Figure 1: RIEGL airborne bathymetric point cloud with GNSS RTK-SBES elevation profiles. (Image courtesy: GISPRO SA)
GIM International recently published an article outlining the work to verify the feasibility and accuracy of using airborne LiDAR bathymetry (ALB) to monitor the sea’s southern coast in Poland.
The Baltic Sea poses several challenges – for any surveying technology used – when it comes to performing accurate measurements due to it being very turbulent with low water clarity, frequently occurring storms, etc. And these conditions, which result in a rapid change of the seashore, make it a statutory obligation for Poland’s Maritime Offices to permanently monitor the coastline.
GISPRO SA carried out one of the pilot projects under an order from the Maritime Office in Szczecin, using a RIEGL VQ-880-G II topo-bathymetric laser scanner. Measurements were carried out in a 1-hour flight on October 30, 2022, and demonstrated that ALB is able to deliver the most complete image of the shallow water area in a relatively short time.
These positive results obtained from the pilot project undoubtedly contributed to the tenders for monitoring the entire Baltic coast with ALB. In 2023, Gispro SA completed mapping of the coastline for the Maritime Office in Szczecin, followed by surveying the coastline for the Maritime Office in Gdynia in 2024. In addition to a satisfactory mapping result, it was also possible to scan some shipwrecks, like the Karl Finsterwalder (see below).
Figure 2: The wreck of the concrete ship Karl Finsterwalder, captured in the RIEGL airborne bathymetric data. (Image courtesy: GISPRO SA)
Read the full story giving details on the pilot-project: Monitoring the Baltic shoreline using airborne Lidar bathymetry | GIM International (gim-international.com)
About the RIEGL VQ-880-G-II:
The RIEGL VQ-880-G II is a topo-bathymetric airborne laser scanning system that provides exceptional detail of the topography above and below the water surface mapping complex inland waterways, riverine environments, and coastlines.
About RIEGL:
RIEGL is an international leading provider of cutting-edge technology in airborne, mobile, terrestrial, industrial and UAV-based laser scanning solutions for applications in surveying.
RIEGL has been producing LiDAR systems commercially for over 40 years and focuses on pulsed time-of-flight laser radar technology in multiple wavelengths.
RIEGL’s core smart-waveform technologies provide pure digital LiDAR signal processing, unique methodologies for resolving range ambiguities, multiple targets per laser shots, optimum distribution of measurements, calibrated amplitudes and reflectance estimates, as well as the seamless integration and calibration of systems.
RIEGL’s Ultimate LiDARTM 3D scanners offer a wide array of performance characteristics and serve as a platform for continuing Innovation in 3D for the LiDAR industry.
From the first inquiry, to purchase and integration of the system, as well as training and support, RIEGL maintains an outstanding history of reliability and support to their customers.
Worldwide sales, training, support and services are delivered from RIEGL’s headquarters in Austria and in the USA; main offices in Japan, China, Hong Kong, Australia, Canada, UK, and Germany; and a worldwide network of representatives.