eden project case study

Eden Project, England: A Marvel of Biomimicry in Architecture and Sustainable Design

Eden Project, England – Stunning examples of Biomimicry in Architecture

Nestled in the heart of Cornwall, England, the Eden Project stands as a testament to the harmonious integration of nature and architecture. This groundbreaking venture has not only redefined the landscape of botanical gardens but has also set a benchmark in sustainable design, with its innovative use of biomimicry influencing architects and designers worldwide.

Biomimicry: Nature as the Architect’s Muse

At the core of the Eden Project’s design philosophy lies the concept of biomimicry, drawing inspiration from nature’s intricate designs and processes. The iconic biome structures, resembling giant hexagonal honeycombs, mimic the efficiency and resilience found in natural ecosystems. The idea is not merely aesthetic; it extends to functionality, energy efficiency, and sustainability.

Architectural Marvel: The Biomes

The rainforest biome.

The largest of the biomes, the Rainforest Biome, encapsulates a diverse range of tropical flora. Designed by Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, the biome stands at 50 meters tall, creating an immersive experience for visitors. Its hexagonal structure allows for efficient use of space while facilitating natural ventilation and light distribution.

The Mediterranean Biome

In stark contrast, the Mediterranean Biome mirrors the climate of arid regions. The angular design, also a product of Grimshaw’s vision, ensures optimal sunlight exposure for the diverse plant life within. The biome’s exterior reflects the terracotta hues of Mediterranean landscapes, creating a visually striking presence.

Bridging Nature and Architecture: Facade Design

The facade of the Eden Project is a meticulous blend of form and function. The hexagonal hexafoil pattern not only echoes nature’s geometry but also serves a crucial role in the biome’s energy efficiency. The transparent hexagonal panels allow sunlight to penetrate, fostering plant growth, while the ETFE material ensures insulation and durability.

Architectural Visionaries Behind the Project

The Eden Project was conceived by Sir Tim Smit, whose vision for a sustainable, educational space blossomed into reality. Architect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw’s expertise brought the concept to life, pushing the boundaries of what a botanical garden could be. Their collaboration birthed an architectural masterpiece that transcends conventional norms.

Planning and Urban Design Integration

The planning of the Eden Project extends beyond its biomes. The entire site is a carefully curated blend of landscapes, connecting the biomes seamlessly. The outdoor gardens, educational spaces, and recreational areas are strategically placed, fostering a holistic experience for visitors. This meticulous urban design encourages exploration and education, making it an ideal destination for families, students, and nature enthusiasts alike.

Interior Design: Where Education Meets Aesthetics

Inside the biomes, the interior design reflects a commitment to education and sustainability. Walkways guide visitors through different ecosystems, providing information about the diverse plant life and the importance of biodiversity. The interior spaces are not just aesthetically pleasing but serve as classrooms without walls, promoting environmental awareness and education.

Sustainability Beyond Architecture

The Eden Project is not just a marvel of architecture; it’s a living testament to sustainable practices. The buildings are powered by renewable energy sources, and rainwater harvesting systems contribute to water conservation. The entire project serves as an educational tool, inspiring visitors to adopt sustainable practices in their lives.

Calls to Action: Nurturing Sustainable Futures

• Visit and Learn: Plan a visit to the Eden Project to witness the seamless integration of nature and architecture. Explore the biomes, attend educational sessions, and immerse yourself in the beauty of sustainable design.
• Support Sustainable Initiatives: Eden Project’s commitment to sustainability goes beyond its walls. Support similar initiatives in your community and contribute to the global movement towards a more sustainable future.
• Educate and Advocate: Share your experience and knowledge gained at the Eden Project. Advocate for sustainable practices in your community and inspire others to appreciate and protect our natural environment.

In conclusion, the Eden Project stands not just as an architectural marvel but as a beacon of hope for a sustainable future. Its innovative use of biomimicry, coupled with thoughtful planning and design, creates an immersive experience that transcends traditional notions of botanical gardens. As we stand on the cusp of a sustainable revolution, the Eden Project beckons us to embrace nature-inspired solutions for a harmonious coexistence with our planet.

