Visit Support Centre Find a Distributor Contact us
x

We're listening to our customers!

Please let us know how you feel about the new site.

Want to tell us later? You can find this form at the bottom of the home page
Skip to content
OxTS
Press ENTER to search or ESC to close
Close
Back
  • Technical Support Centre
  • Latest news and resources
  • Automotive
    • Applications
      • ADAS Testing
      • Autonomous Vehicle Testing
      • Vehicle Dynamics Testing
      • Motorcycle Testing
      • Motorsport
      • Indoor Positioning Solutions
    • Products
      • RT500
      • RT1003
      • RT3000
      • RT-Range
    • Powering OXTS Performance
      • Automotive Accessories
      • Software and Plugins
      • Calibrations, Support & Training
      • gx/ix™️ Tight-Coupling Technology
      • Custom Development Projects
      • Georeferencing & Boresight Tool
      • Integrated Solutions
      • Industry Expertise
        • What Our Customers Say
        • Events
        • Webinars
        • Latest news and resources
        • Automotive sponsorships
  • Survey & Mapping
    • Applications
      • Mobile Mapping
      • Aerial Mapping
      • UAV Mapping
    • Products
      • Survey+ v3
      • NEW xNAV650
      • xNAV v3
      • xOEM v3 board set
      • OxTS Georeferencer
    • Powering OXTS Performance
      • gx/ix™️ Tight-Coupling Technology
      • Software and Plugins
      • Calibrations, Support & Training
      • Survey & Mapping Accessories
      • Custom Development Projects
      • Integrated Solutions
    • Tech Partners
      • Hesai
      • Ouster
      • Velodyne
      • Zoller & Frohlich
    • Industry Expertise
      • What Our Customers Say
      • Events
      • Webinars
      • Latest news and resources
  • Integrated Solutions
    • Solution Overview
    • Products
      • xOEM1000
      • OEM1000
      • OEM3000 v3
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Our People
    • Latest news and resources
    • Subscribe to OxTS eNews
    • Become an OxTS distributor
  • Careers
    • Our Culture
    • Working at OxTS
    • Current Vacancies
  • Contact
  • Automotive
    • Applications
      • ADAS Testing
      • Autonomous Vehicle Testing
      • Vehicle Dynamics Testing
    • Products
      • RT500
      • RT1003
      • RT3000
      • RT-Range
    • Powering OXTS Performance
      • Automotive Accessories
      • Software & Plugins
      • Calibrations, Support & Training
      • gx/ix™️ Tight-Coupling Technology
      • Custom Development Projects
      • Georeferencing & Boresight Tool
      • Integrated Solutions
      • Industry Expertise
        • What Our Customers Say
        • Events
        • Webinars
        • Latest news and resources
  • Survey & Mapping
    • Applications
      • Mobile Mapping
      • Aerial Mapping
      • UAV Mapping
    • Products
      • Survey+ v3
        • xNAV650
      • xNAV v3
      • xOEM v3 board set
      • OxTS Georeferencer
    • Powering OXTS Performance
      • gx/ix™️ Tight-Coupling Technology
      • Software & Plugins
      • Calibrations, Support & Training
      • Survey & Mapping Accessories
      • Custom Development Projects
      • Integrated Solutions
      • Industry Expertise
        • What Our Customers Say
        • Events
        • Webinars
        • Latest news and resources
  • Integrated Solutions
    • Solution Overview
    • Products
      • xOEM1000
      • OEM1000
      • OEM3000 v3
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Our People
    • Latest news and resources
  • Careers
    • Our Culture
    • Working at OxTS
    • Current Vacancies
  • Contact
  • Automotive
    • Applications
      • Autonomous Vehicle Testing
      • Vehicle Dynamics Testing and Analysis
      • ADAS Testing
    • Products
      • RT1003
      • RT3000 v3
      • Automotive Accessories
    • Services
      • Product training
      • Calibrations
      • Maintenance Agreements
      • Custom development projects
      • Software
        • NAVconfig
        • NAVgraph
        • NAVdisplay
        • NAVsolve
        • RT-Range Suite
