Photogrammetric software has revolutionized several industries like military intelligence, engineering, medicine, construction, and mining, to name just a few. Anyone interested in creating a 3D image from two or more photos can benefit from this software. Anytime you need to extract precise, accurate and meaningful 3D data from images, you will find that photogrammetry can help you accomplish your goals, and DAT/EM Systems International is a leader in this mission. This is because DAT/EM Systems International has been a software and hardware developer since 1987, and they have perfected their craft.

As we move into the future, the demand for Photogrammetric Software continues to grow as more farmland is converted to subdivisions, older neighborhoods become redeveloped, more utility lines and cross-country power transmission and distribution lines are built or more closely managed due to encroaching vegetation near high-voltage power lines. As population grows, so too grows the need for new commercial development or redevelopment of existing shopping malls and districts. 3D imagery will be used even more in traffic management, museums, cultural heritage buildings, games, and films. It is in the building, transportation, and construction industries that photogrammetry software is likely to develop the most.

As a software and hardware developer of photogrammetric software, we can help your business thrive in the 21st century. Here is how our software is currently progressing the industries we work with and what we expect in the future of photogrammetry.

For more information on Summit Evolution, contact our sales department, and we will get back to you promptly.

Projects That Rely on Photogrammetric Software

Land Development

In the construction field, Summit Evolution can answer many of your questions regarding landfills and the earthmoving operations. You could, for example, have a big empty field that is not flat, and let’s say you want to build a 100-unit shopping mall on that field. You will have questions about how much dirt you need to grade. And what you are going to do about the run-off? Perhaps you have a creek that needs to be managed.

You could use a drone to fly over this land and collect overlapping imagery of the area of interest. From that imagery you could then extract topographic data and generate contours to visualize the shape of earth and begin estimating the amount of cut and fill necessary to develop the area into the desired shopping mall. Once this is accomplished, you can then begin plan and design the roadways, parking areas, pad layout and building design.

Paint Striping Programs

In the state of Michigan, the Department of Transportation has a five-year paint striping program in place. Some questions to be answered will be where they need to paint, how much will this painting cost, and how long does it last. There is going to be street furniture to manage, such as speed limit signs, parking and stop signs. Who is going to map all of that? Summit Evolution can help significantly with this so that the people who have to manage it will know it is being properly handled.

Power Lines

Another use for Summit Evolution is in the management of power poles. Every pole is numbered and tracked for its age, condition, installation, and what it can handle. For utility companies, this means there will be big operational aspects. For these, we can add GIS data for underground cables and also water mains. Power transmission lines must be managed actively to ensure vegetation doesn’t come up and touch the cables. Several large utility companies have recently become increasingly liable for fires potentially started by their overhead transmission and distribution equipment, where a blown transformer or a tree touching a high voltage line may have been the source of a devastating forest fire. All it takes is a spark from that huge voltage to reach the ground, and you may have another fire.

There are photogrammetric methods for power line inspection that can bring more information that is automatic and intelligent. The primary task will be in the research to automatically extract the power line during the flight and then reconstruct the electricity line model through a forward intersection. The objects like vegetation that rest below the power line are matched through a vertical line locus algorithm. You would then calculate the distance between the power line and the objects. The result is that the photogrammetric method will save both time and money. 

Bridges and Overpasses

With the use of photogrammetry, professionals can obtain accurate three-dimensional descriptions of structures from photographs. When comparing this to traditional measurement methods, the photogrammetric technique produces more accurate results and is also suitable for various civil engineering projects. An added benefit is that the photogrammetric method is less expensive than most traditional land surveying techniques.

Some of the difficulties involved with measuring the structure of a bridge at grade are that experts in the field run into inaccessible terrain, unfavorable weather, and a lack of suitable shot angles. Even with these challenges, accurate and reliable measurements are still required to generate the necessary models. By using photogrammetry and Summit Evolution, the extents and construction of the bridge in question can be precisely measured for evaluation and subsequent maintenance or replacement.  Once the necessary data has been captured by photogrammetric or other means, such as LiDAR, further in-depth analysis such as wireframe development for 3D finite element analysis once all of ths supporting bridge construction variables such as materials used, age, etc. are included in the analysis.   

We also handle LIDAR Light Detection and Ranging data by collecting data from drones or other airborne platforms in single or multiple flights. LIDAR sensors emit pulsed light waves into their surrounding environment. These pulses bounce off of surrounding objects and return to the sensor, which uses the time it took for each pulse to return to calculate the distance it traveled. Summit Evolution, in concert with our LandScape module, handles LiDAR data efficiently, allowing the mapping professional to view the LiDAR points in stereo while superimposed over imagery of the underlying topographic features, offering very efficient evaluation and editing of the collected LiDAR data.

The Future of Photogrammetric Software

As time moves forward, we are finding that mapping professionals are being called to map larger and larger world areas, and photogrammetry software has been evolving to meet their needs. Projects that in the past had been mapped by aircraft are now being surveyed with drones. Summit Evolution is making these expert projects more possible and much easier.

Much of the future of photogrammetry software lies in Summit Evolution. Generating bigger, better 3D maps in the cloud is powerful enough for tomorrow's challenges yet simple enough for any project. Whether you want to map one building, a whole oil field, a dozen cell towers, or an entire city, this is true. Summit Evolution is the best tool for the job.

The importation of third-party data will be one of the many conveniences of photogrammetric software in the future, and Summit Evolution has already mastered this, for example, through pre-processed UAS projects or aerotriangulation results. The interface is robust and easy to use, and you will find that image orientation can either be done semi-automatically or manually if you prefer as an option to maximize productivity.

Moving into the future, you will find that Summit Evolutions' unlimited zoom levels allow an amazing level of visualization. This is in addition to the fast pan with automatic loading of the adjacent stereo models. This will ensure you can easily find the perspective you need to advance your project.

Look to DAT/EM Systems International

The future of photogrammetric software will continue to evolve. As it does, DAT/EM Systems International will be there come up with innovative new solutions that make your life easier. As a photogrammetry software and hardware developer since 1987, we have been proving ourselves as the cutting-edge developers in this industry.

Contact us today to schedule a demo and see what we can do to help you with the ultimate 3D imaging process.