Toronto, April 2006 – Optech Incorporated, the global market leader in the development and manufacture of laser-based survey instruments, is pleased to announce the sale of an ALTM 3100EA Airborne Laser Terrain Mapper to Norway-based Blom Geomatics (BLOM). This system is BLOM’s second purchase from Optech in 16 months. BLOM’s existing ALTM 3100 will be upgraded to an ALTM 3100EA model.
Optech and BLOM began partnering in 1995, when BLOM began operating a rented ALTM. In 1999, BLOM purchased their first ALTM from Optech—an ALTM 1210—which was later upgraded to an ALTM 1233. In September 2004, BLOM invested in a new ALTM 3100. BLOM was so impressed with its quality that they invested in an additional system, the new ALTM 3100EA, which was delivered in late March, 2006.
“I see the ALTM 3100 as the best system in the world at the moment,” says Andreas Holter, Managing Director at BLOM. Having two ALTM 3100EA systems will enable BLOM to have greater flexibility in its projects. The company will use the ALTMs to acquire data for clients in Norway, Baltic countries, and Northern Europe. Most of BLOM’s projects are for the forestry, topographic mapping and flood mapping industries.
BLOM is the first company to include the Applanix DSS322 digital camera as an option in its ALTM. The result is “a killer application between Applanix and Optech, and we look forward to further integration of the two companies,” says Holter. Purchasing the DSS322 digital camera component shows BLOM’s foresight in being equipped for a marketplace where sensor fusion is a growing trend and competition is fierce. Key aspects of the ALTM 3100 EA that are important to BLOM are its reliability, accuracy, flexibility and upgradeability.
Don Carswell, President of Optech, has had a close relationship with BLOM since the start of their 11-year history. “We’re delighted that Blom Geomatics continues to invest in scanned time-of-flight lidar,” says Carswell. “Our longstanding relationship with Blom Geomatics has enabled us to better understand their business and to provide cutting-edge solutions that continue to address their needs. The purchase of their newest ALTM strategically positions Blom Geomatics as a leader in their marketplace and ultimately will provide the highest level of accuracy possible for their customers worldwide.”
BLOM’s newest acquisition is further evidence of the increasing importance of Optech’s role in providing high-accuracy 3D digital terrain and surface models to the expanding airborne lidar market. The ALTM 3100EA is the leading airborne laser scanner in the world today. The latest in a line of highly successful airborne laser scanners, the ALTM 3100EA outperforms its previous models. The major improvement of the original 3100 model was a higher maximum pulse repetition rate of 100 kHz. The 3100EA, with the Enhanced Accuracy module, enables fast, detailed and accurate collection of data in support of large-scale mapping requirements.
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