Lees and Andy Roberts and also highlight some of the recent graduates of the TSA Surveying Course. They are all inspiring role models for the future of our profession.

Sponsored by TSA, the Vice-President’s Award presented at the Survey School in 2019 went to Jessica Hurp of Evolution Surveys Ltd, who was commended for her attention to detail, care, and the hard work she put into the TSA Surveying Course.

Among the 31 graduates present for the Graduation Ceremony in 2018 were Jasim Hosani and Ali Alshehhi, two students from Abu Dhabi, who travelled to Worcester specifically for the hands-on training in the principles of surveying provided at School.

TSA President Adam Bradley with Jessica Hurp, winner of the VicePresident’s Award on Graduation Day from The Survey School in 2019.

20 Winter 2020

20_tsacolumn.indd 20

02-12-20 16:40

HISTORY

by STEPHEN BOOTH

20 Years of GW Editor from 1995 to 2017, Stephen Booth looks back on an era that has seen technology change the nature of surveying, moving from the field to the desktop.

This exercise involved trawling back through 20 years of GWs and some Surveying Worlds from before September/October 2001, when the title changed name. It’s been a lengthy task. I was constantly distracted by the many interesting articles and especially juicy items in Undercurrents which I had to read again.

MILLENNIUM’S EVE

The eve of the Millennium.

On the eve of the millennium, the edition of Surveying World for Nov/Dec 1999 set much of the scene for the coming decades. A striking cover image of Washington DC taken from the Ikonos-II satellite some 400 miles out in space heralded the coming growth of aerial imagery and remote sensing.

The satellite was offering 1 metre resolution in B&W and 4 metres in colour. Today, there are micro satellites that capture full colour imagery, lidar, infrared, multispectral and SAR, all to within a metre or

so resolution. So, we were entering an era of innovation driven by technology and sometimes by events. In the meantime, what would today’s GW readers think of the choice made by readers 20 years ago of ‘Surveyor of the 20th Century’: head of the Directorate of Overseas Surveys, Martin Hotine?

Meanwhile, many were anxious and on tenterhooks about the threat of the millennium bug. However, the new millennium came without any of the expected bugs, largely due to the diligent attention of many IT specialists.

Satellite positioning was moving ahead rapidly. In 1999, the EU decided to develop Europe’s own satellite navigation system, Galileo.

GW reported on the plans following a major conference in Nice in November 2002. Meanwhile, the US and Russia had plans to upgrade their systems, the latter to complete their Glonass system. Of course, as Professor Paul Cross pointed out in an article for Showcase 2000 issue No 1, “the real drivers. . . do not come from surveyors and engineers. . . the real pressures. . . come largely from the transportation sector.”

Cross-listed potential applications like meteorology, geophysical hazards, climate change, machine control, flood risk, farming, oceanography and timing for cell phones with GPS chips were soon appearing alongside other handheld devices. Important in the adoption of GPS was President Clinton’s order to remove selective availability from the satellites’ signals. The move

began decades of economic growth, marred only by the financial crash, the pandemic and the end of the trig pillar. It was the age of “Smart”: by 2017 (Jan/Feb), smartphones were being used for progress recording on construction sites.

Meanwhile, the ubiquitous total station, which first arrived in the 1970s, had added GPS and photogrammetry via image capture to its onboard totality by the end of the millennium’s first decade.

RICS: CONFERENCES AND A PROUD HISTORY In 1999, the RICS Land Survey Division, later renamed Geomatics, held a successful biennial conference and was celebrating its 50th anniversary. Keynote speaker Professor David Rhind, former DG of OSGB, told surveyors that societal change, technological development and the need for a radical review of education and training was necessary if we were to keep pace in the field of geomatics. The impact of the Web, globalisation and deskilling would also play a part.

The conference also looked back at the history of the division through a brilliantly informative series of recollections put together by the then President, the late Professor Michael Cooper. Tales of hardship and derring-do in surveying and mapping around the world were recounted. But we were about to embark on an era when surveyors increasingly moved from behind the instrument to the detail pole and to the comfort of the office desk.

As Iain Greenway observed, ‘there

>

Winter 2020

21-22-23-24-25_20yearsstephen.indd 21

21

02-12-20 16:41

HISTORY

would be no more Land Rovers and sunsets’. A consequence has been that surveying has become more attractive as a career to women (still only 7% noted GW in Jan/Feb 2002). It was a time when land and hydrographic surveying became part of the RICS’s “property profession” (2004 Sept/Oct). We reported in detail (sometimes too much!) from around the world, fulfilling our contribution to members’ CPD quota, on conferences, lectures, seminars, exhibitions, workshops and congresses. We visited Cairo, Las Vegas, Washington, Munich, Ireland and a host of German cities as Intergeo continued its annual tour.

Hydrography is too often the overlooked branch of geomatics.

However, GW was saved by having two hydrographers as Faculty chairs - Ruth Adams and Gordon Johnston. Ted Read was also a regular contributor on near shore and river applications.

Day” tsunami of 2004 triggered the dispatch of MapAction teams to SE Asia, while HMS Scott captured side-scan sonar data from a ruptured seafloor off Aceh in Indonesia, reported in Mar/Apr 2005.

Our News columns regularly found stories in the national news media relevant to geomatics. We reported how geomatics aided the search for the lost Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 (2016 Jan/Feb. News, p.07). In 2013 May/Jun we reported an important lesson for someone about knowing exactly where you are when drilling holes: a piling drill pierced a tunnel on Network Rail’s Northern City Line (News p.07, see also GW Mar/Apr 2014 p.06).

EVENTS The year 2001 was overshadowed by the terrible events of 11 September (9/11). It surely became a major driver in geospatial technologies for tracking, tracing, GIS and analytics. The “Boxing xxx_GW mar-apr cover.qxd

16/2/05

5:56 pm

Page 1

Our planet’s star - scintillations and geomagnetic storms.

Issue No 3 ■ March/April 2005 ■ Volume 13

The cover for Nov/Dec 2010 was a startling pic of the Sun, heralding an intriguing article on Ionospheric scintillations, geomagnetic storms on the star and how it could threaten global communications and GPS infrastructure. << PINPOINT FARADAY – PERSONAL NAVIGATION – GEOMATICS AND THE TSUNAMI >> ■

Anywhere, anytime – the SPACE project ■ PCA’s 40 years ■ Digital mobile devices for navigation ■ The narrowly educated surveyor ■ Technology boost for East Midlands ■ Action, Land, Bathymetry and the Tsunami ■

Sponsored by the RICS

HMS Scott images the seabed disruption from the tsunami.

EMERGING GEOMATICS Writing in GW’s sister publication, Showcase 2000 issue No 1, Simon Barnes argued that the emergence of geomatics as a catch-all word to describe the application of

technology to spatial data gathering, processing and presentation would provide exciting opportunities. His firm was one of the first in the UK to apply high-resolution 3D imaging techniques made possible by digital photography and laser scanners such as the Cyrax, to be joined by several competitors. By using photogrammetry, the firm expanded into the growing demand for digital solutions in the film industry.

