Beyond The Point Cloud: What Makes A Great LiDAR Company Great?
A raw point cloud is a dense collection of data points in 3D space, and this is the basic outcome of a LiDAR scan. However, a good LiDAR company offers much more than data collection. They are great because of their expertise, services, and support that have the potential to transform the point cloud into actionable intelligence.
Curious to know the details? This blog will discuss it all.
Expertise in Data Acquisition & Planning
The quality of a point cloud will be only good if it is well-planned. A professional LiDAR doesn’t just emerge and start scanning. They do it all in a strategic manner, using deep knowledge of different LiDAR systems such as aerial, mobile, and terrestrial. This assists them in understanding which is best suited for your project’s particular environment, accuracy, and scale requirements. After that, their teams plan flight paths, keeping environmental factors like weather and foliage in mind, making sure that the data is captured comprehensively and efficiently. So, the pre-project preparation reduces the scope of errors, saving you time and money.
Advanced Data Processing & Analysis
Raw data is of no use unless there is a great processor. A top-tier LiDAR company has decent in-house data processing capabilities and a team of skilled analysts. They don’t believe in handing you the file, but clean, filter, and also register the point cloud to eradicate noise and seamlessly organize multiple scans. The real magic happens when they go beyond surface-level processing to offer you valuable analysis. This includes:
Extracts Features
The scanner automatically identifies and categorizes objects such as buildings, power lines, roads, and vegetation.
Digital Models
The scanner creates derivative products in the shape of Digital Elevation Models, Digital Terrain Models, and 3D mesh models.
Volumetric Calculations
The devices accurately measure the material stockpiles or earthwork volumes.
Delivers Actionable Insights, Not Just Data
Any LiDAR project’s goal is to gain insights to make decisions, and here, a good LiDAR company understands and packages the services. They help you out like consultants in interpreting data and applying it to your construction progress monitoring, environmental mapping, or utility inspection.
For instance, a construction firm might get a report of comparison between the as-built point cloud and the original design, highlighting deviations and possible conflicts. Such changing of complicated data into clear and actionable information is what makes a LiDAR company great.
If you are interested in partnering with a LiDAR company, contact Lightware, and their teams can guide you ahead.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a point cloud?
A point cloud is a collection of data points in a three-dimensional coordinate system.
Why isn't a point cloud enough for my project?
While a point cloud contains all the geometric data, it's not immediately useful for most applications.