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Green Architect, Designer of the Eden Project: A Case Study

Michael Pawlyn is a young British architect and designer who applies the green principle of biomimicry to his work. This means learning from nature, or studying the designs and structures found in the natural world – both in plants, materials, and other species, and copying them into the design of an architectural structure.

The term biomimicry was designed several years ago by writer Janine Benyus, who found inspiration from ants and termites and bark beetles, as examples of adaptive species.The bark beetle will lay its eggs within freshly burnt wood – seeking fresh opportunism and a relatively safe environment free from any predators.

She set about mimicing forms and processes that she saw within the natural eco system, and tried to find ways to apply them to design projects, both large and small. An example of the power found within natural processes is that the strongest material manufactured by man is kevlar. But this is only ‘nearly as strong’ as the silk spun by a spider in creating its web!

Other examples of ideas that can be observed in nature include adhesion without glue; self cleaning surfaces, such as leaves and plants; how nature creates colour, and micro manufacturing.

An example that Michael Pawlyn has been particularly absorbed by, and has used to great effect in more recent projects, is the Namibian fog-basking beetle. This insect thrives in the heat of the Namibian desert by harvests water from the night air, and uses grooves in its back to collect it as it runs off. Pawlyn has put this study and the insight gained into sustainable architecture by mimicing the beetle through a series of seawater greenhouses constructed around the world.

The Eden Project

Michael Pawlyn practised as an architect in the prestigious British firm set up by Sir Nicholas Grimshaw for 10 years. During this time he was a core part of the architectural team that re-invented architecture used within horticulture, most notably at the Eden Project.

This wonderful centre for sustainable education and horticulture, known globally as “a living theatre of people and plants”, was established in 2000 by Tim Smit, who had the vision to bring an old mining quarry back to life. The team that Pawlyn headed included architects,landscape architects, structural engineers and environmental engineers – using the broadest and best available base for approaching such a large and complex project.”It was a wonderful project to work on, and to put these principles of sustainable design, drawing upon nature, into practise, was a wonderful opportunity,” Pawlyn said recently.

Designing and Building the Biomes

Pawlyn was responsible for shaping the design of the warm temperate and humid tropics biomes which form the core of the Eden Project. These massive structures are essentially giant greenhouses, made from frames shaped as hexagons and pentagons of a special material known as ETFE, an insulating polymer membrane, and bolted together. Pawlyn says the idea for this design came from studying dragonfly wings, and he gained inspiration from the vision of the entire project as a showcase for global biodiversity,and that by using a design copied from such a small but highly significant creature he felt he had brought nature into the design of the buildings. “I want to make buildings that include a narratives about the materials used, and in this case, this worked,” Pawlyn said in a recent interview.

EFTE is a transparent material that has a lifespan of around 25 years, is very tough and light at the same time, and can transmit UV light, necessary for heating and for the plants contained within each biome. Pawlyn says it was ideal for this purpose and specifically for this design project, as it is almost one hundredth the weight of glass. The panels were put into place by a team of professional abseilers, referred to as “the sky monkeys”.

Each of the biomes is largely self-heating, according to the designation set for it: either warm, temperate or humid. They are fantastic environments to visit, both in the scale and the environments that they have been designed to contain. Knowing that the design of them came from a living creature only adds to the sense of wonder and enjoyment at being inside one of the structures. Tim Smit and the team who run the Eden Project have designed the horticultural life of each biome, as well as how humans can interact with the space and the environment. There are hands-on displays of how different cultures adapt and survive in hot and humid conditions, including how agriculture and water saving and use is adapted and managed.

