MapInfo Pro

Raw Lidar data is very dull, difficult to interpret & there's lots of it. Using MapInfo & the add-on tool Vertical Mapper, its very easy to convert Lidar data into something more readily understood & quite beautiful.

PittwaterElevation_A4 - Firstly, you can assist non-map people to understand contours more easily by applying a graduated colour scheme to the gridded Lidar elevations. These type of maps look great when printed out to A0 & placed in public areas.

PittwaterElevation3D_A4 - For even more clarity, Vertical Mapper allows you to view gridded Lidar data in 3D scenes, with loads of options to tweak the view. This view has the elevation data exaggerated to emphasize the topography.

PittwaterElevation3DAerials_A4 - Finally, its a relatively simple matter to drape aerial photography over the elevation model to provide another level of realism to the scene.

Attachment(s)

PittwaterElevation_A4.pdf   6.45 MB 1 version

Have you tried the new MapInfo Pro Advanced, Mark??

No John I haven't.

Still using MapInfo Pro v 12.5 I'm afraid....

?Well done, Mark. It looks great.

Council has purchased some Lidar data this year, I used ArcGIS and QGIS to produce a Digital Eleveation Model, Digital Surface Model and a normalised digital surface model, to get the average height for all the points within a pixel of 1mx1m. So each pixel has a height value. 

Then use Exponare to display these models, overlayed them under a transparent aerial photos.

Not exactly sure if any PB suites could achieve the same, we are currently licensed to use MapInfo Pro, Advanced, so called the Discover bundle.

Cheers 

Thanks Alexis - it's easy to make good looking maps when the landscape is already scenic!

I'm not sure about the capabilities of Discover bundle since I haven't used it. Possibly some of the Pitney Bowes people in here might be able to provide more information.

Although, it does look like Vertical Mapper is still available as a separate add-on -

https://www.pitneybowes.com/ie/location-intelligence/geographic-information-system/mapinfo-vertical-mapper.html?tab1

For the Use Cases described, MapInfo Pro Advanced offers the capabilities of Vertical Mapper + much more - it's interactive, faster to process large datasets, additional processing tools & MRR data format (described elsewhere in Li360 provides advantages in terms of data quality, data flexibility & file size). Definitely worth checking out - interested in comments/experiences from other Community Users too!

@ Ashley Crane? that sounds good, it looks like MapInfo Pro Advanced is the way to go. We are licensed to install it here, but IT had issues installing the 64bit discover bundle so I have not seen the products yet since more than a year. 

Do we just go for the latest release version with patches? Does it have functions such as producing digital surface model, normalized digital surface model and calculate an average height for all the lidar points within the grid e.g 1mx1m?

Like my previous post said, I used QGIS and Arc to do it, simply did not know what PB can do with that, happy to discuss with PB experts further about that.

@Alexis Qiao? Definitely worth installing as the toolset & capabilities in MapInfo Pro Advanced allows the creation of detailed, complex grid layers - it's seamlessly integrated within MapInfo Pro so easy to use & interact with. Yes if you have v16 just install and then use the "Check for Update" (click on the Pro tab top left hand corner & then "Updates") to find & apply any relevant patches.

In terms of capabilities, the Advanced component brings the ability to create, visualise, query & manipulate grid data. This includes reading Lidar datasets and creation of digital surface models. For assistance on specific functions, the help files for Advanced are quite comprehensive also the PB Support team or Li360 community can provide further advice as required.

If you need a hand to sort the install issue please let the PB Support team know (I can provide a contact point if that would help).