The threat of flooding has become more prominent for coastal cities and centres as sea levels continue to rise. To mitigate the risk to these areas, research by the UrbanArk project intends to improve the resilience and preparedness of urban centres and communities. The project focuses on underground spaces including car parks, storage areas and public facilities, as priority risk areas during a flood. Typically, these underground areas are not considered in flood models, which makes UrbanArk’s work even more important. To gain a better understanding of these spaces and how best to prepare them for risk, UrbanArk aims to create flood inundation models. The models track the severity and rate of the flood as well as the path that the water will travel as the flood occurs.

Research for UrbanArk’s project took place across three universities: Queen’s University Belfast, University College Dublin, and New York University. Dr. Aaron Miller completed his PhD thesis as part of this project at Queen’s University. His goal was to focus on the collection and analysis of required data ahead of the model’s creation. In Belfast specifically, there is a considerable amount of subsurface parking and below-grade office space, which Dr. Miller also planned to scan from street level.

For his thesis, Dr. Miller analysed the benefits of handheld LiDAR for mapping underground spaces in Belfast. In particular, he aimed to survey basements as well as the streets of Belfast to assess where basements and underground spaces may exist. When deciding on the methodology for his thesis, Dr. Miller compared multiple LiDAR data collection methods. This included reviewing previously collected data of an area of Belfast, using the FARO Focus.

Whilst static data was more accurate, UrbanARK’s project required a scanning method that was cost-efficient, repeatable and specifically capable of capturing street-level and underground, as well as transitioning easily. Furthermore, as the project specialised in underground spaces and the surrounding narrow streets of Belfast, they required a versatile scanner to capture these hard-to-access areas.

Consequently, Dr. Miller opted to use GeoSLAM’s ZEB Horizon as its maneuverability and speed of capture were invaluable for his work. During his comparison, the ZEB Horizon had high enough accuracy for the needs of his thesis and UrbanARK’s project.

Dr. Miller’s data collection spanned a 1 km2 area around Belfast, split into several blocks, which covered most of the city centre. He scanned each block separately, georeferencing and merging them into one final point cloud. Dr. Miller georeferenced by identifying features within the point cloud and matching them to their real-life location. These areas in Belfast include tight passageways and streets, which the ZEB Horizon’s handheld capabilities provided easy and quick access with little disruption. Additionally, the speed of capture of the ZEB Horizon meant data collection was efficient, with 50 scans carried out, lasting 7-15 minutes each.

Georeferencing the data was vital for UrbanArk as it means they can scan certain blocks again, as often as required and merge the new data into the existing point cloud. The repeatability of the scans allows for updated information as the environment inevitably changes over time.

Dr. Miller used GeoSLAM software to process the ZEB Horizon data and merge the individual datasets into one coherent point cloud. He also used third-party software, Cloud Compare, to analyse the point cloud and collect the required data.

With this data, UrbanArk calculates information on potential flood heights and rates to share as 2D maps and VR walkthroughs within communities. Educating communities contributes to UrbanArk’s aim to increase the resilience and preparedness of urban centres in the event of a flood.

Dr. Miller also explored the volumes of basements and parking lots to understand the amount of water they would hold in the event of a flood. Additionally, the inclusion of underground spaces and small street features have proven to impact the inundation rates and floodwater flow within the output flood models.

The GeoSLAM ZEB Horizon proved itself to be an efficient tool for urban mapping, due to its combination of manoeuvrability and accuracy. The user-friendly nature of the scanner promotes widespread use, from novice to expert level surveyors.

To find out more about UrbanArk and their project, visit: A Joint Research Project under the US-Ireland Research and Development Programme (urbanark-project.org)

This work was supported by a research grant from the Department for the Economy Northern Ireland under the US-Ireland R&R Partnership Programme.

Cabot Survey Partnership is a leading South African surveying company that provides civil and structural surveys, and CAD services, to a range of clients in the AEC and mining industries. To stay ahead of the competition, Cabot is always looking to innovate, implementing technology that can help deliver accurate and comprehensive results faster.

In this case study, we’ll explore Cabot’s use of handheld LiDAR scanners to speed up processes and reduce fieldwork.

