Vision emerges as MENA’s premier mapping and geo-information provider

By David Critchley CEO & Managing Director of Vision

Every infrastructure development project starts with a map. Whether the project involves designing a transportation corridor, building a power plant or assessing environmental impact, the first phase of planning and engineering is typically the acquisition of accurate and up-to-date aerial photographs and digital terrain models.

With infrastructure planning and construction still booming in the Middle East, a locally owned and operated firm has invested significant resources into expanding its aerial surveying and digital mapping capabilities to emerge as the premier provider of geo-information solutions in the region. Formerly known as Pictometry Middle East, the new company – Vision – combines a diversity of aerial survey capabilities with a wealth of local experience to offer end-to-end mapping solutions for projects of any size in the Middle East and North Africa.

In creating Vision, the goal was simple – the company would serve as a reliable one-stop provider of cost-effective geospatial information customized to meet every client’s individual needs.

Headquartered in the United Arab Emirates at the Dubai Airport, Vision understands the need for high-quality map data sets extends beyond infrastructure engineering and construction. The company has carefully assembled a collection of aerial mapping cameras and sensors designed to handle the demands of virtually any type of project including hydrocarbon exploration, natural resource management, and municipal planning.

The firm supports these airborne initiatives with a state-of-the-art digital mapping facility in Dubai where products are generated, quality-checked and delivered in a timely fashion. Local operation is the key to producing a quality product and demonstrates Vision’s commitment to long-term business relationships with clients in the Middle East and North Africa.

Diverse Mapping Capabilities
Having grown out of Pictometry Middle East, the Vision team has several years of flight operations and mapping experience in the region. Flight operations are directed by (Ret.) Colonel Abdullah Al Sheri, a retired Saudi Military Survey Department officer who understands the challenges of seeking and obtaining all necessary approvals required to get an aerial mapping project airborne in countries throughout the Middle East. Colonel Al Sheri is also well versed in meeting the mapping specifications of military survey departments in the region.

To ensure reliable and uninterrupted flight activities, Vision has purchased two new Partenavia P68 twin-engine aircraft from Vulcanair of Italy. Both have been modified to carry aerial imaging cameras and sensor suites. In addition, Vision has arranged for several aircraft leases, both long-term and seasonal, to accommodate the changing demands for acquisition services at all stages of the flying season.

The foundation of Vision’s unique product offerings and mapping capabilities is the collection of imaging systems it now has at its disposal. The company used the Pictometry oblique imaging system as the cornerstone of its enviable assortment of digital cameras and LiDAR sensors, each chosen with specific end-user applications in mind. Vision’s unrivaled aerial mapping capabilities promise to serve virtually every major geo-information market in the Middle East and North Africa.

The list below summarizes the imaging systems Vision has obtained and the primary market segments they serve.

Oblique Imaging – Vision is the exclusive licensee of the oblique aerial imaging services developed and franchised by Pictometry International of the U.S. The Pictometry system is comprised of a suite of five high-resolution digital cameras, one pointing straight down and the other four at oblique angles to the Earth’s surface. These cameras acquire images simultaneously so that every feature on the ground is photographed from multiple directions. Sophisticated software processes the collected data to create geo-referenced images of ground features from all sides.

Included in Vision’s purchase of two oblique camera systems, the firm received a self-contained processing segment now installed at its Dubai headquarters. The processed oblique images are delivered to the client with embedded viewing software that runs on a desktop computer. The software enables the end user to examine the images of ground features from any direction or angle.

Most impressively, the software has built-in measurement tools that allow the user to accurately determine distances and areas between and among features onscreen from any viewing angle. This means the user can measure the height of a vertical building as easily as calculating the surface area of a flat parking lot. 

The Pictometry tagline of “See Everywhere, Measure Anything, Plan Everything” is no exaggeration. The applications of oblique imagery are limited only by the imagination. In many parts of the world, oblique imagery is a favorite tool of local governments to use in assessing real estate because the multiple views allows agents to view and measure a piece of real estate or structure from all sides. From there, the list of application segments has grown to include insurance, utilities, construction and engineering.

In Saudi Arabia, Vision completed an oblique mapping project of two cities on behalf of the local governments, which are using the products in event management and emergency planning. The ability of oblique imagery to provide views behind and between tall buildings, revealing small streets and alleys that might otherwise be lost in the shadows of traditional nadir imagery enables public safety organizations to plan the ingress and egress routes for people and vehicles during major events, either under normal or emergency circumstances.

