The 2019 edition of the International LiDAR Mapping Forum wrapped up Wednesday, January 30th in Denver, CO having attracted 1,682 professionals from all 50 U.S. states and 33 countries. Attendees represented a wide range of industries including surveying and mapping, utilities, civil infrastructure, construction, mining and aggregates, and precision agriculture. Of those in attendance, 53% were attending the event for the first time. ILMF ran from January 28-30 at the Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center.
The International LiDAR Mapping Forum (ILMF) 2019 took place as part of the inaugural edition of Geo Week along with the MAPPS Winter Conference and the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) Annual Conference. Last year, ILMF and the ASPRS Annual Conference took place together for the first time while the MAPPS Winter Conference took place separately. The co-located events maintained their unique technical programs but shared a single combined exhibit hall. By uniting all three events for the first time, geospatial professionals gained access to more geospatial solutions, technical education, and networking opportunities than ever before.
“The inaugural edition of Geo Week successfully brought geospatial professionals with commercial, academic, and advocacy interests together in a cohesive, vendor-neutral event for the first time,” says Lisa Murray, Group Director, Diversified Communications. “The response to this collaboration has been overwhelmingly positive as industry partners realize the value in coming together to move the industry forward.”
ILMF featured four keynotes, two plenaries, two dozen product previews, nearly 50 technical breakout presentations, and several networking events. Keynote topics ranged from lidar for smart cities, reality capture in autonomous technologies, using lidar for Maya archaeology, and disruptive technology to reality capture. Breakout presentations focused on application-specific use-cases of lidar and emerging remote sensing technologies.
“In 2018 the co-location of ILMF and the ASPRS Annual Conference brought two industry events together for collaboration among geospatial professionals which the community has been asking for for years,” Karen Schuckman, Managing Director for ASPRS comments. “The launch of Geo Week and addition of MAPPS in 2019 is the next step in the evolution toward a cohesive event for the entire geospatial community.”
The sold-out exhibit hall was packed with 104 exhibiting companies showcasing best-in-class geospatial technology solutions. Among the exhibitors were 21 organizations exhibiting at ILMF for the first time. Products and services on display covered a wide spectrum of the geospatial industry including mapping and surveying equipment and sensors, airborne data acquisition, unmanned aerial systems, mapping software, and more. Included in the exhibit hall was a University Pavilion featuring innovations from universities not yet in market.
“I heard nothing but accolades from MAPPS members participating in Geo Week. Our member firms are excited as we continue being “Better Together” in Washington D.C. for Geo Week 2020,” says Brian Raber, President of MAPPS.
The 2020 edition of ILMF will be held March 23-25, 2020, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, again taking place as part of Geo Week along with ASPRS and MAPPS. The event will be organized by Diversified Communications under the leadership of Ms. Murray. For a comprehensive look Diversified Communications’ portfolio of technology media publications and events please visit https://www.divcom.com/industries/#industries-served+industry:technology
About International LiDAR Mapping Forum
International LiDAR Mapping Forum (ILMF) is a technical conference & exhibition focused on airborne, terrestrial and underwater LiDAR as well as emerging remote-sensing and data collection tools and technology used for applications including Asset Management; Civil Infrastructure; Coastal Zone Mapping; Emergency Services & Disaster Response; Land and Natural Resource Management; and Urban Modeling. ILMF is part of a network of events and media for the global geospatial market organized by Diversified Communications, a leading organizer of conferences, trade shows and online media with 15 years in the geospatial arena, including Commercial UAV Expo Americas, Commercial UAV Europe, Commercial UAV News, International LiDAR Mapping Forum, SPAR 3D Expo & Conference, SPAR3D.com, AEC Next Technology & Expo and AEC Next News. For more information, visit http://www.lidarmap.org.
About Diversified Communications
Diversified Communications is a leading international media company with a portfolio of face-to-face exhibitions and conferences, online communities and digital and print publications. As producers of these market-leading products Diversified Communications connects, educates and strengthens business communities in over 14 industries including: food and beverage, healthcare, natural and organic, business management and technology. Established in 1949 and headquartered in Portland, Maine, USA with divisions and offices around the world, Diversified Communications remains a privately held, third generation, family-owned business. For more information, visit http://www.divcom.com.
About American Society for Photogrammetry & Remote Sensing (ASPRS)
Founded in 1934, the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) is a scientific association serving professional members around the world. Our mission is to advance knowledge and improve understanding of mapping sciences to promote the responsible applications of photogrammetry, remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), and supporting technologies. Learn more at http://www.asprs.org.
About Management Association for Private Photogrammetric Surveyors (MAPPS)
MAPPS is the only national non-profit association of industry-leading private geospatial firms focused on creating policy and thought leadership benefiting the entire profession. Regular Members are engaged in consulting, surveying, photogrammetry, LiDAR, satellite, drone and airborne remote sensing, aerial photography, hydrography, GPS, and GIS data collection, conversion and analytical services. Associate Members produce innovative technologies, sensors, software solutions, and commercial data products. MAPPS advocacy and political action at the federal and state level are crucial to creating legislation, policies, and programs having positive impacts on the geospatial community and society. Learn more at http://www.mapps.org.
