Land Air Surveying Blog

Quality from the ground up.

Scan to BIM: The evolution of scanning technology

by on May 8, 2012 in Landair Surveying News

The truth is, scanning is the only cost-effective way to collect the existing world. You simply can’t go into a cathedral, petroleum refinery, or metropolitan multi-use entertainment facility and measure with rulers and expect to get the accuracy you need to confidently design renovations. Laser scanning is the only way to do it. Up until [...]

3D scan helps Feds catch vandals of ancient American Indian temple

by on April 25, 2012 in Landair Surveying News

The Nez Perce Indians of Idaho lived in the Pacific Northwest for many centuries before they bumped into Lewis and Clark in 1805. A peaceful tribe who lived mostly on the natural foods available in Idaho’s rivers, they probably never imagined they would one day use high definition scanning technology. Fast-forward to February 2010. In [...]

What’s all the fuss about high definition scanning?

by on April 17, 2012 in Landair Surveying News

When it comes to making precise measurements in complicated environments, high definition scanning – or 3D laser surveying, as it is sometimes called – is quickly making its way to the front of the line in a wide range of industries from engineering to historic preservation. Engineers use laser scans to work with real-world conditions [...]

An eight-lane bridge falls into the Mississippi River during rush hour traffic? Yeah – we do that.

by on April 12, 2012 in Landair Surveying News

A few years ago, an entire span of a busy eight-lane interstate bridge broke apart and fell into the Mississippi River in Minneapolis during rush hour traffic. Cars, concrete, twisted metal and people went crashing into the water. When the dust settled, 13 were dead and more than 145 injured. The bridge was Minnesota’s fifth [...]

A 3D laser survey can save thousands – just ask America’s busiest airport.

by on April 6, 2012 in Landair Surveying News

When the time came to remove and renovate the existing underground baggage conveyor system in America’s busiest airport, the action never stopped. The contractor hired for the renovation had a seemingly impossible task: build a new conveyor system while the old one was still in operation. No matter what, the luggage movers had to keep [...]

Surviving 2012: Six things every business can learn from the surveying industry

by on February 22, 2012 in Landair Surveying News

As a professional land surveyor for 40 years, I have a first-hand understanding of the housing downturn and subsequent economic recession we have been experiencing for the past six years. At our firm, we began seeing the impact in early 2008, just one year after the peak in our business in 2007. Surveying is often [...]

3D Laser Surveys – Better. Faster. Cheaper.

by on February 21, 2012 in Landair Surveying News

3D laser surveying, or high-definition scanning, is quickly becoming the new industry standard when it comes to making precise measurements in complex environments. Construction companies use laser scans to gather precise data on site terrain, renovations and additions. Architects use them to check proposed design models against existing conditions to fine-tune their designs, and engineers [...]

So I have a 3D Laser Scanner – now what?

by on February 17, 2012 in Landair Surveying News, News

There is a common misconception that 3D laser scanning is a one-size-fits-all solution for every project. The truth is, this new technology is powerful – but it’s not for every surveying firm and it’s not a fit for every project. First, surveying with a scanner is not the same as with a total station or [...]

Tripod Mounted or Mobile 3D Laser Scanning: Which is the right one for the job?

by on July 12, 2011 in Landair Surveying News

Having worked many years with terrestrial lidar platforms, I have had the unique experience of watching the industry grow and expand.  I have attended Leica conferences and Spar conferences in Texas and California every year since 2005 and I have been very impressed with seeing the innovations in 3D Laser data collection platforms. In this [...]

SPAR 2011 Conference – Houston, Texas – Part 3

by on April 14, 2011 in Landair Surveying News

In part 1 of my review of SPAR 2011 I referred to the new and fascinating innovations in software over the past year.  I think probably the most important was the information from Autodesk that Revit 2012 will have a point cloud engine and many of the capabilities that other point cloud soft programs have [...]

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