Pit & Quarry, August 2018
DRONES LiDAr drone or both Deciding which data collection technology is best for your site requires careful consideration by LAUREN ELMORE ata is everything in the aggregate industry but gathering it can be a challenge One effective way to collect D data is through light detection and ranging LIDAR technology which uses pulsed light to measure distance Because we know the speed of light with such accuracy the time it takes a beam of light to bounce off an object and return to the scanner tells us how far away the object is Used in conjunction with other data the light pulses can generate an accurate 3 D picture of the surface being scanned LIDAR isnt new In fact in 1971 it was used on the Apollo 15 mission to map the surface of the moon LIDAR has however been continuously refined over time LIDAR has many applications and in recent years its been adapted for use in ground based systems in which laser scanners are mounted on vehicles such as pickup trucks ATVs and railcars Only recently however have scanners decreased in size to a point that they can be mounted onto unmanned aerial vehicles and drones This latest iteration of the technology will have a huge effect on the cost efficiency and accessibility of gathering high quality data at different types of sites Different types of LiDAr Aircraft based LIDAR can be used for almost any project but its also the most expensive type of LIDAR technology You must pay for the operating cost of an aircraft and airborne scanners are costly Drone based LIDAR is much less 54 pit QUArry August 2018 pitandquarry com Photo courtesy of sully Miller Drone based LIDAR is less expensive than aircraft based LIDAR and requires less preflight planning
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