Later applications included crime scene mapping, 3D street scene modelling, heritage recording, artworks and accident investigation.

New words and phrases entered the language of geomatics; for example, the Blue Economy (not to be confused with Bluetooth), Internet of Things (IoT), Point Clouds, Big Data (once described by a researcher as the ‘exhaust’ from millions of credit card transactions) and the word ‘Smart’ got capitalised, while as early as 2001 Robert Fowler highlighted the threat to privacy posed by GIS and data miners. For GW, it was a time driven by phrases like ‘growing the business’ and ‘moving up the property ladder’.

DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES It has been a time of disruptive technologies (and even more disruptive politics, none of which is likely to stop any time soon). BIM, robots, UAVs, Google Earth (and maps), RTK networks and point clouds arrived. As did terrestrial technologies such as Bluetooth, inertial units, 360 degree panoramic cameras and handheld laser scanners guided by SLAM. Airborne lidar was now able to see through the water column to a depth of over 30 metres (News Jul/Aug 2015).

In 2011 (Mar/Apr), indoor mobile mapping arrived with Trimble’s TIMMS Cart.

Instrument manufacturers now offered reflectorless distance measurement on total stations,

22 Winter 2020

21-22-23-24-25_20yearsstephen.indd 22

02-12-20 16:41

HISTORY

FC GW March-April 2013:FC GW Nov-Dec 2012.qxd

along with robotic operation. This meant that the instrument could be left standing and the surveyor could move around, capturing points with a detail pole in contact with the instrument. Overlooked in this revolutionary move, first pioneered

by Spectra Precision a decade earlier, was the risk of theft of an unattended instrument as well as lone working risks for surveyors.

Nevertheless, most of today’s instruments are controlled from tablet or pad computers or from remote sites if installed as part of a monitoring system.

21/02/2013

18:32

Page 1

Geomatics World

BIM: repeat the message even if you lose the will to live

Helping to unravel Easter Island’s mysterious statues

DGI 2013: maritime security highlighted

MARCH | APRIL

2013

Issue No 3 : Volume 21

Too many points: LiDAR or photogrammetry?

Building Surveys: is it time for survey with Zebedee?

Don’t miss GEO-South @ Holiday Inn Elstree 1 & 2 May @

Software made great strides, helped along as always by faster processing and ever more storage capacity. This is continuing today with a growing move to cloud computing and pay-as-you go software. At last, clients were taking buried services seriously and at last we had the tools to do it - with ground penetrating radar and the processing power to reveal the world beneath. In 2014 (Jan/Feb), Esri’s Jack Dangermond predicted that web GIS was set to transform cartography. Andy Coote (Jan/Feb 2019) looked at the rise of GeoAI with a quote: “to create machines capable of being sentient, you would first have to program in the seven deadly sins: envy, gluttony, greed, lust, pride, sloth and wrath.”

LAND: BOUNDARIES, REGISTRATION AND MOVEMENT New technologies have helped land registration. We attracted high calibre authors for GW in this area of practice; for example, Stig Enemark, Robin McLaren (Crowd Sourcing for land administration), Peter Dale and Paul van der Molen. In 2016, we were part of the campaign to dissuade the Government from privatising the Land Registry, including a spirited and detailed repulse from former chief registrar, John Manthorpe (May/Jun).

WWW.PVPUBS.COM

of war or peace, of life or death to nations” (2010 Jan/Feb). We also covered India and Pakistan’s bizarre multi-enclave dispute of Cooch Behar (2012 Jul/Aug).

Land and its displacement, otherwise known as earthquakes, was reviewed in 2012 Mar/Apr by our New Zealand correspondent Roy Dale, followed in May/June with a startling cover pic of NZ’s 4-metre shifting Greendale fault.

And a report on the Christchurch Earthquake by Malcolm Anderson, coincidently visiting the country (2011 May/June).

Maritime disputes in SE Asia.

MAJOR PROJECTS FC GW Sept-Oct 2015:FC GW Nov-Dec 2012.qxd

Land, of course, is at the heart of boundary disputes, a topic we regularly returned to, usually under the auspices of David Powell or Carl Calvert. There was keen interest in international boundaries too.

The 2013 Mar/Apr issue featured Maritime Boundary Disputes in SE Asia by Robert Beckman. The article remains an important introduction to the key issues in one of the world’s flash points. Carl Calvert reported from Durham’s IBRU (International Boundary Research Unit) and Lord Curzon’s dictum: “Frontiers are indeed the razor’s edge on which hang suspended the modern issues FC GW May-June 2012.qxd

30/04/2012

15:07

MAY | JUNE

2012

Issue No 4 : Volume 20

Surveying for geographical and spatial information in the 21st century Can 19th c. mapping help in retracing boundaries?

09:29

Page 1

Geomatics World

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER

2015

Issue No 6 : Volume 23

Surveying for geographical and spatial information in the 21st century

Geomatics: it’s all about robust measurement The future for surveyors is BIM consulting

Measurement techniques for vessel sensor offsets

The Sagrada Familia: geometry and a client in no hurry

Plaques, geodetic pendulums and James Joyce

HxGN LIVE! 2015: shaping smart change

FREE DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION FOR PROFESSIONAL SURVEYORS see page 3

Construction continues at the Sagrada

Page 1

Geomatics World

Repairing New Zealand’s shaken cadastra

24/08/2015

GeoForum hears Map Addict author

Marine technology and Oceanology

Marking the retirement of Leica’s 360° man

Shifting ground and shifting titles.

Familia, begun in 1882.

We have covered projects as diverse as Mapping for D-Day (2004 July/Aug and Mapping in the coastal zone for D-Day, 2014 July/ Aug), Lewis & Clark’s mapping of Jefferson’s Louisiana Purchase for $15 million from France, thereby doubling the size of the infant US (2004 July/Aug). But perhaps one of the most extraordinary projects was Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia cathedral, where work began in 1882 and has still to be completed.

Current target is 2026, to coincide with the centenary of architect Gaudi’s death (2015 Sep/Oct).

>

Winter 2020

21-22-23-24-25_20yearsstephen.indd 23

23

02-12-20 16:41

HISTORY

The British Museum’s Great Court project saw some extraordinary surveying challenges in a roof made up of hundreds of individual triangular glass panels (July/August 2000). At Heathrow’s T5, the job for contractors was not to lay a pipe or a cable but to lay it and record precisely where it was.

Europe’s biggest infrastructure project for much of the early 2000s, the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, had only just started and was not expected to be completed before 2007. In the meantime, trains would continue to speed across northern France, through the tunnel and emerge into Britain’s ailing 19th century rail network before arriving at Waterloo; St Pancras was just a dream.

REGULATORY AND DATA UNDERPIN GEOMATICS A new Land Registration Act came into force in 2003 and, in 2004, the Land Registry’s Index map was vectorised, while in 2014 (Sept/ Oct), the PAS 128 standard for utility surveying arrived. Major countrywide databases were growing; OSGB launched Mastermap, large scale seamless layered mapping of Britain, while Getmapping launched the imagery-based Millennium Map and others were building height datasets and land use. Even the UK Hydrographic Office was developing a marine spatial data information system, while INSPIRE, the Marine Bill and Location Strategy (2009 Mar/Apr) tried to bring order.

