When Aerial Surveys purchased its UCL digital mapping camera from Vexcel in 2009 it planned to have the upgrade to the the UCLp completed as soon as Vexcel completed the modifications. The UCLp has now been delivered and is operational. These modifications deliver a number of valuable improvements including faster frame rates and a larger footprint for each frame. This camera is ideally suited to New Zealand conditions and has proven to be a very robust and reliable camera system. The integrated system with solid state hard drives offers reliability and flexibility for all kinds of mapping projects with good efficiencies.
Based on the UltraCamL, the UltraCamLp features the same advanced technical specifications but boasts an even larger format collection at 92 megapixels (11,704 x 7,920 pixels pan) compared to the UltraCamL 64 megapixel format. The UCLp has a footprint equivalent to Vexcel’s first large format digital mapping camera, the UCD and is ideal for the New Zealand market.
With new electronics, the UltraCamLp allows for a larger footprint than the UltraCamL without sacrificing cycle rates. The result is 43% more image at the same frame rate, allowing for the following possible benefits:
Data collection at higher flight speeds
Increase of potential forward overlap for a given GSD and speed
Data collection at higher resolutions with the same forward overlap and speed
With superior image quality, the UltraCamLp can be used on smaller airplanes, and thus operated at lower cost. The UltraCamLp provides the same high geometric accuracy, broad dynamic range, matching and stereo capabilities, and full metric capabilities, as the larger format cameras such as the UCX/UCXp. The image data is suitable for DSM (digital surface model) production, aerotriangulation, ortho mapping and 3D technical vector mapping.