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SpatialNews.com Press Release
Wireless News - Business News - Feature Columns
EagleScan/3Di Maps Los Alamos Fire Site for Disaster MitigationLos Alamos, New Mexico (June 29, 2000) - In preparation for Northern New Mexico's summer monsoon season, over 120 square miles of the Cerro Grande Fire burn area have been topographically mapped using Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) technology by EagleScan/3Di (Boulder, Colorado) for potential disaster mitigation. Normally, flooding is not a major concern for the Los Alamos area, but with the protective vegetative cover burned to the ground and high concentrations of hydrophobic ash remaining, the 48,000-acre site of forests and canyons runs the risk of environmental damage, including possible erosion and mudslides from heavy flooding. The high-resolution, high-accuracy LIDAR Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data already collected and being post-processed by EagleScan/3Di will provide officials with unsurpassed topographic detail to support mitigation efforts. Hydrologists, civil engineers, environmentalists and foresters from the private sector, as well as the Federal and local agencies that make up the area's Multi-Agency Coordinating (MAC) Team, can use the data as input to engineering models and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). "Monitoring the landform changes that will most likely occur following flood water erosion is a concern for all the agencies involved because there are so many factors to consider in this area. We wanted to make sure baseline data was available before the rains start in order to establish a topographic foundation for each agency's work," said Verlin Fisher, Vice President of EagleScan/3Di. Runoff from floodwaters is a potential danger in some of the canyons near the Los Alamos National Lab area. Using GIS technology, modeling can be very effective in disaster mitigation. Modeling can help planners identify high-risk areas and expedite the environmental safety and evacuation processes. Modeling also allows disaster managers to identify the scope of a disaster, what environmental factors pose the greatest danger, what population areas and property are at highest risk, and what response resources are required. "GIS gives quick access to a variety of data and a visual understanding of what could happen," said Fisher. "With an impeding disaster, predicting risk in real-time can save lives." Remote Sensing products like high accuracy DEM's generated from LIDAR terrain mapping provide a solid data anchor for the GIS. Agencies involved in the mitigation effort include the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Forestry Services and the National Park Service. The fire area is comprised of land owned by various Federal agencies, an Indian Reservation, the Los Alamos National Laboratory facility and a large amount of privately owned land. "EagleScan took the initiative to collect the LIDAR data to assist in the coordination efforts among agencies," said Fisher. "This is a complex situation. They're dealing with nuclear facilities, forest areas and a town site. We needed to make sure this fundamental data was collected and processed before the rains begin." EagleScan/3Di collected data from over 120 square miles of the burn area and the City of Los Alamos. Using their proprietary Digital Airborne Topographical Imaging System (DATIS(tm)), DEM data was collected with an accuracy of 15 cm RMSE (Root Mean Squared Error) vertical and 1 m RMSE horizontal. "While satellite imagery has already provided a bird's eye view of the fire's path of destruction, our data will help provide a baseline to assess how the land may change. Our accuracies are more than sufficient for reliable modeling and GIS planning, " said Fisher. EagleScan/3Di's DATIS(tm) system is a proprietary system of terrain data acquisition hardware and data processing software. DATIS(tm) provides an integration of LIDAR, GPS (Global Positioning System), and IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) technologies. DATIS(tm) also incorporates a digital camera with the LIDAR sensor to simultaneously collect digital panchromatic images of the same mapped area. The Cerro Grande Fire data was collected in late June (June 16-21) and is currently being post-processed into DEM data products. About EagleScan Remote Sensing from 3Di EagleScan, founded in 1994 (Boulder, CO), utilizes LIDAR and digital camera technologies to produce precision topographic mapping and digital orthophotography. EagleScan products include AccuDEM(tm) and EagleImage(tm). EagleScan clients include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the United States Geological Survey, URS Corporation and others. In May 2000, EagleScan became a part of 3Di (Easton, MD) and became 'EagleScan Remote Sensing'. EagleScan's capabilities complement 3Di's line of Mapping, GIS and Remote Sensing Services by offering LIDAR as a faster and often less expensive technology for topographic DEM data capture. Through its Photogrammetry, GIS and EagleScan Remote Sensing Services, 3Di delivers products and services designed to meet the spatial data needs of transportation, telecommunications, agriculture, engineering, facility management, as well as utilities and Federal/local government agencies. 3Di's end-to-end solutions range from data acquisition (aerial and satellite), analysis (Remote Sensing) and integration (Enterprise GIS). 3Di's partial client list includes NASA, NOAA, USDA, National Geographic, numerous engineering companies and local government agencies throughout the country. The company is also an authorized ESRI business partner, reseller and training provider and can be found on the web at www.3dillc.com. For additional information, please visit EagleScan on the Internet at www.eaglescan.com or 3Di at www.3dillc.com, or contact: EagleScan Remote Sensing Verlin Fisher, Vice President vfisher@3dillc.com 303.473.9100, extension 19 3Di - The shape of information Tracey Walter, Manager, Marketing Services twalter@3dillc.com 410.770.6038 DIRECT 800.546.4437 |
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