The Foundation of a Successful Project
Image Acquisition is the foundation that every mapping project is built upon. The selection of the most appropriate source of imagery for your project speeds delivery of the final map data, and saves you financially. We can provide you with:
- Aerial Photography
- LIDAR Data
- Satellite Imagery
At Bradstreet Consultants, we have worked with many aerial photography contractors and can ensure independent selection and monitoring during acquisition. With thousands of production hours and experience with Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) systems, as well as satellite imagery, our team will provide you with the best recommendations from completing your project ahead of schedule, under budget and exceed accuracy requirements.
Imagery Clarity and Resolution - The clarity of imagery determines how accurately features can be interpreted and located, and how precisely elevation data can be measured. The resolution of your imagery is controlled by a number of factors including platform type (land, airborne or satellite), camera or sensor selection, and image and data processing tools and techniques.
Acquisition of Aerial Photography
To insure image clarity and resolution, the Bradstreet team provides detailed recommendation on many factors including camera and lens quality, camera mounting system, film quality, film processing, photograph printing and scanning methods and techniques. Having worked with many aerial photography contractors, our team will assist you in selecting a partner, and independently monitor the imagery acquisition process for you. We insist on high precision and high-resolution WILD, LEICA, and ZEISS cameras that have been calibrated within the past 3 years by the USGS. In addition, our team will make recommendations and review the imagery to make sure that:
- There is less than 5% cloud formation over the project area
- The sun or solar attitude is greater than 30 degrees
- Shadows are minimized with acquisition between 10:00am and 2:00pm
- Airplane crab, tip and tilt do not exceed 1 degree
- 60% forward overlap and 30% sidelap for each photo
- Imagery is free of blemishes or scratches
- Fiducials marks are clear, sharp and measure to within 10 microns
Acquisition of LIDAR Data
Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) systems collect data by measuring various characteristiccs of the return signal of a laser pulse that has been aimed at the earth's surface and reflected back to the sensor. The accuracy of LIDAR can be as good as 0.5 feet under specific conditions. Typically, these airborne laser systems provide vertical data that is accurate to 1 - 3 feet due to variations in the earth's surface such as sand, swampy area and dense vegetation.
The Bradstreet team has over 3000 production hours of experience using LIDAR systems integrated with analytical photogrammetry. This new technology is maturing rapidly. Currently there are a few specific mapping applications that benefit from LIDAR. We are certain that as LIDAR imagery acquisition becomes reasonably priced more applications will be found.
Acquisition of Satellite Imagery
As a reseller of satellite imagery for Space Imaging, Bradstreet Consultants is positioned at the cutting edge of space based imagery. Space Imaging is revolutionizing the way satellite imagery products are used, as well as developing value-added products. By being the first company to launch a satellite with one-meter resolution, Space Imaging and Bradstreet Consultants are ready to provide you data, information and services that will help you make decisions about the changing world around you on a daily basis. Whether you are monitoring vegetation, insect damage to forests, land use classifiication and change or precision agriculture, satellite imagery provides a cost effective and timely source of imagery.
