We Used Geospatial Scanning Technology On 5 Iconic London Landmarks For The Queens Platinum Jubilee And Here Are The Results

In celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, the GeoSLAM team has been out collecting scan data of some of the key London landmarks set to feature in the upcoming festivities.

We’ve captured point cloud data visualisations of Buckingham Palace, St Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London, Tower Bridge and Trafalgar Square. All of the scans were captured using a handheld ZEB Horizon scanner and processed using our software GeoSLAM Connect.

If you aren’t heading to London for the festivities, we can help you get to know these stunning landmarks in all their glory from the comfort of your own home. You’ll see them like never before, getting a different perspective as these vast and intricate structures are rendered from point cloud data for you to explore.

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The Queen’s London Royal residence, Buckingham Palace is sure to feature heavily in the Platinum Jubilee celebrations. This impressive structure was built in 1703 for the Duke of Buckingham. Later structural additions were made in the 19th and 20th centuries.

The palace stands today at 108 metres long, 120 metres deep and 24 metres high. It has a total of 775 rooms. It’s bigger than the White House and is the 15th largest palace in the world.

The BBC’s Platinum Party at the Palace will take place here on 4th June, as well as the Platinum Jubilee Pageant on 5th June.

All of the details were captured, on foot, in just 23 minutes. The processed data was turned into a point cloud, made up of 93.5 million points.

One of the most famous sights of London, St Paul’s has featured in many Royal celebrations such as the Queen’s Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilee services. There will be a private service of thanksgiving to mark the Queen’s 70 years of service on 3rd June. The structure as we know it today was consecrated in 1697. From 1710 to 1963 it was the tallest building in London.

The tower of St Paul’s measures 67m high, and the total height of the cathedral is 111m. The outer diameter of the dome is 34m. Whilst vast, it isn’t quite the largest cathedral in the UK. Liverpool Cathedral is the largest and Salisbury is the tallest, with St Paul’s second on both counts.

The scan of St Paul’s Cathedral was collected in 19 minutes, and the data visualisation contains 134.2 million points.

This historic castle is known to have brought security and safety to the Royal family for hundreds of years. Its vast and complex interior takes around 4 hours to fully explore. It is 27 metres in height and is officially Her Majesty’s Royal Palace, making Queen Elizabeth II the owner of this UNESCO World Heritage site.

This year, 20 million flowers have been planted in the 14,000sq metre moat in celebration of the Platinum Jubilee. This Superbloom event features 29 different species of flowers.

Due to the ZEB Horizon’s walk and scan capabilities, we captured the perimeter of the Tower of London in just 19 minutes. The scan collected 73.1 million points to be processed into the data visualisation.

Another iconic symbol of London, Tower Bridge crosses the Thames close to the Tower of London. This famous suspension bridge was built between 1886 and 1894. It stands 65m high and spans 240m across the river.

To celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, the river Thames will see its first night-time flotilla, the Platinum Reflections Flotilla. The planned event takes place in September between Chelsea and Tower Bridge.

Alongside the ZEB Horizon, this data was also captured using the ZEB Discovery accessory. The scan of Tower Bridge took 20 minutes in total and consists of 93.5 million points.

This public square housing Nelson’s Column is owned by the Queen in Right of the Crown. It has an estimated capacity of 19,999 people. It has been suggested that the fourth plinth in Trafalgar square is reserved for a statue of Queen Elizabeth II. 70 years ago, the Queen’s coronation procession passed through Trafalgar Square.

Around Trafalgar Square and The Mall, big screens are reported to be showcasing different Platinum Jubilee events from across the country.

By simply walking around Trafalgar Square with the ZEB Horizon, we were able to capture the data in 16 minutes. The final data visualisation is made up of 68.3 million points and shows the variety of statues in the public square.