RIEGL UK Heritage Geospatial Symposium 2026
Learning from the Past to Shape the Future of Heritage Surveying
Centuries-old structures rarely behave like modern buildings. Irregular infrastructure, limited access, and incomplete records all place unique demands on those tasked with documenting and protecting them.
This is why we set up the RIEGL UK Heritage Geospatial Symposium, bringing together experts to explore how advanced geospatial tools can be applied in the real world.
Returning in 2026 on March 26 at the Hospitium in York, these symposiums are designed as a specialist forum for professionals working in heritage, infrastructure and complex environments to discuss real-world projects and challenges.
Last year’s event in York brought together heritage surveyors, geomatics specialists, and consultants from across the world. This year, you could be a part of it too.
What Attendees Can Expect – Lessons From Last Year
Last year’s symposium worked because it stayed grounded in real work. The sessions weren’t sales pitches or product showcases, but technical conversations led by experts.
A few of the biggest takeaways from last year:
- Technical depth over sales talk: Presentations focused on what actually happened on site. Speakers shared why they made certain choices and how workflows played out in the real world.
- Real-world constraints discussed openly: Access restrictions, safety considerations, scale, accuracy targets and time pressure weren’t ignored, but talked about openly.
- Data quality and registration were front and centre: There was a shared understanding that good heritage work depends on clean data, registration, and repeatable methods, especially when surveys may need to be revisited years later.
- Practical learning, not just slides: Live demos and project walk-throughs helped bridge the gap between “what’s possible” and “what works on site.”
Here you will find continuously updated details about the event.
Digging Deeper: What RIEGL UK Brings to Heritage Projects
While RIEGL UK provides technical sales support, its role in the heritage sector is just as much about hands-on expertise. As an integral part of RIEGL International they help teams design workflows and solve complex surveying challenges.
Their work typically centers on:
- Equipment validation, demonstrations and proof of concept
- Workflow design for complex or constrained sites
- Application-specific solutions rather than one-size-fits-all approaches
RIEGL technologies are used across a wide range of heritage and infrastructure contexts, including terrestrial laser scanning, mobile mapping and UAV-based laser scanning.
Recent work carried out on a whitewater rapids site shows what this technology looks like in practice. For this project, the RIEGL team used a UAV-mounted bathymetric LiDAR system to map riverbed topography and capture detailed underwater terrain.
Discover the Power of the RIEGL VZ-600i in Heritage Contexts
Modern terrestrial laser scanning has transformed what’s possible in heritage documentation, and the RIEGL VZ-600i is no exception. At last year’s event, the team at RIEGL discussed its 0.5m to 1,000m operating range, which means it can document everything from small interiors to tower blocks.
Accuracy and confidence in data
At the heart of the VZ-600i is Multi-Station Adjustment, which enables millimetre-level relative accuracy across complex sites. This, paired with precise real-time onboard registration and 3D position accuracy up to 3mm at 50m, makes the VZ-600i a steadfast choice for recording complex heritage assets.
For heritage professionals, the VZ-600i supports:
- Long-term deformation and condition monitoring
- Structural analysis and assessment
- Informed conservation and intervention planning
Range, resolution and flexibility
The VZ-600i can run a quick 5-second low-resolution overview scan or capture a high-resolution scan in under 30 seconds with 6mm point spacing at 10m.
This speed is a game-changer when working to tight windows, whether that’s public closures, scaffold time or restricted inside spaces.
Integrated imaging workflows
The VZ-600i includes three internal cameras and supports an optional external system/panorama camera, enabling true-colour point clouds.
For Heritage professionals, the ability to record imagery in RAW is a crucially important factor – the RIEGL VZ-600i when equipped with the external camera system, uniquely allows for RAW and jpeg RGB data to be captured simultaneously.
It also includes an internal GNSS receiver, supporting more streamlined site setup and geo-referencing where appropriate.
For architects, conservation officers, and BIM or CAD professionals, this means clearer interpretation, smoother downstream workflows, and data that communicates effectively across disciplines.
For more information, read the RIEGL VZ-600i datasheet here.
Want a real-world example?
The really amazing efficiency of working with the RIEGL VZ-600i 3D terrestrial laser scanner is shown in Survey Hub’s project of capturing Leed’s Elland Road Stadium. Every challenge - from the tight access windows for key areas due at this busy venue to the large operational venue with complex structures and the high precision required to support the 3D Revit model – was overcome.
From the Great Wall to Cathedrals: How RIEGL Scanners Evolved Through Heritage Projects
A variety of speakers brought their real-world experience in mapping and heritage to the symposium.
One such discussion came from Nikolaus Studnicka, TLS Business Division Manager, RIEGL, around a 2004 project, where RIEGL’s LMS-Z420i laser scanners were used to survey the Great Wall of China.
In the same year, these scanners were also used for the Scanning of the Pyramids project, which combined laser scanning with photogrammetry.
Nikolaus discussed how technically demanding these projects were. Computing power was limited, registration workflows were still in their early stages, and integrating laser data with photography required considerable effort.
Even so, platforms like RIEGL’s first commercially available 3D scanner, the LMS-Z210, helped lay the groundwork for the heritage scanning workflows we use day-to-day.
Over the years, RIEGL’s LiDAR technology has steadily evolved. Where the early LMS scanners laid the groundwork, the latest VZ i-series is designed to handle the scale that comes with today’s large, complex heritage projects.
Surveys of major historic sites often run to hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of scan positions.
Nikolaus pointed to the 2018 project where St Stephen’s Cathedral was surveyed with the RIEGL VZ-400i across roughly 1000 positions – a testament to how far RIEGL’s technology has evolved in supporting large-scale heritage surveys.
Why This Matters – and Why Attend This Year?
Heritage surveying demands more than advanced equipment. It takes people who understand the workflow end-to-end – what can go wrong, what the limits are, and what today’s decisions might mean years down the line.
That’s exactly why the Heritage Geospatial Symposium exists. It brings practitioners together to swap hard-won lessons and explore how to use technology responsibly on sites.
Building on last year’s conversations, the 2026 symposium will go deeper again – offering practical technical insight, real project examples, and time for helpful discussion.
Attendees at this year’s event will have the opportunity to explore the crucial role geospatial surveys continue to play in preserving, managing, presenting, and engaging with cultural heritage.
Presentations will cover a range of topics, including the use of geospatial survey technologies by the UK’s national heritage organisations, the integration of non-visible sensor technologies within the heritage survey workflow, the online dissemination of heritage datasets and RIEGL’s geospatial portfolio that can assist heritage survey projects and activities.
This year there will also be a Q&A roundtable discussion considering the future role of the geospatial surveyor and some of the education, training and AI driven technological challenges that both the heritage and geospatial industries currently face.
If you’re involved in capturing, protecting or managing heritage assets, this is the kind of knowledge that makes a difference.
The RIEGL team looks forward to meeting you in York!