Great article on our partner AAM.

Apologies for the length of the article and formatting published in the AFR on Tuesday :

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Tuesday 15 November 2016 | The Australian Financial Review | www.copyright link
ADVERTISING FEATURE

Advances in geospatial solutions
Innovations that make sense of the world
Geospatial technology can help create better cities and better farms. Expert 3D modelling is also vital in industries such as mining and construction.
If you think geospatial technology doesn’t touch your world, think again. Governments rely on it to plan better cities; farmers use it to get the lie of their land.
AAM, a world leader in geospatial technologies, has been modelling the built and natural environment in 3D since 1995. When governments do urban planning, they often rely on AAM’s expert 3D modelling and mapping.
The company’s unique cloud-based geospatial systems have made the technologies accessible and affordable to all sorts of people.
AAM provides cities across Australasia, Africa and Asia with 3D urban models and visualisation software to enable easier and quicker modelling.
Its expertise is in geographic information systems (GIS) that enable the capture, storing, manipulation, analysis, and presentation of geospatial or geographical data.
Mark Freeburn, AAM’s chief executive, says the company’s GIS expertise is used in many sectors, including agriculture, mining, oil and gas, government and construction.
‘‘From renewable energy, environment and across natural resources right into high-density urban planning, we don’t restrict ourselves to a particular industry.’’
Web mapping is a big part of this technology. AAM’s cloud solution, Geocirrus, incorporates the power of Geocortex, a web-based GIS system that’s so functional it encompasses editing, geo- processing, analysis across multiple databases and mobile device capabilities.
‘‘Importantly, it provides a browser-based enterprise GIS interface that is light on resources and easy to use, yet still powerful and at a much reduced cost of ownership,’’ Freeburn says. ‘‘It’s elastic and flexible and we put all our information and data into a browser, which enables any user anywhere in the world to easily access it, and you don’t need special software to run it.’’
Increasing computer capability and power, cloud and network proliferation and data integration are the factors that are helping to drive and expand 3D geospatial markets, he says.
‘‘It wasn’t that long ago that sensors and processing software had their own specialisations, but those boundaries are blurring. Bringing the integration together is a geospatial platform, such as Geocirrus, which at its simplest form we can call WebGIS.
‘‘Terrain, asset vectors, imagery, 3D building models, meshes and textual data can be served to users with bespoke functionality that meets their specific business needs.’’
AAM is the largest private holder of GIS data in Australia. The company has 12 aerial survey aircraft operating throughout Oceania and south-east Asia, equipped with a range of digital aerial camerasandairborneLiDARsystems.AndAAM has plans to introduce long-range unmanned
The building information model (BIM) for the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre served as the centrepiece for better communications and well co-ordinated construction. PHOTO: AAM GROUP
aircraft, which will add even more data-capture capability and flexibility.
‘‘Our airborne operations team can respond rapidly to your project, wherever the location,’’ Freeburn says. ‘‘AAM has the resources, experience and expertise to deliver cost-effective, fit-for- purpose solutions for any enterprise GIS, or engineering requirements.’’
One example of AAM’s innovation is the NRM Spatial Hub it helped develop for Co-operative Research Centre for Spatial Information (CRCSI). Known as the Hub, it gives farmers the capability to map, plan, analyse and monitor large properties’ infrastructure, land resources and ground cover, so that they can improve pastoral and natural- resource management.
The Hub comprises satellite data and AAM’s web maps and analysis tools, developed specifically to meet the needs of pastoralists.
‘‘The Hub was developed in collaboration with CRCSI and more than 20 other organisations,’’ Freeburn says. ‘‘This project makes a significant contributiontothebeefindustry,andtherearenow plans to roll out the Hub to thousands of farmers
across the country. It has become an important element of the livestock industry’s adoption of digital technologies.’’
For the first time, pastoralists can use and compare their data with government data in a secure, consistent and interactive way.
AAM is also a leader in laser scanning and building information models (BIM).
Moreover, the world-first technology that underpins the Hub will contribute significantly to the sustainable management of Australia’s rural properties. Farmers can use the NRM Spatial Hub to query and view maps of their property, and analyse seasonal trends in ground cover within a paddockoracrosstheirentirepropertyinlessthan 30 seconds.
‘‘The NRM Spatial Hub – Underpinning Better Management Decisions in the Rangelands’’ final report (published in April 2016), described the Hub as an Australian first that ‘‘has been acknowledged by members of the global scientific community as a breakthrough in sustainable agriculture’’.
It noted that in January 2016 the Hub was the focus of a front-page article by NASA entitled ‘‘Satellite data helps Australian ranchers meet the rising demand for meat in a changing world’’.
AAM is also a leader in laser scanning and building information models (BIM). A BIM is a digital 3D model of the physical and functional characteristics of a building or structure.
AAM was engaged to upgrade the BIM of the Royal Melbourne Hospital ahead of a major expansion.
‘‘The laser scan proved invaluable in upgrading the accuracy of the BIM,’’ Freeburn says. ‘‘In some areas, windows and columns were displaced by up to 150mm from their actual position.’’
‘‘The spatial upgrading of the BIM ensured that themodelwasaccurateenoughfor construction design.’’
A Global Geo-Solutions Company
www.aamgroup.com