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Case study: the Eden project

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• http://www.amazon.co.uk/Management-Organisational-Behaviour-Laurie-Mullins/dp/0273708880/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1360057568&sr=1-6

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T1 - Case study: the Eden project

AU - Christy, Gill

N2 - If a single word can be used to sum up the achievements of Tim Smit, that word might be 'regeneration'. To turn one derelict, neglected corner of southwest England into a successful tourist business attracting millions of visitors is a remarkable achievement; but to do it twice is simply astonishing. Yet this is precisely what Smit has done; and in the Eden Projects we can see the nature of this achievement through a blend of visionary and innovative leadership combined with a strong sense of the value of teamwork.

AB - If a single word can be used to sum up the achievements of Tim Smit, that word might be 'regeneration'. To turn one derelict, neglected corner of southwest England into a successful tourist business attracting millions of visitors is a remarkable achievement; but to do it twice is simply astonishing. Yet this is precisely what Smit has done; and in the Eden Projects we can see the nature of this achievement through a blend of visionary and innovative leadership combined with a strong sense of the value of teamwork.

M3 - Chapter (peer-reviewed)

SN - 9780273708889

BT - Management and organisational behaviour

A2 - Mullins, L.

PB - Financial Times Prentice Hall

CY - Harlow

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School grounds development case study: Pensans Primary

A team from the Eden Project worked with Pensans Primary School in Cornwall, to transform their culture of outdoor learning and play, while also developing their school grounds.

Embedding outdoor learning

Pensans School approached the Eden Project with a challenge. They wanted to transform their large, but underutilised outdoor space into 'the best possible place for learning and play'. This meant not only looking at the playground, but also how it was used in both lessons and playtime. 

This project was about changing hearts and minds as well as changing the playground. The Eden Project was uniquely placed to help. Our team has expertise in curriculum, play, outdoor learning, community consultation and school landscape design. We aimed to devise a program that empowered the school community to make the changes they wanted to see and continue the process of change once we had gone. 

Over the summer and autumn terms of 2011, we worked with teaching staff, lunchtime supervisors, parents and children exploring possibilities for outdoor learning and adventurous outdoor play, building confidence and capacity in the adults and consulting with everybody on what they’d like to see in their school grounds.

We used everything we’d learned to draw up a master-plan for the ongoing development of the school grounds. Since the ‘big reveal’ in October 2011, lots of things have happened.

Pensans School “ The whole project was cohesive and well managed with equal emphasis on all aspects of play and outdoor learning. It felt like it was as important to you as it was to us. ”

Outdoor learning successes

• The lunchtime-staff continue to champion creative outdoor play at lunchtimes. There are banks of wellies outside the classrooms; at playtime the children change their shoes and ‘disappear’ in the field and its wilder margins. This means more fun, more enjoyment, more socialising, more exercise – all good in themselves - and means that children are more prepared to learn during lesson times
• The school has constructed an amazing garden on a disused roof space, and built a greenhouse out of plastic bottles.  Currently all classes are involved in gardening and growing – and they are just about to start producing herbs for use in the school kitchen
• The school is currently building an amphitheatre in the middle of the school field for dramatic productions, creative learning and play.

Transforming outdoor learning in your school

Inspired by what you’ve read? Let us help you along the journey of transforming the culture of outdoor learning in your own school. We have expertise in curriculum, play, outdoor learning, community consultation and school landscape design, and we’ve experience in embedding outdoor learning into schools just like yours. See how we can help .

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Eden Project: The Latest Architecture and News

Grimshaw's eden project north in lancashire receives planning approval.

After unveiling the Eden Project North back in 2018 , Grimshaw Architects has finally received planning permission from Lancaster City Council to begin constructing its Morecambe attraction. The new addition to the Eden Project series will focus on reimaging health and wellbeing by taking inspiration from the landscape of Morecambe Bay, a natural estuary south of the Lake District. Similar to the rest of the attractions, a series of shell-like structures will host the main exhibition and recreational spaces.

• Read more »

Grimshaw's Eden Project in Qingdao Takes Shape with Grand Biome Structure

Grimshaw 's first permanent Eden Project outside the United Kingdom has reached a construction milestone with the completion of the project’s centerpiece Storm Forest Biome. The single-space biome structure, which is larger than the domes at the Eden Project in Cornwall , encloses a planted space of over 27,000 square meters and uses water as the "life blood of nature, culture, and civilization".

