MoreLeica Geosystems (through its Cyra/New Business Div.) announced a strategic partnership with Zoller+Frohlich (Wangen, Germany). Leica will brand label phase-based laser scanning systems from Zoller+Frohlich (Z&F) under Leica’s new family of High-Definition Surveying (HDS) systems focused on as-built, detail and engineering surveys.
The new partnership leverages the key strengths of each company. Z&F is an acknowledged leader in the emerging field of phase-based laser scanners, having helped develop the very first such systems in the 1990s. Leica Geosystems is likewise an acknowledged market leader in surveying & spatial positioning products, including the emerging market for 3D laser scanning hardware, software and related support services. Based on the strengths of the two organizations, Leica Geosystems will sell under the Leica brand and fully support selected Z&F scanners worldwide. The first such Z&F scanner, featuring a maximum 360º x 310º field-of-view (FOV), will be integrated into Leica Geosystems’ High-Definition Surveying (HDS) product portfolio as the HDS4500. Product integration will include compatibility with Leica Geosystems market-leading software, Cyclone and Cyclone CloudWorx. The HDS4500 will join Leica Geosystems’ time-of-flight scanners, the new HDS3000 and the renamed HDS2500, within the High-Definition Surveying systems hardware portfolio.
Phase-based ranging systems utilize a continuous laser beam rather than a pulsing laser inherent to time-of-flight ranging systems. Continuous lasers, in turn, allow ultra-high-speed scanning (from 100,000 pts/sec to >600,000 pts/sec), about one hundred times faster than time-of-flight systems. This speed advantage can be critically important when accurate field data must be collected in a matter of minutes because the site is simply otherwise unavailable for access or because of other field efficiency needs.
The integration of high accuracy time-of-flight laser scanners and phase-based scanners into a single family of products is a first within the industry. The market now has the opportunity to acquire these products from one vendor, Leica Geosystems, with the reassurance that they will all work together within the same software and customer support environment. This capability reinforces Leica’s position as the industry’s first-choice supplier. Through the partnership, Z&F gains immediate, credible access to the broader marketplace on a worldwide scale.
Source: Leica Geosystems