HERITAGE AND DIGITAL ­DOCUMENTATION From the Antarctic Scott Huts, cathedrals, townscapes, Stonehenge (2011 Nov/Dec) to ancestral structures in Colorado of Native Americans (2019 May/Jun), the Heritage sector has benefited from scanning technology and high definition photography, now aided

by SLAM technology. This allows

Michael Elfick, surveyor on Sydney Opera House, on the challenges of setting out those sweeping roof sails (2005 July/Aug and Sept/Oct).

In Jan/Feb 2011, Mike again gave us a fascinating article, this time on Gertrude Bell: surveyor, mapper and kingmaker (to which one might add archaeologist, explorer, mountaineer and boundary maker).

The historic Ironbridge captured and analysed.

intricate detail in hard-to-reach places to be captured. The 2002 March/April issue featured a striking cover showing CAD captured details of the intricate structure of the Iron Bridge in Shropshire, a UN World Heritage Site. The survey was carried out on the 225-year-old structure

by English Heritage’s Metric Survey Team using photogrammetry, laser scanning and reflectorless EDM, while in 2014 (July/Aug), John Hallett-Jones showed how a digital camera imaged the Banqueting House in Whitehall.

For surveying’s own heritage, Struve’s Arc became a UNESCO world heritage monument.

Undercurrents noted that Heinrich Wild’s T2 theodolite, which first saw the light of day in 1920, was still going strong more than 80 years later with the instrument working on Canary Wharf and the QEII Bridge at Dartford. For those who wanted detailed knowledge of techniques in the past there was a reprint of William Leybourn’s The Compleat Surveyor from 1653 (2002 Nov/ Dec). In Sept/Oct 2003, Prof Mike Cooper marked the 300th anniversary of the death of Robert Hooke. Mike also interviewed

MANUFACTURERS AND ­DEVELOPERS Even before the millennium, there was an emerging trend for survey instrument manufacturers to watch out for pioneering measurement technology and, if it worked, to buy up the developers. Leica Geosystems was a typical example of this, acquiring laser scanner developers Cyra Technologies in 2001 and itself becoming part of Hexagon. Shortly afterwards, GPS pioneers Trimble acquired Spectra Precision, which added a range of total stations to their portfolio (following an abortive in-house attempt to develop a total station).

They later added Zeiss Oberkochen and Nikon’s total stations, followed by laser scanner developers Mensi and Callidus. Topcon, a large Japanese conglomerate with interests spanning surveying and optometry, merged with Sokkia.

In 2001, Showcase found over a dozen GPS survey receiver manufacturers in the survey market.

That number was whittled down to less than half that two decades later. Trimble supplier Survey Supplies rebranded as Korec. My thanks to all these companies and many others too who supported GW through both editorial and advertising.

RETIREMENTS, LOSSES AND THEY WHO SERVED I was privileged to have been editor and to have known several stalwarts of surveying who alas are no longer with us. We remember Gary

24 Winter 2020

21-22-23-24-25_20yearsstephen.indd 24

02-12-20 16:41

HISTORY

Covington, author Andro Linklater, John Wright, Jack Weightman, Professor Mike Cooper, Mike Fort, Stan Longdin, Eric Radcliffe, John Grant, Bob Blow, Rear Admiral Steve Richie, Alan Wright, Ken Hall, Frank Shepherd, Richard Bullard, Ian Harley, Tim Leon, Graham Brown, Mike Curtis, Harry Glennie, Sir David Haslam, Jonathan Davy, Derek and Greg Simmons, Brian Hart, Doug Hodges, Keith Pope, Ordnance Survey DGs Brian Irwin, John Kelsey and Peter McMaster (“I left school with a kilt and rifle so how on earth have I landed up here!”).

Apologies if I’ve missed someone.

For RICS, this has been a time of transition from Division to Professional Group, from presidents to chairs. It is perhaps invidious to highlight the RICS Geomatics presidents and chairs who were excellent contributors to GW, but I must record my thanks to Richard Bullard, Mike Curtis, David Powell, Rob Mahoney, Ruth Adams, Chris Preston and Gordon Johnston who were contributors, not just with regular columns but through significant and insightful articles too.

During this period, a number of significant academics in our field retired and their work was celebrated through special days, colloquiums and seminars.

Professors Peter Dale, Vidal Ashkenazi, Paul Cross and Ian Dowman provided memorable events. Throughout this period, there were a number of regular contributors. Three stand out whose

columns were always interesting to read. Those with regular columns like Nick Day, whose regular Overcurrents included several reference articles such as those for would-be immigrants to the US and how to get the fabled green card (2002 May/June).

Carl Calvert’s legal column unravelled many a thorny problem for readers, while the late Garry Covington provided a stream of fascinating articles about field survey in the past. John Brock, champion of FIG and especially its Art and History of Surveying Commission, provided constant copy about his world travels and his native Australia.

Along the way, GW found space to highlight the activities of charity Map Action, the AGI, FIG, the British Cartographical Association, ISPRS, the Defence Surveyors Association, and the Royal Geographical Society, the latter providing a regular source of reporting and comment for the Undercurrents column.

Richard Groom gave willing and unswerving support to GW. His 2008 Sept/Oct Flood risk insurance article was a benchmark; members and readers owe him a great debt for his technical insight into all aspects of geomatics. Other regular writers included Adam Spring, Gordon Adreassend, Mark Griffin, Ted Read and, throughout the years, Malcolm Draper’s Undercurrents. While Malcolm found the bullets, I tried to fire them, often tempered with moderation.

Insurance and flood risk was popular that year.

James Kavanagh kept readers up to date with the latest regulatory and professional practice news. I salute and thank you all for over 20 years of enthusiastic support for GW. Throughout most of this period, GW’s office was sustained by a small team consisting of the Editor, Barbara Molloy, Sharon Robson and Richard Groom. Others came and went including Jason Poole, Hayley Tear, John Fenn, Mark Wiseman and Nigel Harding.

Editor’s note.

Ian Dowman took over from Stephen as editor in 2017 and the editorial policy has been unchanged, with many of the contributors continuing to report on important developments in geomatics. See the editorial (page 4) for further comment.

TECHNICAL B2B MARKETING WWW.GEOMARES-MARKETING.COM Winter 2020

21-22-23-24-25_20yearsstephen.indd 25

25

02-12-20 16:41

FUTURE PERSPECTIVE

BY VANESSA LAWRENCE

The Future of Geospatial: Are we Everyone’s Friend or do They Not Know we Exist?

The perspective I bring to the ‘future of geospatial’ is taken from spending the last five years assisting senior government officials from both developing and developed countries and also briefing senior members of board rooms of some of the largest organizations in the world. They have all wished to think through how the added dimension of location could make a difference to their decision-making.

Whilst we in the sector use terms such as ‘geospatial information’, ‘our geospatial community’ or even ‘the GIS team’, most senior government officials and senior directors of organizations do not normally recognise these terms.