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Tuesday 15 November 2016 | The Australian Financial Review | www.copyright link
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ADVERTISING FEATURE
Advances in geospatial solutions
Left, AAM’s mobile mapping system set up to map Singapore’s 5,500-kilometre road network. Above, Smart city planning is powered by reality city models, building information models and 3D visualisation, such as this Sydney 3D model.
Tech company helping to create smarter cities
Singapore sets the pace for smart cities. AAM is working there, using 3D mapping and geospatial information to improve life for everyone.
those standards and significantly advanced that infrastructure.’’
AAM deployed both aerial and street-level LiDAR and imagery.
It then compiled and delivered Building Information Models (BIMs), and other geospatial information to create photo-realistic, accurate 3D models of commercial buildings in Singapore.
AAM has worked with JTC Corporation, Singapore’s leading developer of commercial and industrial infrastructure, developing a 3D property- management system that draws heavily on the raw power of 3D GIS.
‘‘Users are able to use the innovative 2D/3D web viewer, to view and select commercial or office space across Singapore,’’ Freeburn says.
‘‘The application for GIS data in developing smart city models is endless and Singapore has proven that this is just the beginning.’’
AAM specialists have flown, driven and even walked all of Singapore to set down the entire city- state.
The data was used to generate the 3D National Map, an award-winning project of the Singapore LandAuthority.
That expertise led to AAM working with JTC Corporation on the 3D GIS space management project.
‘‘The JTC space management project saw AAM showcase our capabilities beyond the generation of 3D content,’’ Freeburn says.
‘‘GIS has been widely adopted throughout the Singapore government, and this project literally added another dimension, allowing marketing
departments and building managers to visualise entire buildings in 3D – both inside and out.
‘‘This is all carried out through a web browser, making the system easily accessible for all relevant stakeholders.’’
In 2011 AAM completed an extensive 3D city modelling project in Hong Kong.
The company’s role was to provide spatially correct and photorealistic models, deployed in a versatile and functional 3D GIS.
AAM is now working to help transform 100 Indian metropolises into smart cities.
The purpose of the Indian Smart Cities
Mission is to drive economic growth and improve people’s quality of life by harnessing technology to transform existing urban areas, including slums. AAM is helping to build maps and virtual models for the Indian government and private sector as a framework for geospatial systems of the future.
Already in India, AAM is mapping thousands of kilometres of infrastructure project routes across the nation, using its mobile laser scanning (MLS) technology.

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In many parts of the world, urban planners have only just begun to think about mapping out cities in 3D. Singapore’s government is far ahead of that.
It’s using 3D mapping and geospatial information as an integral part of its smart nation program.
Geospatial specialist AAM has partnered with Singaporean government agencies and various companies, using its unique expertise to help design a smarter city.
Geospatial information identifies where natural, built or cultural objects are located relative to the Earth. Governments, urban planners, transport engineers and emergency services all increasingly rely on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to better plan cities, roads and other infrastructure.
AAM’s chief executive officer, Mark Freeburn, says geospatial information is at the heart of building truly smart cities.
‘‘With the recent leaps in technology redefining howcitiesareplanned,governmentsarenowable to create smart-city models using geospatial data or 3D mapping to improve infrastructure planning, utilities management and provide complex, robust IT systems,’’ he says.
‘‘The application for GIS data in developing smart city models is endless.’’
Founded in 1959, AAM specialises in collecting, analysing and delivering geospatial information. Today it has almost 500 professionals and custom
aircraft at work in Australia, New Zealand, India, south-east Asia and Africa.
AAM’s innovative technology includes advanced systems for the collection, analysis and presentation of GIS, particularly in the urban environment.
AAM is at the forefront in Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), a remote sensing method that uses pulsating laser light to measure ranges or distances.
AAM also uses 3D digital imagery and data visualisation and deployment as part of its systems.
At home in Australia, AAM recently worked with city planners for the Light Rail in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
It also helped the Victorian government build its Metro Rail network.
Further afield, it has worked extensively with the Singaporean government.
After winning several international tenders for thework,AAMdevelopedatrue3DGISfor Singapore’s smart city projects.
It developed the geospatial data and imagery that feeds Singapore’s 3D maps and other smart city projects, including Virtual Singapore and a commercial-space reservation system.
‘‘Singapore has a complex cityscape, high-quality standards and advanced technological infrastructure,’’ Freeburn says.
‘‘AAM’s sophisticated geospatial services met
enabling smart cities
reality city models
building information models 3D visualisation
www.aamgroup.com
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