Oil and Gas: Exploration and Production

All phases of oil and gas explorations benefit from the high-resolution three dimensional imagery and local mapping that can be produced from a LiDAR data set. These needs range from pre-deployment support to post operational scouting for verification that the environment has been restored to a level allowing the return of deposits and bonds.
Exploration is a major market for our services because funding and approvals happen rapidly and projects can take place in as little as one to three months from the submission of a proposal. The speed of imagery and map data delivery has become a dominant selling feature in this market.
The principals of DigitalWorld have provided these services to a number of oil and gas companies over the last several years with enthusiastic acceptance.

Forest Management

Today the forestry industry is one of the largest purchasers of aerial photography and various agencies have already begun expending funds on the utilization of hand held digital camera systems such as those manufactured by Kodak and Nikon. The forestry industry has many established inventory and forest health assessment programs that currently rely on small format aerial photography coupled with manual interpretation of the imagery. These can be effectively updated and automated by DigitalWorld using its technology to improve costs and efficiency.

Forestry DTM's: Accurate information on the terrain and topography beneath the tree canopy is extremely important to both the forestry industry and natural resource managers. Accurate information on tree heights and densities is also critical information that is difficult to obtain using conventional techniques. Airborne laser technology, unlike radar or satellite imaging, can simultaneously map the ground beneath the tree canopy as well as the tree heights.

Corridor Mapping

Airborne laser mapping allows rapid, cost-effective, accurate mapping of linear corridors such as power utility right-of-ways, gas pipelines, or highways. A major market is mapping power line corridors to allow for proper modelling of conductor catenary curve, sag, ground clearance, encroachment, and accurate determination of tower locations. Data acquired through airborne laser surveys can be combined with simultaneous measurements of air and conductor temperature and load currents to establish admissible increases in load-carrying capacity of power lines.

Utilities Surveillance and Mapping

Gas and oil pipelines and electrical distribution networks represent profit-motivated customers who have a need for DigitalWorld products and services. In order to meet legislated requirements these organizations are being required to map and monitor their equipment and right of ways on a regular basis. Currently there are over 1.7 million miles of pipeline in the USA alone that must be inspected annually. To achieve this, these organizations are converting to modern computer based GIS systems and are seeking more cost effective methods of collecting and inputting the large amounts of information required to meet these requirements. Ortho-rectified image maps have traditionally played a significant role in the acquisition of such data but at high cost. Industry/Government working groups have consistently recommended the inspection and documentation of such utility corridors using digital imaging technology.

Environmental Monitoring

Of the many potential areas of interest within the environmental monitoring arena the area with the most direct funding is the clean up of man made waste dumps and unused pipelines. In the past, these projects have utilized an IR camera system, together with video geo-referencing techniques to map old oil pipelines that have become the subject of legal disputes related to oil leakage and contamination. DigitalWorld believes there is a significant amount of such work available on behalf of oil and gas distribution companies who have limited data on the deterioration of the many thousands of miles of abandoned pipeline within the US and Canada.

Engineering and Construction

This industry is a profit-motivated customer with critical time constraints for the generation of mapping products to support a wide range of infrastructure and related construction projects. The development of infrastructure requires the rapid production of maps and DEM's at a variety of scales and accuracy's, providing a wide variety of image mapping opportunities for DigitalWorld.

Municipal Mapping

This is a large traditional market segment typically driven by price. The key to gaining market share in this price sensitive environment will be the ability of DigitalWorld to generate high quality image maps directly compatible with existing GIS software. This will offer the municipal customers significant improvements in data base generation, and population, at lower costs. DigitalWorld's laser mapping and imaging system offers production efficiencies unmatched by current technology.

Real Estate Development

Surveying for Real Estate Development presently is photogrametry and labour intensive ground surveying producing coarse Digital Elevation Models (DEM). Airborne laser surveys bring the developer cost effective 10-15 cm DEMs enabling them to maximize lot and road design for their development projects.

Flood Plain Mapping

Airborne LIDAR mapping is the quickest and most precise way to produce high-resolution digital elevation data for flood risk management. This LiDAR data set allows planners and hydrologists to predict flood extents and plan remedial strategies.
The following is from IJC's final report "Living with the Red"

"The Task Force found that current mapping of high risk areas was not adequate for modelling and analysis of flood risk, or for the consideration of flood protection options. Among other things, the Task Force produced high-resolution digital elevation data for the lower Pembina River and for the area south of the Winnipeg Floodway, and analyzed data collection technologies. Through these efforts, the Task Force found that airborne laser mapping can be a fast, reliable, and cost - effective method of obtaining three-dimensional data suitable for the creation of digital elevation models (DEM)."