District Attorney lauds use of Leica Geosystems 3D laser scan data as demonstrative forensic evidence in homicide trial

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(Norcross, Ga., 03 September 2009)  District Attorney Joe Mulholland of the South Georgia Judicial Circuit added yet another legal case reference to the growing number of U.S. court cases in which Leica Geosystems 3D laser scan data has been admitted into evidence when he successfully proffered and tendered to the jury a visually compelling Leica TruView.

During the murder trial of Antonio Jerome Greenlee in Decatur County Superior Court, witness and crime scene investigator, Andy Forte of the Thomas County Sheriff’s Department, used Leica TruView to virtually place the jury at the crime scene and to show them how the homicide could have occurred.  The case stems from the homicide of 21-year-old Ebony Clarke of Bainbridge, GA, who was shot and killed on August 12th, 2008, during a street altercation between two men.

Leica TruView is a free, web-enabled panoramic point cloud viewer that allows users to view, pan, zoom, measure and markup the incredibly rich point cloud captured by the Leica ScanStation 3D laser scanner.  The Leica ScanStation allows investigators to first photograph and then make millions of measurements of a crime scene in just a few minutes thus “freezing the scene in time” forever.  A Leica TruView data set can then be generated in minutes after scanning for briefings or analysis or as in this case as a jury exhibit.

“The jury really, really liked it and we had jurors comment afterwards about how effective it was” said District Attorney Mulholland.  “We not only used the TruView to support Andy’s testimony, but the judge then allowed Andy to show it again during my direct examination of other witnesses as I asked them questions about where they were standing or where the shooter was.  TruView is basically a high-tech picture.  It is not testimony.  It is offered as an exhibit and demonstrative evidence.  This seemed to play well with the judge.  The Defense did not object and I think that they thought the same thing.”

Mulholland went on to say that after the trial the judge called him to the bench and commented on how effective the use of the Leica TruView was and encouraged him to use it again.  “We certainly plan on doing so.  The scanning software was absolutely fantastic” said the D.A. The judge also contacted Thomas County Sheriff R. Carlton Powell to thank him for his agency’s assistance with the case and to compliment him on the professional nature of the exhibits generated by his investigators.   Sheriff Powell was instrumental in bringing ScanStation technology to Georgia law enforcement and has made it available to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and other agencies as a courtesy.

“The Leica ScanStation has been the choice of police and sheriff’s departments, state patrols, crime laboratories, prosecutor’s offices, coroner and medical examiners and tribal justice agencies” said Tony Grissim the Public Safety and Forensic Account Manager for Leica Geosystems.   “The high volume of traffic we are seeing on our web site at www.leica-geosystems.us/forensic is an indicator to us that word is really getting around within the law enforcement community.”
Leica Geosystems – when it has to be right

With close to 200 years of pioneering solutions to measure the world, Leica Geosystems products and services are trusted by professionals worldwide to help them capture, analyze, and present spatial information. Leica Geosystems is best known for its broad array of products that capture accurately, model quickly, analyze easily, and visualize and present spatial information.

Those who use Leica Geosystems products every day trust them for their dependability, the value they deliver, and the superior customer support. Based in Heerbrugg, Switzerland, Leica Geosystems is a global company with tens of thousands of customers supported by more than 3’500 employees in 28 countries and hundreds of partners located in more than 120 countries around the world. Leica Geosystems is part of the Hexagon Group, Sweden.

For further information please contact:

Leica Geosystems Inc.
Andre Ribeiro
Director of Marketing
Atlanta, GA 30092
Phone:   +1 (770) 326-9557
Fax:         +1 (770) 447-0710
Andre.ribeiro@leicaus.com
www.leica-geosystems.us/forensic

REVIEW: Leica Geosystems ScanStation C10 and Cyclone 7

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On Sepember 1, 2009, Leica Geosystems and Point of Beginning Magazine hosted a webinar titled The Business of Laser Scanning — hype or competitive advantage? Presenters Michael Harvey and Frank Hahnel along with Kristi Grahl discussed using laser scanning technology to:

  • Submit more competitive bids — and win more jobs — for both high-end projects and routine surveys.
  • Meet the requirements of customers who increasingly incorporate HDS into their project specifications.
  • Lower your labor costs and increase profit margins on every job.
  • Increase customer satisfaction with more accurate and detailed surveying reports.

During the webinar, the presenters also announced the availability of Leica’s new ScanStation C10 self-contained time-of-flight 3D laser scanner along with Cyclone 7, Cloudworx for SmartPlant3D and Forensic Map.

