INDUSTRY INTERVIEW: Fugro Earth Data
INDUSTRY INTERVIEW
Interview with Edward Saade
President and Managing Director
Fugro EarthData
Q: Can you tell us about your company and the products and services it offers to government customers?
A: Fugro EarthData is a remote sensing, mapping and GIS services company located in Frederick, Md. We have a long and successful history working with the National Geospatial- Intelligence Agency and other defense customers, utilizing advanced airborne imaging, lidar and radar systems to deliver specialized geospatial information solutions. As part of Fugro, an international geotechnical, survey and geosciences services organization, we offer additional services related to terrestrial and hydrographic surveys, satellite imaging and interpretation, and coastal zone mapping.
Q: What unique benefits does your company offer military customers?
A: I would characterize our benefits in terms of technology, experience and global resources. With regard to technology, we provide end-toend capabilities for a full range of airborne data acquisition, map development, 3D visualization and data dissemination services. We also routinely invest in new technology to answer unmet needs and to improve data quality, usefulness, and production efficiencies. GeoSAR, our unique dual-band IFSAR mapping system, is one such example. Commercialized by Fugro EarthData in 2002, GeoSAR began as an R&D program led by NASA JPL and managed by several defense agencies to develop a day-or-night, all-weather mapping system with foliage penetration capabilities for efficient and accurate mapping over large and often denied areas with little need for ancillary source information.
In terms of experience, over the past two decades, we have worked with all branches of the military, serving as both prime and subcontractor partners on numerous indefinite delivery contracts. Our staff understands the needs and expectations of these different customer groups and has a proven track record managing large, multi-year, multi-million-dollar contracts. We also have experience deploying to and working in foreign countries.
As for global resources, with 275 affiliate offices located in 60 countries and active in some of the world’s largest infrastructure development projects, we have unparalleled access to commercial airborne assets, ground surveying teams and on-the-ground logistical support worldwide. Given the expanded range of services we can provide through our affiliate companies, as well as the depth of geospatial and engineering expertise, Fugro EarthData is uniquely qualified to serve U.S. and foreignfriendly defense needs anywhere in the world.
Q: How does Fugro EarthData use aerial photography and lidar and imaging radar (Geo-SAR) technology to produce high-accuracy 3D terrain models of the earth’s surface?
A: For mapping projects requiring high accuracy terrain elevation models, we operate a broad range of sensors and have the luxury of being able to provide to our customers the most effective approach based on their needs and the type of terrain they are mapping. Domestically, we most often employ airborne lidar mapping technology, since it delivers a much denser terrain elevation model than is possible using photogrammetric methods. We own and operate the latest Leica ALS50-II lidar sensors for efficient, detailed and costeffective lidar data collection. For corridor projects that require ultra-dense terrain data, we utilize Fugro’s FLI-MAP helicopter-mounted lidar mapping system. If projects require elevation modeling over large regions or difficult-to- map terrain, as is the case with most of our overseas work, we turn to GeoSAR, which delivers rich topographic and thematic map information, including very detailed 3D elevation models.
In addition to terrain elevation modeling, Fugro also provides a wide range of near-shore and offshore hydrographic surveying and bathymetric mapping capabilities, from airborne lidar bathymetry in coastal and riverine waters to multi-beam echo sounding in the deep ocean. These land/sea mapping capabilities, coupled with our global reach, make Fugro EarthData a unique resource for littoral mapping projects.
Q: What are some examples of your projects related to national security, and what benefits have you provided your customers?
A: I can point to three examples that demonstrate the combination of technology, experience and global resources we offer.
Working with NGA, we have acquired over 350,000 square kilometers of GeoSAR data in South America to update decades-old maps and provide data where none previously existed, in support of humanitarian and military activities related to poverty, insurgency and illegal trafficking.
We have mapped over 150 military installations, many of them multiple times. Much of this work has been for the National Guard Bureau’s digital land base mapping program. Having helped establish a model for the NGB program in 2001, Fugro EarthData introduced all-digital technologies in 2006 using our Leica ADS40 digital imaging sensor and Pixel Factory processing. This new approach provides faster project turnaround and the ability to provide deliverables in multiple renditions for specific end-user applications.
Working with the Army Corps of Engineers, we have served as the primary provider of emergency route studies, combining information about a country’s major surface transportation systems with terrain, climate and environmental details, to help Army and other defense department contingency planners move personnel safely through foreign lands.
Q: Is there anything else you would like to add?
A: Fugro EarthData is fully committed to providing the U.S. government, as well as foreignfriendly nations, with every airborne mapping capability commercially available today. We have the technology, experience and resources to answer defense agency needs for geospatial data anywhere in the world, regardless of project timing, size or difficulty. ♦
