Description
Carlson Merlin Vessel-Based Coastal, Offshore, And Inland Waterway Lidar Mapping System
The time-tagged laser scanner for cost-effective coastal, offshore and inland waterway surveying
What if you could map the full marine environment in a single pass?
Merlin is engineered specifically to integrate with your vessel’s existing hydrographic surveying equipment. It enables you to synchronize Merlin’s above-water lidar data with your below-water sensors to simultaneously produce an accurate dataset of the environment above and below the waterline.
An affordable marine-grade lidar sensor
Merlin gives you access to the advanced laser surveying technology you need without making you pay for equipment you already own.
Introducing the latest innovation in the hydrographic surveyor’s tool box
Carlson Software presents Merlin and reveals how its versatile deployment options allow for a wide range of marine applications. Find out how mobilizing Merlin enables survey companies and their end clients to complete safer, faster and more comprehensive projects.
The dedicated marine laser scanner for hydrographic surveying
At the heart of the system is a 250m range laser scanner and a GPS receiver, which together provide accurately time-tagged survey data. Merlin supports the long-range Lidar scanning of all above-water features associated with rivers, canals, coastlines and offshore areas. It will integrate with your vessel’s existing hydrographic equipment, enabling data capture above and below the waterline simultaneously.
Don’t spend more than you need to
Seamless integration with your existing vessel hardware and software means you do not duplicate equipment, infrastructure or technologies that you already own.
Reduce project timescales
Merlin’s time-tagged data synchronizes with that of your below-water bathymetric equipment for collection of full 360° data in a single pass. This also reduces data processing times.
Minimize training costs
The low-maintenance plug-and-play Merlin system is easy to install and operate, so there’s no need for specialist training. It is also compatible with industry-standard software packages.
Add value and stay competitive
By adding a dedicated marine lidar system to your product range, you can beat the competition by offering complex project capability while staying competitive in an evolving market.
Designed to support hydrographic surveyors
Manufactured in the UK at Carlson’s production facilities, Carlson’s mission is simple – to provide hydrographic surveyors with an accurate lidar sensor that offers:
- Simple operation
- Fast mobilisation and demobilisation
- Flexible deployment options
- Seamless integration with existing hardware
- Full compatibility with industry-standard software packages
- High performance in extreme marine environments
Flexible deployment, seamless integration, and software compatibility
- Map the full marine environment in a single passIntegrates with existing surveying technologies for 360° point-clouds.
- Versatility, deployment and applicationsThe user-friendly plug-and-play lidar sensor for a wide range of applications.
- Data acquisition and software compatibilityAccurate data and full compatibility with major hydrographic software packages.
- Product design, service and supportMerlin has been developed specifically for use in the harsh marine environment.
Cutting the cost of vessel-based laser surveyingCutting the cost of vessel-based laser surveying
Vessel-based surveying can be time-consuming, costly and potentially dangerous given the changeable nature of the marine environment. Therefore, Merlin is designed to support safer, faster and more efficient survey data acquisition.
Work quicker and improve safety
Quickly achieving a full 360° point-cloud of the marine environment minimizes the amount of time that surveyors spend in potentially hazardous areas.
Key features
- IP 66 (marine grade) water and dust resistance
- 250 m range
- ±1 cm accuracy
- 360 ° field of view
Engineered by Carlson
Carlson laser measurement systems are manufactured to provide high-performance operation in the harshest conditions. The Merlin lidar system is a laser scanner specifically engineered to perform in the challenging marine environment.
Exceptional data acquisition
Merlin supports safer, faster and more complete hydrographic survey data acquisition for efficient coastal, offshore and inland waterway project management and enhanced decision-making capabilities for vessel operators.
A unique low-cost solution
Merlin is the only plug-and-play laser scanner that combines exceptional levels of performance and graphic surveying capabilities and improve your service offering at low cost.
Don’t duplicate expensive technologies that you already own
Most survey vessels are already equipped with some form of data-acquisition system. Multi-beam echo-sounders, for example, use positional information derived from global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) and inertial measurement units (IMU). Vessel operators do not, therefore, need to duplicate these high-cost components with each additional piece of surveying kit they acquire.
Incorporating a GNSS or IMU into Merlin when those items are already present on the vessel would add unnecessary expense to the cost of laser-based surveying. Instead, Merlin integrates flawlessly with your existing hardware infrastructure for cost-effective laser-based surveying.