1. Maser Consulting P.A. Perspective: Mobile LiDAR and data collection - Rail Product News
http://www.progressiverailroading.com/...roduct_news/details/Maser-Consulting-PA-Perspective-Mobile-LiDAR-and-data-collection--50208[12/7/2016 9:05:42 AM]
12/5/2016 Rail Product News
Maser Consulting P.A.
Perspective: Mobile
LiDAR and data
collection
By Francis Miller III, PE, director of rail engineering services
Maser Consulting, a forerunner in the industry using Mobile Light
Detection and Ranging (Mobile LiDAR), employs the use of Mobile
LiDAR, 3D hi-definition laser scanners and other methods to assist
in the implementation of PTC. A PTC system must be able to
reliably determine the precise location, direction and speed of trains;
warn operators of potential issues; and automatically take immediate
action to safely stop a train if an operator does not or cannot respond
to the warning provided by the system.
Development and implementation of PTC has been a challenge for
many reasons from the logistics of the initial physical survey in
complex rail environments to the eventual coordination of the PTC
infrastructure between the signal system, rolling stock and
equipment, and operating departments within the freight- and
passenger-rail networks. One of the primary tasks required includes
the complete physical survey and precise geo-mapping of railroad
right-of-way on which PTC technology is to be installed. Field
assets extracted from the data include the track centerline for main
line, siding and yard tracks; milepost markers; clearance points;
curves; grade crossings; switches; retaining walls, bridges and
tunnels; station platforms; and signals and associated equipment and
apparatus, such as bungalows, cases, antenna towers and Wayside
Interface Units (WIU) locations.
Mobile LiDAR is a proven remote sensing technology that is the
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2. Maser Consulting P.A. Perspective: Mobile LiDAR and data collection - Rail Product News
http://www.progressiverailroading.com/...roduct_news/details/Maser-Consulting-PA-Perspective-Mobile-LiDAR-and-data-collection--50208[12/7/2016 9:05:42 AM]
perfect tool for mapping these assets. Maser Consulting’s survey
team employs a Riegl VMX-450 Mobile Mapper, consisting of
single or multiple laser scanners and high-resolution digital cameras.
The scanning and imaging sensors are combined with specialized
geo-positioning equipment mounted on, in this case, a hi-rail
vehicle. The integration of these sensors and positioning instruments
produces highly accurate 3D spatial models. Once collected, this
data is processed and analyzed to suit a wide range of applications in
a fraction of the time required by more conventional means. Using
Mobile LiDAR systems, the team can quickly and accurately collect
miles of rail corridor data for PTC and asset location mapping.
Additional methods used for collecting the survey asset information
needed for PTC include GPS, Mobile and Airborne LiDAR (or a
fusion of all three), Ortho and oblique imagery, and conventional
survey.
Maser Consulting’s survey teams also work and collaborate with
other survey and signal engineering partners to provide hybrid
LiDAR and imagery data for PTC. For example, they are currently
providing QA/QC GIS Data Rail Asset Collection for CSX at
various locations in Tennessee, New York, Maryland and Kentucky.
The overall project involves the survey of rail assets including
signals, rail crossings and switches. Our team collected data using
Trimble Geo 7.x data collectors and were then responsible for
differential correcting the .SSF files delivered from this data.
Imagery of assets was linked to the geodatabase using the camera
linkage application with the Trimble Geo 7.x. The data was then
exported to the CSX geodatabase ESRI model for quality-control
checking.
PTC is currently required to be installed and implemented on Class I
and passenger intercity or commuter railroads with a mandated
deadline of Dec. 31, 2018, under the H.R. 3819-Surface
Transportation Act of 2015. Maser Consulting has made a
commitment to the rail industry by actively growing their rail
services to meet the needs of these specialized clients. By utilizing
LIDAR, GPS and other geospatial technologies, they are assisting
them in addressing the challenges to safely implement PTC as early
as possible.
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3. Maser Consulting P.A. Perspective: Mobile LiDAR and data collection - Rail Product News
http://www.progressiverailroading.com/...roduct_news/details/Maser-Consulting-PA-Perspective-Mobile-LiDAR-and-data-collection--50208[12/7/2016 9:05:42 AM]
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