Introduction of first complete mapping and modeling solution for manned aircraft

WaldoAir and Pix4D announce the launch of the first integrated camera system for use on single engine aircrafts bundled with aerial image processing software. This complete system offers the manned aircraft industry the same technological advantages of fast and cost-effective mapping and modeling that the UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) industry has been introducing over the last 2 years.

While UAV’s are becoming more and more popular for creating aerial maps and 3D models, their flying range is limited to sites of up to a few square kilometers. Manned aircraft on the contrary have the reach to cover large areas and have a long standing history of creating high-resolution, geo-referenced maps. The drawback of using manned aircraft for a wide variety of mapping and modeling projects has until now been the cost and result-delivery time factor involved. Traditional aerial photogrammetry involves heavy sensors, high-precision IMU’s, dedicated aircraft platforms and processing software requiring both extensive manual intervention and highly specific skills.

WaldoAir’s XCAM is the solution to replace traditional photogrammetry hardware with a camera system that is easily mountable on any single engine aircraft. Bundled with Pix4Dmapper, Pix4D’s automatic image processing software, the solution is perfectly adapted to cover today’s market needs requiring more cost- and time effective mapping solutions that cannot be offered by traditional photogrammetry.

The XCAM is an airborne camera system using commercial off-the-shelf components. Manufactured in the United States, the system includes a 22.3MP DSLR camera, GPS, IMU, flight planning and flight management software, a small dash-mount tablet PC computer, all necessary mounting hardware, accessories and cables as well as a license of Pix4Dmapper software.

The 3Kg pod attaches externally to an aircraft stepmount or the wing strut of a high-wing aircraft such as Cessna 152, 172, 182, 206 etc. and is used with a small dash-mount tablet PC computer, also part of the system. Already compatible with over 30 aircraft models worldwide, the XCAM can be installed and removed in 30 minutes only.

Finally, WaldoAir’s XCAM system includes a Pix4Dmapper software license to offer users a complete solution for their mapping and modeling needs. Pix4Dmapper is the leading software for image-based photogrammetry, allowing users to process thousands of aerial and oblique images to create survey-grade accurate orthomosaics, DSMs and point clouds. Pix4Dmapper features a fully automatic workflow and can be used by anyone as it is very intuitive and easy to use, one of the many reasons why it is already heavily adopted by the UAV community.

The cost and easiness of use of the XCAM system will provide existing professional photogrammetrists with a cost-effective and easy-to-use solution for surveying small to medium size areas all the while enabling professionals of aerial photography to acquire aerial imagery that allows to produce survey-grade, geo-referenced cartography and 3D models.
The XCAM system will be presented for the first time at ASPRS 2014 Annual Conference, to be held in Louisville, Kentucky, USA from March 23 to 28, 2014. Find WaldoAir’s booth in the UAV section of ASPRS.

About Pix4D

With over ten years of leading scientific research and founded in 2011, Pix4D has become the main provider and industry standard for professional unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) processing software. Started as a spin-off of the EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) Computer Vision Lab in Switzerland, Pix4D is a dynamic and rapidly expanding company. The company has grown from three people in 2011 to six people in 2012 to twenty-five people today and has its offices at EPFL Innovation Park in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Pix4D is your solution to convert thousands of aerial images taken by lightweight UAV or aircraft into georeferenced 2D orthomosaics and 3D surface models and point clouds. With its advanced automatic aerial triangulation based purely on image content and unique optimization techniques, Pix4D enables civilian drones to become the next-generation mapping and surveying tool delivering survey-grade accuracy. Pix4D software offers up to centimeter-grade, LiDAR-like 3D precision, features a fully automatic workflow and can be used by anyone as it is very intuitive and easy to use. Assess, edit and improve your projects directly in the software using the integrated editing tools and seamlessly import your results into any professional GIS, CAD and traditional photogrammetry software package.
Pix4D’s latest software package, Pix4Dmapper, introduces the RayCloud, a ground-breaking concept of multi-ray photogrammetry. The RayCloud is combining the 3D point cloud with the original input images for easy viewing as well as highly accurate semantic annotation and project improvement.
Website: www.pix4d.com

About WaldoAir

WaldoAir is an American company based in Nashville, Tennesse with over 40 years of experience in development and operations of Aerial Imagery Systems. WaldoAir Corporation aims to provide high quality, low cost imaging systems which provide data not only in the traditional Ortho 2D capacity, but also in the 3D realm. WaldoAir’s XCAM revolutionizes Aerial Imaging by offering a low cost structure that combines commercial off-the-shelf items with state of the art, proprietary software integrations.
Website: www.waldoair.com
For additional information as well as image material, please contact:
Pix4D: Sonja Betschart at sonja@pix4d.com
WaldoAir: James Summerville at summervillejr@waldoair.com
Pix4D SA