July 02, 2009 -- High speed laser mapping by StreetMapper is revolutionising highway surveying in the Netherlands. Following the delivery of a StreetMapper 360 system to Geomaat by 3D Laser Mapping, the Dutch surveying specialist has achieved sub centimetre accurate measurements whilst travelling at normal traffic speeds. StreetMapper 360 is the world’s most accurate mobile laser mapping system and was used to survey a stretch of four-lane highway in the northern Netherlands without the need for road closures or other safety precautions. The millions of individual laser measurements were then used to prepare a highly detailed and accurate 3D model for use in the preparation of a new design and actual laying of the new road surface.

StreetMapper 360 has been specifically designed for the rapid 3D mapping of highways, runways, railways, infrastructure and buildings using vehicle-mounted lasers offering a 360-degree field of view with high precision mapping to a range of 300 metres. Capturing every detail along the highway corridor including barriers, gulleys and overhead wires, surveyors can create highly accurate 3D computer models for planning, maintenance, wide load route assessment and post-incident investigations.

Geomaat purchased the StreetMapper system last year following rigorous field trials and the latest survey was for a project to reconstruct the A32 between Heerenveen and Steenwijk that had degraded due to a chemical reaction in the foundations. Traditionally the road would have been manually surveyed during a period of night time closures and the resulting data would then be used by the construction company to calculate the volume of asphalt required and by the Dutch Road Administration.

Using StreetMapper Geomaat revolutionised the survey element of the project; completing the pre-construction survey two months before construction started, without the need for road closures and with minimal impact on other road users. The point cloud data collected by StreetMapper was processed to match the Dutch co-ordinate system and comparison against manually surveyed points along the highway showed an average difference of 5 millimetres and a standard deviation of 8 millimetres. The StreetMapper data was then used to prepare a new road design, accurately replicating existing features such as road camber and matched to fixed structures such as bridges. The digital model was then used by the construction company to calculate the volume of materials required and automatically relay the road surface using a grading machine controlled by GPS and lasers.

“The advantages of the StreetMapper system over traditional survey techniques are obvious,” commented Jolle Jelle de Vries, Managing Director of Geomaat. “Improved conditions for the survey team, reduced impact on other road users and perhaps more importantly cost. We estimate that by using StreetMapper 360 on this project savings of up to 50% were achieved. When you also consider how accurate the system is it’s use for highway projects should be mandatory.”