On May 7-9 2019, Tampa hosted the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) Joint Engineer Training Conference & Expo (JETC). SurvTech had the privilege of exhibiting data collection and processing techniques alongside other industry-leading professionals at the GeoWERX Innovation Theater.
David O'Brien, who served as JETC conference chair and GeoWERX chair, presented the fascinating results of our collaboration.
Piloting our Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) to collect LiDAR data over the entire Tampa Convention Center we produced a 3D model using millions of individual elevation shots.
LiDAR point cloud data was colored with photo imagery to create a realistic 3-Dimensional view of the convention center and the surrounding terrain.
The UAV was a big hit at the exhibit booth, and many people wanted to know how they could get this technology on their projects. The UAV we displayed is one of our two DJI 600+ Matrice hexacopters equipped with LiDAR USA’s Velodyne VLP-32 LiDAR “Snoopy” sensor.
Teledyne Optech was there to 3D laser scan the convention center from the ground level, using mobile LiDAR mounted on their survey vehicle.
The Tampa Convention Center was an ideal location for collecting survey data, with many interesting topographical features within Tampa's historic cityscape.
Our Unmanned Survey Vessel (USV) was also at the exhibit booth this year, sparking great conversations from many curious conference attendees. Our team enjoyed answering questions about our unique equipment and services.
We launched the USV at the dock and collected some multibeam sonar data, using a computer-guided system with Real Time Kinematic (RTK) GPS. For multi beam echo sounding, we use a Norbit iWMBS 400/700 kHz with an onboard Applaniz Wavemaster Inertial Navigation System (INS).
We processed the data sets onsite at the GeoWERX Tech Lounge, showcasing our 3D modeling capabilities, combining our aerial LiDAR data with hydrographic survey data collected in the waterways surrounding the Convention Center.
SurvTech and the GeoWERX team were proud to join other professionals in presenting these advanced geospatial products. We enjoyed giving people the chance to see, first-hand, how cutting edge technology is utilized in the survey industry. We look forward to the next SAME JETC event and hope to see you there!