Airborne Sensor Technology

Arthur Rohrbach – Airborne Sensor Manager EMEA

Geospatial Solutions Division (GSD)

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The World of Airborne Sensor Technology

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Agenda

 Hexagon Geosystems – Leica & Z/I airborne solutions

 Imaging Sensors – DMC & ADS & RCD30
 Laser Scanning – ALS 70
 Outlook - Summary

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Constant flow of updated information!

CAPTURE CREATE
REALITY INFORMATION

Constantflow
Constant
of updated
flow of 
information
updated
to gain quality
information
and efficiency

MANAGE & SHARE

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The Geospatial Solutions Division (GSD)

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A Century of History with Zeiss & Leica

RMK RMK

RC  RC 

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… leading to a professional airborne sensor portfolio

Leica ADS Z/I DMC II Leica RCD Leica ALS

Pushbroom Frame Frame

Imaging Imaging Imaging LIDAR

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From imagery …

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.. to popular web based information

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.. to professional (thematic) mapping …

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… to 3D modelling

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.. almost equal to the real world

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Agenda

 Hexagon Geosystems – Z/I & Leica airborne solutions

 Imaging Sensors – DMC & ADS & RCD30
 Laser Scanning – ALS 70
 Outlook - Summary

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Complementary Portfolio – Pushbroom & Frame
Airborne digital sensor  Digital frame camera 
ADS80 DMCII
continuous pushbroom scanning discrete perspective images

forward view
nadir view overlapping aerial photographs
backward view

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Large Format Digital Cameras (ADS80 , DMC II)

ADS 80 DMC II
Pushbroom Frame

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Leica ADS80 Airborne Digital Sensor

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Leica ADS80 - CCD layout in focal plane

SH91 SH92

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Narrow Spectral band for Remote Sensing

1
Legend
2
1 Grass

2 Lime Stone

3 Sand, dry
3
4 Snow, old
4
5 Fir tree
5
6 6 Asphalt
7
7 Water

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Leica ADS80 <> Best Imagery

PAN RGN RGB

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Leica ADS80 Airborne Digital Sensor

• Multispectral Pan and RGBN sensor
• Innovative beamsplitter design
provides equal resolution in all bands
• 12000 pixels, 6.5um, in all bands in
standard mode (Ratio 1:1)
• 24000 pixel swath in HiRes Mode
(Ratio 1:2)
• Focal length 65mm (single lens design)
• 100% forward overlap at all times
• Continously recordable strip length
• Dedicated Workflow
• Very Rapid orthoprocessing and AT
• High accuracy for DSM extraction

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Leica XPro for ADS - Rapid Orthoprocessing

1,200 km2, 15cm GSD

Flight 12 lines, each 80 km, 3 Pan and 8 MS WS with 6
Approximately 7 hr flight at 130 knots server cluster
Download 400 GB ADS data format
4h

Geo- Trajectory calculation 0.5 h

referencing geo-referencing of L0 images 0.1 h

Aerial Automatic Point Measurement 0.1 h

triangulation Bundle Adjustment 0.3 h

Ortho photo RGB or FCIR 1,200 km2 1.7 h

6.7 h
Feature Due to image strips slightly faster
extraction than in traditional workflow

Fly-through Similar to traditional workflow

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Large Format Digital Cameras (ADS80 , DMC II)

ADS 80 DMC II
Pushbroom Frame

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DMC II – First LF single PAN cone system

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DMC II - Next Generation Sensor Design

DMC optics DMC CCD sensor

designed by Zeiss designed by Dalsa

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With the unique DMC II Sensor Design

R G

PA
N

B NIR

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DMC II230 – The LF Industry Standard

DMC II230 exceeds the footprint 
of the first DMC by >13% 

• Multi spectral sensor, RGB and IR  
• 2.5:1 pan‐sharpened color resolution
• FMC forward motion compensation
• 2.2 second frame rate
• Large base/height ratio of 0.36
• 4x42 MPixel customized MSS CCD’s
• 1x230 Mpixel customized PAN CCD
• 15cm GSD from ~2500m flying height

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Medium Format Frame Camera (RCD30)

Leica RCD30

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Medium format for photogrammetry?

