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What photogrammetry program for Traffic Accident reconstruction

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Hi there,

I'm working in the field of forensic investigation for road traffic accidents and we are looking at changing the way we scan the accident scenes, ie. Using drone instead of LiDAR (Faroscan machine) on a stand. Being a noob, I am looking at getting a drone and the right photogrammetry software to do the job.

For now, I am concentrating on trying to find out about getting the better photogrammetry software to purchase (DJI drones seems to be the good and affordable ones-hence for now, hardware does not seem to be an issue); and about the difference between Pix4D and AgiSoft. There was a thread (by Dan) about comparing Pix4D to AgiSoft back in 2016 but with client feedbacks and company innovations, things could have changed by leaps and bounds (present day of Jan 2018).

Could you please to tell me about your reviews of Pix4D and Agisoft? Or are there other great photogrammetry programs that had emerged to give them a run for the money?

By the way, cloud-based processing (eg. DroneDeploy) is out of our consideration. Being able to accurately make distance and other quantitative calculations from the processed output is important. With this, can I interpret that point cloud capability and accuracy is important? (Pls do not hesitate to correct me if I'm wrong)

Humbly waiting for the community's advice and sharing. Thanks in advance.

Andy
 
Hi there,

I'm working in the field of forensic investigation for road traffic accidents and we are looking at changing the way we scan the accident scenes, ie. Using drone instead of LiDAR (Faroscan machine) on a stand. Being a noob, I am looking at getting a drone and the right photogrammetry software to do the job.

For now, I am concentrating on trying to find out about getting the better photogrammetry software to purchase (DJI drones seems to be the good and affordable ones-hence for now, hardware does not seem to be an issue); and about the difference between Pix4D and AgiSoft. There was a thread (by Dan) about comparing Pix4D to AgiSoft back in 2016 but with client feedbacks and company innovations, things could have changed by leaps and bounds (present day of Jan 2018).

Could you please to tell me about your reviews of Pix4D and Agisoft? Or are there other great photogrammetry programs that had emerged to give them a run for the money?

By the way, cloud-based processing (eg. DroneDeploy) is out of our consideration. Being able to accurately make distance and other quantitative calculations from the processed output is important. With this, can I interpret that point cloud capability and accuracy is important? (Pls do not hesitate to correct me if I'm wrong)

Humbly waiting for the community's advice and sharing. Thanks in advance.

Andy
Popping this one in the Mapping section (for now) since you are probably likely to get better answers here.
You do not say what country you are operating in since trying to do this in certain countries (the UK for example) will have its own set of hurdles to overcome.
 
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I do not know Agisoft, let me know what you think. Pix4D is good, I still have a lot to learn about it to make it work for me. Drone Deploy is very good with 3D models, but I get that you might not like that option.

Are you using GCP?? Very helpful with flight over flight comparisons. Two other option that are a bit pricey are 3DR and Propeller Aero. Also what platform are you going to use? The M210 is great with the X5s camera.
 
There is a product produced in Australia and sold and supported with code development by a company in Washington State that produces very accurate photogrammetry deliverables especially for use in automotive accident reconstruction incidents. Many of the police and state trooper organizations use it exclusively and it is tailored for use with drone cameras as well as handheld cameras. They offer a calibration procedure for you to calibrate your drone camera too_Oh it is also used without GCP's as it takes known measurement distances into its calculations. We do not expect traffic accident site forensics to wait for a licensed surveyor to come out and provide a GCP.

iWitness - Photogrammetry software, Photogrammetry, accident reconstruction software, 3d digital photogrammetric software: iWitness
 
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Popping this one in the Mapping section (for now) since you are probably likely to get better answers here.
You do not say what country you are operating in since trying to do this in certain countries (the UK for example) will have its own set of hurdles to overcome.

Thank you very much for the kind assistance. My sincere apologies for missing out on the country which we would operate the drone in. I'm working in city state of Singapore. It's set of rules governing the use of drones are within here: https://www.caas.gov.sg/public-passengers/unmanned-aircraft-systems
. I appreciate the editor for popping my enqueries into the Mapping section.

In the meantime, thanks for replying to my request - Sean Hussey (you had provided me questions which i believe is fundamental to our quest- let me find out more) ; FlyADrone (iWitness would be the program from Australia/Washington that you are referring to? Thanks)

There is a product produced in Australia and sold and supported with code development by a company in Washington State that produces very accurate photogrammetry deliverables especially for use in automotive accident reconstruction incidents. Many of the police and state trooper organizations use it exclusively and it is tailored for use with drone cameras as well as handheld cameras. They offer a calibration procedure for you to calibrate your drone camera too_Oh it is also used without GCP's as it takes known measurement distances into its calculations. We do not expect traffic accident site forensics to wait for a licensed surveyor to come out and provide a GCP.

iWitness - Photogrammetry software, Photogrammetry, accident reconstruction software, 3d digital photogrammetric software: iWitness
 
Yes iWitness Pro Agilis is their high end application suite which includes 3D cloud point capabilit, they have 2 more packages to offer.

