Blom Aerofilm in a program to capture & process...

29 July 2008, 1:47pm

Blom Aerofilm in a program to capture & process bathymetric and topographic LiDAR data along the U.S. coastline

Blom has signed a three-year framework agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for US coastal mapping activities.

Blom Aerofilms, Blom’s subsidiary in UK, will work in conjunction with prime contractor 3001 and other team members to support the USACE Mobile District for this U.S.-wide program. The framework agreement begins October 2008 and runs for 3 years.

The program requires the capture and processing of bathymetric and topographic LiDAR data along the U.S. coastline (including the Great Lakes) and its territories. The extent of coverage will be 1 km offshore of the coastline for bathymetric data and 500 m onshore of the coastline for topographic data. Additionally, higher resolution data capture and processing at federal project sites, such as breakwaters and harbours will be required. The processed data will be used to provide a seamless digital terrain model (DTM) from onshore and offshore data.

“The Blom-3001 partnership continues to gain momentum. We are excited about this next step for our two companies,” said Jay Arnold, Vice President of Business Development for 3001.

The results of last year’s successful trial in Florida for the USACE were presented at the 9th Annual Coastal Mapping and Charting Technical Workshop in San Francisco in 2008. This confirms the acceptance of the Hawkeye II technology by one of the world’s leading customers of bathymetric LiDAR and reinforces Blom’s investment in Hawkeye II.

“We feel very privileged to be awarded this framework” said David Critchley, Managing Director at Blom Aerofilms. “This is a major step for the bathymetric LiDAR team which has worked very hard in making this a successful service within Blom.”

The coastal mapping program is supported by the Joint Airborne LiDAR Bathymetry Technical Center of Expertise (JALBTCX) which is formed by a number of U.S. agencies including the USACE Mobile District. JALBTCX coordinates the data capture and processing of LiDAR data for the USACE National Coastal Mapping Program.

The new bathymetric LiDAR capability of Blom provides a unique selling point for the group. The technology allows the seamless mapping of the sea bed and the coastline by simultaneously capturing bathymetric and topographic LiDAR. In addition, digital imagery is also simultaneously captured providing 20 cm pixel ortho-rectified mosaics. The Hawkeye II system also boasts the ability to capture 4 times more data than other bathymetric LiDAR systems, thus providing higher sounding density and reduced post spacing distance.

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