They are looking at either enhancing the information infrastructure of their country or their organization, or they are looking at the competitive advantage to be gained from using extra data sources that other competing organizations have not yet discovered.

The boundaries between ‘geospatial’ and so many other disciplines, in most users’ minds, are simply non-existent. We too may need to break down these boundaries more than we have done to date, in order to attract interest in what we do. And not just in the boardroom; young graduates around the globe are flocking to Data Science and Space roles, but are they equally attracted to Geospatial? The answer currently is ‘no’ as so many still do not understand the power of our work and the benefit to society it can bring.

Everything happens ­somewhere Talking to a Professor of Data Science who ‘zoomed’ me

recently, he had little knowledge of geospatial, let alone that it underpinned some of the biggest decisions taken each day. We discussed its use in government and their operations from managing resources, administering services, to tackling emergencies. We covered its role in industries, including construction, the property market, utilities, insurance, defence and security, navigation, waste and asset management, and logistics. Our discussion turned to its use at global scale, to assist understanding and to tackle some of the biggest issues facing the globe: environmental issues such as climate change, food security, identifying poverty and inequality and underpinning the measuring and monitoring of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs).

an economic contributor. The geospatial industry globally was valued at £300bn by GeoBuis Report (2019). According to recent economic research, an economic uplift can be expected to occur by organising geospatial information within a National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) or a similar infrastructure. In a study undertaken by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and a report by the UK Geospatial Commission (2018), it was estimated that the fiscal uplift could total up to £14bn for the United Kingdom alone.

We also know that we overlap considerably with the Space industry as well as the Data Science and AI industry (Figure 1). Each year, we become more beneficial to them as the interoperability and open systems approach around the

By the end of the conversation, the phrase that I first used when writing for GIS Europe magazine in 1993 ‘everything happens somewhere’, was ringing in his head together with the understanding that geospatial information is now seen as a vital part of a national and organizational information infrastructure.

Fitting in So where do we fit in the future?

Firstly, we know geospatial is

Figure 1. The changing symbiotic relationship of the geospatial, space and AI industries over time. (Image Courtesy: Location International Ltd 2020.)

26 Winter 2020

26-27-28_mslawrence.indd 26

02-12-20 16:41

FUTURE PERSPECTIVE

Figure 3: The future focus of those working in geospatial measured by relative importance. (Image Courtesy: Location International Ltd 2020.)

Figure 2: The Seraphim Capital Small Satellite Constellation Map. (Image Courtesy: Seraphim Capital 2020)

globe is being increasingly adopted across our industry.

The Space industry is seeing significant growth in the earth observation sector often backed by venture capital investment (Figure 2).

The ever-increasing number of and the move to smaller sized-satellites, downloading not only traditional bandwidths but now also small-sat radar and video imagery together with the introduction of HighAltitude Platforms (HAPs) that not only use Solar Energy but now also Hydrogen fuel, is revolutionizing the Remote Sensing community. But irrespective of how versatile these platforms are, they generally still only generate data that is not ‘in context’.

It is only the combination of their outputs with multiple other pieces of locational information from ‘other providers’ which makes the Space-based data become useful information for the decision-maker.

These ‘other providers’ may, at one end of the spectrum, be humans using their mobile phones in a passive locational sense or, at the other end, highly accurate, authoritative geospatial data from either a government or the private sector.

With the addition of AI algorithms to geospatial decision-making

processes, millions of calculations can be made per second, assisting the terabytes of data within any locational data stack to be easily analysed - and consistent results to be provided to the decision-maker.

It can therefore be concluded that the geospatial community, the space community and the AI community have a symbiotic, mutually reinforcing relationship.

Geospatial information provides the context to the work of the Space and the AI industry and hence I predict the geospatial community will grow in importance as the benefits it brings to Space and AI are increasingly recognised.

Geospatial information in a digital society The UK Geospatial Commission (2020) stated In ‘Unlocking The Power of Location: the UK’s Geospatial Strategy 2020 to 2025’ that ‘by 2025, the UK will have a coherent national location data framework underpinning a flourishing digital society’ which highlights the importance of geospatial information to a country; and many similar statements are referenced around the globe.

Drawing on the recognition of this importance, together with the symbiotic relationship with other

growth sectors and the fact that ‘everything happens somewhere’ is vital to solving some of the globe’s biggest challenges. It is therefore necessary to consider how our community should evolve for it to prosper - and not be subsumed into adjoining communities.

Clearly, aligning ourselves with our neighbouring communities will ensure that we are recognised for the benefits we can bring. But there are many questions that need to be answered for us to be successful.

These include such questions as: Should we promote our role more within the measuring and monitoring of the globe’s grand challenges so that we are an attractive community to join? Should we consider perhaps using not only ‘geospatial professional’ but also ‘geodata scientist’ within our vocabulary?

Should our graduate courses have greater intensity of focus on computer science than they do today? Should we simplify our messages, so more people understand that ‘geospatial’ underpins everyone’s daily lives?

Over the past 10 years, geospatial has been successfully used to tackle serious decisions in many industries from manufacturing to the finance markets and, of course, more recently, underpinning much of the analysis undertaken in the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the awareness of the impact geospatial makes has always been similar to

>

Winter 2020

26-27-28_mslawrence.indd 27

27

02-12-20 16:41

FUTURE PERSPECTIVE ‘Intel inside’ our computers but without even a label to identify ourselves! This has to change for our identity not to be lost to other subject areas.

Due to our historical roots, technology has often been the lead focus for the geospatial community. Today, we need to ensure that the focus is changed to one that emphasises the impact we can have organisationally, using globally adopted standards and ensuring our people have the skills to meet the growth of geospatial, as

more data becomes available from so many sources (Figure 3).

With a subject area measuring and monitoring the biggest issues facing the globe which is no longer hampered by being ‘technology led’, that already adopts international protocols and standards and is needed by adjacent growth industries, it is clear that the community will continue to thrive.

However, our success is conditional on us all being able to express and

FURTHER READING - GeoBuis Report (2019), https://geoguiz.com/geobuiz-report-2019.

- UK Geospatial Commission (2018), https://www.gov.uk/government/ publications/geospatial-commisssion-annual-plan-2019-2020.

- UK Geospatial Commission (2020) Unlocking the power of location: the UK’s geospatial strategy 2020 to 2025.

rationalise what we do, why we do it, for whom we do it and how we do it. This has to be in language that everyone understands and is simple to grasp, starting perhaps always with the phrase that is now 27 years old, ‘everything happens somewhere’.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr Vanessa Lawrence CB FRICS is working internationally as a senior advisor to governments, inter-governmental organizations including the World Bank and large private sector organizations. She is a Non-Executive Director of several major scientific organizations in UK and abroad.

From 2000-2014, she was the Director General and CEO Ordnance Survey, Britain’s National Mapping Authority and from 2011-2015, she was a founding co-chair of the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM).

Grow your business!

