Col-East to Perform Obstacle Obstruction Survey at Massachusetts Airport
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Col-East to Perform Obstacle Obstruction Survey at Massachusetts Airport

Col-East International Ltd has been contracted to perform an airborne survey and vegetation mapping project at New Bedford Regional Airport in Massachusetts. They will deploy the Vexcel UltraCam Eagle digital camera for the project provided by Bluesky who acquired the company earlier this year.

“The digital camera will enable us to conduct this project faster and with greater accuracy than previously possible,” said Col-East General Manager Mark Thaisz.

The project involves mapping the treetop canopy around the airport as part of an FAA-mandated obstruction evaluation for New Bedford’s secondary runway which is being certified for instrument approaches.

“Airport surveying requires a specialist, and there are only a few companies that know how to do it,” said Robert Mallard, President and CEO of Airport Solutions Group (who hired Col-East). “We selected them for their experience and quality of work.”

At New Bedford, Col-East will establish GPS survey control points on and near the airport before collecting digital aerial imagery covering an approximately 80-square mile area with its UltraCam Eagle camera. The colour imagery will be captured when the trees are in full leaf-on condition for accurate mapping of vegetation canopy. Spatial resolution of the imagery will be 12cm.

Col-East photogrammetrists will extract accurate elevation measurements for all trees and other vegetation, creating 3D models of natural and man-made obstacles in the airport runway approach path. They will submit plans, reports, imagery package and final obstacle survey to the FAA’s AGIS website.

Investment in the Vexcel UltraCam imaging system was the first major advancement made at Col-East since its acquisition by Bluesky International this year, Thaisz explained. He added that clients can expect several new mapping services developed and refined by Bluesky in the UK to be introduced in the coming months.

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