RIEGL Laser Scanners
A New HQ in Florida
That’s right up the VZ-4000’s alley: the incredible wideness of the Grand Canyon. RIEGL products are widely used in many fields, including land surveying.
Photo: RIEGL
RIEGL is a leading provider of cutting-edge technology in airborne, terrestrial, industrial, and unmanned laser scanning solutions. Founded by Dr. Johannes Riegl, who studied radar and communications engineering at the Vienna University of Technology in the 1960s, the company is a pioneer in surveying applications. Headquartered in Horn, Austria, the company looks back at forty years of experience in research, development, and the production of laser rangefinders, distancemeters, and scanners. In Austria, the company employs some 220 engineers and technicians, and the products they develop are being employed in a myriad of fields, ranging from geology, city mapping, and civil engineering, to forestry, mining, and transportation.
In the United States, the company has been active since 1993 with offices in Florida and Los Angeles, and its high-tech products are used in a variety of applications there. One example are crash-scene investigations: RIEGL provides equipment to accurately document forensic evidence from a crash site with a fully automatic workflow. In mining, on the other hand, the company’s products are used to capture data in the field with calculation of mine surveying measurements. An example of an airborne application is the RIEGL RiCOPTER, which provides high-resolution laser scan and image data via an unmanned aircraft system—the first of its kind.
Such applications are welcome in difficult-to-reach locations, as is often the case when surveying critical infrastructure like utilities. In the field of construction, the company’s products enable construction personnel to capture reliable data on site to ensure compliance with vital parameters as the building is constructed; for example regulatory compliance—the hardware for such use cases is designed to operate reliably in the adverse conditions that might be encountered on a construction site. Dust, rain, snow, or simply poor visibility conditions are no obstacles.
In addition, RIEGL products are also used in scientific exploration: the authors of a recent article published in the Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology employed a RIEGL-equipped drone to measure wave transformation across the surf zone in an effort to improve coastal flooding models. Another recent work published in Scientific Reports employed RIEGL equipment in research pertaining to subtropical reef development in South Florida. While the list goes on, it becomes clear that the company’s products also have an impact beyond their many industrial and commercial applications.
New Headquarters in Florida
RIEGL USA formally opened their new 18,500 sq. ft. U.S. headquarters in Winter Garden, Florida on November 18, 2021, where the company now employs some 40 people. Company founder and CEO Dr. Johannes Riegl, his son, Johannes Riegl, Jr., Winter Garden Mayor John Rees, and Stefan Atantejsky, the Austrian Deputy Trade Commissioner, were among the 150 people present at the opening ceremony. Mayor Rees highlighted the Winter Garden location’s strategic advantages, such as the proximity to international airports, as well as the family-friendly environment. Indeed, some 30 RIEGL employee families will be moving to the area, and Rees promised to attract more high-tech companies to Winter Garden. There, RIEGL’s airborne technology is also used by local companies, such as Duke Energy and Florida Power and Light to monitor vegetation growth that can destroy power lines during hurricane season.
RIEGL successfully operates in a highly competitive field, competing with suppliers including Leica Geosystems; the recent investment and expansion in the United States underlines the company’s focus on high-end products and its ability to grow.
RIEGL USA’s new headquarters in Winter Garden, FL
Photo: RIEGL
For more information, visit
https://www.rieglusa.com