• Multispectral, co-registered RGB and IR

• Mechanical motion compensation, 2 axes
• >1 second frame rate
• two focal lengths, exhangeable (50mm, 80mm)
• Stabilized lens system
• High accuracy mapping range
• Exchangeable central shutter
• B/H ratio of 0.32 @ 60% overlap (50mm)
• 2 x 60 MPx, 6um CCD for RGB and NIR
• CC3x can control up to five CH6x
• Image size single head 8956 x 6708
• Image size dual head 13216 x 8956
• 15cm GSD @ 3780ft flying height (50mm)
• CCD made by DALSA (60 MPx)
• Optics made by Zeiss
• Weight CH6x 4 kg, CC3x 6kg

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Images - FCIR

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Agenda

 Hexagon Geosystems – Z/I & Leica airborne solutions

 Imaging Sensors – DMC & ADS & RCD30
 Laser Scanning – ALS 70
 Outlook - Summary

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Laser Scanner – Leica ALS70 Product Line

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What is ALS70? Various models available?

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ALS70 Specifications

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Leca ALS70 - Major components

LS70‐LP Laser Scanner SC70 System Controller

LC60 Laser Controller

MM70 Mass Memory

OC52  OC50 Pilot Display
Operator 
Display
GI40 Guidance Indicator

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ALS70 - capabilities
 Intensity image, Bregenz, Germany, 11 Mar 2011, 2300 m AGL, 40 deg
FOV (sine), 25 Hz scan rate, 119 kHz pulse rate (MPiA), installed on
PAV80 mount, 2 points/m2 (~70 cm post spacing)

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ALS70 - capabilities
 Fused class/intensity image, Fitchburg, MA (USA), September 2010,
1000 m AGL, 40 deg FOV (sine), 25 Hz scan rate, 500 kHz pulse rate
(MPiA), ~10 points/m2, 870 m swath

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Major new technologies in ALS70

 Point Density Multiplier – doubling productivity

 Multiple scan patterns new range counting circuitry
 Pulse rates closer to “speed of light” limit for given flying height
(all models)
 Dual-output scanner doubles effective pulse rate and scan rate
(ALS70-CM and ALS70-HP only)
Laser output split into two beams (slight forward/rearward look)
Dual receivers
Autoscan feature monitors flying height and speed over ground &
adjusts scan rate to help to keep scan patterns out-of-phase with
one another

 Multiple scan patterns (sine, triangle and raster) for greater flexibility
 Increased receiver bandwidth and dynamic range, for better detection
of small and/or low-reflectivity surfaces
(e.g., power lines, fresh asphalt)

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Single-path scanning limits along-track spacing

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Dual-output scanning doubles scan rate, pulse rate

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SPiA technology limits pulse rate

1 3 5

2 4

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MPiA technology allows doubling of pulse rate

1 2 3 4 5

2 3 4 5

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Multiple scan patterns for maximum flexibility

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ALS70 family – RCD30 typical mounting (2/2)

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Leica ALS70 workflow – From preflight to point clouds

Planning Collection Ground Processing

MissionPro

FCMS

IPAS TC
IPAS CO

ALS pp

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Leica “ MissionPro “ ( / FPES)
Flight Planning & Evaluation SW – Footprint on DTM

Footprint planning
 AOI - Block, Corridor
 Flight line
 Event (Photo)
Footprint flight
 Flight line
 Event (Photo)

