Airborne LiDAR Market Analysis | 2020-2025

“The Airborne LiDAR Marlet is estimated to grow at a double-digit rate over the next five years to reach US$ 673.0 million by 2025.”

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Market Dynamics

Introduction

LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) is a remote sensing method that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure variable distances to an object located on the Earth. The technology generates precise, three-dimensional information about the shape of an object and its characteristics in a cost-effective and opportune manner.  The technology offers a wide array of advantages over conventional sensors including a precise 3D image.

There is a growing interest among a large number of economies across the globe to embark on the process of developing their cadastral systems. This is opening doors for extensive surveying requirements. Surveying technologies have undergone a remarkable transition over the past few decades, with airborne lidar among the most suitable technologies in the current scenario.

Market Drivers

The global airborne LiDAR market offers excellent growth opportunities in the entire ecosystem of the market. A multitude of factors are driving the growth of airborne lidars, a few of which are noted below.

• The growing number of geospatial surveys

• The superior performance of LiDAR as compared to photogrammetry

• Increasing use of UAVs for aerial surveys

• Increasing spending of the government on updating country/regional maps

• Advancements in technologies

Segments Analysis

By Type

“The topographic segment dominates the market during the forecast period.”

The airborne LiDAR market is segmented into topographic, bathymetric, and topo bathymetric. The topographic segment is expected to remain the dominant segment of the market during the forecast period. Topographic LiDAR is majorly used for applications such as country and city mapping, urban planning, transportation, utilities, and forestry.

Bathymetric LiDAR uses green wavelengths in contrast to the topographic lidar system, which uses infrared wavelengths. Nautical charting, marine & coastal engineering, habitat mapping, and coastal zone management are some of the key applications of bathymetric LiDAR.

By Solution Type

“The services segment dominates the market during the forecast period.”

The market is segmented into systems and services in which systems are further bifurcated into hardware and software. We have further broken down the hardware segment into sensor, navigation, GPS/GNSS, and others to provide a crystal-clear picture of the market. Between systems and services, services are estimated to remain larger as well as the fastest-growing segment of the market during the forecast period. Key market participants at the service level include Fugro, Quantum Spatial, Inc., Woolpert Inc., COWI A/S, AAM Pty Ltd, Terratec AS, Veris Ltd, and BSF Swissphoto.

Service By Application Type

“The wide-area mapping segment dominates the market during the forecast period.”

The market is segmented into corridor mapping, wide-area mapping, natural resources, and others. The study’s outcome on different application types evinces that wide-area mapping is the most dominant application in the market. Key application areas of wide-area mapping include urban mapping, country-wise mapping, infrastructure, and flood mapping. Corridor mapping is another significant application segment, which primarily includes mapping of roads, rail, transmission lines, interstate infrastructure, etc.

Service By End-User Type

“Civil engineering segment dominates the market during the forecast period.”

The market is segmented into aerospace & defense, civil engineering, forestry & agriculture, transportation, mining, and others. Civil engineering is expected to remain the largest segment of the airborne lidar services market during the forecast period. Big projects executed in civil engineering include country-wise mapping, where the digital terrain model (DTM) and digital surface model (DSM) are developed from surveys.

Forestry & Agriculture is also likely to offer sizeable growth opportunities in years to come. Airborne lidar remote sensing enables structural data collection with high spatial resolution, making it a reliable technology for even complex forest inventory, such as those of California and Amazon forests.

Regional Analysis

“North America is projected to remain the largest market, whereas Asia-Pacific is expected to remain the fastest-growing market during the forecast period.”

Major government and private organizations in the USA conduct aerial surveys annually. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United States Geological Survey (USGS), American Electric Power (AEP), The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are some of the major organizations in the USA that conduct aerial survey and mapping projects.

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Key Players

The market is highly populated with the presence of several local, regional, and global players. The supply chain of this market comprises component suppliers, airborne lidar system manufacturers, distributors, service providers or survey companies, and end-users.

The following are the airborne lidar system manufacturers (arranged alphabetically).  

• Flir Systems Inc.
• Hexagon AB (Leica Geosystems)
• Pheonix Lidar Systems
• RIEGL
• Teledyne Technologies, Inc.
• Velodyne LiDAR
• YellowScan

The following are the key airborne lidar service providers (arranged alphabetically)

• AAM Pty. Ltd.
• Bluesky
• COWI A/S
• DIELMO3D.
• Diobotics
• EUROSENSE GmbH
• Fugro N.V.
• Merrick & Company
• Quantum Spatial, Inc.
• Woolpert Inc

Note: The above list does not necessarily include all the top players in the market.

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Report Features

This report provides market intelligence most comprehensively. The report structure has been kept such that it offers maximum business value. It provides critical insights into the market dynamics and will enable strategic decision-making for the existing market players as well as those willing to enter the market.

What Deliverables Will You Get in this Report?

Research Methodology

This strategic assessment report, from Stratview Research, provides a comprehensive analysis that reflects today’s airborne LiDAR market realities and future market possibilities for the forecast period. The report segments and analyzes the market in the most detailed manner to provide a panoramic view of the market. The vital data/information provided in the report can play a crucial role for the market participants as well as investors in the identification of the low-hanging fruits available in the market as well as to formulate the growth strategies to expedite their growth process. This report offers high-quality insights and is the outcome of a detailed research methodology comprising extensive secondary research, rigorous primary interviews with industry stakeholders, and validation and triangulation with Stratview Research’s internal database and statistical tools. 

More than 1,000 authenticated secondary sources, such as company annual reports, fact books, press releases, journals, investor presentations, white papers, patents, and articles, have been leveraged to gather the data. 

We conducted more than 15 detailed primary interviews with the market players across the value chain in all four regions and industry experts to obtain both qualitative and quantitative insights.

Customization Option

With this detailed report, Stratview Research offers one of the following free customization options to our respectable clients:

Company Profiling

• Detailed profiling of additional market players (up to 3 players)
• SWOT analysis of key players (up to 3 players)

Market Share

• Current market size (2019) of airborne lidar in any of the application types by end-use industry type.

Competitive Benchmarking

• Benchmarking of key players on the following parameters: Product portfolio, geographical reach, regional presence, and strategic alliances.

Custom Research: Stratview Research offers custom research services across the sectors. In case of any custom research requirement related to market assessment, competitive benchmarking, sourcing and procurement, target screening, and others, please send your inquiry to sales@stratviewresearch.com

Recent Market News

The airborne LiDAR market can be understood at two different levels: Systems and Services, as most of the companies present in LiDAR systems are not into services and vice versa. At the system level, there are three iconic brands Leica (Hexagon), RIEGL, and Optech (Teledyne) which together hold a large share of the market. These three players have been driving the market at the global level and will continue to remain dominant in the foreseeable future.

Acquisitions Leading to Consolidation 

The market’s attractiveness has led to a series of acquisitions of small players by big players, leading to greater market consolidation. Acquisition of Leica Geosystems by Hexagon AB, Optech by Teledyne Technologies Inc., and the recent announcement of the acquisition of Quantum Spatial, Inc., a leading player in the North American airborne LiDAR services market, by NV5 Global, Inc. are among some major acquisitions in the market. With advancements in technological offerings, companies are striving hard to develop products with unmatched features. High pulse rate, a wide range of flying altitudes, high accuracy, variable scan speeds, fast data delivery, and greater point densities are the major areas of focus of the market participants.