Some of the benefits of the new ScanStation C10:

  • No cables
  • On-board data storage
  • USB Interface for data transfer
  • Uses Internal Lithium-Ion TPS Total Station Batteries
    • Hot-swappable
    • 3.5 – 4 hours per battery
    • 4 come with scanner
  • GPS antenna and prism mount attachements
  • Automatically switches between oscillate/spin mirror mode to improve speed
  • Can still be used with a laptop
  • 180-degree sweep – scans both sides
  • Higher resolution capability
  • Integrated color touch-screen
  • Light-weight – 28.6 lbs (scanner),
  • More Portable – 62 lbs (scanner in case)
  • Dual High-resolution camera/video with auto exposure and auto focus
    • Faster target acquisition by point and shoot using the on-board color touch screen
    • Acquire full dome images in 4-7 minutes
  • Man Machine Interface (MMI)
    • Similar to Leica TPS Total Stations
  • Shorter Start-up time
  • Low scan power
  • Withstands moisture better than ScanStation 2

Cyclone 7 Features:

  • Updated Traverse Editor
  • Improved meshing capabilities
    • Leica acquired 3Dreshaper – new meshing functionality
    • Meshing of tunnels
  • Point Cloud engine is real-time indexed – faster viewing performance

View this webcast on-demand. The archive will be available for one year from the live broadcast.

Request your FREE on-site demo — Want to see the new ScanStation c10 in action? Reserve your spot at www.leica-geosystems.us/c10.

Leica Announces New ScanStation C10 Laser Scanner

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Leica ScanStation C10

The All-in-One Laser Scanner for Any Application

Today’s most popular class of laser scanner – ScanStation™ – is now in a compact, all-in-one ScanStation C10 platform. It includes scanner, tilt sensor, battery, controller, data storage, auto-adjusting video camera and laser plummet. ScanStation C10 also features major productivity advances, including a new Smart X-Mirror™ that lets users conduct full-dome scans in literally just minutes using a spinning mirror.

With outstanding performance for site, exterior, and interior applications, ScanStation C10 makes High-Definition Surveying™ (HDS™) profitable for even more as-built, topographic and monitoring surveys. The ScanStation C10 platform represents the most capabilities and best value packed into a single laser scanner instrument. Users can take advantage of surveyor-friendly, onboard total station-like control or use an external laptop for even more powerful, onsite viewing and data processing.

ScanStation C10 combines all-in-one portability with the ability of users to traverse, resection or use scan targets for maximum flexibility in dealing with site logistics. Full 360º x 270º field-of-view, high accuracy, long range (300m @90% reflectivity), and high scan speed (50k pts/sec) add to ScanStation C10’s position as the industry’s most versatile scanner.

Major Productivity Advances
ScanStation is faster than its predecessor ScanSation 2 in many ways. It does full dome scans up to 10X faster – now, less than 2 minutes for a typical room. It also conducts general 360º and focused areas scans faster, can be setup & moved faster, lets users locate targets, register & geo-reference faster, and lets users check scan results faster.

Valuable Cost Savings
ScanStation is easy to learn, with a total station-like interface and intuitive, onboard graphic color touch screen display. It is also incrementally upgradeable over time, uses standard total station batteries, and features fewer accessories – all of this contributes to a reduced cost of ownership.

All-in-One Construction

Familiar, total station-like interface
Leica ScanStation C10 supports standard field workflows with a rich, familiar total station interface. Easy to learn touch screen operation.
Integrated real-time streaming video with zoom
For fast, accurate selection of scene and targets to be scanned. The auto-adjusting, internal, high-resolution camera image can also be used for texture mapping of point clouds.
Smart X-Mirror™ design
The mirror automatically spins for fast 360º and full dome scans and oscillates for efficient, targeted scans. The same Smart X-Mirror automatically aligns the internal camera image for fast, accurate texture mapping of point clouds.
Compatibility with standard surveying equipment
Attach handles with Leica GPS SmartAntenna or prism holder, or use without handle for unobstructed overhead scans. A built-in laser plummet and tribrach mount provide added compatibility with standard field procedures and accessories.

Technology of the Future – Where Microsoft Thinks We Will Be by 2019

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Technology is a wonderful thing… when it works. I am always fascinated by the rapid speed in which technology is advancing. Augmented reality, intelligent models, holographs, etc. are no longer things of the future, but technology of today. That said, I wanted to share this video showing what technology Microsoft Research expects to exist by the year 2019 – a miniscual ten years from now.

Optech Acquires Exclusive Patent Rights for Underground Cavity Monitoring Technology

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Toronto, Canada, August 19, 2009
Source: www.optech.ca

Optech Incorporated has assumed full ownership of certain patents directed to underground laser-based cavity scanning devices.