TECHNICAL B2B MARKETING FOR SMART GEOSPATIAL COMPANIES WWW.GEOMARES-MARKETING.COM 28 Winter 2020

26-27-28_mslawrence.indd 28

02-12-20 16:41

Ask the Specialist

By Mila Koeva and Rohan Bennett

Drones in Land Administration The almost ubiquitous UAV has been a key technology inspiring new thinking and disrupting land administration practice over the last decade. The flexibility and affordability of UAVs make them an efficient bridge between more expensive and time-consuming (but highly accurate) field surveys, and classical aerial or satellite photogrammetry. UAVs deliver tailored orthoimages from which spatial data – including visible parcel boundaries, building outlines and coordinates – can be derived. Many geospatial technology companies now offer high-tech UAV-based solutions, and many new hardware and software providers have also entered the market. Thanks to falling prices of UAVs, many land surveyors are now either experimenting with UAVs or already using them on a daily basis. So, what are the key questions that need answering before deciding to adopt a UAV in your next land administration project?

Local laws and ­regulations First up, knowledge of local laws and regulations is crucial. There are two different sets of laws to consider: i) laws relating to cadastral surveying, and ii) laws relating to the use of UAVs. Surveyors already know the first set well. Those laws are long standing and tell us, amongst other things, what needs to be surveyed, who can do the surveying, what the data quality and procedural requirements are, what features can be used to demarcate boundaries, and the legal status of the cadastral plans and maps. If the local laws allow the use of physical boundaries that are visible in imagery, then UAVs can be a solution. Likewise, if the laws are not prescriptive about the surveying tools and methods, or are performance based, then UAVs remain an option.

Meanwhile, laws relating to the use of UAVs, both for hobby and professional users, have been developing rapidly. A key challenge in developing regulations is finding the right balance between the demands of different actors.

Government institutions and regulatory bodies, even though often supportive of technical advancement, are aimed at ensuring

public safety and security. The R&D sector strives for innovation.

Commercial companies aim to sell products. Surveyors from any of these sectors wishing to use UAVs therefore need to be acutely aware of, and keep up to date with, local UAV regulations, and also be aware of the local actors and administering authorities (e.g. civil aviation authorities). Where there are country-wide legal bans on UAV flights, surveys might be impossible in the short term. Other contexts will require permission on a caseby-case basis, as authorities take into account the local situation.

More mature contexts will call for the registration and identification of UAVs, and licensing of pilots (and/ or of the operating organization).

Careful preparation of flight planning will be needed. This will also include ensuring the proper selection of the flying height, image overlap issues, and the necessary ground sampling distance. The more mature approaches make it easier for surveyors to plan and complete flights, and also support more accurate results.

Project characteristics Secondly, the land administration project characteristics need to be assessed against the capabilities of UAVs. Like all other surveying

tools, UAVs will be highly suited to some applications, but not all.

If the project scale is national or regional, then satellite imagery or conventional aerial imagery will probably be more appropriate. If the work involves only a few parcels and demands high accuracy, then ground-based survey methods, using GNSS, are likely still a great option. Fixed-wing UAVs are highly suited to community, village, corridor or even municipality-scale mapping tasks. They are increasingly becoming like conventional aircraft; they can perform longer flights, but still require basic motion for their aerial mission and wider space for take-off and landing. Rotary-blade UAVs are generally suitable for smaller, more complex areas, having the ability to remain stationary in the air, and are therefore great for 3D modelling of cadastral volumes, buildings and infrastructure. Either way, UAVs are likely the quickest way to obtain near-real-time imagery at a low cost and the desired quality. If these characteristics are inherent and important in the project, UAVs might be the way to go. UAV technologies are always advancing – flying parameters and duration, sensor characteristics and positioning approaches are always improving – so keep an eye on that too.

Winter 2020

29_milakoeva.indd 29

29

02-12-20 16:42

REVIEW

by PETER FOLWELL

A Glance Back and a Look Forward Through the Plowman ­Craven Lens

Innovation, Resilience and Diversity Let’s get the word over with – COVID: hopefully, it is a short-term disruption, but it is a considerable one. It is having an effect on how businesses and industries realign and how they will approach the future. It is no surprise that the use and reliance on technology has accelerated exponentially and those businesses that will survive, develop and grow will be the ones who embrace the opportunities technology brings.

TECHNOLOGY DRIVES ­PROGRESS Having been in the geomatics industry, particularly with Plowman Craven, for more years than I can remember, it is the technology revolutions that have driven the surveying profession forward. They have changed the surveyor’s role, our capabilities and our importance.

We only have to look at past issues of the “go-to” surveying publication, Geomatics World, to see the innovation and improvement in data

capture, capabilities, speeds and application.

In my early days operating as a surveyor in North Africa or on the first commercial commissions from the Ordnance Survey, the move from analogue to digital was a welcome transition. No more negotiating for local maps or ink drawing on film (an art in itself).

We moved to GPS and CAD – the technology we now take for granted.

Plowman Craven has always been an early adopter, applying and assisting in the development of new technology. We were the laser scanning evangelist – the first adopter in Europe using the Cyrax (40kg of surveying equipment and a handful of points per second – you don’t know you have lived)!

There were many doubters and ‘nay sayers’ in the construction and property industry at the time who said that clients weren’t ready for it. Just look at its importance to the sector now!

Cyrax scanner used on St Vincents church.

As laser scanning technology developed at a rapid pace, Plowman Craven looked at its application and expanded its

horizons – the film industry and forensic science took on board its possibilities and the advantages and accuracies it could bring. We saw our surveyors mixing with the stars on film sets, body scanning actors such as Daniel Craig, Natalie Portman and Tom Cruise. We found our teams involved in high-profile crime investigations such as the Princess Diana enquiry and the 2005 Bombings. Our surveyors were suddenly becoming experts in visual effects, match moving, and data wrangling.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BIM One of the great things about our profession is the diversity and opportunity it brings - if you are on one bus there is no reason why you can’t hop onto another. We knew that Building Information Modelling (BIM) was going to be a major factor in the Government initiative to assist the construction industry to meet its climate change targets and it was clear from the start that the surveying profession, and the technology it utilises, could play and should play a key role in this application. Plowman Craven took this as an opportunity to position itself, not just as a data provider, but also as a consultant and a data

30 Winter 2020

30-31_pcauksurvey.indd 30

02-12-20 16:42

REVIEW

L

Scan of a baby Threstal (as featured in Harry Potter films).

and information manager. We felt it was important that a geospatial surveyor was at the leading edge and proactive in this field. We published the first BIM specification for all to use: the profession and our clients. Since our initial foray into BIM, we have been involved and have advised on some of the major BIM projects, including the current retrofit and refurbishment of the Palace of Westminster. BIM and its adoption in the design and construction sector has continued at a pace and we are now seeing a number of geospatial companies playing key roles in the BIM process, either as data capturers, modellers, coordinators or consultants.

Plowman Craven is now not only a company of measurement surveyors but a multi-talented practice of architectural technicians, structural engineers and REVIT technicians.

Geospatial companies are now being drawn not only into the BIM world, but also Digital Twin technology.

THE REBIRTH OF ­PHOTOGRAMMETRY A recent revolution in our industry was the re-birth of photogrammetry and structure from motion, made possible by increasing computing power and digital imaging.