As a small business, balancing workload with capacity is vital for Cabot Survey Partnership.

To stay competitive, Cabot invested in handheld LiDAR technology, that would have a direct and positive impact on their business by:

In 2019, Cabot acquired a ZEB Horizon and became the first private surveying company in South Africa to use the technology. The ZEB Horizon’s ease of use and lightweight nature help Cabot deliver accurate and comprehensive results faster, with only one person needed onsite to capture data. This allows Cabot to cover multiple sites simultaneously, reducing the overall time spent collecting data.

The laser scanner’s adaptability to the range of solutions Cabot offers means they can carry out 50-60 scans per month, with most scans taking under 10 minutes, depending on the particular solution and scanning environment.  

Clients have commented on the quality of the scan deliverables, stating that they can now visualise the data points better. They are also impressed with the overall results of the project.

Cabot uses the ZEB Horizon for a variety of applications resulting in reduced fieldwork, by roughly 80%. The laser scanner now works across three primary surveying solutions.

They carry out 10-15 scans of stockpiles per client, each month. The walk-and-scan method of GeoSLAM technology is vital for scanning stockpiles, especially those inside buildings or in between multiple structures. Within an hour of processing the data, Cabot begin calculating measurements of the stockpile, delivering a fast end-to-end solution.

According to Arnold Bothma, Managing Director of Cabot Survey Partnership, surveying a concentrated area in a platinum processing plant used to take about two hours with a robotic total station. However, with the ZEB Horizon, the process now takes about eight minutes, and the actual model takes around 30-40 minutes, resulting in significant time savings for the team. This increased efficiency allows them to spend more time analysing the data rather than capturing it.

The speed, accuracy, and flexibility of the ZEB Horizon have been extremely beneficial for Cabot Survey Partnership. The laser scanner’s capabilities have reduced their time onsite, increased productivity, and expanded the total amount of projects they can undertake. The speed of capture has led to safer data collection for surveyors, and clients receive deliverables faster. Using GeoSLAM technology, Cabot has carried out approximately 1000 scans, and this number continues to grow.

With handheld LiDAR technology, Cabot Survey Partnership is setting the bar for efficiency and accuracy in the survey industry.

Danish-based digital modelling company, Eseebase, works to digitise building assets globally. They collect relevant, accurate data and information, with the aim to make the maintenance of buildings more effective. During the lifespan of the company, they’ve created digital assets for more than 9 million square meters of space and over 400,000 flats within the housing sector.

This case study will dive into a recent project, that required the need for fast and accurate data capture, using GeoSLAM handheld scanners.

SAGA, controlled by the State-City of Hamburg, is Germany’s 3^rd largest housing company and has nearly 140,000 residential units. They required up-to-date information and measurements of a large apartment building. Upcoming renovations to the apartment block meant that the information needed to be accurate and returned in a timely manner.

SAGA tasked Eseebase to capture the data. The team’s goal was to create up-to-date CAD drawings and a 3D model (BIM) of the apartment block.

The residential building has 163 apartments and 13 staircases that span across 7 floors. Furthermore, residents currently live in the apartments, so speed and professionalism were a priority. To limit disruption, the team had a few hours per day to scan the building. As a result, a requirement for an accurate and time-efficient method of data capture was essential.

Eseebase opted to work with GeoSLAM technology, as they are familiar with the solutions and workflows. For this project, the team obtained a ZEB Horizon scanner. They also made use of the ZEB Vision camera claiming the bubble walk-through feature from the 360^o panoramic images were a useful reference when modelling.

The ZEB Horizon’s walk and scan method was a simple way of capturing an environment without any difficult setups. It also was a less intrusive way of obtaining data, benefitting the residents in the apartment blocks.

Additionally, the laser scanner transitioned well between apartments to hallways and stairwells, as well as from indoors to outdoors. The ZEB Horizon’s ease of use meant training was minimal, and there was a reduction in time spent in the apartment block.

The ZEB Horizon’s speed of capture also allowed Eseebase to scan the building’s interior in under three days, carrying out 7-10 scans per day that lasted 25 minutes each.

