Project Background
Phoenix Lidar has been a GeoLas Systemsintegration partner from the beginning and has created its own OEM brand for the ELMAP series: the Phoenix LiDAR HALO Airborne LiDAR Systems.
The ELMAP/HALO series LiDAR scanners are made for high-altitude, high-efficiency mapping. City-scale LiDAR projects are easily achievable with swath widths reaching 5,150 m. Selectable measurement rates up to 1600 kHz and line speeds up to 250 per second can be tuned to meet challenging pulse density specifications.
Project Setup
The objective was to integrate the LiDAR with all necessary subsystems, ensuring it was prepared, calibrated, and tested for final delivery to the customer. The system requirements involved integrating the ELMAP30-H airborne LiDAR scanner with the following subsystems:
GNSS/IMU Intertial Navigation System
Flight Management System
Phase One Medium Format Camera
Specialized Helicopter Mounting System
Project components details
GNSS/IMU Solution NovAtel OEM7720
The Novatel OEM7720 is a multi-frequency, dual-antenna receiver delivering robust heading and positioning,and advanced interference mitigation features. The OEM7720 can track all current and upcoming GNSS constellations to ensure maximum flexibility. It is scalable to offer sub-meter to centimetre-level positioning. This receiver is field upgradable to all OEM7® family software options, including TerraStar Correction Services with RTK, ALIGN®, GLIDE® and SPAN®.
Flight Planning and Management System
SpatialExplorer is the core of Phoenix LiDAR’s desktop software suite. It is an expandable program, starting from data acquisition, it provides tools for real-time streaming point clouds, telemetry monitoring, and other in-field quality control. Post-acquisition data processing tools put users in control of their datasets. It transforms raw data inputs into geospatially accurate and refined outputs. It can be expanded with plug-in modules that add advanced functionality at critical steps in data collection and production.
Phase One IXM-100MP Medium Format Camera
The iXM-100MP camera incorporates medium format sensors with backside illumination (BSI) technology for improved high-light sensitivity and dynamic range. The cameras are fast, highly responsive, and robust and are available with a range of high-resolution lenses from 35mm to 300mm. iXM cameras can be easily integrated into any preferred platform for diverse inspections with drones and aerial mapping applications.
Helicopter Mount
The mount used for the Robinson R44 installation is the GSS R44 Utility Camera Mount, which can carry loads of up to 100 pounds for Cinema, Broadcast, Utility Inspection, Surveillance, or LIDAR.
Project Delivery
The ELMAP30-H airborne LiDAR scanner was fully integrated with all subsystems, calibrated, and testedbefore finally shipping it to the customer.
Data Collection for System Check and Boresight Calibration
LiDAR and Imagery data was collected to have a full data set ready for boresight calbration.
Data Processing for Boresight Calibration
The LiDAR data was used to generate the DSM for the system boresight calibration and to ensure all subsystems worktogether perfectlywith the GeoLas ELMAP Lidar system for final delivery to the end user.
Flight Details
The flight was conducted at an altitude of 750 meters Above Ground Level (AGL). This altitude was chosen to balance the coverage area and resolution of the lidar system, ensuring accurate data capture.
LiDAR Pulse Rate
The lidar sensor operated at a 1’000 kHz (1 MHz) pulse repetition frequency, allowing for high-resolution data collection. This frequency enables a rapid emission of laser pulses, which is crucial for capturing detailed surface features.
Point Density
The collected lidar data achieved a point density of 24 points per square meter, providing highly detailed spatial information. This density ensures fine resolution, suitable for applications requiring precise topographic mapping or 3D modeling.
The flight mission utilized the ELMAP30 system to perform a high-resolution aerial survey at an altitude of 750 meters Above Ground Level (AGL). Equipped with a 1’600 kHz lidar sensor, the system ensured rapid pulse emission for precise surface data capture. The survey achieved a point density of 24 points per square meter, providing detailed, high-quality data and accurate spatial information.
GeoLas ELMAP Series
The ELMAP LiDAR systems are state-of-the-art mid- to high-range LiDAR sensors designed to be integrated into manned fixed-wing and helicopter aircraft, gyrocopters, ultralight aircraft, and heavy-lift drones. Built to withstand the harshest environments, the ELMAP systems offer unparalleled performance and ease of use.
ELMAP Series Highlights:
- Compact all-in-one mapping systems
- Huge 80° field-of-view
- Linear uniform scan pattern with parallel scan lines
- Integrated removable data storage on standard SSDs
Waveform digitization for every pulse
Summary
The system is designed to deliver a seamless data flow that integrates every step of the workflow, from initial mission planning to data processing and final analysis. This streamlined process minimizes inefficiencies and ensures smooth transitions between stages, enabling accurate and efficient calibration. In the planning phase, precise flight paths and parameters are established to optimize data capture, whilst during data processing, advanced tools automatically handle data alignment, filtering, and correction, ensuring high-quality outputs. Hence, the comprehensive and unified workflow significantly improves operational efficiency and ensures reliable results for geospatial and mapping projects. Additionally, the installation was extremely quick and straightforward, ensuring minimum time to setup and smooth operation.
“Phoenix LiDAR is proud to partner with GeoLas Systems and integrate their ELMAP LiDAR sensors into our High-Altitude LiDAR Operations (HALO) product segment. We selected GeoLas as a supplier due to their exceptional support and receptiveness to our needs as an integrator. Built for manned aircraft ELMAP LiDAR systems are a perfect and affordable add-on to our current fleet of UAV LiDAR which are perfectly suited for our clients with larger projects.”
Grayson Omans, CEO of Phoenix LiDAR