A First Look at Grimshaw's Next Eden Project

Grimshaw has unveiled its vision for the Eden Project North , following on from its acclaimed domed megastructure in Cornwall, England. The new scheme is to be located in Morecambe, Lancashire, featuring “a series of pavilions inspired by mussels, which could house a variety of environments.”

Eden Project North seeks to combine indoor and outdoor experiences in a “seaside resort for the twenty-first century,” with lidos, gardens, performance spaces, and immersive experiences and observatories.

Grimshaw's Next Eden Project Could be in the North of England

Grimshaw can claim their horticultural Eden Project in Devon, South West England as being among their most iconic works. Nestled in a disused quarry, simultaneously acting as an embedded landscape feature and an alien spacecraft holding precious specimens and plants, the scheme has been celebrated as a successful modern interpretation of Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic dome concept.

Having been speculated upon both in Qingdao, China, and loosely on the Planet Mars , the Architects Journal reports that Grimshaw has begun work on a new £100 million Eden Centre in Morecambe, on England’s north-west coast.

Tate Harmer Reveals Plans for Eco-Hotel at the Eden Project in England

Tate Harmer has released plans for a new £8.5million hotel that will provide accommodation for visitors of The Eden Project in Cornwall , England , as the project has received planning approval. The 109-room building will utilize locally-sourced materials and meet high standards of efficiency and sustainability, matching the conservation-minded spirit of the Eden Project.

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Using LiDAR to understand complex forest environments

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10 mins per scan

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Eden Project

University of Leicester | Eden Project

Monitoring and understanding our environment has never been more important as the threat of climate change looms and governments step up to better manage their greenhouse gas emissions. Tom Potter, a doctoral researcher at the University of Leicester, UK, set out to further develop a technique to estimate biomass and carbon more efficiently using state-of-the-art, mobile LiDAR sensors across multiple, complex forest environments.

To do so he visited the Eden Project in Cornwall, UK which reflects a true tropical forest – representing different forests from around the world with a rainforest ‘biome’ of over 1,000 tropical trees and plans. However, he had to work around several challenges. For fixed point scanners, the high-density plots of specimens created a problem of shadows – known as ‘occlusions’ – whereby the nearest features will block out features behind. This also limits the ability to acquire accurate measurements to create a comprehensive 3D model. And with the biome being open to the public and a popular tourist destination, Tom only had a few hours each day before opening hours – insufficient time for a traditional static survey.

“ Using GeoSLAM’s local processing software, the raw scan data was processed on site, with no internet connection required – useful when in an actual rainforest! “

Mobile surveying equipment that was able to take readings easily and quickly from even the densest areas was needed to ensure precise scans were taken to accurately calculate biomass and carbon storage potential.

Tom found the mobility and speed of GeoSLAM’s ZEB Revo to be the perfect solution. The lightweight scanner can be pole mounted, handheld or even attached to a vehicle or drone – collecting over 43,000 measurement points per second. Instead of hundreds of time-consuming static scans, Tom captured all angles by simply walking in a loop around the rainforest environment.

He then converted the point cloud data into 3D volume-based plots to derive above-ground biomass and carbon densities for multiple types of tropical forest. A comprehensive dataset was built, containing information for any type of forest that scientists can use to make calculations with minimal survey effort or expertise. And all at considerably less expenditure than traditional survey methods.

Bloom Cloud Engine is a powerful on-premise point cloud editor ideal for use in Design, Fabrication, and Construction applications. Easy to deploy across your project team, BloomCE allows users to optimize and condition the point cloud data from all reality capture modalities, providing the fundamentals for Asset Management and Digital Twin project requirements.

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Data Publishing – Bloom Explorer

For more information on Bloom Technologies contact the US Distributor point3D at [email protected]

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Microgeo is an Italian company that guarantees solutions and expertise in the fields of survey, measurement and non-destructive testing.

