2025 in Focus: ABSD’s Three Most Innovative LiDAR Projects
- Clinton Bravo
- Dec 19
- 6 min read
If you look at ABSD’s 2025 project list, a pattern starts to appear. The work is no longer just about “getting the survey done”, each project is a reminder that we have to keep innovating. San Juanico and Naga, for example, posed very different challenges and required different capture setups, processing workflows, and deliverables. The lesson is clear: there is no one-size-fits-all LiDAR survey. Every bridge, city, and LGU needs a tailored approach so that clients don’t just receive files, they receive decision-ready information they can really use. These notable projects pushed us to rethink methods, combine tools in smarter ways, and continuously raise our standards, all with one goal in mind: give our partners the best possible data to plan, design, and build with confidence.
Project 1: Seamless data map integration from Mountain to Sea in 45 Days
The first project sits in a rugged part of the country where steep ridges drop all the way down to the coastline. The client needed one thing that is very hard to get in this kind of terrain: a single, consistent view of everything that matters for the corridor – the upland site, the transmission line route, and the proposed port area at the shoreline. In other words, they needed to see the whole story of the project, from mountain crest to seabed, in one frame.
To do this across roughly 11,000 hectares and a strict 45-day timeline, we combined three technologies in one integrated campaign: Aerial LiDAR surveying (ALS) for the uplands and transmission corridor, Aerial Bathymetric LiDAR (ABL) for the shallow coastal waters, and Bathymetric Surveying using multibeam echosounder (MBES) for the deeper and more complex parts of the seabed. Instead of treating land and water as separate jobs, we designed the survey so that all three systems worked off the same control, the same references, and the same plan.
The real work happened after the flights and vessel runs were done. Our team processed ALS, ABL, and MBES outputs into a single, seamless 3D model where the contours on the mountain side flow naturally into the foreshore, and then into the detailed bathymetry offshore. Engineers could zoom in on a slope in the uplands, follow the alignment down the hill, and continue all the way to the port basin without worrying about gaps, overlaps, or misaligned elevations.
For the client, this removed one of the biggest headaches in corridor planning: trying to stitch together multiple datasets that were never designed to match. With one unified “mountain to sea” model, they could run route options, drainage checks, and cut-and-fill estimates much earlier and with more confidence. What would normally take several separate surveys and months of reconciliation was delivered as a decision-ready base layer in just 45 days.
Project 2: Reading the Story of San Juanico Bridge
The second project centers on a structure almost every Filipino recognizes: San Juanico Bridge. As the country’s longest bridge and a crucial link between Samar and Leyte, it is more than just infrastructure, it is a symbol, a daily lifeline, and a key route for people and goods. When rehabilitation planning moved forward, ABSD was brought in to help answer a crucial question: what is really happening to this bridge, from its deck and approaches down to the structural elements that hold it up?
Our task was to create a detailed, up-to-date 3D picture of the bridge that engineers could trust. But unlike a building on solid ground, San Juanico is always in motion. Vehicles are constantly crossing, which means the deck is never fully still. Using a traditional static scanner would have required lane closures or night work and still risked vibration-related distortions.
Instead, we designed a survey approach that respected both accuracy and operations. We used Mobile LiDAR on the bridge itself and Aerial LiDAR from above. The mobile system allowed us to capture the full length of the bridge, its barriers, expansion joints, and approaches while traffic continued to move. At the same time, the aerial survey provided a clean top-down view of the deck and surrounding corridor, filling in angles that ground-based systems alone could not see.
Because we were not allowed to disrupt traffic, every pass had to be carefully planned. The team coordinated closely with the project proponent and local authorities to time survey runs, manage speeds, and maintain safety while still collecting dense, consistent data. Instead of asking the bridge to stop, we adapted our methods so the technology could work around its natural rhythm.
Once processing was complete, the mobile and aerial LiDAR data were brought together into a single, high-resolution 3D model of the bridge and its approaches. Engineers can now inspect alignment, clearances, deck condition, railings, and other key structural features in detail, without relying only on old drawings or partial as-built records. The model supports better decision-making on where repairs are needed most, how to stage works, and how to keep the bridge safe throughout its rehabilitation.