  • Surveying & Mapping
    • Applications
      • Aerial Mapping
      • Mobile Mapping
      • UAV based mapping
    • Products
      • Survey+ v3
      • xNAV v3
      • xOEM v3 board set
      • xOEMcore
      • Survey Accessories
    • Services
      • Product training
      • Calibrations
      • Maintenance Agreements
      • Custom development projects
      • Software
        • NAVconfig
        • NAVgraph
        • NAVdisplay
        • NAVsolve
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Automotive
    • Applications
      • ADAS Testing
      • Autonomous Vehicle Testing
      • Vehicle Dynamics Testing
    • Products
      • RT500
      • RT1003
      • RT3000
      • RT-Range
    • Powering OXTS Performance
      • Automotive Accessories
      • Software & Plugins
      • Calibrations, Support & Training
      • gx/ix™️ Tight-Coupling Technology
      • Custom Development Projects
      • Georeferencing & Boresight Tool
      • Integrated Solutions
      • Industry Expertise
        • What Our Customers Say
        • Events
        • Webinars
        • Latest news and resources
  • Survey & Mapping
    • Applications
      • Mobile Mapping
      • Aerial Mapping
      • UAV Mapping
    • Products
      • Survey+ v3
        • xNAV650
      • xNAV v3
      • xOEM v3 board set
      • OxTS Georeferencer
    • Powering OXTS Performance
      • gx/ix™️ Tight-Coupling Technology
      • Software & Plugins
      • Calibrations, Support & Training
      • Survey & Mapping Accessories
      • Custom Development Projects
      • Integrated Solutions
      • Industry Expertise
        • What Our Customers Say
        • Events
        • Webinars
        • Latest news and resources
  • Integrated Solutions
    • Solution Overview
    • Products
      • xOEM1000
      • OEM1000
      • OEM3000 v3
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Our People
    • Latest news and resources
  • Careers
    • Our Culture
    • Working at OxTS
    • Current Vacancies
  • Contact
  • Automotive
    • Applications
      • Autonomous Vehicle Testing
      • Vehicle Dynamics Testing and Analysis
      • ADAS Testing
    • Products
      • RT500 v1
      • RT1003
      • RT3000
      • RT-Range (for ADAS)
  • Surveying & Mapping
    • Applications
      • Aerial Mapping
      • Mobile Mapping
      • UAV based mapping
    • Products
      • Survey+ v3
        • xNAV650
      • xNAV v3
      • xOEM v3 board set
      • OxTS Georeferencer and Boresight Tool
  • OxTS Integrated Solutions
  • About Us
    • Latest news and resources
  • Contact
  • Automotive
    • Applications
      • ADAS Testing
      • Autonomous Vehicle Testing
      • Vehicle Dynamics Testing
    • Products
      • RT500
      • RT1003
      • RT3000
      • RT-Range
    • Powering OXTS Performance
      • Automotive Accessories
      • Software & Plugins
      • Calibrations, Support & Training
      • gx/ix™️ Tight-Coupling Technology
      • Custom Development Projects
      • Georeferencing & Boresight Tool
      • Integrated Solutions
      • Industry Expertise
        • What Our Customers Say
        • Events
        • Webinars
        • Latest news and resources
  • Survey & Mapping
    • Applications
      • Mobile Mapping
      • Aerial Mapping
      • UAV Mapping
    • Products
      • Survey+ v3
        • xNAV650
      • xNAV v3
      • xOEM v3 board set
      • OxTS Georeferencer
    • Powering OXTS Performance
      • gx/ix™️ Tight-Coupling Technology
      • Software & Plugins
      • Calibrations, Support & Training
      • Survey & Mapping Accessories
      • Custom Development Projects
      • Integrated Solutions
      • Industry Expertise
        • What Our Customers Say
        • Events
        • Webinars
        • Latest news and resources
  • Integrated Solutions
    • Solution Overview
    • Products
      • xOEM1000
      • OEM1000
      • OEM3000 v3
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Our People
    • Latest news and resources
  • Careers
    • Our Culture
    • Working at OxTS
    • Current Vacancies
  • Contact

