Shaping the new era of surveying: How laser scanning, monitoring, utility detection & mobile mapping are transforming the geospatial industry

As societies and landscapes change, surveying techniques, strategies, and technologies must also evolve to keep up with the changing demands.

Start reading

Moritz Lauwiner

EVP/President Surveying Solutions/Geomatics at Hexagon’s Geosystems division

In today’s era, where industry requirements and client priorities constantly shift, surveying businesses must continually adapt and explore innovative future-focused paths. These paths include technologies like laser scanning, deformation monitoring, utility detection and mobile mapping.

Hexagon provides a range of comprehensive workflow solutions that help surveyors achieve accuracy and efficiency. Our end-to-end solutions are designed to cater to diverse needs, opening up new opportunities and improving competitiveness while enhancing productivity. However, successful service innovation requires more than just adopting technology. To succeed in today’s business environment, companies need to closely understand their clients’ requirements, offer a variety of services, and clearly demonstrate innovation in service delivery to provide superior value.

ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF THE GEOSPATIAL INDUSTRY

While surveying is one of the world’s oldest professions, its fundamentals remain rooted in constant innovation and adaptation. Service providers need to stand out in fiercely competitive and saturated markets. This can be through service diversification in areas such as 3D laser scanning, deformation monitoring, underground utility detection and mobile mapping. Surveyors must adjust their workflows and adopt novel technologies.

Emerging trends like Artificial Intelligence (AI) are also rapidly transforming the industry. The creative applications of AI are streamlining complex software tasks: IDS GeoRadar’s AiMaps helps visualise data for simplified interpretation of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) data; Leica Cyclone automates processes associated with data capture, analysis and output.

This transformation improves the surveying industry’s efficiency, accuracy, safety and cost-effectiveness. For instance, the Leica BLK2FLY, a flying laser scanner, and the Leica BLK ARC, which can be mounted on robotic carriers, capture data from inaccessible or hazardous areas, significantly reducing the safety risks for surveyors and personnel.

In addition, surveyors play a vital role in the development of smart cities. They provide a comprehensive and integrated understanding of physical space and infrastructure, making them indispensable for future urban planning.

As a result, the surveyor’s role is changing to that of a data manager, requiring a deep understanding of above-ground, ground, and underground mapping and the ability to integrate data from various sources. As technology democratises and emerging technologies become more accessible, new opportunities open for surveying professionals to offer more comprehensive and higher-value services. This ability to provide enhanced services streamlines projects, enhances stakeholder relationships, and aids in winning contracts and new business.

TRANSFORMING SURVEYING WITH 3D LASER SCANNING

3D laser scanning is a game-changing technology with applications across various industries. Examples include providing services for civil infrastructure, building construction, urban planning, and heritage preservation. 3D laser scanning technologies have opened new possibilities for service accuracy, quality and diversity. High-precision terrestrial 3D laser scanners, like the Leica RTC360 offer quick data capture, in-field data visualisation and pre-registration with the Leica Cyclone FIELD 360 companion app. The Leica Cyclone software suite adds office-based post-processing capabilities to create 3D models and deliver accurate digital twins efficiently.

Taking this innovative leap, surveyors like Hilmar Schroeder have successfully used technological innovation to expand their services and grow their businesses. Schroeder was commissioned to create a 3D virtual replica of the Siegerlandhuette (the Siegerland mountain hut) in Austria for renovation planning and virtual tours. For this unique assignment, Schroeder used different technology from Leica Geosystems, part of Hexagon, namely the RTC360 and the portable and lightweight imaging laser scanner Leica BLK2GO. These modern technologies streamlined the surveying process, delivering millimetre-accurate data for precise planning and an immersive virtual tour experience for hikers. Through the pioneering application of these tools, Schroeder demonstrated the diverse applications of 3D laser scanning, thereby expanding his service offerings and enhancing the growth of his business in various industries.

"While surveying is one of the world’s oldest professions, its fundamentals remain rooted in constant innovation and adaptation."

ENHANCING SAFETY WITH ADVANCED DEFORMATION MONITORING

Much like 3D laser scanning transforms surveying, data from monitoring solutions enables crucial insights into structural movements, increases safety, and minimises structural integrity concerns. Surveyors can easily get into monitoring by starting with simple manual solutions and scaling up to more advanced, automated solutions.

Our monitoring solutions can be integrated with geodetic, geotechnical, and meteorological sensors for reliable, precise data acquisition and secure transmission. Our advanced monitoring systems enable real-time data and structure behaviour monitoring, providing crucial insights leading to risk mitigation and increased safety.

These monitoring technologies have been successfully applied across the globe. A great example of their effectiveness is in Brienz, Switzerland, where Hexagon’s solutions helped protect communities from landslides. Geoprevent, part of Hexagon, provides real-time monitoring data to landslide experts and geology specialists, enabling them to provide authorities with reliable guidance regarding safety measures.