This coincided nicely with the development and increased use of UAV (drone) technology. Our desire to see where we could push the boundaries, and a client whose health and safety mantra was ‘boots off ballast’, directed us to find an

innovative and groundbreaking UAV/ photogrammetric solution for the rail industry - the VogelR3D, featured in Geomatics World November/ December 2017. VogelR3D reduces time spent on the ground, provides band 1 accuracies and enables rail surveys to be carried out during the day. Again, it shows the increased opportunities and another ‘tool in the already large box’ for the geospatial industry. As surveying companies employ more pilots, it could create a multitude of openings and outlets in other sectors where Plowman Craven can establish itself as the expert consultant.

Where do we see geospatial specialists in the future? Are we going to be replaced by automation and robots? The surveying industry should be under no illusion that it will need to change, diversify and adapt as we move forward. At Plowman Craven, we believe that as technology becomes simpler, or more automated, then the role of the professional will become ever more important. Accuracy, rigour and geospatial understanding are still the basics that need to be upheld.

The world is gorging itself on data and information and Plowman Craven, along with the whole geospatial industry, is part of the feast. As a company, we generate terabytes of data per week, so how can we best manage and utilise this data? We need to be a better information manager as opposed to just a data-capturer. Can we play a part in the smart city revolution?

Our traditional competitors are changing and digital disrupters are entering our space, so we need to be thinking like them.

FUTURE PROSPECTS I don’t believe surveyors are out of a job yet. The industry has the innovation and flexibility to adapt and embrace opportunities. This has been shown in the past, working in new markets and driving new

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2017 issue No 1 • Volume 26

WWW.GEOMATICS-WORLD.CO.UK

High Precision Photogrammetry for Railway Survey

Image of VogelR3D High precision drone surveys of railways

Realities of drone surveys

Laser scanning for hazardous surveys

Pros and cons of building measurement

Intergeo 2017 report from Berlin, Germany

from GW Nov/Dec

FREE DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION FOR PROFESSIONAL SURVEYORS SEE PAGE 3

01_cover.indd 1

01-11-17 11:09

2017.

revenue streams. Plowman Craven has extended its services to clients and has developed innovative solutions. We are probably now entering the next revolution and change.

Looking ahead in general, I feel the industry will: •n eed to maximise the value and intelligence of the data collected by expanding the client base, not necessary in the traditional marketplace; •n eed a diversity of skillsets within an organisation – architects, software developers, data scientists, drone pilots; • have to embrace new technology – it doesn’t close doors, it creates opportunities; •e nhance the importance and value of geospatial services; •n eed to be prepared for rapid and continuous change; we may have to keep inventing ourselves.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR A Board Director and MRICS with over 30 years’ experience in the surveying industry, Peter has worked not only in the UK but also across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Building a name in property measurement and developing strong strategic relationships with clients, Peter has been instrumental in establishing Plowman Craven as a leading player in the fields of area referencing, drone applications and BIM.

Winter 2020

30-31_pcauksurvey.indd 31

31

02-12-20 16:42

FUTURE PERSPECTIVE

by CRAIG HILL

Five Trends ­Affecting Surveying, ­Bringing About the Next Generation Surveyor

The Evolution of the Smart Surveyor Surveyors are a versatile and flexible bunch. As the current COVID-19 situation has proven, this group, like others, has had to find new ways of operating. Even this article is an adjustment. Originally planned as a presentation, Sensor Fusion for the Smart Surveyor, for the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) Working Week 2020, adapting to a new platform for information sharing is becoming the new normal.

In FIG Commission 5 – Positioning and Measurement and FIG Commission 6 – Engineering Surveys, the focus is an everevolving adoption of new technologies and integrating methods with various instruments and sensors to help surveyors, engineers and other measurement professionals to do their job most effectively, whatever the application.

As surveyors continue to navigate in these new confines, surveyors will do what they’ve always had to do – adapt, overcome and evolve.

As surveyors progress, they become smarter and more efficient.

As necessity is the mother of invention, there are driving factors

pushing surveyors along the path of evolution. At Leica Geosystems, we are consistently steering and tracking these changes to make our customers more productive while maintaining survey-grade quality and accuracy standards. These are the five most recent trends in the surveying industry, bringing about the next-generation Smart Surveyor.

1. SURVEYORS DO ‘MORE WITH LESS’ While there is plenty of work for surveyors, the average age of surveyors is rapidly increasing. The average age of the professional surveyor in the US, for example, is currently 59 years old. It has

Surveyors are now required to do more with less.

become increasingly important to do more surveying with fewer surveyors, and that’s where technology comes in. With a focus on sensor fusion, bringing several sensors into one instrument, more work can be completed with less time and personnel. The Leica Pegasus:Two Ultimate is one such example of sensor fusion technology. With a combination of LiDAR, laser scanning and imagery, the mobile mapping platform increases a working day, enabling surveyors and other measurement professionals to capture reality in a variety of lighting conditions and vehicle speeds. Only with constantly evolving technology are we able to

Surveyors have become data managers.

32 Winter 2020

32-33_hill.indd 32

02-12-20 16:43

FUTURE PERSPECTIVE

L

A recent survey shows 95% of surveyors agree new technologies have made them more efficient.

keep up, making it possible to do ‘more with less’.

2. SURVEYORS ARE MORE THAN JUST SURVEYORS In the early days of surveying, surveyors could be thought of as pioneers, charting the uncharted.

This has changed significantly over the years. No longer are days or weeks required to bring accurate coordinates to new areas; this can now be performed with GPS/GNSS positioning in a matter of minutes, if not seconds. But surveyors need to embrace modern technologies in order to succeed. From business professionals to digital connoisseurs, the modern surveyor now often becomes the data manager, playing an instrumental role in coordinating and managing the digital progression of a project.

3. SURVEYORS ARE ­EMBRACING THE LATEST TECHNOLOGIES Preliminary results from an ongoing research project by Leica Geosystems, looking at the needs of surveyors today, reveal 95% of surveyors agree new technologies have made them more efficient at work. Furthermore, research results convey total stations and GPS/GNSS technologies are commonplace with more than 90% utilisation, followed by laser scanning with more than 60% and UAVs with 40% utilisation.

This clearly suggests surveyors are embracing the latest technologies.

New technology integrations are making surveyors more productive.

Another interesting finding is on the topic of an ageing profession – more than 50% of the respondents said that they would recommend surveying as a profession to friends/family.

4. THE INTEGRATION OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES IS INCREASING PRODUCTIVITY At Leica Geosystems, we understand surveyors need to do ‘more with less’ and we are continuing to invest in product development to make our customers more productive. A recent example is the release of the Leica GS18 T, the world’s fastest GNSS rover, that no longer requires the pole to be held vertical. With the integration of an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), the tilt of the pole is measured and significantly speeds up the measurement process. Our customers are telling us that productivity increases of more than 20% are being achieved because of this innovation. At the other end of the spectrum, we routinely support the FIG Young Surveyors group and support universities and colleges with the supply of the latest technology equipment and software to be used in their education programmes.