Cody Corporation is South Australia’s leading Construction Solution Experts that offer technology for the construction and surveying industries.

ConSol Geo Technologies is an Indian company provide technical solutions for a wide-range of industries and workflows. 

Seiler Instrument is an American company that specialises in distributing surveying software and instruments serving industries such as surveying, engineering and construction.

Timco is a Serbian company that services analytical and geospatial instruments and provides technical support to their customers.

Favre, Développement & Foresterie, based in Switzerland, are experts in geomatics and work with public and private landowners for forest management and environmental heritage.

3DT Digital Manufacturing is an Australian company that use the latest technology to adapt to changes in real time. It aims to help their customers become more efficient and productive.

Sigma Mascot, based in Hong Kong, provides solutions for 3D Laser Scanning, Geospatial systems and BIM services for industries such as Forestry, Construction and Real Estate.

Precision Laser & Instrument is an American company that offers comprehensive positioning solutions for the Construction, Survey, and GIS industries. They ensure high returns on investments and business success.

Export your point cloud into a range of formats, including LAZ, LAS, PLY and TXT. Datasets can also be exported as structured or unstructured E57 files, both of which include embedded panoramic images.

Surface normals at each point can now be computed from PLY and E57 formats, allowing users to export colourised data and create a high-quality polygonal mesh in third party software .

Known control points are captured during a scan and automatically compared and matched to the associated coordinates during the processing stage in Connect. A rigid and/or a non-rigid adjustment can be made to the dataset and an accuracy report is exported, highlighting how successful the transformation was. Users can now view and manipulate the processing parameters to ensure a more accurate match between points.

Align multiple scans using a combination of manual and automatic processes. This workflow can be performed on two or more scans in the same project. Users have a choice to export the aligned scans separately or as a single merged point cloud.

Leverage your GeoSLAM data by integrating JP Interactive Viewer into your workflows. JPIV allows you to unlock the full potential of your reality capture data and distribute actionable insights across your teams.

Click here to learn more about GeoSLAM and JP Interactive Viewer

Our support team will be available for GeoSLAM Care customers on:

• Monday 26th, 8 am – 4 pm (GMT)
• Tuesday 27th, 8 am – 4 pm (GMT)
• Wednesday 28th – 31st December – standard support hours
• Monday 2nd January, 8 am – 4 pm (GMT)
• From Tuesday 3rd January – standard support hours resume

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Click here to view the release notes.

Autodesk Recap contains tools for the manipulation and interpretation of high quality point cloud data and to aid designers and engineers in their creation of 3D models for real-world projects and assets (e.g. buildings and other infrastructure). It’s integrated design features help to streamline workflows, for example Scan to BIM. Recap is used to create initial design projects that users can then take into other Autodesk modules (e.g. Revit, Navisworks, AutoCAD).

Autodesk Navisworks is a comprehensive project review solution that supports co-ordination, analysis and communication of design intent and constructability. The software can be used as a common data environment (CDM) for multidisciplinary design data created in a broad range of Building Information Modelling (BIM) packages. Using the tools within Navisworks, users can anticipate and minimise and potential problems between the physical building and the structural model.

Autodesk Revit is a building information modelling (BIM) software. It contains tools which allows for planning and tracking throughout the building’s lifecycle. The software also allows multiple disciplines to collaborate more efficiently and make more informed decisions early in the design process. As GeoSLAM’s hardware allows for quick data capture, the equipment can be used to scan any existing buildings with the purpose of using the data to produce a digital twin.

Click here to learn more about GeoSLAM and Revit

Orbit GT allows users to capture and manage available 3D data (LiDAR data and imagery), extract a range of features for map production and make data sharable. All Orbit modules are ready to be used with 3D data from indoor, oblique, UAS and mobile mapping projects with other extensions that can be added to the Publisher and Orbit Cloud. Orbit can be used with the ZEB Discovery solution.

