HARLS-CS

A National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation Program grant (BCS 0321286) funded the purchase of a High Accuracy/Resolution Landscape and Structure Characterization System (HARLS-CS).

The HARLS-CS is an integrated suite of instruments designed to rapidly and accurately characterize the topographic and multi-spectral properties of the surfaces of relatively small areas (e.g. 100s of square meters to 10s of hectares) and structures (such as building facades) at very high resolution (25 mm - 0.5 m). The system provides coordinated three dimensional, multi-spectral and metric image-based measurements necessary for a wide range of mensuration, classification, and quantitative characterization analyses. The system dramatically expands existing research activities in a number of disciplines and multidisciplinary areas. It serves as a shared resource in the fields of anthropology, archeology, architecture, biological and agricultural engineering, community planning/policy, entomology, geography, geology, and water resource management. It also plays a significant role in expanding research training by providing advanced undergraduates and graduate students access to critically important data as well as new capabilities for the development of valuable methodological expertise.

3D Application at the Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

05/01/2004 Point of Beginning

The ability to quickly and accurately map a wide range of surfaces with high levels of precision and accuracy creates new opportunities for surveyors, researchers and engineers who perform as-built surveys, monitor deformations in large structures and reverse-engineer mechanical structures. When integrated with traditional three-dimensional (3D) measuring technologies such as photogrammetry, laser scanning systems enable rapid and effective visualizations of 3D structures.