Media Coverage
Media Covers How Velodyne Lidar Helps Unveil Mayan Ruins in 3D
Oct 29, 2019 | By Velodyne Lidar

With aerial mapping using lidar, archeological explorations can find geometric patterns, mounds and indentations that cannot be detected from the ground. These discoveries can reveal the shapes of buried buildings, walls, water systems, roads and more.

An NDT News article discussed how a crew of National Geographic’s Discovery Channel program contacted LiDARUSA to scan and analyze the data of the jungles of the El Mirador Basin in Guatemala with Velodyne’s HDL-32 sensor. The article noted:

“The owner and host of Discovery Channel’s ‘Expedition Unknown’ TV show Josh Gates wanted to help Richard Hansen, a leading archaeologist in Mayan history, to gather more info on these sites, using Velodyne’s HDL-32 sensors. The original intention was to collect the scans using a drone, but the area was so large it was decided to use a full-sized chopper.”

According to LiDARUSA’s Daniel Fagerman, “Without the use of lidar, these man-made features (especially the highways) are completely invisible by photogrammetry due to vegetation and the fact they are buried deep below the surface. They can even be invisible to explorers by foot. The advantage is being able to visualize the scanned surface as a shaded elevation model in 3D.”

To read the complete NDT News story, which includes a video segment from the TV show, please visit: Velodyne Lidar and LIDARUSA Unveil Mayan Ruins in 3D.

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Velodyne Lidar (Nasdaq: VLDR, VLDRW) ushered in a new era of autonomous technology with the invention of real-time surround view lidar sensors. Velodyne, a global leader in lidar, is known for its broad portfolio of breakthrough lidar technologies. Velodyne’s revolutionary sensor and software solutions provide flexibility, quality and performance to meet the needs of a wide range of industries, including robotics, industrial, intelligent infrastructure, autonomous vehicles and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). Through continuous innovation, Velodyne strives to transform lives and communities by advancing safer mobility for all.

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