Phoenix Lidar & Lidar News Interview – Scott McGowan, Founder, Kestrel Aerial Services – November 2023
Lidar News readers are interested in how innovative companies and individuals are leveraging Phoenix LiDAR 3D technologies to solve their customers’ problems. Lidar News Founder Gene Roe has provided the following interview questions to help the Phoenix LiDAR customers tell their story.
- 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.
I traded energy for 25 years. Crude Oil, Natural Gas, Heating Oil, Coal, Weather etc. The last 9 years I operated over 5 BCF of underground storage of natural gas that I optimized daily. That gave me a unique insight into the state of our energy infrastructure. I have been active in the UAS industry for almost 13 years and have built 3 successful UAS service companies. Precision Aerial Compliance Solutions, Kestrel Aerial and Net Zero Aerial. To date my team over the past 7 years have successfully completed and delivered over 800 LiDAR projects to our clients
- 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.
We currently operate two Phoenix LiDAR Recon XT sensors. We fly primarily DJI M300 and M350 UAs platforms. We do most of our photogrammetry mapping with the stellar DJI P1 camera. We currently use LiDARMIll, Terra Solid products, Pix 4D , Bentley, AutoCAD, Global Mapper and AgiSoft. Our flight planning is done with UGCS
- What attracted you to the use of Phoenix Lidar hardware and software? Did you look at other products? Why did you choose Phoenix.
7 years ago, I embarked on the journey to find a trusted partner to purchase and service our LiDAR aspirations. I looked at all the providers and Phoenix stood out as the industry standard. Now 7 years later with many alternatives, Phoenix is a trusted partner who still stands above the rest. I have risked my companies and career in their hands, and they have never let us down.
- 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?
Phoenix LiDAR systems have been the backbone of our operations for over 7 years. We actively scan weekly a myriad of industries from Oil and Gas, Engineering and Survey to Environmental and Archeological projects. Our workflow has progressed over the years to refine and optimize our ability to collect data in a variety of environments and industries.
- 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?
We have done a number of unique projects over the past year including a 2400-acre future golf resort site in the Dominican Republic, Barge scanning in the Mississippi River and some classified work for a space company. In each project the Phoenix equipment made it all work out and the clients were pleased. It can seem daunting at first when a company goes from a 1400.00 drone to a 85k + system. But that higher priced system will allow them to participate in a higher value segment of the industry.
- 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 think the integration and evolution of useable accurate SLAM data solutions will be critical to meet the growing need for digital twins and digital transformation that is sweeping the commercial and industrial space. Aerial LiDAR alone will need to be combined with data from the interior of assets and AOI as well as external.
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