Phoenix Lidar – Lidar News Interview  –  Eric Goetsch, VP of Manned Operations and R&D, SkySkopes

Phoenix Lidar – Lidar News Interview  –  Eric Goetsch, VP of Manned Operations and R&D, SkySkopes

Lidar News readers are interested in how innovative companies and individuals are leveraging Phoenix LiDAR 3D technologies to solve their customer’s problems. Lidar News Founder Gene Roe has provided the following interview questions to help the Phoenix LiDAR customers tell their story.

1. Can you please provide a brief overview of your professional background (s) and experience, particularly with 3D laser scanning/drone lidar technology, and/or a brief history of the growth of the company and its use of 3D technology? Please include an idea of the timelines.

After graduating from The University of North Dakota in Unmanned Aircraft Systems I started working for SkySkopes. Beginning as a drone operator I had the opportunity to learn about LiDAR acquisition with our first LiDAR purchase from Phoenix LiDAR back in 2017. I can still remember the incredible nerves flying that AL3-32 for the first time. We had a lot to learn about how to collect, process, and sell these powerful datasets. Six years later, and many mistakes made, we now operate over 6 Phoenix LiDAR systems on a variety of platforms, with our own in-house processing team.

2. Can you provide an inventory of some of the primary 3D surveying and mapping hardware and software that your company currently uses, as well as any other related products? Please include an idea of the timeline of purchases. 

Our primary mapping hardware for the manned acquisitions is the Ranger XL which was purchased back in 2021, and the Ranger Ultra which we purchased this year. The Ranger XL has been our workhorse collecting data on powerlines for sag analysis using our helicopters, to large wide area survey projects across the country on our Cessna 182.  For acquisitions in the field, we use Phoenix LiDAR’s Spatial Explorer, which makes for an intuitive operation of the system. 

3. What attracted you to the use of Phoenix Lidar hardware and software? Did you look at other products? Why did you choose Phoenix?
   

Back in 2017 when we first purchased our LiDAR system, we chose Phoenix LiDAR because we believed they had the best products on the market, and we still believe that today.  What I really like about it from a field operations perspective is how everything is controlled through one software, and that software is the same no matter the system. Also, their level of integration and thoughtful design for the end user makes removing it and installing on different aircraft a quick process. 

4. How do you integrate Phoenix Lidar products into your workflows? What were some of the challenges with that? What were some of the best practices and lessons learned?

Utilizing Phoenix LiDAR’s products has been at the core of our LiDAR and orthophotography acquisition projects. Its hard to say how we integrate them into our workflows because we have been integrated with systems and software for so long. One of the challenges with data collection on the manned side is just the sheer size of data that can be collected in a day. It is important to keep your data organized and have backups. Also being able to QC when collecting LiDAR real time is something that we have utilized with the live point cloud viewer in Spatial Explorer. We are excited to integrate Mission Guidance into our workflow as well that will give the pilots and sensor operators a more intuitive way to follow the acquisition flight lines. 

5. Can you provide a brief overview of two or three of the projects where you made use of Phoenix Lidar’s technology? Can you provide any thoughts on time savings vs. other methods? Any thoughts on return on investment?

Powerline Vegetation Management 

One project that stands out is a vegetation management survey for an electric utility. We were contracted to fly around 800 miles of transmission line collecting LiDAR, and RGB imagery for an orthomosaic, and a front and back oblique image of each structure. We came to Phoenix LiDAR and requested the integration of 3 Sony A7riv cameras onto our Ranger XL to fulfill this contract. This integration the flight time by 50% by being able to get the front and rear of the structures in one pass. With the XL’s high pulse rate capabilities, we were able to collect the entire project at a safe altitude and fast ground speeds. 

Wide Area Mapping Project with a Quick Turn Around

A project that highlights the ease of integration with our aircraft is one in the Midwest that needed to be collected on short notice. Some of the engineering projects we are awarded have quick collection timelines. This one in particular was across the country from where our fixed-wing aircraft was which was waiting on a part to come in to be operational. Knowing it was unrealistic to mobilize that aircraft in time, we utilized a different airplane already in the area. With the sensor being quick to swap aircraft we were able to get the LiDAR system shipped, integrated and flown in a matter of 3 days. Having a powerful system that is lightweight and compact enough to ship and mount on different aircraft is a huge value add.

6. What do you see in the future for the use of Phoenix Lidar’s 3D technology on your projects? Are you investigating other advanced technologies that will create new business opportunities?

I see LiDAR systems getting lighter and more powerful that allow for higher and faster acquisitions. Having systems that can collect thin static wires on powerlines at higher altitudes gives us more flexibility on the platform that we can use to fly. Ultimately this saves our clients money and provides better quality data. I am looking forward to seeing how Phoenix LiDAR will continue to innovate, which in turn will drive business for SkySkopes and ultimately our clients. 

Thank you.

For more information on SkySkopes CLICK HERE.

For more information on Phoenix Lidar CLICK HERE.

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