In the late 1980s, Noranda Incorporated’s Technology Center developed and then patented technologies for the remote, contact-less measurements of stopes, bore holes and other underground mine features. These technologies culminated in Optech’s development of its commercial product, the Cavity Monitoring System (CMS). The CMS was originally called the Mast Volumetric Laser by Noranda. Optech has been manufacturing, marketing and selling the CMS under license from Noranda since 1991. The technology has been a key driver in the long and enduring success of Optech’s rugged and field-proven CMS system, which is now in use in hundreds of mines worldwide on all inhabited continents.

“Optech has taken full ownership of the original Noranda-developed intellectual property. The patents highlight many features, including the continuous scanning of elevations using a rotating laser rangefinder complete with a support system that enables it to be deployed into underground cavities,” says Brent Gelhar, Optech’s Vice President of Sales and Product Strategy. “While other manufacturers have tried to fill this market space, none has been able to offer such a compelling solution. Our successes over the last 18 years are testaments to the strength of this fine technology.”

Optech continues to develop and enhance the core technology of the CMS, which is intellectual property protected by patent.

About Optech
Optech is the world leader in the development, manufacture and support of advanced laser-based survey instruments. We offer client-driven lidar solutions in airborne terrestrial mapping, airborne laser bathymetry, laser imaging, mine cavity monitoring, industrial process control and space-qualified sensors for orbital operations and planetary exploration.

For further information, please contact:

David Adams
Product Manager, Optech Incorporated
inquiries@optech.ca
www.optech.ca

Baker Purchases Optech Lynx Mobile LiDAR Mapping Solution

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PITTSBURGH – August 12, 2009

Michael Baker Jr., Inc. (Baker), an engineering unit of Michael Baker Corporation (NYSE Amex: BKR), has announced that it has purchased the Optech Lynx Mobile LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) system which expands Baker’s offerings of advanced geospatial technology solutions within its engineering business related to surveying and mapping services.

LiDAR is an optical technology that measures the properties of scattered light to determine range, elevations and other critical mapping data. The system will be used by Baker for engineering and asset management of bridges, transportation surfaces, levees and water control structures, buildings and other infrastructure. Baker’s purchase of the Optech system provides efficient and cost-effective delivery of surveying and mapping data in engineering quality detail. Additionally, Baker will collect survey-grade LiDAR and image data from a vehicle moving at highway speeds using the Optech solution.

Baker’s Bob Hanson, senior vice president, geospatial technologies, said, “This important purchase provides Baker with the most technologically advanced mapping and data collection system that creates value for our customers and helps to keep Baker at the forefront of technology in our core business lines.”

Michael Baker Corporation (http://www.mbakercorp.com) provides engineering and operations and maintenance services for its clients’ most complex challenges worldwide. The firm’s primary business areas are aviation, defense, environmental, facilities, geospatial, homeland security, municipal & civil, pipelines & utilities, transportation, water, and oil & gas. With more than 4,500 employees in over 50 offices across the United States and internationally, Baker is focused on creating value by delivering innovative and sustainable solutions for infrastructure and the environment.

# # # #

Contact:
David Higie

E-mail:
dhigie@mbakercorp.com

UPDATE: GSA Nationwide Laser Scanning Services Awards

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See UPDATE: GSA Nationwide BIM/Laser Scanning Services Contract Awards

Beginning this week, the General Services Administration (GSA) began interviewing the 21 firms (not verified) shortlisted for the Nationwide Laser Scanning Services solicitation. Although this solicitation was advertised as a “nationwide” services contract, information announced in the interviews clarified that firms would be selected for up to three regions. This opens the door to the possibility of a greater number of awards and smaller contracts.

The GSA is looking at an aggressive schedule for the awards which will be announced the first or second week of September with hopes of having contracts in place before the end of their fiscal year – September 31st.

Good luck to all of the Shortlisted firms. Stay tuned for more info as it becomes available.

REVIEW: ClearEdge3D EdgeWise – Automatic Point Cloud to 3D Model Conversion

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Company: ClearEdge3D
Software: EdgeWise™
Website: www.clearedge3d.com

Quick Pitch: Automatically extract vector planar surfaces from just about any type of point cloud data.

Overview:
Having used just about every piece of software on the market related to processing and extracting vector data from point clouds, I am always looking for the next best thing. The hardware side of laser scanning has come a long way in a very short period of time. However, the software side has not improved at the same blistering pace. When the availability of ClearEdge3D’s EdgeWise™ software was announced back in June and webinars were hosted to demonstrate the abilities of the software, I was anxious to get my hands on a copy of EdgeWise™ to test it out for myself. While a little reluctant to offer demo licenses in the beginning, ClearEdge3D quickly began to realize that skeptics like myself were not willing to spend $7,000.00 on a piece of software that we have not had a chance to try out for ourselves, especially in this economy. They quickly began to recognize the needs of the market and responded accordingly by providing time-based pre-release beta trials to highly interested parties.

