NUVIEW, a space research and technology company based in Florida, has announced that it is building a constellation of satellites to capture and map the entire surface of the Earth in 3D using LiDAR technology. LiDAR, short for Light Detection and Ranging, uses pulsed lasers to measure distances to a given target or area accurately and consistently. NUVIEW’s LiDAR satellite constellation will collect data “more than 100 times faster than current commercial aerial solutions,” providing the first, most complete, high-resolution 3D point cloud of the Earth’s surface. The company made the announcement during the Geospatial World Forum in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Although it remains unclear when the company will launch its LiDAR constellation, NUVIEW has amassed $1.2 billion in contracts.

Clint Graumann, CEO & Co-Founder of NUVIEW, said in an official press release, “NUVIEW is thrilled to be leading a new era in geospatial technology to provide the first, most complete, high-resolution 3D point cloud of the Earth’s surface. Our LiDAR satellite constellation will offer a wealth of information that has never before been available at scale, driving innovation and progress throughout numerous industries and revolutionizing the way we understand and interact with our planet.”

The geospatial industry is expected to grow up to $1.7 trillion, and NUVIEW is looking to make heavy inroads to unlock the potential of this market. NUVIEW plans to employ LiDAR data to monitor infrastructure development, urban growth, and natural events, which will play a critical role in climate change, forestry, and disaster response. The company’s technology will enable farmers to optimize crop yields and water usage, while city planners can create more efficient and sustainable urban environments.

LiDAR platforms are already mounted on several satellites orbiting the Earth, like NASA’s Ice Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat), and a LiDAR sensor was installed on the International Space Station in 2019. NUVIEW’s constellation of satellites will take this technology to the next level by providing high-resolution 3D images of the entire planet.

The ability to capture and map the entire surface of the Earth in 3D could have significant implications for a variety of industries, from agriculture to urban planning to disaster response. NUVIEW’s LiDAR satellite constellation will provide data that has never been available before at this scale, driving innovation and progress throughout numerous industries and revolutionizing the way we understand and interact with our planet. As the geospatial industry continues to grow, it will be exciting to see what other breakthroughs and developments will emerge in the field of Earth observation technology.

By Impact Lab