6 ms·

Whole of England to be mapped with lasers

54 points by dmmalam 9y ago

tda 9y ago
This has already been done for the Netherlands a few times, and is repeated every 5 or so years. See all the data in your browser here: http://ahn2.pointclouds.nl/ http://ahn2.pointclouds.nl/
- qualitytime 9y ago
  Does not work in Firefox????
  - mr337 9y ago
    Nope it doesn't not, requires Edge or Chrome. Feels like IE wars again.
- dan1234 9y ago
  It has already been done for England too[0] (although the abstract says 'over 70% of England' so some parts must be missing). I think someone made a Minecraft map out of the current data, will be interesting to see what is made from the update. [0]https://data.gov.uk/dataset/lidar-composite-dsm-1m1 https://data.gov.uk/dataset/lidar-composite-dsm-1m1
  - timthorn 9y ago
    The Ordnance Survey converted their mapping data to a Minecraft world: https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/innovate/developers/minecraft-map-britain.html https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/innovate/developers/minecra...
  - aglionby 9y ago
    Not sure if this is the same map you're talking about, but Ordinance Survey made a map[0] using data they had in 2013, and then again in 2014. This was based on height data at 50m resolution. It's hard to see how OS capture height exactly, I imagine via aircraft[1]. Not sure whether they are the source of the existing data the Environment agency has; I doubt it as their data has a max resolution of 5m while the government's is 1m. [0] https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/innovate/developers/minecraft-map-britain.html https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/innovate/developers/minecra... [1] https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/international/knowledge/data-collection-management.html https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/international/knowledge/dat...
    - 7952 9y ago
      Most of the OS terrain data is now from pairs of aerial photos using photogrammetry. The older products were actually based on contours that were surveyed using more traditional techniques.
- mrtksn 9y ago
  So we are back to the IE6 days, I am supposed to open specific pages on specific browsers. 2017 is so retro, I wonder if I will be able not to use Chrome in 2018.
  - SllX 9y ago
    I guess it'll be just like the good old days with Firefox 1.5.
- JorgeGT 9y ago
  Done in Spain as well, free to download (RGB-colored .laz), but no online 3D viewer: http://centrodedescargas.cnig.es/CentroDescargas/buscadorCatalogo.do?codFamilia=LIDAR http://centrodedescargas.cnig.es/CentroDescargas/buscadorCat...
tezza 9y ago
A lot is already done. Download away. UK Lidar: https://data.gov.uk/dataset/lidar-composite-dsm-1m1 https://data.gov.uk/dataset/lidar-composite-dsm-1m1 There's even some Unity plugins that will merge this lidar with satellite photos and openstreetmap and get you a 3d environment from all this data.
- gerdesj 9y ago
  Does anyone know what the errors are and what accuracy the elevation data is? All I can find is "spatial resolutions of between 25cm and 2 metres" and "Accurate elevation data ..."
  - 7952 9y ago
    Environment Agency LiDAR data has a vertical accuracy of 5-15cm +/- RMSE and a horizontal accuracy of 40cm +/- RMSE [1] These kind of accuracy measures are usually relative to the national datum. They can be more accurate relative to other points in the same survey. [1] http://www.getmapping.com/support/height-lidar-data/how-accurate-height-data-and-lidar http://www.getmapping.com/support/height-lidar-data/how-accu...
andybak 9y ago
Any idea how the quality compares with just using Open Street Map elevation data?
- Mediterraneo10 9y ago
  OpenStreetMap does not have much of its own elevation data. (There is a way to tag elevation, but it is rather seldom done). Any project that shows you OSM data and elevation is probably pulling in third-party elevation data such as that from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM)[1]. [1] http://srtm.csi.cgiar.org/ http://srtm.csi.cgiar.org/
  - nxc18 9y ago
    I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Airbus sells a very nice Digital Elevation Model. It seems to be quite a lot better than the shuttle data everyone was using for a while. http://www.intelligence-airbusds.com/worlddem/ http://www.intelligence-airbusds.com/worlddem/
  - rmc 9y ago
    The elevation data in OSM is mostly just an elevation data on peaks and such, not actually DEM stuff
ryanmaynard 9y ago
Some of the states in the US are doing this as well. For example, Tennessee.[1] [1]: http://www.tngis.org/lidar.htm http://www.tngis.org/lidar.htm
peter303 9y ago
Topographic (geodetic) shape is always changing with time. Radar inferometry from satellites gives the most repeated surveys, but has low spatial resolution. You can discern made-made, seasonal, and geological factors causing change. The American Geophysical Union meeting each December has several hundred papers on dynamic geodesy.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]