Installation:
The pre-release software I received (v. 1.0.2b) was easy to install, although there was an issue with the hardware lock driver on my Vista 64-bit laptop. This was quickly resolved by downloading the correct driver from the SafeNet website (Note: the updated drivers will be included on future distrobutions).

First Impression:
Right out of the box (figuratively speaking, as the software was downloaded from their website) I was very impressed with the overall look and feel of the software. ClearEdge3D was obviously interested in making their software easy to use and graphically pleasing to the eye because they certainly did accomplish that. The UI is based on the latest Microsoft Office-type menu structure which made it very easy to jump right in.

Ease of Use:
ClearEdge3D insisted on a 1-hour web-based training session and, while not necessarily needed due to the exceptional design and layout of the software itself, it did prove to be very benefical and probably saved me a bit of time learning by trial and error. With exception to a few terminology questions, I found the software’s left-to-right workflow very easy to use. Every step of the conversion process was very well thought out and the routines made a lot of sense.

REVIEW:: ClearEdge3D EdgeWise™ – High Definition CAD Models Automatically From Point Clouds

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EdgeWiseCompany: ClearEdge3D
Software: EdgeWise™
Website: www.clearedge3d.com

Quick Pitch: Automatically extract vector planar surfaces from point cloud data.

Overview:
Having used just about every piece of software on the market related to processing and extracting vector information from point cloud data, I am always looking for the next best thing that will make my life and my team’s life easier. We have seen the hardware side of laser scanning come a long way in a very short period of time; however, the software side has not improved at the same blistering pace.

When the availability of ClearEdge3D’s EdgeWise™ software was announced here back in June and webinars were hosted to demonstrate the abilities of the software, I was anxious to get my hands on a copy of it to test it out for myself. While a little reluctant to offer demo licenses in the beginning, ClearEdge3D quickly began to realize that skeptics like myself were not willing to spend $5,000.00 on a piece of software that we have not had a chance to try out for ourselves, especially in this economy. They quickly began to recognize the needs of the market and responded accordingly by providing time-based pre-release beta trials to highly interested parties.

Installation:
The pre-release software I received (v. 1.0.2b) was easy to install, although there was an issue with the hardware lock driver on my Vista 64-bit laptop. This was quickly resolved by downloading the correct driver from the SafeNet website (Note: the updated drivers will be included on future distributions).

First Impression:
Right out of the box (figuratively speaking, as the software was downloaded from their website) I was very impressed with the overall look and feel of the software. ClearEdge3D was obviously interested in making their software easy to use and graphically pleasing-to-the-eye because they certainly did accomplish that. The UI is based on the latest Microsoft Office-type menu structure which made it very easy to jump right in.

EdgeWise-CaptureEase of Use:
ClearEdge3D insisted that I attend a 1-hour web-based training session and, while not necessarily needed due to the exceptional design and layout of the software itself, it did prove to be very beneficial and probably saved me the headache of learning by trial and error. With exception to a few terminology questions, I found the software’s left-to-right workflow very easy to use. Every step of the software’s conversion process was very well thought out and the routines made sense, technically speaking.

Technical Aspects:
While the software was primarily designed for the Architectural/BIM workflow, I have to admit that I was a little skeptical about the benefits of automatic conversion vs. the time needed to export the point cloud data to a format EdgeWise™ would accept (non-gridded PTX was the format of choice). Having been in the terrestrial laser scanning business over nine years, I know that point cloud data can be very cumbersome to deal with, especially when having to export to different formats. However, I was pleasantly surprised with EdgeWise’s ability to quickly import the various PTX files that I wanted to test.

NOTE: For those Cyclone users out there, EdgeWise™  is an automated “region grow patch, extend patch to all” batch routine. It really does a great job of quickly identifying planar surfaces and extending the edges to meet adjacent planes. The data import and processing time was a lot faster than I expected, but I did drastically reduce the number of points (to about 1 million).

Workflow:

  1. Export point cloud data (individual scans) to format accepted by EdgeWise™ (see FAQ on company’s website for more information on formats)
  2. Import individual scans into EdgeWise™
  3. Follow a few simple steps to identify the location of the scanner
  4. Extract ground surface (TIN)
  5. Let the software work its magic – it really is as simple as that!


Summary:
If you have a significant amount of basic models that need to be created from point cloud data, EdgeWise™ would likely be a good investment. Keep an eye on this product, because they are definitely on to something and, with a little direction from qualified users, they are on track to change our typical workflow.

IN MEMORY: Russell Williams

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Three years ago today, Russell Williams was killed while working along FM 3005 in Galveston County when a vehicle went off the road and struck him as he stood by his company vehicle beyond the road’s shoulder. This video was created for his funeral and shows his remarkable spirit. We re-post this video here in remembrance of the mark he left on each of our lives.