The Geospatial Technology Research Lab (GAEA) is a newly established research laboratory that serves the educational and research needs of the Surveying and Geoinformatics Engineering Department of the University of West Attica in Greece. Several research projects will be presented that cover a range of scientific fields, including the measurement, collection, processing, management, analysis, mapping and dissemination of geometric, quantitative and qualitative information of the natural and man-made environment. The research processes and methods used are part of an innovative technological framework that considers the geographical space and the natural and man-made environment as a result of the constant and endless activity of nature and man. Since laser ranging technologies have already revolutionized the measurement process in surveying and remote sensing, a new compact method for the verification of the distance measuring precision of surveying instruments based on folded optics will be also discussed. In addition, Laser physics, nonlinear optics and laser beam propagation are considered fundamental topics in several undergraduate curriculums. Consequently, simple educational laboratory experiments will be also presented that enable students to visualize the spatial profile of laser beams, thus significantly helping the educational process towards the examination of more complex issues of laser ranging and remote sensing technologies.
