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A professor and undergraduate students at James Madison University geospatially scanned the oldest exhibition cave in the United States, Grand Caverns in Virginia, digitally mapping the largest three-dimensional room for the first time.
Open to the public since 1806, Grand Caverns has been a tourist charm for over 2 centuries. The exhibit cave boasts geographic beauty, extensive nature trails in the surrounding domain, and is a component of Virginia’s history. some other long-term bankruptcy of the cave.
Using GeoSLAM’s ZEB Horizon handheld scanner, Assistant Professor of Geology and Environmental Sciences Angel A. Garcia Jr. of James Madison University (JMU) in Harrisonburg, Virginia, led a team of scholars in creating a virtual map of historic cave halls.
With a collection rate of 300,000 problems consistent with the second, an accuracy of up to 6 mm and the ability to scan knowledge with a diversity of one hundred m, the ZEB Horizon captured a detailed 3-d point cloud of the entire cave formula in just over 12 minutes.
ZEB Horizon’s walking and scanning knowledge gathering approach provides completely cellular technology. Powered through SLAM (simultaneous location and mapping) technology, the device requires GPS signals, allowing Professor Garcia Jr. and his team of academics to perform the scan below floor level.
Once collected, the 3-d point cloud was processed in GeoSLAM Hub and GeoSLAM Draw was measured. The knowledge collected is used to measure speleothem formations, monitor human impact, create models published in 3-d and provide information about the geographical heritage of the cave.
ZEB Horizon’s easy-to-use knowledge gathering approach allowed scholars to gain valuable practical experience, applying their theoretical wisdom to practical “real-world” scenarios.
Throughout the summer, the university team continued to scan and monitor the cave, and Professor Garcia Jr. is running with caving experts to begin capturing new passages. These challenging spaces have not been made available to the public due to the asymmetrical and narrow surface. However, the cellular capacity of the ZEB-Horizon makes it imaginable to temporarily and safely map new portions of the cave.
“The versatility and easy-to-use capability of the ZEB Horizon make it the ideal device for this project. Scanning the Great Caverns presented an opportunity for undergraduate students to dive directly into the project and revel in the use of portable LiDAR scanners. Not to mention running with the knowledge it produces, without the need for extensive technical training beforehand.
The full research of the giant caverns can be discovered here, and to learn more about GeoSLAM and its products, www. geoslam. com.