BY DANIEL TAL, ASLA
When it comes to new technologies, small investments can lead to big returns.
FROM THE MARCH 2017 ISSUE OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE MAGAZINE.
As at many small firms, five years ago, the technology in THK Associates?s office mainly consisted of hand-drawn plans, some 3-D modeling, Photoshop, and CAD. Now, the firm is incorporating drones, 3-D printing, and virtual reality into many of its projects. Thanks in large part to Jon Altschuld, ASLA, a landscape architect and project manager at the Denver-based firm, THK is an example of how small firms can integrate new technologies into practice with little overhead.
On a number of recent projects, the firm used drones to collect 3-D terrain data and turn it into high-resolution aerials. Using an application called Maps Made Easy, Altschuld can automate the flight path of the firm?s Phantom 4 drone in as little as 15 minutes. The drone snaps a series of photographs that are then uploaded to Maps Made Easy?s cloud server, where they are processed into a 3-D model. The app does all the work and provides a 3-D file that can be used in typical CAD and 3-D modeling programs. The firm pays to process the images, but the cost is as low as $15. The total investment, including the drone and the software, is around $1,500, including a pilot?s license and registration to fly the vehicle. ?We plan on using it in as many of our local projects as possible,? Altschuld says of the drone. ?The cost is super low to obtain the data...