500,000 Miles Later: Lessons from the Road
If you’d told me 20 years ago that I’d rack up over half a million miles chasing lidar data, I’d have asked you, “What’s a lidar?”
Yet here I am—about to complete passport number four, Pelican cases that look like they’ve been through Fallujah, and a stack of travel stories my wife would probably prefer not to know.
I signed up for International Travel – No Experience Necessary. The vast adventures that followed were beyond anything I could have imagined.
Baptism by Baggage Claim
One of my earliest lessons in international projects came in the arrivals hall at Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
Picture the shadiest airport you can imagine: flickering fluorescent lights, ceiling fans with missing blades, and a sea of people pushing past one another. That was Port Harcourt.
Baggage claim? Just a corner of the terminal with a pile of cases and gear that looked like it had been dragged through a swamp. That’s where I saw my scanner—clear as day—sitting on the ground behind a rope. And that’s when an airport security guard told me my equipment was “stuck in customs.”
The problem? I could see my cases right there on the ground behind him. No paperwork. No official hold. Just the unspoken message: if I wanted my scanner, I’d have to pay up.
It didn’t take long to figure out the game: a little cash, a handshake, maybe a “gift” for the boss—and suddenly the scanner was free to go.
That was my welcome to field reality. No instructions. No guarantees. And no illusions that things would go according to plan.
No User Manual
Fieldwork doesn’t come with a user manual. I’ve learned that the hard way—more than once.
I’ve been threatened with detainment while trying to leave NAF Base, had my passport seized multiple times by officials looking for any excuse to stall or cash in.
In Port Harcourt, I stayed in a roadside motel with rolling blackouts on the hour, leaving me sweating in the dark. Prostitutes made their rounds each morning, knocking on every door like they were selling Thin Mints.
One project took me to Eket, where crime was so bad we needed an eight-vehicle convoy to move just three expats. They dropped me at a motel outside the secure compound. Zero stars—do not recommend.
Chaos Isn’t Just International
I once drove from Houston to Duluth for an aerial lidar project, only to find the rental equipment shipped to my hotel was missing critical cables.
Two hours later, I was standing in a hobby shop while the owner custom-built the cables I needed just to keep the job on track.
Get It Right the First Time
A lot of people think the biggest challenge in reality capture is the technology. But the real challenge is getting the right data the first time.
Because in some of the places I’ve worked, there’s no second chance.
There’s no flying back next week if the scanner fails. No overnight shipping for a forgotten tripod. The flight out? That’s the last one until further notice—so you’d better get it right.
I learned to triple-check workflows, label cables like my life depended on it, and keep backups of backups. Because you can’t upload a do-over when the chopper’s waiting.
When Things Get Real
Once, I was in a compound in Nigeria when a protest turned violent.
I grabbed the scanner, laptop, and every hard drive I could find and hustled out the back gate. A boat waiting on a river in the dark was my best shot at getting the data out safely.
That wasn’t in the training manual. But it’s the kind of thing you learn after half a million miles: the unexpected is the norm.
The Real Lessons
Looking back, the lessons that stuck weren’t just about scanning.
They were about resilience.
About respecting the local crews who made things possible.
About the importance of sharing a meal—no matter what was on the menu.
About the sense of accomplishment that comes from getting the job done in conditions no one could have fully planned for.
Reality capture has a way of taking you places you never expected—and giving you a front-row seat to a world that’s bigger, messier, and more rewarding than any map can show.
Between the Scans
After 42 states, 5 continents, and 500,000 miles, one thing’s for sure:
The technology might get you there, but the stories come from what happens between the scans.
If you’re lucky enough to be out there with a scanner in one hand and an open mind in the other, you’ll find the adventure is every bit as important as the data.
Author, Russell White
Geospatial Expert & Business Strategist | Director of Geospatial Services