Home / Products / OxTS Georeferencer and Boresight Tool

Select an option

OxTS Georeferencer and Boresight Tool

Georeference LiDAR data from multiple sensors with OxTS Georeferencer

product image
Enquire about this product
Find a distributor
Request a demo

OxTS Georeferencer

OxTS Georeferencer is a software tool developed by OxTS to combine INS trajectory data with raw LiDAR data to create a georeferenced 3D Pointcloud.

OxTS Georeferencer takes a file collected with a LiDAR scanner (synchronised in real-time with an OxTS inertial navigation system), a processed navigation trajectory file from the OxTS INS, and some required configuration files, to create a LAS pointcloud file that can be viewed in many 3rd party LiDAR software packages.

Thanks to our experience in calibration techniques, we have been able to develop a data-driven technique that helps system integrators and end users to start their work with confidence that their INS and LiDAR hardware has been installed precisely and accurately.

 

OxTS Georeferencer CTA

OxTS Georeferencer GUI inertial navigation system software showing LiDAR and NCOM

LiDAR Surveying Brochure

OxTS inertial navigation systems provide end users with absolute position and highly accurate inertial measurement information. This information allows them to georeference pointclouds from multiple LiDAR sensors.

These measurements help increase survey repeatability, cut down the time to survey, intelligently analyse data, improve final results and increase project ROI.

Read the OxTS LiDAR Surveying brochure to find out more.

 

Read Brochure CTA Button

OxTS LiDAR surveying brochure

OxTS Georeferencer 'How To' Tutorial

Learn the basics of using OxTS Georeferencer with this short tutorial video.

During the tutorial, OxTS Product Engineer Jacob Amacker discusses:

  • How to use OxTS Georeferencer
  • The different files required for the compatible LiDAR sensors
  • How to check your surveying route
  • The different processing options OxTS Georeferencer offers
  • The georeferencing, pointcloud creation feature

Jacob also demonstrates the boresight calibration tool available within OxTS Georeferencer and shows example pointclouds. He then explains how the different options described play into the final results of these.

 

Follow OxTS on Social Media

Be the first to learn about what’s going on at OxTS by following us on Social Media.

We post regular updates to our Social Media platforms including information about new product updates, the latest webinars from our Centre of Excellence webinar series, and other ad-hoc information about what we’ve been up to.

We also regularly post the latest industry news to our LinkedIn showcase pages so be sure not to miss a thing by following our pages below.

 

LinkedIn Showcase Pages

LinkedIn – Mobile Mapping

LinkedIn – UAV Based Mapping

LinkedIn – Aerial Survey

   

 

 

 

OxTS Twitter and YouTube Channels

OxTS Twitter

OxTS YouTube

Boresight Calibration

Boresight calibration is an essential part of INS and LiDAR integration.

If the coordinate systems of the two devices do not match perfectly then the georeferencing of LiDAR data will diverge over longer ranges and result in a less accurate pointcloud.

OxTS Georeferencer includes the ability to boresight supported LiDAR devices in order to ensure the user can produce clean and reliable data every time.

The results of running a boresight calibration are sometimes very clear, and sometimes marginal, but the objective is the same – align all sensors on the vehicle to the same coordinate system to ensure a high level of accuracy, regardless of a predefined test scenario.

A boresighted system allows for complete flexibility over the way you perform a survey.

Boresight Calibration Brochure

Precisely calibrating the angles between your survey (LiDAR, camera) and navigation (INS) devices is a critical part of any survey. If the angles aren’t measured precisely enough, it can have a negative effect on your final results.

Employing a data-driven technique can help you quickly and easily overcome this challenge.

Read the OxTS Boresight Calibration brochure to learn how this can be achieved.

