Industries: Land Development
High Definition LiDAR for Rural Land Development
Background
Shirbourne, 45km south-west of Townsville, represents some of the most difficult terrain in Queensland. A mandatory requirement for any new land development in this area is to obtain a detailed ground survey. Historically this represented a difficult logistical challenge. Contributing to this challenge were issues of limited site access, dense vegetation and in the case described below, a very large survey area.
Townsville based surveyors and planners, Conics, were engaged to project manage the approval process for a large residential development on Giru Road in Shirbourne, right in the heart of the difficult terrain. Organizing the applications and approvals associated with the development was dependant on presenting quality mapping information.
Challenge
In order to meet the tight timeframe for the proposed development, Conics needed immediate, up to date survey information of the terrain and vegetation on the site to allow their environmental, planning and design team enough time to complete the necessary approvals.
In order to fast track the process, Terranean was engaged by Conics to undertake a High Definition LiDAR and Digital Aerial Photography survey over the site.
Objective
The objective was to deliver an accurate terrain and vegetation model to allow Conics to start work on the approvals.
Relevance of High Definition LiDAR / Benefits
Terranean was able to mobilize their aircraft immediately and the entire 322 ha site was surveyed and delivered in a matter of days.
The full wave form and short pulse length characteristics of the high definition LiDAR ensured good penetration of the dense vegetation to produce the excellent ground and vegetation modeling at required accuracies. Ortho photography was collected simultaneously using the integrated digital camera.
The mapping information, vegetation models and integrated ortho photography exceeding expectations in quality and were delivered in a fraction of the time of a conventional ground survey. In fact it is doubtful if ground survey would have been viable in the difficult and thickly vegetated terrain.
High Definition LiDAR proved to be a practical and cost-effective solution to fast track the land development process.
Profile view of High Definition LiDAR Point Cloud model illustrating the terrain and vegetation integrated with the simultaneous ortho photography
Colour relief image generated from High Definition LiDAR terrain model overlaid with proposed property layout
Slope analysis generated from terrain model overlaid with proposed property layout
3D terrain model coloured by slope and overlaid with proposed property layout with projected water level
Applications
The High Definition LiDAR allowed Conics to:
- analyze slope,
- define features such as watercourses and ridges,
- determine flood risk,
- define tree heights and structure,
- report on sustainability,
- minimize environmental impacts,
- identify suitable building envelopes,
- complete all approvals associated with the proposed residential development.
High Definition LiDAR for Flood Measurment for Royal Pines Golf Course.
Flood storage is a measure of the volume of water which can be stored on the land during a flood. Properties which are zoned “critical flood storage areas” are required by law to maintain a certain storage capacity to hold the excess flood water in case of an emergency.
Before new development in these zones can be approved, the property owner must prove they will compensate for all decrease in flood storage capacity. A strict 1:1 ratio for compensation applies to development under this law.
Historically the only way to accurately verify your property’s flood storage capacity was to create an accurate terrain model by ground survey.
Gold Coast survey company, Treasure and Associates, were contracted by a high profile Golf Course company, Royal Pines, to deliver an accurate terrain model over their course for a development approval. Located in a critical flood storage area, the terrain model had to allow the Golf Course owner to prove their new development would not impact the overall flood storage capacity of the property.
The Golf Course was already suspected by Council of being below it’s required flood storage capacity so very high accuracy of the terrain model was crucial. Millimeter errors in the survey meant a difference of mega litres in flood storage capacity.
The high accuracy requirement, an urgent timeframe, compounded by challenge of limited course access, meant that a conventional survey was close to impossible.
Considering this Treasure and Associates engaged Terranean to undertake a High Definition LiDAR and Digital Aerial Photography survey.
The objective was to deliver a Digital Terrain Model (DTM) that was as accurate as one collected by ground survey, as well as ortho-photography, over the 1 square kilometer Golf Course.
Because there is no need for site access with aerial High Definition LiDAR, Terranean was able to mobilize the survey immediately and deliver the DTM and orthophotography far more cost effectively and in a fraction of the time of a conventional survey.
Utilizing existing ground control, Terranean’s High Definition LiDAR exceeded expectations by achieving an absolute accuracy of less than 2cm.
