Mapping Dubrovnik and Split with Integrated Airborne Sensor Systems

GIM International recently published an article about the usage of the RIEGL VQ-1560 II and RIEGL VQ-1560i-DW Laser Scanning Systems for the city mapping of the Croatian cities Dubrovnik and Split. To realize this challenging project, EUROSENSE decided to make use of these integrated RIEGL airborne sensor systems, in which imagery and LiDAR data are complementary. The simultaneous acquisition of scan data and images can provide interesting opportunities, especially in complex situations like city mapping.

Read the full article on gim-international.com

Challenging Geographical Conditions

One of the challenging aspects of this project was the difficult landscape and relief in the survey area. There were local elevation differences of over 1,000m with extremely steep and rocky shorelines. The historical city centres, with narrow streets and relatively high buildings, placed high demands on data acquisition. The project was also made more complex by the large number of different products required by the clients.

Data Acquisition and Sensors

The RIEGL VQ-1560 II and the VQ-1560i-DW – Laser Scanning Systems of the latest generation featuring full-waveform digitization and online waveform processing – operate a dual laser channel design, enabling forward/nadir/backwards-looking capabilities with highly homogeneous point density distribution, which has proven advantageous in urban scanning. A mandatory high-grade inertial navigation system, a flight management system and up to two digital cameras complete the systems.
For the area of Split, Eurosense used its own aircraft with the VQ-1560 II sensor with an integrated mid-format 150MP RGB PhaseOne camera, for the Dubrovnik area, which they cooperated with OPEGIEKA (Poland) using their VQ-1560i-DW scanner with an integrated mid-format 100MP RGB PhaseOne camera.