Editor’s Note: This customer spotlight focuses on Maser Consulting, P.A. and their use of RIEGL mobile and unmanned LiDAR solutions. Enjoy this customer spotlight!

Maser Consulting P.A., an industry forerunner in LiDAR data acquisition, is a privately owned, multi-discipline, engineering firm with a unique balance of public and private sector experience. As trusted advisors to their clients, they offer comprehensive consulting services, cultivate opportunities for strategic and sustainable growth and embrace leading-edge technologies. Committed to providing professional services with superior value and responsiveness, their culture of excellence is promoted through advancing staff development, fostering a safe work environment, and creating a rewarding team atmosphere.

Maser Consulting has always been a progressive firm looking to harness the power of technology. Their survey team saw LiDAR as a competitive advantage early on and a technology that would stimulate growth in new industries.

Figure 1. Example Point Cloud data collected with Maser Consulting’s RIEGL VMX mobile LiDAR unit

According to Maser Consulting, the field-to-finish process offered by RIEGL LiDAR systems is, by far, the best in the industry.

”Having senior professionals who have worked with “other” brands of LiDAR, the hardware and software integration from RIEGL was a welcomed benefit. Providing repeatable and reliable results allows us to plan aggressively and to do things once.” said Paul DiGiacobbe, Principal Associate and Director of Geospatial Services at Maser Consulting.

Figure 2. Maser Consulting’s Pulse Vapor 55 equipped with the RIEGL VUX LiDAR Sensor collecting power line data

Utilizing both mobile and unmanned LiDAR systems from RIEGL, Maser Consulting’s mobile acquisitions are the RIEGL VMX-450 mobile laser scanning system and the RIEGL VMX-1HA high speed, high performance dual scanner mobile mapping system, which they have just ordered. Their unmanned acquisition is the RIEGL VUX-1UAV lightweight laser scanner, integrated into the Pulse Aerospace Vapor 55 unmanned helicopter.

Figure 3. Maser Consulting’s Pulse Vapor 55 equipped with the RIEGL VUX LiDAR Sensor collecting a slope failure site

“After a period of due diligence, the RIEGL VMX platform was the clear choice as the state-of-the-art in mobile mapping. It remains so today, proving that our decision was a sound one.” expressed DiGiacobbe.

Maser Consulting’s VMX has been utilized in the New York City’s Department of Design and Construction (NYCDDC) Vision Zero Program, which aims to improve pedestrian safety on some of the largest arterials in the City’s five boroughs.  Their work with the VMX platform has transformed how the department sees surveying on the difficult corridors.  Utilizing the VMX, Maser Consulting has seen a true revolution where they are able to do more for less, providing unprecedented detail in deliverables and are able to serve the agency at a level that has not been seen in the past.

Figure 4. Maser Consulting’s RIEGL VMX collecting mobile LiDAR in Colorado

“The transportation infrastructure industry has gone through an awakening over the past 5 years or so. We no longer need to describe our LiDAR services. People know what it is, and now that they want it, they want it done right.” said DiGiacobbe. “For Maser Consulting, being LiDAR experts has opened so many doors for us. New clients, industries, and opportunities to get involved in some of the most interesting projects in our company’s 30+ year history.”

Applications that Maser Consulting employs their LiDAR systems for include highway design surveys, planning studies, utility corridor mapping and assessment, rail corridor surveys, rail tunnel surveys, positive train control inventories, design build projects, all forms of asset management, bridge surveys, and more!  Asset management is something unexpected that they’ve been able to do with laser scanning.

Figure 5. Mobile LiDAR data results of rail tunnel mapping from Maser Consulting’s VMX system

“We’ve offered GIS services for some time, but the advent of mobile LiDAR has enabled us to collect large asset bases for some very large clients. This capability was not counted on at the outset of our service offering, but it has been a major growth area for us.” said DiGiacobbe.

Maser Consulting is committed to the success of their clients. Their use of LiDAR is just one example of how they bring the best technology in delivering for their clients. They continually push forward to find new ways to take advantage of this great technology, providing solutions to complex problems.

“We have maximized the return of our investment in mobile LiDAR and we now look forward to utilizing our unmanned aerial platforms to carry our RIEGL VUX sensor into the skies to address new and challenging project needs.” concluded DiGiacobbe.

Figure 6. UAS LiDAR collected with Maser Consulting’s RIEGL VUX LiDAR Sensor