The physical world comprises a massive and virtually unexplored geospatial data set. Drones are making it possible to capture and analyze this information at scale for the first time presenting the opportunity for thousands of disruptive applications across virtually every industry. Companies using drones are reaping the benefits of completing core operational requirements faster, safer, and with increased accuracy, even while the full value of drones is yet to be realized.
The Dynamix Mapper represents an innovative product, it is a software platform that incorporates new technology for the creation of high precision 3D reconstructions using drones or other devices capable of capturing high-resolution video. With the development of digital cameras with high bitrate and resolution, high framerates, large sensors, and lossless compression rates the video is more than suitable for accurate calculation of pixel location. Using video, we don’t need to consider image overlap, also we can get multiple point clouds from single video processing different segments.
The system uses state of an art algorithm for Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (SLAM) as opposed to current photogrammetric techniques. The method utilizes the principle of simultaneous localization and mapping, technology that enables us to fast obtain the location of the moving object and create a map of the surrounding at the same time. This technology is particularly popular in the industry of autonomous vehicles where it is used for determining the location of the vehicle and the location of the surrounding objects enabling the vehicle to determine the position relative to its surroundings by creating a map of the environment.
The invention offers absolute positioning by utilizing Ground Control Points which can be integrated into the generated model. If used with a drone, can integrate the drone sensors (including RTK GNSS receivers) to improve its accuracy and obtain absolute positioning.
Using our algorithm, we can achieve near real-time processing on medium specs computers compared to multiple hours required by competitive solutions. This enables the users to process the video directly on site and check the validity of the result without the need to upload it to the cloud or go back to the office and wait for hours to see if the result is valid or not.
Compared to existing photogrammetric solutions we offer better precision and a much faster speed of processing which can be up to 25 times faster. The position (x, y) accuracy is about 2 cm, while the elevation accuracy is higher than 5cm. Generated point cloud is dense and can be used for measurement or for generating high detailed mesh, bout of which can be done in our product.
The solution can be used in industries that require 3D mapping, the most important are geodesists for precise 3D mapping and georeferencing, the construction industry for monitoring the construction progress, inspection, and possible problems detection. It can also be used for natural or human-made catastrophes, for example, floods – before and after comparison of the affected area, then industrial sites inspection, monitoring of low accessible structures such as chimneys, bridges, dams, etc. Accident scene investigation and reconstruction, for example, reconstruction of traffic accident scenes, instead of only taking pictures as a current procedure, law enforcement units can use our system to get photorealistic 3D reconstruction of the scene. Then photo-realistic 3D mapping of cities, roads, farmland, construction sites, project planning for future construction, such as terrain for highways, dams, pipelines, water management, and water distribution.
Some of the benefits of using this technology are:
• Fast 3D reconstruction
• Reduce cost by minimizing the processing time
• Cad tools and analytics features available for full project completion, no need for third-party tools and additional licensing fees
• Can use any commercial drone – no need for specialized equipment
• No special training is needed
• Compatibility with other spatial products and Cad and BIM software
• Inhouse processing on midrange personal computers which will eliminate the need for expensive servers or cloud-based platforms
• Area and volumetric analysis
• Export/import in/from popular spatial products
• Reporting tools for generating project-based reports with user-definable parameters