5. TECHNOLOGY IS MAKING SURVEYING AVAILABLE FOR EVERYONE Surveying is no longer only for university educated professionals.

With technology making field work easier, many surveying tasks can be completed by appropriately trained personnel. The professional surveyor will more likely become the data/project manager and a key stakeholder in selecting the correct equipment to get the job done using the personnel available.

As the world continues to change, surveyors will continue to evolve.

With new technologies consistently coming onto the scene, the opportunities to continually increase efficiency and productivity abound.

The resiliency of surveyors in the face of challenges only proves to make the next-generation surveyor smarter.

New measurement technologies are democratising surveying.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Craig Hill is the vice president of Marketing & Services for the Leica Geosystems’ Geomatics Divisions and Survey Portfolio.

Winter 2020

32-33_hill.indd 33

33

02-12-20 16:43

UAV AND LIDAR

by NORBERT HAALA, MICHAEL KÖLLE, AND DOMINIK LAUPHEIMER

Integrating UAV-based Lidar and Photogrammetry

Dense 3D Point Cloud Generation with Ultra-high Precision Recent unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV or ‘drone’) platforms jointly collect imagery and Lidar data. Their combined evaluation potentially generates 3D point clouds at accuracies and resolutions of some millimetres, so far limited to terrestrial data capture. This article outlines a project that integrates photogrammetric bundle block adjustment with direct georeferencing of Lidar point clouds to improve the respective accuracy by an order of magnitude. Further benefits of combined processing result from adding Lidar range measurement to multi-view-stereo (MVS) image matching during the generation of highprecision dense 3D point clouds.

The project was aimed at the areacovering monitoring of potential subsidence of about 10 mm/year by a repeated collection of very accurate and dense 3D point clouds. The considerable size of the test site in Hessigheim, Germany, prevents terrestrial data capture.

As shown in Figure 1, the site consists of built-up areas, regions of agricultural use and a ship lock as the structure of special interest.

For traditional monitoring, a network of several pillars was established in the vicinity of the lock. As depicted in Figure 2, photogrammetric targets signalised the pillars to make them available as check and control points for georeferencing. For UAV data collection, a RIEGL RiCopter octocopter was used equipped with a RIEGL VUX-1LR Lidar sensor and two Sony Alpha 6000 oblique cameras. With a nominal flying

Figure 1: Test area at the Neckar River in Hessigheim, Germany.

altitude of 50m above ground level, a strip distance of 35m and a scanner field of view (FoV) of 70°, the system captured 300-400 points/m² per strip and 800 points/m² for the entire flight block due to the nominal side overlap of 50%. The flight mission parameters resulted in a laser footprint diameter on the ground of less than 3cm with a point distance of 5cm. The ranging noise of the scanner is 5mm. The trajectory of the platform was measured by an APX20 UAV GNSS/IMU system to enable direct georeferencing. The two Sony Alpha 6000 oblique cameras mounted on the RiCopter platform have a FoV of 74° each. Mounted at a sideways-looking angle of ±35°, they captured imagery at a ground sampling distance (GSD) of 1.5-3cm with 24 megapixels each.

LIDAR STRIP ADJUSTMENT AND AUTOMATIC AERIAL ­TRIANGULATION After direct georeferencing, a typical Lidar workflow includes a strip

34 Winter 2020

34-35-36-37-38_haala.indd 34

02-12-20 16:43

UAV AND LIDAR

R

Figure 2: Photogrammetric target on pillar.

adjustment to minimise differences between overlapping strips. This step improves georeferencing by estimating the scanner’s mounting calibration as well as correction parameters for the GNSS/IMU trajectory solution. Typically, a constant offset (Δx, Δy, Δz, Δroll, Δpitch, Δyaw) is estimated for each strip. Alternatively, time-dependent corrections for each of these six parameters can be modelled by splines.

Figure 3 shows a Lidar ground control plane used for absolute georeferencing. Each signal features two roof-like oriented planes at a size of 40cm × 80cm with known position and orientation. The evaluation of this project’s Lidar strip adjustment additionally applies to the signalised pillars depicted in Figure 2. These photogrammetric targets provide elevation differences to the georeferenced point cloud at 33 targets. In the investigations, these differences resulted in an RMS accuracy of 5.2cm. To enable georeferencing of the Sony Alpha oblique image block by automatic aerial triangulation (AAT), six of the photogrammetric targets were selected as ground control points

Figure 3: Lidar control plane.

(GCPs). The remaining 27 targets provided differences at independent check points (CPs) ranging between 5.2cm (max.) and 1.2cm (min.) with an RMS of 2.5cm.

Thus, neither the Lidar strip adjustment nor bundle block adjustment yield the required 3D object point accuracy during an independent evaluation of the different sensor data. However, accuracy improves significantly if both steps are integrated by so-called hybrid georeferencing (Glira 2019).

HYBRID GEOREFERENCING OF AIRBORNE LIDAR AND IMAGERY Figure 4 depicts a section of the project’s Lidar points, colour-coded by the intensity value. The overlaid white points represent tie points from the bundle block adjustment of the Sony Alpha imagery.

Usually, this step estimates the respective camera parameters from corresponding pixel coordinates of overlapping images. The object coordinates of these tie points are just a by-product. >

Figure 4: Lidar points coloured by intensity and photogrammetric tie points (white).

Winter 2020

34-35-36-37-38_haala.indd 35

35

02-12-20 16:43

UAV AND LIDAR

mean. The corresponding standard deviation of 0.6cm clearly indicates that sub-centimetre accuracy is now feasible.

Figure 5: Elevation differences of Lidar point cloud to signalised targets. GCPs are marked as red circles.

In contrast, hybrid georeferencing applies these tie point coordinates to minimise their differences to the corresponding Lidar points. This process estimates time-dependent corrections of the flight trajectory similar to traditional Lidar strip adjustment. Within this step, tie point coordinates add geometric constraints from AAT. This provides considerable constraints from the image block to correct the Lidar scan geometry. This is especially helpful if both sensors are flown on the same platform and thus share the same trajectory. Hybrid georeferencing additionally opens up information on ground control points used during bundle block adjustment. Thus, georeferencing of Lidar data no longer requires dedicated Lidar control planes.

Instead, all the required check point and control point information

Figure 6: Textured 3D mesh from MVS.

is available from the standard photogrammetric targets, which is of high practical relevance.

The authors applied a flexible spline as a powerful model for trajectory correction. This flexibility can potentially result in systematic deformations if applied during standard strip adjustment. In contrast, integrating information from stable 2D image frames as oriented during bundle block adjustment reliably avoids such negative effects. Figure 5 depicts the result of the hybrid approach from the OPALS software used.

The six GCPs marked by the red circles and the remaining 27 targets used as CPs coincide with the AAT already discussed. For hybrid georeferencing, the elevation differences are -1.5cm minimum, 0.7cm maximum and -0.4cm

COMBINED POINT CLOUDS FROM LIDAR AND MULTI-VIEW STEREO Photogrammetric tie points as depicted in Figure 4 are just a byproduct of bundle block adjustment, since dense 3D point clouds are provided by MVS in the subsequent step. In principle, the geometric accuracy of MVS point clouds directly corresponds to the GSD and thus the scale of the respective imagery. This allows 3D data capture even in the sub-centimetre range for suitable image resolutions.

