Headwaters Highlights: Surveyors measure a thousand times, take
The Johnstown Local Flood-Protection Project in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, consists of 8.8 miles of concrete stream channel improvements built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District along the Conemaugh, Little Conemaugh and Stonycreek rivers between 1938 and 1943. The project protects the city of Johnstown from river overflows. The Pittsburgh District is responsible for maintaining the project by removing debris that accumulates in the rivers over time. Surveyors use advanced scanning equipment to collect thousands of measurements and datapoints to produce digital images with accuracy down to the millimeter. The SX-10 LiDAR Scanner captures images along with hundreds of thousands of survey shots and combines the points and images into a 3D "point cloud.” The Pittsburgh District uses the work provided by surveyors to inform all sorts of projects dealing with real estate, engineering design, maintenance, construction and more. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District photo by Michel Sauret)