Aug/Sept 2008

Digital mapping for business analysis and planning, satnav, tracking applications and similar purposes is getting more and more sophisticated, with three-dimensional mapping coming increasingly into its own.

If you wondered how this mapping was being generated, the vehicle in our picture gives a clue. It incorporates a 60 megapixel panoramic camera developed by Yotta, and uses Applanix satellite positioning technology to log the exact location of each image. It will be used to enhance street-level mapping with accurate 3D images of buildings and other highway features such as signs, trees, barriers and fences.

The Y360 high-resolution digital camera captures images every 2 metres, calculating the precise position of each image within less than a metre by combining GPS, inertial and optical tracking systems with advanced algorithms.

The images are processed by proprietary Yotta software that analyses them pixel by pixel to give the precise position and detailed information for each feature.

 

Yotta is expecting the vehicle to be in demand for a wide range of applications including highway asset collection, property surveys for council tax valuations, and 3D mapping in general for such organisations as utility companies and mobile phone network providers.