Through a recently formed teaming agreement with Optech Incorporated, Thales is now offering marine LIDAR services to the hydrographic charting and coastal mapping markets. These services, based on Optech's new SHOALS-1000T laser bathymeter, will greatly enhance and complement its industry leading- capabilities and expertise in these markets, said Thales.
Historically, Thales was the first company to provide NOAA with final data products containing marine LIDAR data to IHO standards for the purposes of hydrographic charting. The SHOALS-1000T is also the perfect tool for shoreline delineation and coastal mapping.
Thales said it is the only laser bathymeter in the world that provides both a hydrographic and topographic mode of operation within the same airborne sensor and is configurable in mid-flight at the switch of a button. In addition the system comes fitted with a co-registered digital camera, providing high quality images at one frame per second.
Thales is now able to provide integrated mapping services that go from land across the beach through to full ocean depth. Marine LIDAR, which can be operated in water depths of up to 70 meters, perfectly complements the company's world-renowned acoustic multibeam bathymetry and backscatter capabilities.
The portable SHOALS-1000T can be installed on suitable aircraft of opportunity, allowing cost effective worldwide operations, even in the most remote areas. The system comes with sophisticated mission planning and spatial data processing software, including a three-dimensional "fly through" viewing capability.
