X

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!


Not All Supernovae Are Created Equal: Rethinking the Universe’s Measuring Tools

Not All Supernovae Are Created Equal: Rethinking the Universe’s Measuring Tools

6/3/2025

Rethinking the Reliability of Type 1a Supernovae   How do astronomers measure the universe? It all starts with distance. From gauging the size of a galaxy to calculating how fast the universe is expanding, measuring cosmic distances is essential to understanding everything in the sky. For nearby stars, astronomers use... Read More >
Using LLMs To Research Remote Sensing Software: Helpful, but Incomplete

Using LLMs To Research Remote Sensing Software: Helpful, but Incomplete

5/26/2025

Whether you’re new to remote sensing or a seasoned expert, there is no doubt that large language models (LLMs) like OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini can be incredibly useful in many aspects of research. From exploring the electromagnetic spectrum to creating object detection models using the latest deep learning... Read More >
From Image to Insight: How GEOINT Automation Is Changing the Speed of Decision-Making

From Image to Insight: How GEOINT Automation Is Changing the Speed of Decision-Making

4/28/2025

When every second counts, the ability to process geospatial data rapidly and accurately isn’t just helpful, it’s critical. Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT) has always played a pivotal role in defense, security, and disaster response. But in high-tempo operations, traditional workflows are no longer fast enough. Analysts are... Read More >
Thermal Infrared Echoes: Illuminating the Last Gasp of a Dying Star

Thermal Infrared Echoes: Illuminating the Last Gasp of a Dying Star

4/24/2025

This blog was written by Eli Dwek, Emeritus, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD and Research Fellow, Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian, Cambridge, MA. It is the fifth blog in a series showcasing our IDL® Fellows program which supports passionate retired IDL users who may need support to continue their work... Read More >
A New Era of Hyperspectral Imaging with ENVI® and Wyvern’s Open Data Program

A New Era of Hyperspectral Imaging with ENVI® and Wyvern’s Open Data Program

2/25/2025

This blog was written in collaboration with Adam O’Connor from Wyvern.   As hyperspectral imaging (HSI) continues to grow in importance, access to high-quality satellite data is key to unlocking new insights in environmental monitoring, agriculture, forestry, mining, security, energy infrastructure management, and more.... Read More >
1345678910Last
«July 2025»
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
293012345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
272829303112
3456789
15596 Rate this article:
4.6

Using LiDAR & Deep Learning for Railroad Maintenance and Asset Management

Joey Griebel

As LiDAR sensors continue to evolve, they are now finding themselves in spaces that were traditionally using only Imagery sensors due to the cost to collect. These LiDAR sensors are now small enough to be flown on a DJI PRO or compact enough to be quickly coupled to the front of a Locomotive and collecting as a train takes its normal route. This opens a new possibility of analyzing vegetation encroachment along a rail corridor from the rail center out at ground level, detailed visualizations with clearance in tunnels, and a new means of being able to manage assets and their elevations.

  

Using our years of vast knowledge of Deep Learning, the team at NV5 Geospatial setout to create a model that would allow us to automatically identify assets along this specific line like power poles, light signals, cabinets, and other assets tied to signaling. As the classifier ran through the dataset it allowed us to build a heatmap of where the assets were along the rail corridor, with a high accuracy of location:

From the heatmap we create our Shape files which are displayed back in the original dataset where we can visually see the accuracy of the points:

Along with visualizing these assets back in the dataset, we colored our points by height, which provides a look into not only the asset height but features along the corridor like trees that me may be a cause for concern:

This end results can also be fused with imagery, giving you further confidence in the accuracy of the location determined of your assets, as well as providing a unique perspective of the corridor for planning:

Though this specific use case focused on identifying the assets along a rail corridor, the same LiDAR dataset can be used to run additional analytics like automatically extracting your rail lines through NV5's Automated Rail Extraction tool, determining vegetation hazards near these lines, and modeling elevation and slope along the rail corridor.

As the sensors continue to evolve in their size and flexibility, this maturing data source will allow Rail Roads to get unique perspectives that allow them to not only get a more accurate count on assets as well as run predictive analytics to help reduce maintenance costs.

Please login or register to post comments.
Using ENVI and MODIS Imagery to Assess Drought Conditions Remote Sensing of Hydrocarbon Microseepage