 

Read Brochure CTA Button

 

OxTS boresight calibration brochure

Webinar: Improving LiDAR Surveying Applications with a data-driven approach to hardware set-up

OxTS Webinar Image

Join Jacob Amacker, OxTS Product Engineer at 15:30 hrs (GMT) on Thursday, 25th February as we talk about using data for boresight calibration. During the webinar you will:

  • Learn why this calibration is so important.
  • Understand how adopting a data-driven technique to calibration can help you streamline operations and increase ROI.
  • See example before and after calibration results.

The webinar is free to register and all registrants will receive a recording after the event.

 

Register Here

Boresight comparison slider

Comparison1 – Full environment pointcloud

The below ‘full environment’ pointcloud clearly shows the difference between a boresighted and unboresighted pointcloud. The ‘before’ example suffers from blurring and double vision whereas the boresighted ‘after’ example is much clearer and the blurring and double vision has been eliminated.

Comparison2 – cross-section pointcloud

The below ‘tree’ pointcloud compares the final output from an OxTS xNAV INS with an OxTS Survey+ INS. The data was processed using OxTS’ LiDAR georeferencing software OxTS Georeferencer.

The post (on the left of the pointcloud) and the building (on the right of the pointcloud) suffer from double vision, however this is eliminated when using OxTS’ flagship INS the Survey+ alongside OxTS Georeferencer.

The Survey+ v3 INS is ideal for mobile mapping based applications, whereas the xNAV v3 INS, a smaller, lightweight INS is ideal for UAV based survey applications.

Comparison3 – Scaffolding pointcloud

The below ‘scaffolding’ pointcloud again compares the final output from an OxTS xNAV INS with an OxTS Survey+ INS. The data was processed using OxTS’ LiDAR georeferencing software OxTS Georeferencer.

In this example it is clear to see the intelligent colourisation feature within OxTS Georeferencer in use.

This feature clearly indicates which points within a LiDAR survey are the most accurate. This gives surveyors the ability to decide which parts of a survey they want to keep and which areas may need to be surveyed again.

Comparison4 – Targets only

The below before and after examples clearly show the difference between a boresighted and unboresighted pointcloud.

The examples below show two 80 cm x 80 cm square targets. In the ‘before boresight’ example you can clearly see the targets suffer from double vision and appear as four. However, once the angles between the INS and the LiDAR sensors have been calibrated using a data-driven technique, the double vision has been completely eliminated and the two targets are clearly visible and much sharper.

Check if your LiDAR device is supported for Boresighting and Georeferencing by taking a look at the ‘supported devices’ tab or by downloading the OxTS LiDAR Survey brochure

Contact OxTS at info@oxts.com for more information, or check out our sample data!

OxTS Georeferencer Process Flow

OxTS Georeferencer’s main function is to synchronise and fuse the OxTS INS and LiDAR data sets.

A LiDAR sensor can sense range to a target, but it has no internal knowledge of when or where it is, or where it has moved to since the last scan occurred. This is where the INS adds essential information:

  • Nanosecond accurate time (Survey grade GNSS receivers)
  • RTK/PPK accurate position (Survey grade GNSS receivers and tightly-coupled navigation engine)
  • Accurate heading, pitch, and roll (Survey grade IMU sensors)

Thanks to live accuracies being reported as well, the data can be intelligently filtered based on estimated position/orientation accuracy of the INS, allowing you to perform less clean-up of the data in post-processing.

OxTS Georeferencer Process Flow

Boresight Calibration Brochure

Precisely calibrating the angles between your survey (LiDAR, camera) and navigation (INS) devices is a critical part of any survey. If the angles aren’t measured precisely enough, it can have a negative effect on your final results.

Employing a data-driven technique can help you quickly and easily overcome this challenge.

Read the OxTS Boresight Calibration brochure to learn how this can be achieved.

