Fugro upgrades its LADS survey technology

Fugro has successfully trialled a major upgrade to its LADS airborne lidar bathymetry (ALB) system.

Fugro’s laser laboratory in Adelaide, Australia has developed the enhanced LADS HD+ technology.

The hydrographic mapping system accurately measures water depth over both the marine and coastal zone environments.

According to Fugro, the new system upgrades have doubled the laser speed, swath width and also improved the object detection.

The system builds upon the Australian-developed LADS technology.

It delivers safe, high-speed and cost-effective surveys of clean, shallow coastal areas in depths up to 80 metres.

ALB can integrate with traditional hydrographic survey methods using acoustics, such as multibeam echosounders (MBES).

This LADS development will also complement Fugro’s lightweight Rapid Airborne Multibeam Mapping System (RAMMS).

RAMMS can operate from small aircraft or from an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV).

Mark Sinclair, Fugro’s director of hydrography in Asia-Pacific, said:

“This innovation will deliver enhanced survey coverage and object detection to improve our nautical charts, which are critical to our maritime trade.

“These data collection enhancements are also supported by more efficient data processing with Fugro’s Australian-developed Pyxis cloud-based processing, which combines artificial intelligence and machine-learning.”

The Fugro LADS HD+ system will now carry out Papua New Guinea nautical charting projects.