Maptek, senseFly sign agreement to combine technologies

Swiss unmanned aircraft system (UAS) manufacturer senseFly and U.S.-based Maptek have signed an agreement that pairs senseFly’s UAS with Maptek’s 3D modeling software.

Under the terms of the agreement, Maptek will provide its North American customers in the mining and aggregates industries with senseFly’s professional mapping and inspection unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV)—the eBee, the eBee RTK and the albris—with its I-Site Studio 3D modelling program.

Todd Packebush, Maptek director of I-Site sales and business development, said that by combining a senseFly UAV with the I-Site Studio 3D modelling software, customers in the mining industry will ​have a powerful solution driven by survey requirements, as well as the in-depth modelling, change detection and data output requirements demanded by mining professionals.

Jean-Christophe Zufferey, senseFly CEO, said the company’s automated mapping drones are already employed by thousands of professionals—such as mining engineers—around the world, who appreciate the productivity and safety boosting benefits of collecting geospatial data from the air.

By partnering with Maptek, Zufferey said senseFly is joining forces with one of the industry’s most respected and recognized solution providers, a company he believes is perfectly positioned to benefit mining professionals.

Maptek’s I-Site Studio 6.1 includes tools the company said helps streamline management of survey data. Users can register laser scans to coordinate systems, including local mine grid coordinates. According to the company, as scans are brought into I-Site Studio, they’re ready for processing.

“This new tool will save substantial time for surveyors working with mine coordinates,” said Jason Richards, Maptek’s global business development manager for laser Imaging solutions. “The biggest advantage is that users only need to specify a coordinate system once to use it thereafter.”

The latest version of I-Site Studio also includes improved support for continuous mapping with I-Site Drive.

“Once a scan is imported into I-Site Studio, querying the scan extents reveals the scanning route and labels the track. The route geometry can be saved as a CAD file,” Richards said.

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