 

Read Brochure CTA Button

OxTS boresight calibration brochure

ManufacturerLiDAR modelSoftware version requiredStatus
VelodyneVLP-16 Puck21.0.15.0 / 20.1.15.34193Tested
VelodyneVLP-16 Puck LITE21.0.15.0 / 20.1.15.34193Beta
VelodyneVLP-32C21.0.15.0Beta
VelodyneAlpha Prime VLS12821.0.15.0Beta
HesaiPandar40P21.0.15.0Beta
OusterAll Gen2 (32, 64 & 128 versions of OS0, OS1 & OS2 sensors)21.0.15.0Beta
OusterOS1-6421.0.15.0Tested

 

NOTE: 3rd party INS devices are not supported due to the data manipulation for synchronisation and quality assurance (specific accuracy and status messages from NCOM are required for processing)

If you are interested in other LiDAR sensors being supported by OxTS Georferencer, contact us at info@oxts.com. We may already be planning to integrate the sensor you want!

xNAV v3

The high performance, lightweight, INS for drone and UAV...

Survey+ v3

Our flagship INS for land-based mobile mapping and manned aircraft...

xOEM v3 board set

Our lightweight, next generation INS board set for system integrators...

Example Pointclouds

The below pointcloud examples have been produced using OxTS Survey Inertial Navigation Systems and a Velodyne VLP-16 LiDAR sensor. The data was georeferenced using OxTS Georeferencer.

The example pointcloud data is free to download and use.

Open Road

This data was collected using an OxTS xNAV550 and a Velodyne VLP-16.

The LiDAR was mounted to the rear window of the vehicle in order to create the highest density view of the road surface in the resulting pointcloud.

Data can be downloaded here

 

Open Road data set

Tree Canopy

This data was collected using an OxTS xNAV550 and a Velodyne VLP-16.

The LiDAR was mounted to the rear window of the vehicle in order to create the highest density view of the road surface in the resulting pointcloud.

Data can be downloaded here

 

Tree Canopy data set

Airfield

This data was collected using an OxTS xNAV550 and a Velodyne VLP-16.

The LiDAR was mounted on the front of the roof at an incline of 10 degrees in order to ensure the best field of view of the road ahead and building features in the surrounding area.

Data can be downloaded here

 

Airfield data set

Before boresight calibration

This data was collected using an OxTS xNAV550 and a Velodyne VLP-16.

The Inertial Navigation System/LiDAR payload was mounted on a DJI Matrice 600 pro UAV that was custom made by the user.

Data can be downloaded here

 

Retroreflective targets before boresight calibration

After boresight calibration

This data was collected using an OxTS xNAV550 and a Velodyne VLP-16 .

The Inertial Navigation System/LiDAR payload was mounted on a DJI Matrice 600 pro UAV that was custom made by the user.

Data can be downloaded here

 

Retroreflective targets after boresight calibration

Raw data files

The below raw data files are free for users to download and use. OxTS Georeferencer requires a LiDAR file (pcap or lcom), a navigation data file (ncom) and hardware configuration files (lip, lir and vat).

There are a number of raw data files available to use. These are from a survey completed using an OxTS Survey+ v3 INS and a Velodyne VLP-16 LiDAR.

Raw data files can be downloaded here

  • There are two NCOM navigation files. One of these is the full survey that includes both the boresight and the road survey. The other is cropped for the boresight only.
  • There are two LCOM LiDAR data files. One of these is the road survey and one is the boresight. These do not have to be recorded separately.
  • There are both calibrated and uncalibrated configuration files that have been calibrated using the boresight calibration functionality.
  • There is one VAT configuration file.
return to top

Return to top

OxTS OxTS

Contact OXTS

  • info@oxts.com
  • +44 (0) 1869 814 253
  • +44 (0) 1869 251 764

Address

Oxford Technical Solutions Ltd.
Park Farm Business Centre
Middleton Stoney, Oxfordshire
OX25 4AL
United Kingdom

We're Social!

  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

© Oxford Technical Solutions Ltd 2021
  • Terms of use
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookie policy
  • Anti-bribery policy
  • Sitemap
,