AOI, hilly terrain

Corridor, Route mode

Single line, mountainous terrain

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Leica “ FCMS “ - Mission Execution HW & SW (1/2)
High-precision, GNSS-supported flight navigation
 Navigation and graphical guidance information including suggested flight
path is displayed during all phases of the survey flight
 North-up view for project overview and to control progress in flight
execution
 Nose-up view for optimized approach and turns
 In-line view for precise navigation along the line
 Vector map as a backdrop on North-up and Nose-up view

North-up view Nose-up view In-line view

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Leica “ FCMS “ - Mission Execution HW & SW (2/2)

New 3-D navigation view

 Navigation and graphical guidance information in 3-D

 Optimized for corridor mapping with helicopter

3-D view during approach and turns 3-D view along the line

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ALS70 workflow
Planning Collection Processing

Ground ALS Post Processor

•point cloud generation
Operations •output formatting – LDI, LAS, ASCII
GPS IPAS TC IPAS TC •projection - WGS 84, UTM, state plane, Swiss, TW 97, user-
record DGPS base DGNSS trajectory supplied
station data processing processing •datum (state plane only) - NGVD 29, NAVD 88
position Attune TerraScan
and laser boresite •tiling
MissionPro attitude calibration •coverage verification
/ FPES ALS, FCMS file •outlier removal

MicroStation
“LAS” file •bare earth
Mission Airborne •thinning
Planning Operations IPAS TC
•catenary generation
mode record position and extract real-time TerraModeller
attitude data
altitude position nav file •TIN/contour
•GPS
scan rate and •control report
•IMU
FOV attitude
flight speed data
record scanner data *.SCN raw
flight lines scanner files
•range
flight height
•scan angle
•intensity deliverables
•timing info

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Leica ALS70 workflow (MFC workflow items in amber)
Planning Collection Processing
Ground ALS Post Processor
•point cloud generation
Operations •output formatting – LDI, LAS, ASCII
GPS IPAS TC IPAS TC •projection - WGS 84, UTM, state plane, Swiss, TW 97, user-
record DGPS base DGPS trajectory supplied
station data processing processing •datum (state plane only) - NGVD 29, NAVD 88
position Attune TerraScan
and laser boresite
attitude •tiling
MissionPro file calibration •coverage verification
/ FPES ALS, FCMS, RCD •outlier removal

MicroStation
“LAS” file •bare earth
Mission Airborne •thinning
Planning Operations •catenary generation
IPAS TC
mode record position and
attitude data real-time TerraModeller
altitude extract
•GPS nav file •TIN/contour
scan rate position
•IMU •control report
FOV and
•event marks attitude
flight speed
record scanner data data
flight lines *.SCN raw
•range scanner files
flight height
•scan angle
lens FL
•intensity IPAS CO WFM
shutter speed EO file camera
•timing info calculate deliverables
frame rate boresight,
exterior
orthophoto
WFM
orientations orthophotos
generation
record camera data Bayer
•photo ID file conversion
•raw frames

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Agenda

 Hexagon Geosystems – Z/I & Leica airborne solutions

 Imaging Sensors – DMC & ADS & RCD30
 Laser Scanning – ALS 70
 Outlook – Summary

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Leica & Z/I System Design – Today

LPS Image  Image 

LPS Station Station
Frame 
XPro T‐Solid Pro PPS PPS

ADS ALS RCD DMC DMC II

PAV 80 Mount Z/I Mount

IPAS 20 GNSS/IMU POS AV 510
FCMS  Flight Management Z/I Inflight/Track
FPES Flight Planning Z/I Mission

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 Hexagon Airborne System Design – Tomorrow

DPW / Image Processing / GIS / Decision Making

Frame Pro PPS XPro TerraSolid

Required Customer‘s
Data & Business
Application Model

Mount

GNSS/IMU
Flight Management
Flight Planning

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Dual Leica Sensor System “ ADS80 – ALS70 ”

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Hexagon Geosystems - Airborne Technology

“ A highly Automated Production Workflow ”
Complete Solutions – Excellent brands – One Vendor

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 Thank you

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