Airborne Data Laboratory
To process the very large volumes of data generated by our airborne operations we run a suite of purpose built workstations with appropriate software licences.
Dedicated workstations and software are provided for handling the very large datasets produced by airborne platforms – in particular for image processing using structure-from-motion photogrammetric techniques, multi- and hyper-spectral image processing, and LiDAR point cloud analysis. While our resources are optimised for the efficient processing of these large airborne datasets, they are also available for other tasks requiring high-end desktop processing power.
We currently have nine workstations on strength.
Memory capacity is generally the limiting factor in the size of task that can processed; our workstations range in memory capacity from 64Gb to 256Gb.
| Workstation |
Format / Type |
CPU | GPU | Memory |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAMSON |
Desktop Custom Build |
I7-4930K 6-core (12 with hyper-threading) |
2 x NVIDIA Titan X 12 Gb |
64 Gb |
| ATHENA |
Desktop Custom Build |
I7-7820X 8-core (16 with hyper-threading) |
2 x NVIDIA GTX 1080 Ti 11 Gb |
128 Gb |
| EOS |
Desktop Custom Build |
I7-7820X 8-core (16 with hyper-threading) |
2 x NVIDIA GTX 1080 Ti 11 Gb |
128 Gb |
| GOLIATH |
Desktop Custom Build |
2 x Intel Xeon E5-2640V4 / 2.4 GHz processor, 20 cores, 40 threads |
2 x NVIDIA Titan X 12 Gb |
256 Gb |
| PANDORA | Desktop | TBC | 1 x NVIDIA Titan X 12 Gb | 32 Gb |
|
PEGASUS |
Laptop HP Z-Fury G9 |
Intel® Core™ i9-12950HX (up to 5.0 GHz with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology, 30 MB L3 cache, 16 cores, 24 threads) | NVIDIA RTX™ A3000 Laptop GPU (12 GB GDDR6 dedicated) | 128 GB |
|
ALTHEA |
Desktop HP Elite 800 G9 |
Intel® Core™ i7-12700 (up to 4.9 GHz with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology, 25 MB L3 cache, 12 cores, 20 threads) | 1 x NVIDIA Titan X 12 Gb | 192 Gb |
|
ARETE |
Desktop HP Elite 800 G9 |
Intel® Core™ i7-12700 (up to 4.9 GHz with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology, 25 MB L3 cache, 12 cores, 20 threads) | 1 x NVIDIA Titan X 12 Gb | 192 Gb |
|
ASTERIA |
Desktop HP Elite 800 G9
|
Intel® Core™ i7-12700 (up to 4.9 GHz with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology, 25 MB L3 cache, 12 cores, 20 threads) | 1 x NVIDIA Titan X 12 Gb | 192 Gb |
The following software packages are or will be installed as standard; please note that some variations may exist between workstations depending on license availability. Additional software may be accessed on request.
| Software | Usage and availability. |
|---|---|
| Agisoft Metashape | Professional payware photogrammetry (Structure from Motion) software; limited number of educational licenses available. |
| Pix4D Mapper | Professional payware photogrammetry (Structure from Motion) software; 25-seat educational license and one standalone educational license (2 devices) available. Commercial licensing available on monthly rate as required. |
| QGIS | Open source GIS software, installed on all workstations. |
| ArcGIS | Professional payware GIS software available through UoE licensing. |
| R and R Studio | Open source data analysis software. |
| Python (Anaconda) | Open source data analysis software. |
| Meshlab | Open source software for mesh manipulation and analysis |
| CloudCompare | Open source point cloud manipulation and analysis |
| LASTools | Open source point cloud manipulation and analysis |
| ESA Snap | Freeware for accessing ESA EO satellite data (e.g. Sentinel-2) |
| Blender | Open source Image and mesh editing software |
| ENVI | Professional image processing software available through UoE licensing. |
| OxTS NavTools | GNSS processing software for OxTS GNSS/IMU devices, distributable. |
| Emlid Studio | Freeware GNSS processing software, primarily for processing Emlid GNSS devices but also compatible with third-party GNSS. |
| GIMP | Open source Image manipulation and editing software |
| Shotcut | Video editing software. |
| Software | Usage and availability. |
|---|---|
| DJI Terra |
DJI data processing software supporting proprietary LiDAR processing steps, photogrammetry, and multi-spectral image processing of data from DJI platforms. 2 perpetual licences available, currently on EOS and ATHENA. One will be transferred to the mobile workstation PEGASUS as soon as this is on strength to allow in-field processing. |
| DaVinci Resolve | Professional video editing software, to be installed on EOS and PEGASUS. |
The Airborne Data Laboratory (ADL) is available to UoE researchers and students for use with datasets generated either through ARI, or collected independently.
Access to the ADL resources are managed according to the procedures laid out in the ADL Operations Manual which is maintained on our internal Sharepoint site.
View the ADL Operations Manual (links to our internal Sharepoint site)
Contact us to discuss data processing needs