USA website
www.iwitnessphoto.com/

Here is the Australian website
www.photometrix.com.au

Thanks so much for the sharing of the websites, FlyaDrone. Yes, i have gone into botg websites and it is astounding! I'm impressed. And the price (Usd$2395 for many multiple license) when compared to Agisoft (Usd$3499 for 1 license) and Pix4D (est. Usd$8200 for 2 license) is something that may just sway us easily. I understand that iWitness has many customers, fron State police to universities... but I'm looking for literatures that might have compared its accuracy to other brands of photogrammetry softwares; and even to our proven method of total station and scan by LiDars such as the Faroscans. Thanks and Cheers!
 
Either dig around on the USA website or contact Lee DeChant, I have been told that with a calibrated camera their application is around 2-3cm in accuracy.

You are welcome - Michael Watson

Lee DeChant, Principal - [email protected]
DeChant Consulting Services - DCS Inc
Close-Range Photogrammetry Specialists
iWitness - Development, Sales & Support
PO Box 3261
Bellevue, WA 98009-3261
Phone 425-637-1865
Fax 425-454-2855
 
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Either dig around on the USA website or contact Lee DeChant, I have been told that with a calibrated camera their application is around 2-3cm in accuracy.

You are welcome - Michael Watson

Lee DeChant, Principal - [email protected]
DeChant Consulting Services - DCS Inc
Close-Range Photogrammetry Specialists
iWitness - Development, Sales & Support
PO Box 3261
Bellevue, WA 98009-3261
Phone 425-637-1865
Fax 425-454-2855
Thanks, Michael. Much appreciated.
 
Hi There, Most are the same it just depends what exactly you are after as with photogrammetry you will rarely get anything better than 2-3cm in accuracy in most maps, orthomoasic and the like.
I am with Pix4D and they have been one of the best suites to offer thus far for us ans we work in various industries from real estate to mining and also with emergency services from time to time.
 
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Hi There, Most are the same it just depends what exactly you are after as with photogrammetry you will rarely get anything better than 2-3cm in accuracy in most maps, orthomoasic and the like.
I am with Pix4D and they have been one of the best suites to offer thus far for us ans we work in various industries from real estate to mining and also with emergency services from time to time.

Thanks @OBD1 , I also have another question. I was in another forum asking about the need to measure GCP. I gathered from the reading up so far that in order to acquire GCP readings, accurate industrial-type Gps receivers are necessary and that such readings would have to be taken at strategic locations. Would there be a difference in the local accuracy if I had not used the GCP? I mean, the accuracy of the local measurement of the accident scene, the dimension of damages sustained on the road surfaces, vehicles involved and their respective height from the ground are still important to us.
Is there another way where the globak accuracy can be maintained to the highest possible without having to encroach on the existing operational constraints of closing up the traffic for too long, and also having to put ourselves in danger of other oncoming vehicles (placement of GCP readers at strategic locations)?
 
To add to this discussion I’ll mention one of the first and most successful photogrammetry packages, PhotoModeler. It has a very long history of photogrammetry in forensics and accident reconstruction. Used by police departments and forensic teams around the world since 1993.

Main site: www.photomodeler.com

AR sub-pages: Accident Scene and Forensic Applications with PhotoModeler

PDF AR brochure: http://www.photomodeler.com/downloads/ARAndForensicsWeb.pdf

Drone / UAV applications: UAS and Drone Applications and PhotoModeler

PhotoModeler has been presented many times successfully in court as well. If you have any questions please send them along.
 
To add to this discussion I’ll mention one of the first and most successful photogrammetry packages, PhotoModeler. It has a very long history of photogrammetry in forensics and accident reconstruction. Used by police departments and forensic teams around the world since 1993.

Main site: www.photomodeler.com

AR sub-pages: Accident Scene and Forensic Applications with PhotoModeler

PDF AR brochure: http://www.photomodeler.com/downloads/ARAndForensicsWeb.pdf

Drone / UAV applications: UAS and Drone Applications and PhotoModeler

PhotoModeler has been presented many times successfully in court as well. If you have any questions please send them along.

Hi UASphoto,

Thanks for the recommendation. Let me check if they offer a free trial.

Regards
 
To add to this discussion I’ll mention one of the first and most successful photogrammetry packages, PhotoModeler. It has a very long history of photogrammetry in forensics and accident reconstruction. Used by police departments and forensic teams around the world since 1993.

Main site: www.photomodeler.com

AR sub-pages: Accident Scene and Forensic Applications with PhotoModeler

PDF AR brochure: http://www.photomodeler.com/downloads/ARAndForensicsWeb.pdf

Drone / UAV applications: UAS and Drone Applications and PhotoModeler

PhotoModeler has been presented many times successfully in court as well. If you have any questions please send them along.

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