Advanced Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) and reality capture technologies from Inertial Labs, a VIAVI Solutions company, are redefining how communities recover and rebuild after natural disasters.
Whether responding to earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, or wildfires, precise PNT data, combined with high-fidelity imaging and LiDAR, provides the spatial foundation essential for efficient reconstruction.
The devastating 2023 Lahaina wildfire in Maui, Hawaii, which claimed more than 100 lives and destroyed over 2,000 structures, underscored the urgent need for fast, accurate, and scalable mapping solutions.
Basemap Consulting deployed drone-based LiDAR, photogrammetry, and PNT technologies from VIAVI’s Inertial Labs division and Hexagon | NovAtel to support the recovery effort. Using the RESEPI™ Lite system, integrating GNSS-aided inertial navigation, LiDAR, and high-resolution imagery, Basemap generated survey-grade spatial datasets across 1,500 acres of damaged terrain. Post-processed kinematic workflows and IMU integration ensured the precision required for identifying lost property boundaries, assessing terrain changes, and supporting engineering design.
This rapid aerial capture approach dramatically accelerated survey workflows, reducing project labor by up to 80% compared to traditional ground-based methods. By delivering accurate, comprehensive geospatial products to local surveyors, Basemap enabled faster permitting, planning, and reconstruction, demonstrating how PNT-driven reality capture solutions are now indispensable tools for rebuilding resilient communities after catastrophic events.