For San Juanico Bridge, this was not just another scan. It was a way to look at a national icon with fresh, precise eyes without shutting it down for the people who depend on it every day. By combining Mobile LiDAR and Aerial LiDAR, ABSD helped give project stakeholders a structural “truth base” they can use to protect one of the country’s most important bridges for years to come.
Project 3: A City That Can Finally “See” Itself (Naga City LGU)
The third project did not involve a mine or a national bridge. It involved a growing city that wanted to understand its own land better. In partnership with the local government of Naga, ABSD donated LiDAR based topographic data covering about 3,000 hectares of the city.
At first glance, it looks like a detailed digital map. Look closer, and it becomes something more. The dataset captures building footprints, road networks, slopes, drainage paths, and low lying areas with a level of detail that traditional base maps cannot match. On top of this, ABSD applied advanced processing so that the city does not just see a cloud of points but clear layers that distinguish ground, structures, and other features.
For the city’s disaster risk, planning, and engineering teams, this changed the way conversations happen. Flood simulations can now be based on real elevation, not general assumptions. Evacuation routes can be tested against realistic water depths and road profiles. Tax mapping and land use planning can rely on current building outlines instead of outdated sketches.
When a storm like the October 2024 event hits again, the city no longer has to guess how water will move through its roads and neighborhoods. It has a tool that shows probable flow paths, bottlenecks, and vulnerable communities in detail. That kind of clarity is hard to put a price on.
What These Three Projects Have in Common
At first, these three jobs seem very different. One is a large corridor that ties a mine site to a port. One is a major bridge over fast moving water. One is a city trying to make better decisions.
Underneath, they share the same core idea. When you combine high quality LiDAR data with careful planning and thoughtful processing, you get more than maps. You get a shared picture of reality that engineers, planners, and local leaders can all agree on.
In the corridor project, that shared picture covered 11,000 hectares from mountain to sea, captured and delivered in only 45 days. In the bridge project, it meant engineers could see underwater hazards and structural details together in one model and design upgrades with fewer unknowns. In Naga, it meant the LGU could move from guesswork to evidence when planning roads, floods, and tax programs.
Across all three, ABSD’s role was to make the invisible visible, in a way that is fast enough for modern projects and clear enough for people outside the survey world to understand.
Why This Matters For What Comes Next
Looking ahead, projects in the Philippines will only get more complex. Renewable corridors will cross multiple provinces. Rehab programs will focus on older structures that were built without today’s data. Cities will continue to expand into areas where floods, landslides, and congestion are real risks.
These three projects are early signals of how survey work is changing to keep up:
Large areas captured in weeks instead of years, without sacrificing detail.
Creative combinations of tools, like mobile scanning on live bridges together with underwater mapping.
City scale datasets that support everything from flood modeling to fairer tax mapping in one 3D view.
For ABSD, 2025 has been about proving that these ways of working are not just “nice to have” but practical and achievable in real Philippine conditions.
Above and Beyond, Project After Project
At ABSD, we like to say that Above and Beyond begins with the right map. These three projects show what that looks like in practice, whether you are standing on a windswept ridge, driving across a national bridge, or planning the next drainage upgrade for a growing city.
We are proud of the teams behind these jobs, but even more excited about what they unlock for our partners. Better data means better conversations. Better conversations lead to better designs, permits, and investments. In the end, that means safer roads and bridges, smarter cities, and infrastructure that is ready for a changing climate.
If your project is moving into more complex terrain, crossing rivers, or covering an entire city, we would be happy to explore how the same survey thinking can support your plans.
Ready to see what next-level LiDAR can do for you?Let us talk about how we can bring mountain to sea coverage, bridge level detail, or city wide clarity to your next project.
📩 Email us at info@absurveyingph.net
🌐 Learn more at www.absurveyingph.net
Comments