ContextCapture is a reality modelling tool, allowing for the import of any point cloud and imagery data for the creation of high resolution reality meshes. These realistic meshes are accurate representation in 3D with high resolution RGB values of any scanned environment. By using GeoSLAM data in ContextCapture the users are able to create indoor reality meshes, which has been never possible before. 

Microstation is a 2D/3D software for designing building and infrastructure projects. It includes building information modelling (BIM) tools to document and assess any type of asset throughout its lifecycle. GeoSLAM solutions are often used in Microstation in the underground mining sector and  to assess the current stage of any built environment, update the design model, and generate BIM information.

With the GeoSLAM Connect stop-and-go georeferencing feature, users can easily georeference headings from known positions and map for analysis of overbreak, underbreak, undercutting and blast roughness calculations. This information is used within Deswik Mapping to analyse headings and levels. 

Outputs from GeoSLAM’s solutions can be input to Esri’s GIS programs and apps, including ArcPro, ArcDesktop, ArcGIS Online and ArcScene. Join point clouds with local geodata or classify and edit scans based on their geography and statistics.

GeoSLAM are proud to be silver partners of Esri.

Click here to learn more about GeoSLAM and Esri

Micromine is a detailed and diverse mining software that provides solutions including modelling, estimation, design, optimisation and scheduling. Once data is exported from Connect it can be imported into Micromine and easily converted into wireframes. These can be used in Micromine for further studies into volumetric slicing, over and underbreak analysis, geologic modelling, face mapping and many more.

Click here to learn more about GeoSLAM and Micromine

Terrasolid provides tools for data processing of airborne and mobile mapping LiDAR data and imagery. It includes different modules for tasks like data manipulation, calibration, georeferencing, point cloud classification, modelling and many more. It is a very powerful tool for a variety of industries, surveyors, civil engineers, planners, designers. Full, UAV or lite versions of Terrasolid modules are available for both MicroStation or Spatix software. All GeoSLAM products are compatible with Terrasolid and GeoSLAM data can be enhanced and edited with this software.

Floorplanner allows you to draw accurate 2D floorplans within minutes and decorate with over 150,000 items from kitchen appliances to tables and chairs. Data is exported from GeoSLAM Connect in PNG file format with a scale of 1cm per 1 pixel and can be taken into Floorplanner.

GeoSLAM 3D point cloud data can be imported into Unity 3D Game Engine to generate interactive 3D scenes, where users can create 3D BIM models with textures and explore the space in 3D photorealistic environments.

Although Unreal Engine is mainly built for developing games, increasingly users are starting to use it to develop VR applications for understanding the current conditions of buildings, infrastructure and similar. Unreal Engine with a point cloud plugin can be used to visualise GeoSLAM point clouds in VR, which allows for collaboration, simulation and the understanding of current conditions of any scanned environment. Additionally, Unreal Engine tools are completely free.

Arena4D is a software package for marking up, annotating and editing 3D point cloud data containing a various export capabilities. It has a powerful and simple to use animation package which allows users to visualise massive point clouds in a simple way. GeoSLAM data can be simply uploaded and used in this package for the assessment of the current conditions of any structure, comparing differences between captured data (as built) to designed model (as designed).

Pointfuse generates 3D meshes from point cloud data and classifies them to building ceilings, walls, windows and other features in IFC format. By using GeoSLAM data with Pointfuse users can very quickly create a classified BIM model with minimal manual input or expertise needed.

MineRP has a Spatial DB that uses GeoSLAM data to represent visually the real environment of the underground mine. The software uses other data layers to overlay information on the digital landscape for decision making and tracking.

Pointerra provides a powerful cloud based solution for managing, visualising, working in, analysing, using and sharing massive 3D point clouds and datasets. Pointerra allows users to simply visualise and interrogate GeoSLAM data from anywhere.

Nubigon is a software solution that allows users to seamlessly interact with large point clouds and create visualisations and animations. Take your GeoSLAM point cloud data into Nubigon to create eye-catching flythrough videos.