Digital Photogrammetric Imaging – To perform cadastral and other mapping projects covering large areas, especially in the urban environment, Vision uses  the UltraCamX large format digital camera from Microsoft Vexcel. This 196-megapixel camera acquires images with 3-centimeter spatial resolution, ideal for orthorectification and extraction of high-quality digital elevation models.

Vision selected the UltraCam with block survey mapping projects in mind. These sensors are capable of rapidly mapping large areas with high-spatial detail from fixed-wing aircraft. The result is an extremely cost-effective orthorectified image that can be used for creating new maps and updating existing ones at low cost for use in engineering design, construction planning, and infrastructure monitoring.

LiDAR – The process known as LiDAR, or Light Detection and Ranging, uses a scanning laser range finder to collect densely spaced measurements of ground elevations. The spacing of the point measurements varies upon the power of the system, but some can acquire up to 50 elevation values per square meter with vertical accuracies of just a few centimeters. These data sets can be processed to generate extremely accurate digital terrain models (DTMs).

Vision will use three different LiDAR systems. The first is the TopEye LiDAR developed by SAAB Aerospace specifically for elevation mapping in long, narrow corridors. Flying aboard a helicopter, the TopEye is ideal for capturing survey data to create DTMs of railroad and highway corridors as well as utility rights of way containing power lines or pipelines. Often the TopEye is used to map existing corridors or to collect elevation data in pathways being considered for routing of planned infrastructure. In either case, the accuracy of the generated DTM is sufficient to support engineering-grade planning. The vertical accuracy of this system is 2 cm and the nominal swath width is 120 meters. 

For the type of large-area elevation mapping that usually precedes major development projects covering hundreds of square kilometers, Vision has acquired a second LiDAR designed to fly at higher altitudes on a fixed-wing aircraft. While this instrument collects elevation values at a slightly less dense point spacing, it still boasts a vertical accuracy of 5 centimeters. And due to the higher service altitude, this system’s swath width is 250 to 500 meters, enabling it to provide coverage over extremely large areas with minimal flight time.

Vision will also be providing bathymetric LiDAR services. It operates at a wavelength capable of penetrating shallow water so the laser signal reflects off the bottom of the water body and returns to the sensor, resulting in collection of Z values for the seabed itself. Penetration is typically limited to about 30 meters depending on water clarity, and this is ideal for bathymetric mapping of near-shore coastal environments. These coastal waters are often too dangerous or shallow for cost-effective mapping by standard bathymetric vessels.

Vision expects great demand for the bathymetric LiDAR in Middle Eastern coastal zones many of which have not been mapped below the surface in decades, if at all. Sub-surface mapping for cable placement and navigation charting will be major applications in these near-shore areas. In addition, the seafloor mapping system will be used in near-shore hydrocarbon exploration and environmental monitoring projects throughout the Middle East and North Africa.

Locally Serving the MENA Region
The Vision executive staff is directing all sales, marketing and customer service functions from its headquarters at the Dubai Airport Free Zone. Mission planning and flight operations are also carried out at the nearby Umm Al Quwain Airport where the company’s aircraft are based when not deployed to a project area. Vision has established a remote sales office in Riyadh, which is managed by Eng Mohammed Bazil Al Wajeeh, an experienced executive manager from Farsi Geotech . The firm has positioned its sales force and support personnel to provide customized service to clients in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Qatar, UAE, Bahrain, and Kuwait. All North African countries are in the service territory as well.

Just as Vision has painstakingly assembled a robust collection of mapping cameras and sensors for the airborne portion of its work, the company is also building a state-of-the-art geospatial data processing facility adjacent to its headquarters in Dubai. The cornerstone of the processing ground segment is image processing software capable of highly accurate orthorectification of image data and extraction of elevation models.

In addition to a CAD package obtained for use in transportation and utility planning projects, Vision will serve as a reseller of geodetic conversion software that will project completed mapping files in the Middle East or North African map datum required for a given area of interest. The firm has also made arrangements with an international provider of geospatial technical services to bring expert personnel to Dubai on an as-needed basis as a means of expanding production capacity during times of peak mapping activity.

Conclusion
Vision is open for business now. As the premier provider of geo-information and geospatial solutions in the Middle East and Africa, Vision is large enough to meet the mapping demands of mega-projects but agile enough to deliver customized results to every client in the region.