GOING DEEP WITH UTILITY DETECTION AND MAPPING

Utility detection and mapping present an exciting and innovative avenue for diversifying surveying services and expanding the scope of business. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) can offer precise subsurface data, enabling safe and efficient construction, excavation, and planning.

This technology not only aids in locating and visualising utilities but also helps understand the topographic details related to the subsurface utilities, leading to cost and resource efficiencies.

Our scalable solutions allow surveyors to develop their expertise across different platforms — starting with entry-level detection tools like the Leica DSX utility detection solution and gradually moving towards comprehensive mapping with multichannel GPR, such as Stream DP and Stream UP to cover large areas effectively.

The mastery of these technologies opens up new opportunities for surveying businesses, facilitating diversification beyond traditional surveying. The infrastructural utility engineering company HSC Pipeline Engineering Pte Ltd adopted Stream UP for their pipeline projects in Singapore. This has resulted in a minimal disruption to city traffic, smoother operations, reduced costs and improved productivity. Likewise, geospatial company Severn Partnership in the United Kingdom significantly benefitted from adopting advanced technologies such as the Stream UP and the Leica Pegasus:Two Ultimate mobile mapping system. With these investments, they’ve improved efficiency and safety, and diversified their service offerings, enhancing their standing in the spatial markets. Their improved data collection and processing capabilities have drawn new clients and unlocked larger, varied projects beyond traditional surveying. Notably, within seven to eight months of operation, their impressive return on investment has secured contracts worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.

"As the field of surveying keeps pace with the changing world, it demands a solution-oriented mindset, a commitment to learning and the willingness to take the lead in creating a brighter future for all involved."

MOBILE LASER SCANNING AND MOBILE MAPPING: STEERING TOWARDS THE FUTURE OF SURVEYING

Mobile scanning and mobile mapping technology enable fast, easy and safe collection of accurate data, offering surveying companies immense benefits. Measuring remotely works well in complex or hazardous environments, capturing comprehensive data without compromising safety or causing disruptions.

Integrating with various robotic and mobile carriers, the Leica BLK ARC provides autonomous laser scanning to enable 3D digital twin creation. The Leica BLK2GO introduces an agile, handheld scanning solution with user-friendly design features that help you capture point clouds and images. Both solutions are great allies for professionals requiring accurate, efficient and versatile mobile scanning solutions.

For those looking to offer wide-scale data-capturing capabilities and overcome capacity constraints, the Leica Pegasus TRK mobile mapping system stands out because it can gather extensive data quickly and accurately. Its high-resolution data capture, advanced LiDAR technology, and enriched 3D point cloud capabilities ensure detailed and comprehensive datasets.

Building on this range of solutions, the autonomous flying laser scanner Leica BLK2FLY enhances surveying efficiency by capturing hard-to-reach areas and environments. Its user-friendly operations and advanced obstacle avoidance and seamless cloud-based data integration make it a valuable tool for enhanced productivity and safety in surveying work.

The McLaren Engineering Group’s venture illustrates evidence of the practical application of mobile scanning technology. In the face of a time-sensitive project involving surveying complex vaults below New York City, McLaren Engineering Group leveraged the BLK2GO handheld imaging laser scanner to overcome intense scheduling and site-specific challenges. Particularly, daunting obstacles and detailed demands of over 700 properties meant traditional approaches were insufficient. Using the BLK2GO, operators could scan the intricate vault spaces in quick, efficient walkthroughs, generating comprehensive point clouds from millions of measurement points. McLaren Engineering improved its efficiency through the strategic adoption of this innovative mobile laser scanning technology and opened up new opportunities for future projects.

EMBRACING THE FUTURE OF THE GEOSPATIAL INDUSTRY

In the dynamic geospatial industry, future opportunities and challenges arise in data management, competition, and talent shortages. Despite these, businesses can forge ahead by focusing on client requirements, enhancing service diversification and demonstrating value, being supported by a trusted partner like Hexagon.

The examples provided clearly attest to the potential of technological advancements in unlocking innovative pathways for growth in surveying business. The cases of Hilmar Schroeder, HSC Pipeline Engineering, Severn Partnership, and McLaren Engineering Group demonstrate the practicality and effectiveness of laser scanning, monitoring, utility detection, and mobile mapping technologies. Through the strategic application of these technologies, these businesses have revolutionised their services, improved client relations, diversified their offerings, and gained a competitive edge in their markets.

As the field of surveying keeps pace with the changing world, it demands a solution-oriented mindset, a commitment to learning, and the willingness to take the lead in creating a brighter future for all involved. This embodies the core of service in the surveying industry, emphasising the need to consistently innovate, evolve, and improve for a better tomorrow.