MOORESVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA — WSP, a leading engineering, environment and professional services consultancy, has upgraded its surveying capabilities with an industry-leading mobile light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system following its recent purchase of a RIEGL VMX 2HA Mobile Scanning System.

LiDAR is a remote sensing method that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure varying distances to an infrastructure asset that is being surveyed. When processed, registered and combined with other surveying methods, these pulses generate precise, three-dimensional information rendering of assets.

This high-precision, dual scanner mobile mapping system provides dense, accurate and feature-rich data from highway-speed data gathering. The system is capable of 3.6 million measurements and 500 scan lines per second and is ideal for survey-grade mobile mapping applications.

“Mobile mapping technology allows us to create an accurate snapshot of the built environment in a faster, safer and more cost-effective way when you compare it to traditional survey methods,” said Barry Creed, geospatial manager for WSP’s Southeast district and a licensed professional land surveyor in North Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky. “This technology can be used for many of our clients, across every business line within WSP services.”

“We are pleased to partner with WSP as one of our mobile scanning customers and look forward to seeing its success,” said Joshua France, RIEGL USA’s division manager of mobile laser scanning. “WSP is a well-known multi-disciplinary firm that is adding the power and performance of the VMX-2HA to their offerings. I look forward to seeing it used across the country to deliver high-quality data for the firm’s diverse client portfolio to provide a wide range of client requested deliverables.”

Another element of this system is the incorporation of the Ladybug 360-degree spherical camera. WSP is one of the first firms in the U.S. to utilize this Ladybug6 camera, which boasts multiple 72-megapixel cameras that captures 360-degree georeferenced imagery. These images can be stitched together for high-resolution panoramic imagery, similar to Google Street Maps.

Since earlier this year, the technology has been used to collect survey data on a variety of projects, such as high rail asset management, underground rail/tunnel mapping, large-linear roadway projects, overhead utility corridor mapping and pavement conditions analysis. The team is currently expanding this systems usage into other projects, such as airport runway pavement analysis.

“This technology is great for airport runway design use cases,” Creed said. “It allows us to collect as-built ‘survey’ data at 55 miles an hour, with minimal impact to airline traffic and reducing necessary safety oversight that traditional surveys would require.”

The team’s involvement in the transition to digital project delivery is another priority for this expanding service. The team is essential in the creation of a “digital twin” of an asset, which is a virtual replica of an asset that incorporates associated real-time data during operation of that asset.

“We can go out, collect data and create a digital twin of virtually any asset located on the ground surface,” Creed said. “Over the life cycle of that asset, we continue to monitor and document all changes to the asset. Our team is adept at data extraction and mining, which are essential to the digital delivery process.”

Within the digital project delivery timeline, WSP is at the forefront in the creation of the digital twins, supporting change management efforts, and at the final stages with ‘as-built’ modeling of the built environment.

WSP’s Geospatial and Surveying team has been involved with remote sensing and LiDAR project delivery for the past 15-plus years with in-house drones, ground penetrating radars and terrestrial laser scanners. With this upgrade of the firm’s mobile mapping technology, WSP is now at the forefront of offering clients a full suite of complimentary LiDAR data collection tools.

About WSP in the U.S.
WSP USA is the U.S. operating company of WSP, one of the world’s leading engineering, environment, and professional services firms. Recognized on Fast Company’s Brands that Matter List for 2022 as a top Community-Minded Business, WSP in the U.S. brings together engineers, planners, technical experts, strategic advisors and construction management professionals who are dedicated to collaborate in the best interests of serving local communities. WSP designs lasting solutions in the buildings, transportation, energy, water, and environment markets. With approximately 16,000 employees in 300 offices across the U.S., WSP partners with its clients to help communities prosper. wsp.com