54 points by dmmalam 9y ago

tda 9y ago

This has already been done for the Netherlands a few times, and is repeated every 5 or so years. See all the data in your browser here: http://ahn2.pointclouds.nl/ http://ahn2.pointclouds.nl/

qualitytime 9y ago
Does not work in Firefox????
- mr337 9y ago
  Nope it doesn't not, requires Edge or Chrome. Feels like IE wars again.
dan1234 9y ago
It has already been done for England too[0] (although the abstract says 'over 70% of England' so some parts must be missing). I think someone made a Minecraft map out of the current data, will be interesting to see what is made from the update. [0]https://data.gov.uk/dataset/lidar-composite-dsm-1m1 https://data.gov.uk/dataset/lidar-composite-dsm-1m1
- timthorn 9y ago
  The Ordnance Survey converted their mapping data to a Minecraft world: https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/innovate/developers/minecraft-map-britain.html https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/innovate/developers/minecra...
- aglionby 9y ago
  Not sure if this is the same map you're talking about, but Ordinance Survey made a map[0] using data they had in 2013, and then again in 2014. This was based on height data at 50m resolution. It's hard to see how OS capture height exactly, I imagine via aircraft[1]. Not sure whether they are the source of the existing data the Environment agency has; I doubt it as their data has a max resolution of 5m while the government's is 1m. [0] https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/innovate/developers/minecraft-map-britain.html https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/innovate/developers/minecra... [1] https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/international/knowledge/data-collection-management.html https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/international/knowledge/dat...
  - 7952 9y ago
    Most of the OS terrain data is now from pairs of aerial photos using photogrammetry. The older products were actually based on contours that were surveyed using more traditional techniques.
mrtksn 9y ago
So we are back to the IE6 days, I am supposed to open specific pages on specific browsers. 2017 is so retro, I wonder if I will be able not to use Chrome in 2018.
- SllX 9y ago
  I guess it'll be just like the good old days with Firefox 1.5.
JorgeGT 9y ago
Done in Spain as well, free to download (RGB-colored .laz), but no online 3D viewer: http://centrodedescargas.cnig.es/CentroDescargas/buscadorCatalogo.do?codFamilia=LIDAR http://centrodedescargas.cnig.es/CentroDescargas/buscadorCat...

tezza 9y ago

A lot is already done. Download away. UK Lidar: https://data.gov.uk/dataset/lidar-composite-dsm-1m1 https://data.gov.uk/dataset/lidar-composite-dsm-1m1 There's even some Unity plugins that will merge this lidar with satellite photos and openstreetmap and get you a 3d environment from all this data.

gerdesj 9y ago
Does anyone know what the errors are and what accuracy the elevation data is? All I can find is "spatial resolutions of between 25cm and 2 metres" and "Accurate elevation data ..."
- 7952 9y ago
  Environment Agency LiDAR data has a vertical accuracy of 5-15cm +/- RMSE and a horizontal accuracy of 40cm +/- RMSE [1] These kind of accuracy measures are usually relative to the national datum. They can be more accurate relative to other points in the same survey. [1] http://www.getmapping.com/support/height-lidar-data/how-accurate-height-data-and-lidar http://www.getmapping.com/support/height-lidar-data/how-accu...

andybak 9y ago

Any idea how the quality compares with just using Open Street Map elevation data?

Mediterraneo10 9y ago
OpenStreetMap does not have much of its own elevation data. (There is a way to tag elevation, but it is rather seldom done). Any project that shows you OSM data and elevation is probably pulling in third-party elevation data such as that from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM)[1]. [1] http://srtm.csi.cgiar.org/ http://srtm.csi.cgiar.org/
- nxc18 9y ago
  I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Airbus sells a very nice Digital Elevation Model. It seems to be quite a lot better than the shuttle data everyone was using for a while. http://www.intelligence-airbusds.com/worlddem/ http://www.intelligence-airbusds.com/worlddem/
- rmc 9y ago
  The elevation data in OSM is mostly just an elevation data on peaks and such, not actually DEM stuff

ryanmaynard 9y ago

Some of the states in the US are doing this as well. For example, Tennessee.[1] [1]: http://www.tngis.org/lidar.htm http://www.tngis.org/lidar.htm

peter303 9y ago

Topographic (geodetic) shape is always changing with time. Radar inferometry from satellites gives the most repeated surveys, but has low spatial resolution. You can discern made-made, seasonal, and geological factors causing change. The American Geophysical Union meeting each December has several hundred papers on dynamic geodesy.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]