February 27th, 2026
Inspired Flight Technologies is proud to have supported a groundbreaking 3-D mapping initiative at Alcatraz Island, featured in The New York Times in the article “One Way to Preserve Alcatraz? Capture Everything in 3-D,” by Heather Knight (published Feb. 28, 2024; updated June 21, 2024).
Led by Pete Kelsey of VCTO Labs, the project brought together a global team of scientists and technologists to create the first full-color, centimeter-accurate 3-D model of the entire island. Over three weeks, the team collected approximately four trillion bytes of data to digitally preserve the historic site and establish a detailed baseline for monitoring climate change impacts, shoreline erosion, and long-term structural deterioration.
The team deployed the Inspired Flight IF1200 drone equipped with the Herelink controller and Phoenix LiDAR system to safely capture high-resolution aerial data across complex, confined, and hard-to-reach areas of the island. The IF1200’s reliability and open architecture enabled efficient data collection in challenging coastal conditions, supporting one of the most comprehensive digital preservation efforts ever conducted at a U.S. national park site.
Read the full article in The New York Times (subscription may be required):
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/28/us/alcatraz-island-3d-map.html