May 04, 2009
There's no question that interest in and demand for 3D
data are growing. That led one provider to launch a site where
geospatial professionals can find, rent and buy LiDAR sensors and
related resources. The logical next step? A site for selling LiDAR and
other data. Directions Magazine interviewed Bryant Bertrand, the
director of LiDARDATA.COM, about the history, current status and future
of the site.
Directions Magazine (DM): How did LiDARDATA.COM
start? What was the goal?
Bryant Bertrand (BB): Airborne 1 created LiDARDATA.COM as a
spin-off of our LiDARXCHANGE, the world’s first online Resource
Exchange tool for geospatial professionals. The LiDARXCHANGE program
allows participants the opportunity to post, view, rent, purchase and
(eventually) track the location of available LiDAR sensors and related
resources across the globe.
The success of the LiDARXCHANGE program led to the development of
LIDARDATA.COM as a secondary market for data collected by LiDARXCHANGE
members. The overall goal was to create an additional revenue stream
opportunity for members through data resale opportunities.
DM: Who contributes to the data repository?
BB: Technically, any data provider can contribute to the
repository, and they are not restricted to submitting LiDAR data - any
format of GIS data is welcome. It is advantageous for data providers to
join LiDARXCHANGE, however, as we offer enhanced benefits and better
revenue-sharing for all existing LiDARXCHANGE members. Currently there
are more than 25 private and government entities supplying data to
LIDARDATA.COM.
DM: Who are LiDARDATA.COM's customers?
BB: The customers range from the typical end users of survey data
– photogrammetrists, surveyors, architects and engineers — to
nontraditional entities, such as movie and video game producers, who
use existing 3D data to help with visualization and special effects.
DM: These are large datasets. How are they delivered?
BB: Typically we will deliver data as small as 1kmX1km, but we let
the participating community decide the limit restrictions. It’s a free
marketplace dictated by the participants and providers. Data can be
delivered on DVD media or via a portable hard drive.
DM: What services are offered for data providers and data buyers now?
BB: Data providers are able to post their areas of coverage in a
KMZ file and have a free marketing arm for potential data resale. The
data buyers get the flexibility of acquiring data at a reduced cost,
with a quicker turnaround time than a new collection.
DM: What's planned for the future?
BB: In the future, we will release a data portal that will enable
the data viewer to be loaded on any participating member’s Web page.
The data portal will allow users to market all existing data to their
customers. The member will act as point of sale for any data orders.
This tool offers greater flexibility to our members and an opportunity
to resell other existing members' datasets.
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| We believe that a website such as the lidardata.com will serve an extremely useful purpose and many end users will directly benefiting from its service. In fact, we don't think that there is anything similar on the web yet that would be able to supply similar sort of information from such a wide resource base! Well done lidardata.com! The data viewer and re-seller initiative sounds very promising and we hope that our modest web-entity can be one of the first who can test out this opportunity. |
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