3D acquisition, analysis and visualisation

3D modelling of exposed rock outcrops (such as cliff sections, quarry and mine faces, and other topographic features) based on laser scanning (lidar) and photogrammetry has become an effective method for the capture of geometric data for understanding geological processes. In the petroleum industry, such models are used to extract measurements and aid interpretations, as well as for supporting field excursions (real and virtual) that can be in remote and difficult to access areas. The main advantages are high resolution and accuracy, and the combination with digital photographs to fuse 3D detail with rich image texture in natural outcrops. The models may be accessed on computers and in 3D environments for interpretation and collaborative work. The work of the VOG group has focussed on the exploitation of terrestrial lidar and photogrammetric data in geoscience. We address bottlenecks in data processing, visualisation and application usage that have previously been a barrier to adoption of these methods by end users. The choice of measurement technique is chosen according to the application needs and may be based on different lidar and photogrammetric equipment and platforms. We develop LIME, a viewing, interpretation and presentation software to allow project results to be distributed to and worked with by partners, as well as other in-house software for processing 3D model data.