Mapping Ground Zero with Lasers

securitas writes: "Amazing how the WTC disaster has shone a light on technology (pun intended). LIDAR (Light Detecting and Ranging) is the optical equivalent of RADAR. It's being used to create hyper-detailed maps of the WTC disaster site from an altitude of 5000 feet to detect shifts in the rubble as well as areas in danger of collapse."

Comments

Re:maybe offtopic

[budgenator]

not sure about any real attempt to dig it out, there's lots of problems there.
First the WTC was built in a "bathtub" because the foundation is below sea level so if the bathtub is cracked mud could rush in and de-stablize near by structures like subways, utility conduits and other building foundations. The WTC actualy re-inforced the tub internaly to prevent its colapse; now its rubble. To do this there is talk that they may have to drill through the tub and sink tie-backs into the bedrock or build cross-bracing beams and remove the rummble between the openings.
FYI Infrared lasers LIDAR is helpful here because of its excellent smoke-haze penetration and higher detail. Microwave side-looking radar might work but I think that the dust would either block or distorte the data. The sonar is probably used to probe the columns in near by buildings for hidden internal damage

Terrible Sense of Levity

[brianvan]

I know Michael got reamed for this yesterday, but this once again is a story that uses an inappropriate introduction... with words like "nifty" and "(pun intended)" to refer to something regarding this tragedy...

I mean, I'm not one to be oversensitive, but come on people... I think that you disrespect the dead and the affected when you use cavalier words while referring to this situation. I only live 5 miles from Ground Zero and I saw the towers collapse with my own eyes. This makes me no more or less affected than any other American (save for those who lost a loved one in the disaster), but for a story poster to consistently make the same error in judgement like this obviously shows something about his regard for human life, for American pride, and for the people around him that are deeply affected by this terrible situation.

I ask not that we refrain from bringing it up, as I'm very proud of Slashdot in general for its coverage of this situation. But, to repeat the point from yesterday, there is nothing "nifty" about 6,700 innocent Americans dying in the most horrible way possible at the hands of a few highly irrational people... people whose peers live among us today waiting to give us our next big tragedy, our next week of continuous news coverage, our next spilling of innocent blood.

I mean, I don't want to be too dramatic, but our American flags don't just cheer us up and bring us together... they remind us of our freedom and the horrible things that happened because we insisted on having it. It may be 13 days later, but it's still a horrible thing. Please treat it accordingly.

Re:Terrible Sense of Levity

[ergo98]

Yeah you ARE being oversensitive. The maps on CNN are nifty. It is amazing that technology moves forward by an event so tragic (in fact it's amazing that most of the technological advances tend to come in periods of war when we're really motivated to find ways to kill people). It if fascinating that a terrorist group used the latent energy in the WTC, coupled with jumbo jets, to achieve their deadly goal. It is amazing how the buildings held up for about an hour after being hit, until finally collapsing because of heat. It is very sad that 6000+ people died (though 1000+ were of other nationalities actually. It would probably seem more reasonable if you cut out the "6,700 innocent Americans" and left it as human beings), but it doesn't diminish from the amazing/neat/fascinating/stunning/awesome factors of the technologies or breakthroughs determined. Now if someone said it was "neat" that people were dismembered or something then you and your croonies would have a case to run to Slashdot shedding your crocodile tears and slowly waving your flag while singing Amazing Grace or something, but otherwise just save it: The overwhelming number of Slashdotters are just thinking "Aw STFU".

Re:how is this done?

[mpe]

How do they monitor the site constatly from 5000 feet? is there a plane constantly circling around the site or is it done by a sort of balloon? can't this monitoring be achieved by satellites?

A satellite can't monitor such an area constantly, since Manhatten isn't on the equator.
The easiest way would be a teathered balloon.

Typical Computer Geek

[wiredog]

Probably get modded to minus infinity for this, but here goes.

He's a typical geek. In terms of personality we often are mildly sociopathic. We often don't connect with other people at all. And, unless we have been directly effected by an event, we are detached from it. We often live in our own little worlds, revolving around the latest cool tech. What we see is the coolness, the niftyness. We don't really see the people.

CNN Map

[Alien54]

While not as neat or as detailed; this CNN map is interesting as an overview of the site.

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/trade.center/dama ge.map.html

Note that a High speed line would nice to have when viewing this

Google Search Stats for 9/11

[msheppard]

Zeitgeist type stuff for the 11th.

Hyper-sensitivity does nobody any good

[securitas]

I understand that you are somewhat sensitive right now as many of us are. However if you read carefully, as others have pointed out, I in no way make light of the disaster. I refuse to be morose and publically flagellate myself because someone may misinterpret what I said, even though I said it very clearly.

Regarding wiredog's comments about being a typical sociopathic geek ... speak for yourself. Don't generalize your social limitations to the rest of the world. You may not think of people when you are wrapped up in the technology but others do. Why do you think I submitted the story? Technology exists to serve people, not the other way around.

FYI to both of you: I know many people who worked in the WTC and the surrounding areas. I still have not heard from some of them. Until I do, I still have to live my life as do many others. Allowing myself to be consumed by fear, loathing and grief is a disservice to the memory of all who perished.

Be careful who you judge, especially without knowing the whole story.

Re:Hyper-sensitivity does nobody any good

[brianvan]

I'm quite glad that you read this and took the time out to respond.

I'm do agree with you; this is not the time to be over-sensitive. And you did not make light of the disaster; to some extent, I think that the "pun intended" part was somewhat distasteful but only in the sense of juxtaposition of serious matters and a cheeky phrase like that. I guess it's a bit hypocritical, cause I thought it was funny when I heard that Howard Stern said that all the hookers in NYC should go downtown and give the rescue workers free blowjobs. I suppose that I wouldn't have made that wording choice after any length of time after the disaster. But it's not like a grudge thing or something like that - it's just your writing style. I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder.

As for michael... well, on a different level, he's supposed to "catch" things like that. As an editor with no bias to writing style, he definitely should have removed that "nifty" from yesterday's story, at least. For him to post two stories in a 24 hour period with a questionable juxtaposition of references to light words and a serious disaster... well, to some extent he's not doing his job. The stories were at least good. But he can edit the descriptions a little bit to keep things in a somber mood for the general populace. It's a tough job sometimes, but in my mind this would have been obvious: Just get rid of those words, they don't contribute to the "story" and they clash with the somber mood of the event itself.

All that stuff about patriotism... well, I'd be saying the same thing if it were an earthquake that killed 6,000 people.

Finally, that guy who said "Well, we're nerds, we're antisocial, we don't have to mourn"... well I told him, and I'll say it again: that's really sad. And that does not speak for all of us. I think it's terrible if you're a human being, you hear of something like this, and it doesn't make you upset. Yea, we can't cry about it forever, but I think it affects many of us deeply. I mean, it's just sad to think that on some level, we have NO support from these BOFH's that sit in their Fortresses of Solititude and only care about their IRC channels. They don't care about society, they don't care about freedom, and they don't care about America. To that extent, they're not Americans, even at this time when most people in the world agree, for right now, "We are all Americans".

With things like this, I wonder less why I hated some of the people in my (CIS) major in college... not all of them, just the people like this who are selfish and rude, unapologetically so. (You're not, though. Thanks for the response)