Here is an example of a visualisation created in Nubigon using GeoSLAM point cloud data:

Common data capture scenarios, such as UAV, outdoor, indoor, linear, and vehicle, have been characterised in Connect and data processing pre-sets for each environment have been defined. These can be selected at the beginning of the data processing stage allowing this process to be highly simplified.

Both methods match the scan data from a  ZEB Locate  system with the GPS data collected from the antenna to georeference the point cloud. When a scan starts and ends in the same place, this is classed as “closed loop”. “Open loop” is when the start and end position of a scan are in different locations. Standard SLAM practices apply to both methods of data collection.

Open Loop SLAM for the ZEB Locate is available on request –  let’s talk about it .

Common static points are captured during several scans meaning that these datasets can be automatically aligned. A single point cloud is then exported as if the data was captured in a single scan.

Horizontal and vertical slices can be taken from any location within the point cloud. Horizontal floor slices can also be automatically taken at a given height above the floor as defined in the processing stage.

Mostly used in the construction industry, multiple point clouds can be compared and any areas that have changed are automatically highlighted. Point clouds can also be compared with CAD models – for instance to track progress on a construction site – and PDF reports can be generated to present this information.

Import multiple .geoslam files into Connect for processing and the scans will be processed in the order they were imported. The size of the queue can be defined by the user.

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• If your internet connection allows, move the Point Budget slider to the maximum amount available to view all the points in the cloud.
• Making the point size smaller using the Point Size slider makes the data easier to view and interpret.
• In the tools section of the viewer, you can measure the distance and angles of features within the pointcloud.
• Using the materials section of the viewer, you can use the Select Attributes dropdown to view by intensity, elevation and RGB (if pointcloud is coloured)

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Some SLAM software algorithms have been made available as open-source on the internet, but they are purely algorithms and not a product that you can take and use off-the-shelf. SLAM is most successful when it is tightly coupled and designed with specific hardware in mind. A generic SLAM cannot perform as well as one that has been specifically designed for a purpose.

Visual SLAM is closer to the way humans navigate the world, which is why it’s popular with robotic navigation. But in the same vein, vSLAM will have the same image-capture challenges as humans do, for example not being able to look into direct sunlight, or not having enough contrast between the objects picked up in the image. These can be overcome indoors, however, you may need to map a forest, tunnel or urban canyon. While SLAM technologies don’t rely on remote data (meaning you can scan areas where there is no GPS), you do need to ensure the SLAM technology you chose operate well inside, outside, in daylight and darkness.

Mapping a property is time-critical. Ideally, you want to make a single visit and gather sufficient data to create a highly accurate 3D model. Ensure the software you choose transforms 3D point cloud data into actionable information in real-time. This allows you to view and interrogate your data whilst still in the field, and make any adjustments, or collect missed data, then and there.

If you’re trying to map an enclosed environment (e.g. tunnel, mine) or a complex, difficult-to-access space such as a heritage building with tight stairwells and uneven floors, you need to use fully-mobile, adaptable technology. Wheel-based systems, often used with the vSLAM camera, will struggle with access. Handheld devices or LiDAR scanners that can be attached to a drone or pole and still deliver accurate results in a rugged environment are best for navigating hazardous spaces.

While vSLAM is able to provide a qualitative high-level map and sense of the surrounding features, if you’re needing survey-quality accuracy and rich-feature tracking at a local level, you’ll need to consider LiDAR. Cameras require a high-frame-rate and high processing to reconcile data sources and a potential error in visual SLAM is reprojection error, which is the difference between the perceived location of each setpoint and the actual setpoint.

In order to deliver the depth required for high-quality data, a number of depth-sensing cameras are needed with a strong field of view. In most cases, this isn’t possible, especially as cameras with high processing capabilities typically require larger batteries which weigh down airborne scanners, or limit the time of flight. LiDAR is both faster and more accurate than vSLAM, and can deliver detailed point clouds without expensive (and timely) camera processing.