Graz, Austria ” March 18, 2015 ” Dutch company Slagboom & Peeters has contracted with Microsoft's UltraCam business unit and subsidiary to purchase an UltraCam Eagle digital aerial camera system. To achieve the best results in its typical projects, such as oil and gas, national mapping, and transportation, the company selected a 100mm lens for the new camera.
We chose to equip all three of our UltraCam Eagles with 100mm focal length lenses because most of the data we acquire is meant for orthophoto production, said Yoeri Slagboom, owner of Slagboom & Peeters. We often need to fly above traffic in congested areas, so the ability to fly at a high altitude while still minimizing building lean is very important to us.
Slagboom continued, The UltraCam Eagle complements our fleet, which now totals three Eagle digital systems and two UltraCamXp cameras. Next year we will begin phasing out our UltraCamXp cameras in favor of the Eagle due to the Eagle's ease of use, lighter weight and larger footprint. By operating identical equipment we can offer our customers backups of the same camera system. We can also deploy multiple aircraft to an area and work on the same flight plan. This flexibility in deployment makes it possible to acquire the data faster and at lower cost.
The UltraCam Eagle has an exchangeable lens system for added flexibility and an integrated modular sensor head. Compared to previous UltraCam systems, the smaller physical form factor of the UltraCam system requires less aircraft space, weighs less for more efficient aircraft fuel consumption, and is easier and quicker to install.
Microsoft is pleased to continue its relationship with Slagboom & Peeters, an innovative customer since 2005, said Alexander Wiechert, Microsoft Business Director. As Slagboom grows its business worldwide, the UltraCam Eagle will provide the flexibility and advanced imaging capabilities needed to remain competitive.
About the UltraCam Eagle
The third-generation UltraCam Eagle includes the following features:
- Pan image footprint of 20,010 pixels across the flight strip
- Enhanced electronics for improved frame rate and less noise (72 dB signal-to-noise ratio for high image dynamic) when compared to previous UltraCam systems
- Innovative high-resolution, high-performance lenses and state-of-the-art CCD technology (@ 5.2 µm pixel size) for sharp images with a high dynamic range
- Exchangeable lens system with 80mm, 100mm, and 210mm options
About Microsoft's UltraCam Business Unit
With its operations based in Graz, Austria, and sales and support teams in North America, Microsoft's UltraCam business unit brings more than two decades of photogrammetry expertise to Microsoft's Bing Maps business unit. The division is responsible for the highly successful line of UltraCam digital aerial mapping systems that today include the UltraCamHawk, UltraCam Falcon, and UltraCam Eagle digital photogrammetric sensors, and the UltraCam Osprey nadir/oblique photogrammetric digital aerial sensor. Also offered is the UltraNav Flight Management and Direct Georeferencing system, designed to maximize the efficiency of UltraCam aerial mapping. Rounding out the UltraCam offerings is the fully integrated UltraMap workflow software system, with features that include high-density 3D point cloud creation, highly accurate and detailed digital surface model (DSM) generation, and ortho mosaicing capabilities based on an automatically generated DSM or traditional DSM.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
About Slagboom & Peeters
Founded in 1961, Slagboom & Peeters Aerial Surveys provides high-end aerial data acquisition and in-house processing services from its base at the Teuge Airport in the Netherlands. Its products include orthophotos, 3D models, geo-oblique images and mobile mapping solutions. A recently acquired Citation 550 Jet completes a fleet of six aircraft and five UltraCam digital cameras. The company has earned a prominent place in the market in the Netherlands and worldwide. Slagboom & Peeters also offers complete units of turbine aircraft+Eagle camera+crew to fly for fellow data acquisition companies. For additional information please go to www.slagboomenpeeters.com.
