The terrestrial and aerial components of a European spatial and urban mapping project

Developing a good, high-resolution 3-D map is a long, tedious and expensive process: a vehicle scans the surrounding environment from ground level up to the top of roofs or trees, while an aerial perspective is added using a drone. But a new approach, in which the terrestrial vehicle and drone are operated in tandem, has now been developed as part of a European project called mapKITE. EPFL researchers are involved in the consortium, which is funded by the H2020 program, and have designed some of