By Emily Lehmann 

Situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, our Kiwi neighbours in New Zealand (NZ) are rattled by up to 20,000 earthquakes a year.

While most of these are minor, some can be catastrophic – like the 6.3 magnitude earthquake that shook Christchurch in 2011. This earthquake devastatingly claimed 185 lives and the country’s second largest city continues to rebuild from it three years on.

Unfortunately, there’s likelihood of another large magnitude quake – which fall above six on the Richter scale – rocking the country one day again in future.

To prepare for this, NZ has very stringent building regulations; and the 25,000 earthquake prone buildings that the country is estimated to have are the focus of maintenance and restoration efforts to ensure their stability.

In an effort to earthquake proof at-risk buildings, NZ-based building restoration company Solutions By Zeal is using our 3D laser mapping technology to survey buildings to highlight structural areas in need of strengthening or restoration.

ZEB1 – the commercial product of our Zebedee technology – is a handheld technology that allows users to create 3D maps of a desired location by simply walking through it.

The company found that by using ZEB1 to create accurate floor plans, elevations and wall widths, that they can save a massive 50 to 80 per cent on their measurement costs.

They have also found the technology particularly useful for measuring old buildings where there are no architectural plans.

Earthquake-strengthening and restoration work is just one of the many applications that the technology is being used for – from security and forestry, to mapping manufacturing production lines.

Zebedee has mapped some of the world’s most iconic landmarks, including the Leaning Tower of Pisa, as well as national treasures like the Jenolan Caves near the Blue Mountains and Fort Lytton in Brisbane.

ZEB1 is licensed to GeoSLAM, a spinout company of 3D Laser Mapping and CSIRO. Read more about our 3D mapping technology.