Integrated Ortho Photography
3D Point Cloud Model
3D view of Digital Terrain Model derived from the Point Cloud overlaid with a flood water model
High Definition LiDAR allowed Treasure & Associates to:
- assist the Golf Course in their approval by confirming the exact flood storage capacity of the course with in the urgent timeframe.
- determine necessary earth works for the development
- use the DTM as a base for engineering design
- use the integrated ortho photography to plan future developments
Land Development Planning
Gold Coast Surveyors, Michel Group Services engaged Terranean to undertake a detailed LiDAR and Aerial Photography Survey of a 5 square kilometer development site near Nerang. The objective was to provide survey accurate data and ortho-photography over this heavily vegetated terrain at less than the cost of traditional field parties. Specifically 0.5m contours and 15 cm resolution ortho-photography were required as a basis for master planning over the site.
Terranean’s “eye safe” scanner enabled us to legally fly at low altitude, and this, together with the high pulse rate of the scanner, resulted in the capture of very high resolution data. This in turn ensured that a large number of points penetrated the thick vegetation canopy to generate a detailed ground elevation model (DEM).
Digital aerial photography was captured simultaneously with the LiDAR data thereby avoiding the extra cost of a second flight. The LiDAR surface model was used to ortho-rectify the digital photography and generate the 0.5m contours.
Combining the 3 data sets, the Michel Group was able to: extract valuable information such as existing infrastructure; make a flood risk assessment; and determine possible development locations.
Subset of Digital Elevation Model overlayed with 0.5m Contours
Aerial Photography captured simultaneously with LiDAR Data
PMM Group
Payne Road Development
The PMM Group is one of the largest land planning companies in Australia.
The Project
To construct an interactive 3D simulation of a planned residential development for the purpose of environmental impact assessment and urban design.
The Solution
A detailed DEM was generated from stereo aerial photography and updated
from engineering designs. A 360º photo montage of the background
was constructed from photographs taken on site. Textures were applied
for roads, lawn etc., and trees and other plants specifically representing
local forms were generated. Buildings representing actual planned structures
were created and placed within the simulation. An interactive interface
was developed for navigating through the development site within Windows
Explorer.
Multiplex Corporation
Kepperra Quarry
Multiplex Group is a diversified property business listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. Multiplex employs more than 1,800 people across four divisions including property funds management, property development, construction, and facilities management.
The Project
Stage 1 involved the construction of two interactive 3D models of the Keperra quarry in Brisbane. One model represented the current surface and the other represented the surface of a proposed residential development. A customised, interactive interface was developed to enable users to navigate around the site and compare existing and planned surfaces. The models are updated on a weekly basis and supplied to the client. The purpose is to ensure that current quarrying operations are consistent with the intended residential and commercial development, and convey information between quarry operators and the developers.
Stage 2 involved the construction of buildings, trees, and textures to create a realistic interactive representation of the proposed residential and commercial developments.
Jeju Island, Korea
Precision 3D modelling
The Challenge
Jeju Island is one of the most popular tourist destinations in South Korea. In recent times, the island has become a focus for development opportunities, due to the high levels of infrastructure investment. An affiliated company consulting to Jeju Development Corporation provided the opportunity for Terranean Mapping Technologies to provide hi-tech 3D visualisation services to the Koreans. Prior to this project, the only graphical images for the development were artistic drawings.
The challenge was to create a realistic fly-through of the projected development, with additional still shots. Terranean was required to incorporate the existing urban design and provide a feel for the resort layout. Accurate representation of the visual impact was crucial, and since the company agreed to undertake the project to demonstrate capability, it was essential to stay within budget constraints.
The Solution
Cutting-edge software, from a market-leading provider, provided Terranean with the opportunity to develop a 3D model of the resort on Jeju Island, with the minimum of difficulty. The project used the existing raster and vector data integrated with the urban design to create a fly-through movie as still frames.
The Result
The Jeju Island 3D modelling project provided the Korean Company a decision-support tool with which to appreciate the impact of proposed developments. A major part of its business, Terranean now supplies these services to the Tourism and Development Industries on a regular basis.