A new hi-tech mapping system, developed by a New Zealand-based firm, could provide a new and exciting resource for major commercial construction and engineering projects.

Dubbed StreetCam3D, the million-dollar system utilises a high-density light detection system along with a ranging scanner feature and high-resolution 360-degree cameras mounted on a four-wheel drive utility vehicle to capture the most complete 3D model of its kind ever produced.

As it tech-heavy car drives along, it is able to capture the position and appearance of every object with accuracy to a couple of millimetres and a range that spans as far as 100 metres in any direction.

StreetCam3D Construction Technology

The system is also capable of measuring depth along with height and width and is capable of capturing up to 1.33 million points of location data per second in every direction.

The new construction tool was developed by Wellington-based firm Terralink International, with managing director Mike Donald telling tvnz.co.nz that the system offers construction firms the opportunity to capture "a near perfect model of the street environment" without leaving the confines of the office.

Mr Donald also believes that the new technology could prove a major asset to those within the engineering, surveying and construction industries. "It's going to unlock the benefits of spatial information for almost any organisation that operates on or around our streets, fundamentally changing the way many businesses and people work," he told the news provider.

In particular, the StreetCam3D could be used to reduce the need for time consuming and often costly fieldwork on highway, road and city development projects. The system can also be utilised to assess every line of sight, viewpoint and even shadow cast by the development of a new build.

StreetCam3D construction technology could also be of use in the event of serious earthquakes, with the imaging tool allowing builders to compared before and after shots of streets and roadways to assess whether any movements or changes have taken place.

"By re-driving the affected areas, response organisations can compare and analyse before and after data, to determine for example, the lean of a building, without having to put ground teams into the affected area, or at risk," Mr Donald explained.

For now, the firm is planning to map every road, street and lane of New Zealand, with the intention n of providing a 3D streetscape of the entire region. To do so, the camera truck will travel some 126,000 kilometres over a period of two years. But if the work ensures safer streets and more efficient builds, it may just be worth it.

Image Copyright Jorge Royan Courtesy Wikimedia Commons