Airborne Bathymetric Laser Scanner (ABS)

The Airborne Bathymetric Laser Scanner (ABS) captures the water surface and depth, as well as the peripheral area of bodies of water, including the adjacent terrain from the air, generating 3D data efficiently and quickly. The compact, lightweight scanner can be mounted on many commercially available unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). 

As an option, the ABS can be upgraded with an additional infrared laser beam. Using two lasers can improve topographic surveying. The resulting multispectral data can, for example, be used for vegetation mapping. The recorded data is available both as a complete full waveform for extended post-processing and as a point cloud in industry-standard formats.

Two system configurations for short- and long-range measurements

The ABS-SR is optimized for detailed mea­surements at about 20 m flight altitude, using a collimated laser beam. This ensures a laser beam footprint of only 5 cm in diameter – independent of the object distance. The compact ABS-SR has a flight-ready mass of only 2.5 kg. Due to its optical design, the ABS-SR is classified as an easy-to-use class 2M laser system.

The ABS-LR is specially designed for wide-area mappings at altitudes of 50 m to 100 m using a divergent laser beam and higher laser power. High flight altitude and increased swath width allow for large areas to be mapped more efficiently. 

Rapid signal conversion

In underwater surveying, the measurement signal consists of complex contributions from the water surface, turbidity and water bottom rather than individually separable pulses. Instead of simple pulse detection, it is essential to record and interpret the entire waveform. The ABS' central FPGA/CPU unit processes up to 50 GB of raw data per second, performing intelligent data reduction and can store pre-processed or full waveforms. It controls and communicates with other system components and provides external interfaces for time synchronization and measurement control. A GNSS/IMU positioning solution can be integrated into the ABS, or user-supplied systems can be connected externally.

Integration on UAVs

The shoebox-sized system with a minimum total weight of 2.5 kg plus battery and GNSS/IMU can be carried by a variety of available UAV with a take-off-weight under 25 kg. We support our customers in the customization and integration of the scanner on different platforms.