Reporter 87

President’s Message

Limitless. Infinite. Unleashed.

I’ve used these words and those like them to describe many times before the possibilities of digital realities – the convergence of physical and digital. While these words remain accurate in their descriptions, we are now reaching a point where we’re moving beyond reality. We are at the beginning of an exploration into how reality capture fits within entire business ecosystems – making them more connected and increasingly autonomous.

At the dawn of this new era, the world is becoming digitised, making it machine readable and subject to the power of algorithms. For this edition of Reporter, we take a distinct look at how these digital realities are transforming the way we interact with data and how we experience and understand the world around us. We expect to see countless more companies and ideas released into these ecosystems, making the once impossible possible.

Bridge surveys have historically been conducted by closing roadways and taking costly hours to stake the points needed. When Amey Roads NI was contracted to capture 140 bridges in Northern Ireland as part of the infrastructure project Building a Better Future, the special purpose project company knew it needed to find a safer and more cost and time effective solution. It found it with the laser scanning technology of the Leica BLK360. The detailed scans were passed immediately to designers, enabling them to make instant decisions on remedial work needed, connecting field and office personnel and cutting out several hours in the workflow. Also, without the need to close roadways to make the scans, more than half a million euros was saved.

Finding parking in a large city – the struggle is real. Recognising this problem, the machine-learning startup TerraLoupe came up with the idea to connect artificial intelligence with orthorectified aerial imagery to create an accurate inventory of available parking spaces throughout Germany. Turning to the HxGN Content Program for 15-centimetre-resolution orthoimagery of Berlin, the company was able to successfully test its internally-developed object-identification algorithms. Parking maps of locations, entrances and exits of parking lots, and the number of cars of different categories that can fit into each space have now been made for the entire country.

To make the planet digital, we can’t just rely on the traditional experts. This evolution requires an all-hands-on-deck approach. At HxGN LIVE, we launched two new members of the popular Leica BLK family. Further democratising technology, the Leica BLK2GO handheld imaging laser scanner enables simple reality capture in the palm of your hand. The Leica BLK247, an autonomous surveillance solution, provides continuous 3D reality capture of busy public spaces. Digitising the world around us, making it machine readable with fused sensor technology, we truly are entering an era of limitless, infinite, unleashed possibilities.

We are on a journey to expand capabilities past expectations, tackling the most daunting challenges of today and tomorrow. As I always say, though, there are opportunities in challenges. Seeking these chances, we are transcending the next innovation, the next technology. Together, we can move further than ever thought possible before – beyond reality.

Enjoy your read.

Juergen Dold
President, Hexagon Geosystems

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