Two Bangkok candidates back LiDAR tech to solve structural, design problems

The party posted on its Facebook page on Tuesday that Nithikorn Bunyakulcharoen, the Bangkok Council candidate for Bang Bon district, used LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) scanner technology to scan parts of the city.

He explained that the scanner was different from photo shooting or recording a video because it computes the structure length, width and height so any problem could be spotted immediately.

The technology has been used in Dublin (Ireland), Amsterdam (Netherlands), and Seoul (South Korea) to make these cities “better”.

“Scanning the city will help in the collection of information and a ‘digital twin’ to aid with the design aspect both in the real and virtual worlds,” Nithikorn said.

He added that apart from solving problems with sidewalks, bridges and engineering structures, the information could help the tourism and video games industry.

Meanwhile, Bangkok governor candidate Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn came out in support of the technology, saying he would use it if he becomes the governor.

Wiroj said the technology was cheap and worth adapting to solve problems. It would also reduce the number of substandard buildings in the city.

Thailand, he said, is becoming an ageing society so the design process should consider people in every age group. Problems of uneven sidewalks and steep bridges must be solved in an efficient manner, he added.