The INTERGEO 2019 trade show wrapped up last week, and UAV systems were a key focus for the future of the 3D mapping industry.

UAVs have seen widespread growth in geographical and geological applications for a number of reasons, notably:

UAVs are extremely easy to deploy, allowing them to be used liberally for a variety of mapping applications without the costs associated with using helicopters or fixed wing vehicles
The granularity of data collected by UAVs is superior to current methods due to closer proximity to the surveyed target and slower scanning speeds
Relative to conventional methods (fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, vehicles), cost of data acquisition is dramatically lower

Several Pegasus powered platforms were present at the show and were on display with current operators (notably Solectric/Orthodrone and Terrasolid). Many of these companies have been using hybrid platforms to great success for gathering photogrammetry and Lidar data. Relative to battery powered UAVs, hybrid platforms offer a method of gathering significantly more data in shorter periods of time, and without any of the logistical challenges of transporting and recharging batteries in the field. They are capable of carrying even the largest and most sophisticated mapping packages currently used for UAVs for much longer, allowing operators to gather large quantities of high quality geographical data.

Terrasolid booth with Avartek Boxer Hybrid UAV platform. The Boxer has improved TerraSolid’s data collection capabilities significantly.

Orthodrone Gmbh also had the opportunity to showcase their Avartek Boxer Hybrid platform in several high endurance demonstrations. The demonstrations provided a fantastic opportunity to showcase its heavy payload capability and endurance by carrying some of the most capable mapping sensor packages available (PhaseOne 100MP camera, Riegl MiniVUX) for multi-hour flights.

Orthodrone Pilot flying Avartek Boxer Hybrid with PhaseOne 100MP photogrammetry package and UltraQuiet Exhaust

Overall, it was a fantastic opportunity to see the cutting edge technology currently being deployed in Europe for 3D Mapping technology. The team at Pegasus is eager to increase its involvement with the European industrial UAV market, and is excited to attend INTERGEO 2020 in Berlin!

Links:

INTERGEO - https://www.intergeo.de/intergeo-en/

Terrasolid - http://www.terrasolid.com/home.php

Orthodrone - https://www.orthodrone.net/

Avartek - http://avartek.fi/