Huntsville, AL – GeoCue® Group Inc. (via its wholly owned subsidiary, QCoherent Software LLC) is pleased to announce the release of LP360 2014.1. LP360 is the world’s most powerful and popular desktop LIDAR exploitation software, available as a Windows® 64-bit application and as an extension for ArcGIS® desktop.
This release includes many new features, performance improvements and stability enhancements. A number of features specifically aimed at processing data from sensors flown on small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) have been added. In fact, a new packaging of LP360 called “LP360 for sUAS” has been added to the product line (currently analogous to LP360, Standard Edition).
Highlights of the new release include (required license level indicated if above Basic):
- Comprehensive support for LAS 1.4, including promoting previous versions of LAS to Point Data Record Formats 6 and above.
- Adding profile extraction tools as a point cloud task (Standard). This is an important feature for cut and fill analysis such as volumetrics and road works. The new implementation allows you to clip the profiles based on a polygon.
- Full support for the new ASPRS accuracy specification. This means that you can now assess the horizontal accuracy of digital ortho photos and mosaics using LP360. This feature is critically important for sUAS metric mapping projects.
- New image management tools in LP360 for Windows. Now when you read in image files, they are automatically collected into Group layers in the table of contents based on image types. This is analogous to the way LP360 groups LAS files. This is extremely convenient when working with a large number of images because it allows you to control all of the enhancement parameters from a single control.
- Railroad track centerline (‘alignment’) extraction and top of rail classification Point Cloud Task (Advanced). This new point cloud task allows you to semi-automatically extract a 3D vector that represents a rail alignment. You can also automatically classify the top of rail points.
- Classify by Feature has been moved to a Point Cloud Task, in both ArcGIS and Standalone (Standard). This allows you to combine this classification tool with other PCTs in a macro.
- Line and Polygon vertex spacing and smoothing Point Cloud Task (Standard). This new task allows you to change the number of vertices in a line or polygon by either thinning (using a variation of the Ramer–Douglas–Peucker algorithm) or to increase the number of vertices.
- Import ASCII to Shape file. This is a new option on the import ASCII tool (normally used to import ASCII point cloud files into LAS files). The intent is to allow you to import Control Point files in ASCII format and convert to Shape.
In addition to the major new features highlighted above, we have also addressed many areas of the software to improve both performance and stability.
Everyone who has LP360 on current maintenance will be able to update to the new release by using the “LP360 – Check for updates” feature in LP360. We will send out an email blast when the new release has been posted to the download server.
I think you will find tremendous added value in this new release of LP360. LP360 was already the premiere tool for point cloud exploitation. This new release greatly advances this standing as well as positioning LP360 as the most capable tool in the marketplace for exploiting point clouds from dense image matching projects for sUAS work.
GeoCue Group (www.GeoCue.com) is a software development and consulting services company specializing in geospatial production management solutions and creating tools for improving geospatially organized processes. GeoCue Group is also North America’s leading provider of production solutions for airborne and mobile laser scanning. For more information please visit our website or contact us via email (info@GeoCue.com).
QCoherent Software LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of GeoCue Group. QCoherent Software is the creator of the LP360 product suite and LIDAR Server. Additional information can be found at www.LP360.com or by inquiry via email (info@LP360.com).