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5/14/2018

Phodar

3 Comments

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Written by Kyler Speich

If you have never heard of “Phodar” I don’t blame you. I came across the word while doing research for doing an outline for a Rescue Drone, but that is a whole other story.  Phodar is a hot topic in the Geospatial nerd community right now because it gets you the same last return readings as Lidar, but does not use actual Lidar. For me it was MIND BLOWING to watch as someone at the University of California proceeded to create this interactive phodar map-> http://igis.ucanr.edu/Drone_Phodar/. It uses 3D mapping, and interactive tool bars so that you can see the outlines of all the trees, hills and even the grass if you zoom in and set your “Point Budget” high enough in the menu.

The biggest reason Phodar has become big news is because you do not need anything more than some software, a drone and a camera. It uses the pixel data with photogrammetry to determine elevation and maps it accordingly in a 3D format. Lidar still has a big edge up depending on what kind of information you’re trying to derive. Phodar still only gives you available data that the camera captures, but Lidar can still penetrate non-earth matter and give you many returns. But I find the uses for agriculture or small scale mapping that requires Z axis measurements, this would be significantly cheaper than having someone fly Lidar over your area and process all of the information. I could even see Phodar being used for recreation by Alpinist or rock climbers to scout out routes in real time.

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3 Comments
Doug Moak
5/15/2018 08:46:07 pm

I could see this application being taken advantage of for 3D modeling of all kinds, from gaming landscapes to utility infrastructure to a simpler path for stereolithography of terrain for route reconnaissance or souvenirs.

Phodar's success could also depend on the miniaturization of Lidar equipment. If an entire Lidar package gets small and cheap enough to affix to a commercially available UAV, then Phodar would have to keep pace in comparable size and accessibility. Actually, give it a few years. By the time the iPhone goes to eleven, Phodar will be a four-dollar app.

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Thomas Pham
5/21/2018 11:44:03 pm

If you're interested in this stuff you would consider taking the UAS courses! We've been doing similar stuff. Creating orthophotos, DEMs, and 3D models. Really cool applications.

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Michael Medina
6/4/2018 10:38:44 am

I recently saw a Microsoft AI commercial which appears to use this technology but appears to do a much better job than most of the examples that I've seen thus far. It looks as labor intensive as lidar but perhaps is more approachable cost-wise. Lidar for structures is good for shape but you get none of the color information. Looking forward to more developments in this field.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDZjaIhzMSM

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    Blog posts are written by students in the Interactive Map Design course at Portland Community College.

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