Newsroom

Published: 06.01.26

Rivers are constantly changing. Water levels rise and fall, sediment shifts, banks erode, and infrastructure must adapt to an environment that is always in motion. Understanding these changes requires more than a traditional survey; it requires a complete picture of both the landscape above the water and the channel hidden below it.

To support that effort, Whiteout Solutions recently completed the integration of topobathymetric LiDAR and multibeam sonar data for the San Joaquin River near Stockton, California.

The project combined twocomplementary technologies to create a seamless, high-resolution elevation model across the land-water interface. Topobathymetric LiDAR captured floodplains, riverbanks, levees, and shallow-water environments, while multibeam sonar mapped deeper portions of the river channel where LiDAR penetration becomes limited.

The result is a continuous digital representation of the river corridor—from the tops of the banks to the deepest sections of the channel—providing engineers, planners, and environmental professionals with a more complete understanding of the system.

Integrated datasets like these play a critical role in flood modeling, infrastructure assessment, sediment transport analysis, and environmental restoration planning. By eliminating gaps between terrestrial and underwater data, decision-makers can better understand how water moves through the landscape and how river systems evolve over time.

As demand grows for more accurate environmental intelligence, projects like this demonstrate the value of combining advanced geospatial technologies to reveal what cannot be seen from the surface alone.

Project Location: San Joaquin River, Stockton, California
Technologies: Topobathymetric LiDAR & Multibeam Sonar
Applications: Flood Modeling, Infrastructure Planning, Sediment Analysis, Environmental Restoration

At Whiteout Solutions, collecting high-quality geospatial data starts long before a project reaches the processing stage. Behind every LiDAR point cloud, elevation model, and bathymetric dataset is a team working in the field to ensure the data is collected accurately, efficiently, and safely.

One of the newest members of that team is Brayden Sellers, Whiteout’s Sensor Operator. Brayden brings a unique perspective to the role, having worked on both sides of the geospatial workflow—from processing data in the office to collecting it from aircraft in the field.

“I started out with a GIS background,” Brayden explains. “I spent a lot of time doing LiDAR classification, point cloud cleaning, imagery quality control, and working with shapefiles and raster data. Having that experience helped me understand what good data looks like before I ever started collecting it.”

That experience has become a major advantage in airborne acquisition. Because he understands the challenges faced by processing teams, Brayden can identify potential issues while data is being collected rather than after the aircraft has landed.

“If I knew the office wouldn’t like receiving a certain dataset, I could make adjustments during collection,” he says. “It helps bridge the gap between acquisition and processing.”

What Does a Sensor Operator Actually Do?

A typical project day starts well before takeoff. Weather forecasts are reviewed. Flight plans are confirmed. Airspace restrictions are checked. Communication with pilots begins early to ensure everyone understands the mission objectives and any challenges that may arise.

“There are a lot of things that have to happen before you even get off the ground,” Brayden says. “The pilot needs the flight plans, permissions need to be in place, and we need to make sure weather conditions are suitable for collection.”

One of the challenges of airborne LiDAR operations is translating technical collection requirements into practical flight instructions. While pilots focus on safely operating the aircraft, sensor operators focus on data quality and coverage.

“Sometimes what I need to see as the sensor operator isn’t the same information the pilot is looking at,” Brayden explains. “Having tools that help communicate that information in real time is incredibly valuable.”

At Whiteout, this collaboration between pilots and sensor operators helps ensure projects are collected efficiently while maintaining the high standards required for precision geospatial analysis.

Explaining Topobathymetric LiDAR with a Laser Pointer

One of the most common questions Whiteout receives is: What exactly is topobathymetric LiDAR?

We asked Brayden this very questions and his explanation was refreshingly simple:

Imagine shining a laser pointer at a mirror. If you had an incredibly precise stopwatch, you could measure how long it takes for the light to travel to the mirror and back. “Now imagine doing that millions of times every second while moving the laser across the landscape.”

“That’s basically what LiDAR is doing,” Brayden says.

By measuring the travel time of laser pulses, LiDAR systems calculate distances and create detailed three-dimensional models of the Earth’s surface.

Topobathymetric LiDAR adds another layer of capability. Unlike traditional LiDAR systems, specialized green-wavelength lasers can penetrate water. This allows the system to measure both the water surface and the riverbed, lake bottom, or coastal terrain beneath it. The result is a seamless dataset that captures both the terrestrial landscape and submerged environments.  For projects involving rivers, shorelines, floodplains, and coastal environments, this technology provides critical information that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to collect efficiently.

The Growing Role of LiDAR in Geospatial Technology

Although LiDAR has become a foundational technology across the geospatial industry, Brayden notes that many GIS programs still devote surprisingly little time to it.

“I was surprised when I got into the industry and realized how much of modern geospatial work revolves around point clouds and three-dimensional models,” he says. “In school we focused heavily on maps, vectors, and rasters, but LiDAR wasn’t discussed nearly as much.”

As organizations increasingly rely on high-resolution elevation data for infrastructure management, environmental monitoring, flood modeling, forestry, and asset inventories, the demand for LiDAR expertise continues to grow.

The Human Side of Point Clouds

While most people think of LiDAR data as highly technical, Brayden says some of the most memorable moments come from unexpected details hidden within the data.

“My favorite thing is seeing people captured in crosswalks,” he says with a laugh. “The point cloud turns them into these little figures that look exactly like the walking person on a crosswalk sign.”

For those who spend enough time working with point clouds, the data begins to tell stories. Rivers reveal their depth. Highway rock cuts expose geological features. Entire landscapes emerge from millions—or billions—of individual points.

“It’s funny because after a while, things just start appearing,” Brayden says. “At first it’s just a bunch of dots. Then suddenly you can recognize roads, rivers, vegetation, and terrain almost instantly.”

Looking Ahead

As Whiteout continues expanding its airborne mapping capabilities across North America, Brayden will play a key role in collecting the high-resolution geospatial data that supports environmental analysis, infrastructure planning, hydrographic mapping, and remote sensing projects.

From coordinating with pilots to managing terabytes of data collected in a single day, the role of a sensor operator sits at the intersection of technology, aviation, and geospatial science.

And for Brayden, that’s exactly what makes it exciting.

“Every project is different,” he says. “You’re solving new problems, working in new environments, and helping create datasets that people will use to make important decisions.”

At Whiteout Solutions, those datasets begin with a laser pulse, a flight plan, and a dedicated team committed to collecting the best data possible.