(Photo courtesy of 3D Act Ltd.)

A young Israeli company is selling Israel’s defense ministry a tool that can show the view from an imaginary platform above any point on a digital terrain model and automatically determine the optimum height for a surveillance position there.

The company describes 3D ACT Lighthouse as "a unique vertical solution for planning defense arrays." But it is attracting attention for other uses, ranging from security planners contemplating the impacts of future construction, to land developers intent on maximizing residential views.

The Israelis use it to design border security facilities, where surveillance posts must be made high enough to monitor areas without losing sight of ground in the folds of terrain. But since vantage points can be placed anywhere on the map, the product can also be used to determine what a distant antagonist can see of facilities like communications gear and power systems, and help guide designs for shielding.

The system combines spatial terrain and CAD data with aerial and satellite imagery. It can allow for the capabilities of various sensors which may be used, including cameras and radar, when analyzing coverage. The Israel Airports Authority is the latest customer, says Ittai Bar-Joseph, 3D ACT’s vice president of software projects. The authority will use it to design defense and surveillance arrays at Ben-Gurion International Airport in Tel-Aviv. For more information see www.3DACT.com.