INTERGEO 2016: New 360 degree imaging collaborations for iSTAR

NCTech to showcase new integrations for panoramic camera at key industry tradeshow

NCTech, the developer of reality imaging systems, today announced several new integrations for its industrial-grade iSTAR panoramic camera. The company will be showcasing new developments at the INTERGEO 2016 conference and tradeshow next week in Hamburg, Germany, including:

Point cloud colourisation integration
NCTech’s ColourCloud software has been integrated to allow direct import of raw image data from iSTAR to colourise laser scans within the software offerings from both LFM Software and PointCab.

LFM is used by some of the world’s biggest engineering and owner operating companies in the Oil & Gas, Power and BIM arena. LFM’s software enables 3D laser survey data to be used to increase efficiency throughout an asset’s project and operational lifecycle. PointCab’s products provide extensive functions for analysis, calculation and documentation, as well as interfaces to almost all laser scanners, photogrammetry data and CAD systems.

“For a number of years, customers of LFM have benefited from combining data from multiple 3D capture devices in their pursuit of visualising, revamping and manging their assets,” said Gary Farrow, VP Business Management, LFM Software. “Technology like the iSTAR greatly complements this data and also offers an efficient data capture solution helping to further broaden consumption.”

Pix4D 360-degree image import
Pix4Dmapper software automatically converts images taken by hand, drone or plane, and delivers highly precise, georeferenced 2D maps and 3D models. In its position as a leader in 360-degree image capture, NCTech has worked closely with Pix4D to support the development of Pix4Dmapper’s new import function, which allows point clouds to be created from 360-degree images.

"Generating photogrammetric model quality from 360-degree images depends on the spherical cameras used as well as the software processing capability,” said Lisa Chen, Technical Communications Manager, Pix4D. “NCTech’s iSTAR camera has great stitching quality and factory calibration which leads to a perfect combination with Pix4D software and a purely automatic 3D reconstruction."

Measurement module
NCTech will also be showing how partners Arithmetica and Veesus have integrated the company’s new Measurement Module into their software offerings. The Measurement Module is delivered as an NCTech SDK and enables iSTAR users to take measurements from directly within a spherical image by combining a ‘stereo pair’ of iSTAR images.

The measurements generated are valuable for applications such as asset management, construction, forensic evidence collection and surveying. Key benefits to these markets include iSTAR’s high speed of capture and the ability to rapidly cover large areas on-site and take measurements later.

The NCTech SDK is provided free of charge to enable third-parties to build the measurement capability into their own software and become part of the new “NCTech Integrated” partner community.

Designed for rapid 360 degree imaging, iSTAR is a panoramic camera that precisely captures full spherical immersive images for fast, efficient visual documentation of an environment.

“We have recently forged a lot of exciting new relationships in the industry, and we’re looking forward to showing the INTERGEO audience what those relationships have resulted in,” said Cameron Ure, CEO, NCTech.

Next week, NCTech is an exhibitor at INTERGEO, located in Hall 1, Booth D1049.

INTERGEO is the world’s leading innovation platform for the geospatial market. With over half a million event website users each year and over 16,500 visitors from more than 100 countries, INTERGEO is one of the key platforms for industry dialogue around the world.

About NCTech
NCTech designs and manufactures leading 360 degree reality imaging systems that automate and streamline the workflow of image documentation and can be used repeatedly, accurately, consistently by anyone anywhere.

NCTech’s industrial-grade camera, iSTAR®, is a fast, fully automatic, 50 megapixel, 360 degree HDR camera. Fully calibrated for high precision applications such as colourisation of laser scans or extracting photogrammetric measurements, iSTAR has multiple applications: from covert operations and police reporting of crime scenes to 3D laser documentation and asset management for the engineering and heritage sectors. In 2015, the company launched iris360, a camera intended for aesthetic panoramic image capture and fully integrated with Google Maps’ new Street View app.

NCTech is headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland and is funded by Archangel Investors Ltd and the Scottish Co-Investment Fund. For more information, visit www.nctechimaging.com