It’s a remote sensing process by which light from a laser is used to take highly accurate measurements of the surface of the earth.
With Lidar, a sensor transmits a laser beam toward to the surface of the earth along a predefined survey route.
The receivers “record the precise time from when the laser pulse left the system to when it is returned to calculate the range and distance between sensors and target.”
This process provides a highly accurate aerial mapping technique.
Lidar has revolutionized terrain mapping and is increasingly used in industries as diverse as urban planning, landscape ecology, survey assessments, floodplain mapping, forest inventory and coastal engineering.
Lidar offers several advantages including:
This is a product which would have cost a lot of money and time to develop, at least to ensure it is the most useful of its kind, while there was little immediate return on investment.
Now Google is reaping the commercial benefits of Maps, but it is still keeping an eye on new features, improved experience and, eventually, additional revenues.
“Not only does Google Maps help you navigate, explore, and get things done at home, but it’s also a powerful travel companion,” Rachel Inman wrote on Google’s blog.
“After you’ve booked your trip, these new tools will simplify every step of your trip once you’ve touched down–from getting around a new city to reliving every moment once you’re home.”
Google is not a company which makes money by accident.
The acquisitions of Android and DeepMind certainly added new elements to the business model, its smart speakers and push into the connected car offer more engagement points moving away from traditional user interface, and Maps is an on-going project which seems to never get old.
If you are considering outsourced GIS drafting services to increase the efficiency of your business, look to a service that provides comprehensive services and knowledgeable drafters skilled in the following GIS application industries:
Department of Transportation mapping of highways and infrastructure
Telecommunications documentation of complex networks
Oil and gas pipeline layout documentation
Civil engineering land contour and topographic profiles
GIS mapping is needed in the construction industry to prevent costly accidents and re-work when digging ground for new construction.