On June 7, 2006, ASTM International (ASTM) will hold an Organizational Meeting for a new standards development activity on 3D Imaging Systems. The meeting will take place at ASTM Headquarters in West Conshohocken, PA (Directions are located at http://www.astm.org/MEETINGS/directions.htm and hotel information is located at http://www.astm.org/MEETINGS/hotels.htm). The meeting will commence at 9:00 a.m. and adjourn at approximately 4:00 pm. NOTE: there is no fee to attend this meeting.
On March 2-3, 2006, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) held the 3rd NIST Workshop on 3D Imaging Systems. At the close of that workshop, key representatives from the many stakeholders within the 3D imaging systems sector selected ASTM International (via ballot) as the venue to develop a suite of consensus standards for this sector. Various disciplines, including consumers, manufacturers, suppliers, trade and professional societies, and federal agencies are being invited to participate.
ASTM stands ready to accommodate this new standardization initiative. Your involvement in this meeting is critical to guide the direction for this new activity. The time is now for participation in a neutral forum whereby the private and public sectors can work together to develop a consensus standards program.
Background
3D imaging systems are used to rapidly capture 3D information of a scene or object. This information is often provided in the form of point clouds with associated color and intensity data. These systems include laser scanners, 3D optical scanners, 3D range cameras, and 3D flash LADARs. Sub-classes of these instruments include (a) those that are ground-based and are capable of capturing information of a scene that is on the order of a large capital project such as process plants, construction sites, buildings, and bridges, and (b) those that are vehicle-based and provide navigation-related information. Related application of the systems includes the construction, manufacturing, medical, animation, forensic, wear analysis, and industrial metrology sectors.
At present, there are no standards for evaluating the performance and use of 3D imaging systems or the end-products derived from the data they generate, despite the existence of the technology for several decades. Over the last 10 years, the use of these systems has become far more established and accepted, highlighting the absence of and need for a comprehensive standards program. Standards will provide a basis for fair comparisons of such systems, reduce the confusion with regard to their terminology, and increase user confidence in their ability to perform as intended and advertised.
About ASTM International
ASTM provides a management system for the development of standards and related information for materials, products, systems, and services used internationally as well as nationally. All segments of an industry (producers, users, consumers, government, and academia) participate in the development of this information to ensure that all technical points of view are represented - it is extremely important that all parties are confident they will have fair and equal representation in the development of the final consensus standards. Finally, ASTM provides leadership and management support for 138 standards developing committees. These committees have produced over 12,000 standards for an extremely diverse collection of industries.
If you have any questions concerning the above, please feel free to contact Pat Picariello at ppicarie@astm.org or 610-832-9720.