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NV5 Geospatial Blog

Each month, NV5 Geospatial posts new blog content across a variety of categories. Browse our latest posts below to learn about important geospatial information or use the search bar to find a specific topic or author. Stay informed of the latest blog posts, events, and technologies by joining our email list!



Mapping Earthquake Deformation in Taiwan With ENVI

Mapping Earthquake Deformation in Taiwan With ENVI

12/15/2025

Unlocking Critical Insights With ENVI® Tools Taiwan sits at the junction of major tectonic plates and regularly experiences powerful earthquakes. Understanding how the ground moves during these events is essential for disaster preparedness, public safety, and building community resilience. But traditional approaches like field... Read More >

Comparing Amplitude and Coherence Time Series With ICEYE US GTR Data and ENVI SARscape

Comparing Amplitude and Coherence Time Series With ICEYE US GTR Data and ENVI SARscape

12/3/2025

Large commercial SAR satellite constellations have opened a new era for persistent Earth monitoring, giving analysts the ability to move beyond simple two-image comparisons into robust time series analysis. By acquiring SAR data with near-identical geometry every 24 hours, Ground Track Repeat (GTR) missions minimize geometric decorrelation,... Read More >

Empowering D&I Analysts to Maximize the Value of SAR

Empowering D&I Analysts to Maximize the Value of SAR

12/1/2025

Defense and intelligence (D&I) analysts rely on high-resolution imagery with frequent revisit times to effectively monitor operational areas. While optical imagery is valuable, it faces limitations from cloud cover, smoke, and in some cases, infrequent revisit times. These challenges can hinder timely and accurate data collection and... Read More >

Easily Share Workflows With the Analytics Repository

Easily Share Workflows With the Analytics Repository

10/27/2025

With the recent release of ENVI® 6.2 and the Analytics Repository, it’s now easier than ever to create and share image processing workflows across your organization. With that in mind, we wrote this blog to: Introduce the Analytics Repository Describe how you can use ENVI’s interactive workflows to... Read More >

Deploy, Share, Repeat: AI Meets the Analytics Repository

Deploy, Share, Repeat: AI Meets the Analytics Repository

10/13/2025

The upcoming release of ENVI® Deep Learning 4.0 makes it easier than ever to import, deploy, and share AI models, including industry-standard ONNX models, using the integrated Analytics Repository. Whether you're building deep learning models in PyTorch, TensorFlow, or using ENVI’s native model creation tools, ENVI... Read More >

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Extracting Building Features from LiDAR and Optical Data

Anonym

As the availability of remotely acquired data continues to grow, high quality imagery is more accessible and less expensive than it was in previous decades. As a result, the need to incorporate remotely sensed imagery into GIS-based analyses continues to increase as well.  Further, LiDAR data can be combined with spectral imagery sources to efficiently provide map and information support for relief and recovery in the aftermath of a disaster, such as an earthquake.  One method of image analysis that can be used to take advantage of remotely sensed data and update GIS databases includes object-based image analysis.

When studying the operational landscape or needing updated information for situational awareness, one important factor that is needed is the quantity and location of building footprints. I n this study, the E3De LiDAR processing tool was used to extract building footprints from a dense LiDAR point cloud collection.  ENVI was used to fuse image data with the processed LiDAR data for enhanced building extraction efforts and attribution. The results from this image analysis process can be provided in raster or vector format, depending on the needs of the user. The results often provide critical, time-sensitive information that can be used, for example, to update a geodatabase, understand how many buildings are of a certain size, or create a map for dissemination to analysts on the ground.

Learn more about E3De, ENVI, and LiDAR feature extracting by attending my presentation at Esri's Federal GIS Conference on Friday, Feburary 24, 2023 in Room 209B at 10:15am.

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