Advanced Techniques for Spatial Data Collection and Analysis

Most engineers know the frustration of returning from the field and wishing they had taken one more photograph or collected one more measurement. This sort of oversight is understandable—there can be competing interests in the field, and sometimes you do not know the information you need until you return to the office and start analyzing the information collected. This paper will first present technologies and techniques that allow for the collection of digital data of a site or object to create accurate digital 3D replicas. These technologies can include LiDAR, UAVs, 3D cameras, and other tools. The technologies discussed are not proprietary, and there are vendors around the country that can provide them as a service. Real-life examples that relied on these technologies will be presented. Many of the examples shared will be in the context of forensic investigations—it should be noted that the data from some of these techniques has been accepted by courts as evidence, which can be a high bar to overcome.