April 18, 2013 -- ZEB1, 3D Laser Mapping’s new hand held mobile mapping system, was used by service provider Terrametrix on a project in the Midwest United States. ZEB1 is specifically designed for use in areas of limited satellite reception for example indoors, underground and high density landscapes such as urban environments and forests. Terrametrix stretched the limits of the ZEB1’s capabilities in an outdoor overhead utilities application and has become one of the first commercial organizations to adopt this new technology.
Terrametrix, an Omaha, Nebraska based professional survey company selected ZEB1 following extensive field trials. It is also intended to complement other types of survey technology, such as the vehicle based mobile mapping system StreetMapper, already in their survey toolbox.
“ZEB1 allows us to go back to the good old days of being a surveyor – in the field literally rattling the fence to get access to certain areas,” commented Michael R. Frecks, PLS and President / CEO of Terrametrix. “However, with ZEB1 there is no time consuming set up, we can rapidly scan large areas and the data is accurate and ready to use on return to the office. This is a huge advantage for us and for our clients.”
Frecks continued, “Prior to purchasing ZEB1, we rigorously tested the systems capabilities specifically looking at data accuracy, coverage and ease of use. It exceeded our expectations in all aspects!”
The ZEB1 system includes a lightweight laser scanner mounted on a simple spring mechanism. A small backpack accompanies the hand held device which continuously scans as the operator walks through the environment. ZEB1 is therefore easy to use, truly portable and does not require expensive software or high end computers to process the captured data. As the operator moves through an environment the scanner loosely oscillates about the spring producing a rotation that converts 2D laser measurements into 3D fields of view. Its ability to self-localise makes ZEB1 ideally suited for use indoors, underground and in other covered environments; such as dense forest and urban canyons, where traditional solutions that utilise GPS don’t function well.
ZEB1 was developed by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, and is licenced from GeoSLAM. The competitively priced ZEB1, now exclusively available from 3D Laser Mapping, allows for fast data capture without any complex set up.
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