Issue link: https://geospatial.trimble.com/en/resources/i/1470951
Comparison of the Trimble MX9 and the Trimble MX50 mobile mapping systems 2 Which is the most appropriate Trimble mobile mapping solution for my applications? Today, Trimble® offers three data collection systems in the mobile mapping portfolio. Trimble MX7, an image- only system, the Trimble MX50 and Trimble MX9 systems with LiDAR and imagery for different application requirements. The purpose of this white paper is to identify the most appropriate use cases for each system. Mobile mapping—a bit of history Geospatial data collection from a terrestrial dynamic platform saw its first pioneering attempts in the 1980s. Highway infrastructure mapping and transportation corridor inventories have been leading the push for the definition of new concepts and workflows to support efficient data collection. Image-only based systems have been developed and used mainly by highway transportation departments to map and monitor pavement and road furniture. However, the lack of accurate and affordable positioning technology prevented the possibility to extract 3D data information from collected records. The new so-called mobile mapping technique was at that moment a way to quickly produce a detailed imagery database for visual inspection operations. Quick development of positioning technologies, like GNSS and inertial platforms, enabled measurements of 3D objects. Stereo cameras and multi-sensor fusion, supported by adequate positioning made mobile mapping a more interesting technology for geospatial data acquisition. In the late 1990s, the first mobile mapping systems were available for the first commercial operations. LiDAR technology also developed rapidly, mostly driven by airborne applications. The enhanced in-field data processing capabilities enabled the bridge between navigation and data collection sensors, enabling the development of more and more advanced mobile mapping systems. Use cases rapidly grew, widening the type and number of plausible applications and speeding up market adoption. Trimble mobile mapping portfolio evolution Trimble entered the mobile mapping business in 2010 with the introduction of the Trimble MX8 mobile mapping system. The MX8 system represented a technological benchmark for mobile mapping systems, despite the invasive cabling racks, which are no longer present in the current MX systems. One year later, Trimble introduced the Trimble MX3 mobile mapping system, one of the early attempts to combine LiDAR and 360° imagery acquisition on a single mobile data collection platform. As technology advanced, speed was the answer to producing more efficient and smarter mobile mapping platforms, while still remaining compliant with portfolio requirements. In 2013, Trimble introduced the Trimble MX2 mobile mapping system, combining a 360° spherical camera with rotating lasers. With this new entry in the portfolio and with the launch of the Trimble MX7 imaging system in 2015, Trimble introduced a unique concept of mobile mapping portfolio to the Geospatial market. An effective number of mapping applications, varying from GIS mapping to survey, can now be carried out using Trimble mobile mapping solutions and the systems are now much easier to set up and operate. The MX9 and MX50 mobile mapping systems were released in 2018 and in 2021 respectively. Developed following a common project design, the MX9 and MX50 systems replaced the legacy MX8 and MX2 systems, providing coherent continuity to the portfolio. Despite the shared common MX scan platform, the MX9 and MX50 systems have different navigation components and different sensors. Consequently, according to component specifications, collected data can be used to satisfy specific requirements of given applications. By looking at the overall systems performances obtained with the use of different components, this white paper provides information about the possible applications that can be addressed using the MX9 and MX50 systems.