This article on LIDAR appeared in the January 17, 2008 Rocksprings Record and Texas Mohair Weekly. The article was written by Andrew Barnebey
On Friday night, January 4th Devils Sinkhole Society members were treated to a demonstration of an advanced technology that the Visitors Center will acquire later this year. Real Earth Models, a Dallas-based company, is creating a three-dimensional picture of the Devil's Sinkhole that guests will be able to see in Rocksprings. The technology is so new that no park anywhere will have it but the Devils Sinkhole State Natural Area and South Dakota's Mount Rushmore. The Three-dimensional mapping technology has thus far only been used by oil companies at significant cost. Almost all of the mapping project cost has been donated to the Sinkhole by REM, the Bureau of Economic Geology (UT-Austin), Bat Conservation International, Texas Caves Management Association, and many others. Mr. Geary Schindel of the Edwards Aquifer Commission has been a linchpin in the whole project, too. Guests at the preview put on pairs of high tech 3-D glasses ($250 each!) to view examples of what REM has prepared for Mount Rushmore and an Irish enterprise. Guests were amazed as George Washington's nose poked itself into their faces! The technology to measure surfaces with laser beams has existed for a while, but this Dallas company is now able to put photographs onto the laser "point cloud" to create an astoundingly real picture. Once installed, visitors to the Sinkhole will get a full-color tour of the inside of the cave, a major advancement in the services the SNA and Sinkhole Society provide. Local guests at the preview hosted by Ranger Rand Rosales included Mayor Rachel Gallegos, Jesse and Dell Smith Aldrich, Ruth Braddley, Ben Banahan, Andrew Barnebey, Dorothy and Presley Hatley, Modell McCoy, Edda Rae Moody, and Bobby Nix. Representatives of the laser-modeling company, including inventor Xue Ning and owner Bobbie Nubert, photographers, and spelunkers also attended and viewed the incredible images. All weekend Ranger Rosales and the crew worked on finishing the photography and laser mapping of the Sinkhole. A final product may be ready as soon as May 2008.
