New Multiple Pulses in Air (MPiA) LiDAR Technology from Leica Geosystems Reduces Flight Costs

(Norcross, Ga., 12 December 2006) Leica Geosystems today announced the debut of the companys MPiA (Multiple Pulses in Air) technology, a new patent-pending advanced laser system that measures distances at significantly higher rates than conventional time-of-flight measurement tools.

Leica Geosystems MPiA technology has been successfully tested in real-world applications, and is now ready for incorporation into product lines. Unlike current time-of-flight systems, Leica Geosystems new MPiA technology does not depend on receiving the target reflection before starting the next distance measurement cycle. Users will now be able to obtain the same distance measurements in less than half the time without sacrificing data accuracy.

"This technology has the potential to significantly increase the productivity of airborne LiDAR data acquisition systems, said George Southard, director of digital imaging sales, Leica Geosystems, Inc. – Americas region. We will soon be offering our airborne LiDAR customers an upgrade path to take advantage of the MPiA technology along with our industry-leading 150 kHz data acquisition rate. This will enable our customers to fly a notably wider swath at the same point densities as today, or acquire significantly increased point densities with the same swaths as today. Either option ultimately leads to appreciably reduced flight costs resulting in greater savings to our users.

Leica Geosystems when it has to be right
With close to 200 years of pioneering solutions to measure the world, Leica Geosystems products and services are trusted by professionals worldwide to help them capture, analyze and present spatial information. Leica Geosystems is best known for its broad array of products that capture accurately, model quickly, analyze easily, and visualize and present spatial information.

Those who use Leica products every day trust them for their dependability, the value they deliver, and the superior customer support. Based in Heerbrugg, Switzerland, Leica Geosystems is a global company with tens of thousands of customers supported by more than 2,400 employees in 22 countries and hundreds of partners located in more than 120 countries around the world. Leica Geosystems is part of the Hexagon Group, Sweden.