DAS announced the purchase of an ALS70 laser scanner by Digital Aerial Solutions (DAS), a woman-owned small business based in Tampa, Florida. The ALS70 augments the company’s current data collection capabilities consisting of three Leica digital aerial imaging cameras and one Leica ALS60 laser scanner.
DAS specializes in large-area photogrammetric data acquisition for a variety of mapping, GIS, engineering and land use applications. “This latest acquisition is a continuation of our 12-year business relationship with Leica,” said Mona Kristensen, President, Digital Aerial Solutions. “We are very excited to add the ALS70 LiDAR technology to our current suite of Leica sensors. The ALS70 significantly improves our competitive position to successfully participate in the geospatial surveying and topographical mapping markets and enhances our ability to meet our clients’ requirements.”
“From a long-time user perspective, we continue to invest in the Leica technology because there is a clear road map for technology improvement both in aerial data acquisition hardware and processing software,” said Mike Wasielewski, VP and General Manager, Digital Aerial Solutions, LLC
DAS purchased an ALS60 LiDAR system in December 2009. During four years of operations, this system has provided excellent vertical point coverage and high quality images. The Leica ALS70 is the next generation airborne laser scanner with a 500 kHz maximum effective pulse rate, designed specifically for high-density point collection in diverse environments. Compared to the ALS60, the increased receiver bandwidth in the ALS70 is more sensitive to small surface features with low reflectivity, while the dual beam splitting capability results in data that meets the higher accuracy requirements of engineering projects.
DAS’ aircraft fleet consists of three high-performance twin-engine aircraft. The ALS70 helps achieve maximum collection efficiency by operating well at higher ground speeds and possessing a greater FOV for large area data acquisition while maintaining the required vertical point density. The ALS70 allows for easy installation and total integration into DAS’ existing LiDAR flight planning and production workflow solution.
“After gaining experience with the ALS60, it became evident another LiDAR sensor would be required to meet increased client demand,” stated Kristensen. “The Leica ALS70 meets our needs by providing added efficiency, performance and accuracy for our high-resolution topographical mapping solutions.”
“The addition of the ALS70 greatly increases our capacity to support clients,” said Joshua K. Helton, VP and Assistant General Manager, Digital Aerial Solutions. “The point density multiplier enables us to increase the amount of data collected without increasing the amount of time to collect. Not only is this beneficial to our current clients, but it will also open up new markets within DOT, utilities, and engineering.”
“The addition of the ALS70 shows DAS’ commitment to support current and future clients with the best technology available,” Helton continued. “The ALS70 will carry us to a performance level not often seen in our industry from a small business.”