However, stereo image matching presumes the visibility of object points in at least two images. This can be an issue for very complex 3D structures. In contrast, the polar measurement principle of Lidar sensors is advantageous whenever the object appearance changes rapidly when seen from different positions. This holds true for semitransparent objects like vegetation or crane bars (see Figure 4), for objects in motion like vehicles and pedestrians, or in very narrow urban canyons as well as on construction

Figure 7: Textured 3D mesh from Lidar and MVS.

36 Winter 2020

34-35-36-37-38_haala.indd 36

02-12-20 16:43

UAV AND LIDAR

sites. Another advantage of Lidar is the potential to measure multiple responses of the reflected signals, which enables vegetation penetration. On the other hand, adding image texture to Lidar point clouds is advantageous for both visualisation and interpretation. In combination with the high-resolution capability of MVS, this supports the argument to properly integrate Lidar and MVS during 3D point cloud generation.

Figure 6 shows a 3D textured mesh generated from the Sony Alpha images by the MVS pipeline realised in the SURE software from nFrames.

As can be seen in Figure 7, much more geometric detail is available, e.g. on the top of the church and in vegetation after Lidar data is integrated. Face count typically adapts to the geometric complexity, which is also visible for the small section of the church tower. As an example, Figure 6 consists of approximately 325,000 faces, while Figure 7 features 372,000 triangles.

Figures 8 and 9 demonstrate the complementary characteristics of Lidar and MVS for 3D points at another part of the test site.

Figure 8 depicts the RGB-coloured points generated by MVS; the overlaid Lidar data is colourcoded according to the respective elevation. Lastly, the yellow line represents the profile used to extract the points depicted in Figure 9. The discrepancies between the point clouds from MVS (red) and Lidar (blue) are especially evident at trees, where Lidar allows the detection of multiple returns along a single laser ray path.

Whereas point clouds as shown in Figures 8 and 9 are an unordered set of points, meshes as depicted in Figures 6 and 7 are graphs consisting of vertices, edges and faces that provide explicit adjacency information. The main differences

Figure 8: Comparison of 3D points from MVS (RGB) and Lidar measurement (height coded).

Yellow line defines profile depicted in Figure 9.

Figure 9: Extracted profile with 3D points from Lidar (blue) and MVS (red).

between meshes and point clouds are the availability of high-resolution texture and the reduced number of entities. This is especially useful for subsequent automatic interpretation. Generally, many (Lidar) points can be associated with a face. The authors utilised this many-to-one relationship to enhance faces with median Lidar features derived from the respective associated points. This enabled them to integrate inherent information from both sensors in the mesh representation in order to achieve the best possible semantic segmentation. Figure 10 shows the labelled mesh as predicted by a PointNet++ classifier (left) and the labels transferred to the dense

Lidar point cloud (right), subsampled by factor 20 for visualisation. The following class colour code is used: facade (yellow), roof (red), impervious surface (magenta), green space (light green), mid and high vegetation (dark green), vehicle (cyan), chimney/antenna (orange) and clutter (gray).

The forwarding was accomplished easily by re-using the many-to-one relationship between Lidar points and faces. Thereby, the semantic segmentation of the Lidar point cloud uses features that have originally only been available for the mesh, e.g. texture. Hence, the semantic mesh segmentation uses inherent features from both

>

Winter 2020

34-35-36-37-38_haala.indd 37

37

02-12-20 16:43

UAV AND LIDAR

representations, which is another benefit of joint image and Lidar processing.

CONCLUSION This article presents a workflow for hybrid georeferencing, enhancement and classification of ultra-high-resolution UAV Lidar and image point clouds.

Compared to a separate evaluation, the hybrid orientation improves accuracies from 5cm to less than 1cm. Furthermore, Lidar control

planes become obsolete, thus considerably reducing the effort for providing control information on the ground. The authors expect a further improvement by replacing the current cameras mounted on the RIEGL RiCopter with a highquality Phase One iXM system to acquire imagery of better radiometry at higher resolution. This will further support the generation and analysis of high-quality point clouds and thus enable UAV-based data capture for very challenging applications.

This article was previously published in GIM International, May-June 2020.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Parts of the presented research were funded within a project granted by the German Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG) in Koblenz. Thanks go to Gottfried Mandlburger, Wilfried Karel (TU Wien) and Philipp Glira (AIT) for their support and adaption of the OPALS software during hybrid georeferencing. The support of Tobias Hauck from nFrames during joint work with SURE is also acknowledged.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS: Norbert Haala is a professor at the Institute for Photogrammetry, University of Stuttgart, where he is responsible for research and teaching in photogrammetric computer vision and image processing. Currently he chairs the ISPRS Working Group on Point Cloud Generation and is head of the EuroSDR Commission on Modelling and Processing.

Figure 10: Labelled mesh (left) and the labels transferred to the dense Lidar point cloud (right).

FURTHER READING - P. Glira, N. Pfeifer, G. Mandlburger (2019) Hybrid Orientation of Airborne Lidar Point Clouds and Aerial Images, ISPRS Annals of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, Volume IV-2/W5 (2019), ISSN: 2194-9042; 567 - 574.

- N. Haala, M. Kölle, M. Cramer, D. Laupheimer, G. Mandlburger, P. Glira (2020) Hybrid georeferencing, enhancement and classification of ultra-high resolution UAV Lidar and image point clouds for monitoring applications, Annals of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences.

- D. Laupheimer, M. Shams Eddin, N. Haala (2020) On the Association of Lidar Point Clouds and Textured Meshes for Multi-Modal Semantic Segmentation, Annals of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences.

Michael Kölle holds an MSc in Geodesy & Geoinformatics from the University of Stuttgart. As a member of the geoinformatics group at the university’s Institute for Photogrammetry, he is currently working on his PhD. His main research interests are focused on combining paid crowdsourcing and machine learning techniques such as active learning for generating high-quality training data, especially in the context of 3D point clouds.

Dominik Laupheimer holds an MSc in Geodesy and Geoinformatics from the University of Stuttgart. Currently, he is a PhD candidate at the university’s Institute for Photogrammetry. His main research interest is the semantic interpretation of 3D urban scenes as acquired by photogrammetric and Lidar sensors. His work is focused on the semantic segmentation of meshes leveraging machine learning techniques.

38 Winter 2020

34-35-36-37-38_haala.indd 38

02-12-20 16:43

Mapping the world

• Topical overviews • News and developments • Expert opinions • Technology Sign up for your free subscription to the online magazine and weekly newsletter today!

www.gim-international.com

YOUR FULL SURVEY EQUIPMENT SOLUTION SALE – HIRE – TRAINING - SUPPORT – SERVICING

0330 678 0181 sales@sunbeltsurvey.co.uk www.sunbeltsurvey.co.uk

Opti-cal Survey Equipment is now Sunbelt Rentals Survey