New version of OxTS Georeferencer provides more lidar integration

Oxford Technical Solutions (OxTS) has launched the latest version of its lidar georeferencing software, OxTS Georeferencer 1.4.

OxTS is taking steps to improve surveyor’s user experience, streamline survey processes, and allow surveyors to get to work faster, while simultaneously improving results.

OxTS Georeferencer fuses position, navigation and timing (PNT) data from an OxTS inertial navigation system (INS) with raw lidar data to output highly accurate 3D point clouds. The software uniquely makes use of navigation diagnostic data that provides surveyors with lidar point-error estimation. This error estimation allows surveyors to focus their analysis on viewing parts of their survey based on estimated errors in points, helping them understand if there are any parts of a survey that need to be looked at again.

Rather than relying on surveyors to integrate their chosen lidar sensors themselves, OxTS has pre-integrated a number of sensors natively. Previous versions of OxTS Georeferencer integrated widely used sensors from Velodyne, Ouster and Hesai. The pre-existing integrations allow surveyors to focus on surveying rather than ensuring the two datasets work in tandem.

An optional boresight calibration tool uses data to calibrate the angles between the navigation and survey devices.

Highlights of OxTS Georeferencer 1.4

Version 1.4 of OxTS Georeferencer integrates new lidar sensors from Hesai. A previous version released in November 2020 was the first integration of the Pandar40P Hesai lidar. Now, seven new Hesai sensors are being integrated:

• Pandar40 (beta)
• Pandar40M (beta)
• Pandar64 (beta)
• PandarQT (beta)
• Pandar128 (beta)
• PandarXT-16 (beta)
• PandarXT-32 (tested)

OxTS Georeferencer 1.4 also features several new developments to enhance the user experience and make it more intuitive.

3D Hardware Setup Viewer. To help input the correct relative rotation angles, specific lidar models will be available to view depending on the surveyor’s choice of lidar. The model will represent the lidar sensor in appearance, size and orientation within OxTS Georeferencer with respect to the OxTS INS for quick and intuitive configuration.

The OxTS Georeferencer Hardware setup viewer shows the OxTS xNAV650 INS alongside a Hesai lidar sensor. (Image: OxTS)

Time overlap chart. Georeferencer 1.4 reintroduces a time overlap chart that allows surveyors to visualize their survey route on a map and select specific start and end times. This enables surveyors to control the part of the route they would like to view, with the added ability to georeference only that section of the survey.

The OxTS Georeferencer time overlap chart. (Image: OxTS)

Lidar CAD models will make it easier for surveyors to calculate and input accurate LIR angles into OxTS Georeferencer, further streamlining the survey process.

The time overlap function will provide surveyors with even more flexibility — this time after the survey. Giving surveyors the ability to choose the start and end times of their survey, and therefore which part of the survey to georeference, enables full control of what to present to their peers.

These new features, coupled with those already present in OxTS Georeferencer (optional boresight calibration and point uncertainty analysis) give surveyors the flexibility and control they need to produce the best possible lidar surveys.