Jan 5 2010
Smart GeoMetrics, a division of Smart MultiMedia, Inc. is on its second day of digital documentation of one of the world’s largest battleships in Hawaii. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to scan the ship’s entire hull while it is in dry dock in the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard.
Smart GeoMetrics was selected by the USS Missouri Memorial Association, Inc. to capture history with this unique 3D laser scanning technology known as High Definition Survey (HDS) Documentation. Since Oct. 14, the Missouri has been in dry dock, undergoing a three-month, $18-million maintenance and preservation project.
“Never before has an entire historic naval vessel been documented using this technology,” said Richard Lasater, president of Smart GeoMetrics.
The battleship, best known as the site of Imperial Japan’s WWII surrender, was last put into dry dock in 1992 and will not be there again for possibly decades.
“There is no way to complete an accurate scan of an entire ship while it is in the water,” Lasater added. “Not only is it impossible to image areas below the waterline, even on a calm day, the tiniest movements of the water and ship would degrade scan accuracy.”
HDS Documentation is a combination of 3D laser scanning, high dynamic range photography and standard survey techniques. The 3D laser scanner collects millions of individual data points creating a 3D “point cloud”. The point clouds can be used to create highly accurate 2D and 3D representations. And when coupled with high dynamic range photography, photorealistic 3D models, and virtual experiences help to provide a compelling historical record.
Smart GeoMetrics and its team will have a short three-day window to scan the vessel as scaffolding and protective covers are removed, and before the ship returns to her previous home of 11 years on Pearl Harbor’s Battleship Row. The massive endeavor requires three scanning teams, which will utilize Leica HDS laser scanners to complete the project. The results of the HDS Documentation will be used by the USS Missouri Memorial Association, Inc., as a historical record and for ongoing maintenance and educational purposes.
Mike Carr, president of the USS Missouri Memorial Association, Inc., said, “Having the Battleship Missouri in dry dock provides a unique opportunity and one that we do not want to miss. We recognize how HDS Documentation technology can be used to enhance our visitor and educational experiences, while documenting the ship as the engineering marvel she is.”
This is the second historic naval vessel scanned by Smart GeoMetrics. The Houston-based company has been working over the past year documenting the Battleship Texas, which is located in nearby La Porte, Texas. The project can be followed on Smart GeoMetric’s Facebook page.
Source: http://www.smartmm.com/