With the interior captured, the team focused on the exterior of the building. A close-up walk around the building gathered the necessary data, and a wider loop helped to capture the roof. A large body of water surrounds one side of the building, therefore Eseebase had to get creative and scan from a small boat they hired. The mobility of the scanner overcame this problem, whereas other mapping solutions would struggle due to their cumbersome nature.

Essebase used GeoSLAM Connect to process the final point clouds and they automatically merged the 23 individual datasets into one large point cloud.

Autodesk ReCAP produced RCP files from the point cloud, which was then imported into Revit where the CAD Drawings and 3D model was created.

In just three weeks Eseebase had presented the final deliverables back to SAGA. The speed of capture the ZEB Horizon provided cut down the overall delivery time, and the mobility saw that the process didn’t largely affect the residents.

Eseebase found GeoSLAM’s technology so efficient and beneficial that they have recently acquired the ZEB Horizon RT. They plan to use it, with the ZEB Vision, for future projects in Germany following similar workflows.

Ernst Koppensteiner, Head of Data Registration and Quality Assurance at Essebase, says “Capturing a building of this size comes with its difficulties, especially when scanning multiple staircases and rooms over several floors. The ZEB Horizon allows us to easily capture the necessary data quickly and with no issues”.

The ZEB Horizon is the most versatile scanning device we have found when it comes to using one system for Outdoor scanning, Indoor scanning and scanning in very confined spaces like cellars and attics”
– Ernst Koppensteiner, Head of Data Registration and Quality Assurance, at Eseebase

The Maistra group and using LiDAR for site documentation

Whether you are cruising down the Adriatic coast, visiting the famous Game of Thrones filmsets in Dubrovnik or experiencing some of Croatia’s famous cities; with visitors to Croatia more than doubling since 2010, tourism has become an important part of the Croatian economy.

In the North sits the Istrian peninsula, a place known for its beauty, history, amazing food, and a place tourists flock to year on year both domestically and internationally. A sharp increase in visitors has meant that tourism sector has needed to adapt to the exponential growth.

The Maistra group is one of Croatia’s leading tourist companies. They manage 18 hotels, 11 tourist villages and 6 campsites in sought out destinations such as Rovinj, Vrsar, Zagreb and Dubrovnik. With so much property to manage, they need quick and efficient ways to keep their site documentation up to date. In early 2021 they approached GeoSLAMs Croatian dealer, Geocentar, requesting a scan of one of their campsites in Rovinj on the Istrian peninsula.

SFI SmartForest and LiDAR in Norwegian forestry

The SFI SmartForest is a part of the Centres for Research-based Innovation scheme of the Research Council of Norway. It aims to position Norway’s forestry sector at the forefront of digitisation by 2028. The primary goal of the 8-year research centre is to improve the efficiency of the Norwegian forestry sector by enabling a digital transformation, using innovative technologies, such as LiDAR. They aim to increase productivity, reduce environmental impacts, and review other significant climate benefits.

SmartForest are focusing on silviculture, forest operations, wood supply, and the overall digital information flow. The hope is to bring industry 4.0 to the Norwegian forestry sector by having a free flow of information and real-time communication, through innovative and enabling technologies.

The interconnectivity of data and technology will not only result in the long-term success of the forestry sector in Norway but also contribute to limiting potential environmental impacts.

LiDAR is one of the enabling technologies that will help them collect accurate data for ground truthing. The point cloud is forming a basis for deep learning models that can eventually apply to much larger mapped areas.

Real Estate in the Netherlands

Real Estate is a fast-moving and highly competitive market. Companies are reliant on good customer relationships based on trust. They realise the importance of providing accurate measurements and specifications of the properties they are advertising. Buildings incorrectly measured could be under or overvalued, which could result in complaints, invalidate a sale, or damage their reputation.

This is particularly pertinent in the Netherlands, as they have placed a high level of importance on delivering accurate floorplans when advertising a property. In fact, a new regulation was introduced in 2010 after properties in Amsterdam were sold at a higher cost, after being overvalued due to incorrect floorplan measurements. The regulation, BBMI, requires businesses advertising properties to provide accurate floorplans or face potentially heavy fines.

This required businesses to think differently about how they could quickly and accurately assess the properties they were advertising.