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By Carol Wasson
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There is a huge monetary payoff involved in the effective use of new 3D global positioning system (GPS) surveying and machine-control technology, say experts. For that reason alone, its proliferation will increase rapidly, and barriers to its use will continue to topple. Today's new 3D surveying technologies allow contractors to conduct site measurements, minimize survey stakeout, and check grades—all without calling in a surveyor or keeping machines idle. And as to 3D machine control, research shows it can triple productivity. Note that Caterpillar and Komatsu will be offering automated machine-control systems as factory-installed, standard options. It is estimated that machine control may reduce the costs of earthmoving by as much as 50%. That's the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. But getting there may be fraught with a few obstacles. For one thing, many engineers are still clutching 2D design data, forcing contractors to spend time and money to convert 2D construction plans into 3D constructible formats. Also, it is not uncommon to see systems collecting dust in the contractor's office, all because of a hunt-and-peck approach to new technology. So what products and resources are available to aid in the learning curve? And what guidelines should you follow to maximize returns from technology investments? Experts point to three key initiatives, which we'll examine in detail:
User-Friendly Systems for Contractors
Rather than rushing toward the most advanced technologies on the market, work with your local systems dealer to match your investment to the size and scope of your jobs. Manufacturers are designing field software solutions directly for the earthworks contractor. "We have traditional surveying software that is used on construction, but to date, this software has been used by those who have some qualifications in surveying. Now we've released a product that specifically serves the contractor's requirements for surveying tasks," says Catherine Mansfield, marketing communications manager for Trimble, a leading provider of GPS technology, construction lasers, robotic total stations, and machine-control solutions. "We're developing products that let contractors quickly and easily complete their specific surveying requirements, without the aid of an actual surveyor. We're taking the approach that you don't need the complexity. You don't need to train to be a surveyor. You can keep it simple and still do the tasks you need to do," she says. Mansfield is referring to Trimble's release of its new SCS900 Site Controller System (Version 1.1), a field software solution specifically designed for the earthworks contractor. The SCS900 is a workflow and task-oriented system. Using the SCS900 Site Controller System with either GPS or robotic total stations, construction contractors can perform site measurements; check volumes, grades, and material thickness; stakeout structures and locations; and ensure alignments and lines. The system's thrust, say Trimble engineers, is creating an integrated construction site where positioning systems and grade-control systems work together using the same digital 3D design data to provide efficiency gains, improved workflow, and integrated data processes. "It enables contractors—even those with no experience in surveying, to use GPS or total stations to complete site measurement and staking tasks," Mansfield says. "In the past, much of this software would only be used by surveyors, but now more and more contractors are using it because of the GPS systems on the equipment," says Tim Tomitech, GPS division manager for Iowa-based McAninch Corporation, an earthmoving and underground utilities contractor with one of the largest fleets of Trimble SiteVisionequipped GPS equipment. He says that the SCS900 Site Controller System is extremely simple for the contractor to use. "It's a good way to manage your workflow. Even if you don't have any machine control on your project, you can take the SCS900 out and set stakes, shoot stockpiles, and check volumes on the fly. Everything is user-friendly and set up in a work order system. Our superintendents have a comfort level with it, and it gives us great quality control on each site. Before this technology, you had to send a guy out there who knows something about surveying, have him come back to the office, download and complete many more steps. The SCS900 eliminates all these steps," he says.
For machines not using machine control, the SCS900 system provides real-time cut and fill feedback to operators while they work, so stakes are not needed; and it also assists stakeout for final grades. For machines using machine control, the system delivers the site calibration and verifies in real time that grade has been achieved to within construction tolerances. Additionally, even as you bid for a job, the SCS900 can be used to verify the original ground to discover errors before bidding. You can bid based exactly on the work you need to do while avoiding shifting extra volumes for free. While the SCS900 is easy to operate, Trimble does offer a variety of training options for its more complex, surveyor-targeted products. Land Survey Certified Trainers are available worldwide. Trimble also offers customized training at each of its dealer locations, CD ROM and Web-based learning, or onsite training. Training Programs Are Imperative Too often project managers say that training is low on the list of priorities; however, they are paying for that lack of training every day—on the job—and with poor results. Without software training, employees often fail to capitalize on the software designer's intended vision. "The good news is that it's much easier now for users to learn the systems than it was five years ago, because the majority of programs are Windows CE, the version that delivers touch screen technology and color graphics. Just several years ago, data controllers were only text-based and were much more complicated to learn and use," says Mark Contino, marketing manager for Topcon, a leading provider of precision control products for the construction, surveying and agricultural industries. "Still, you're talking about having a contractor execute things that surveyors and engineers were doing in the past. So I don't care how user-friendly you make the equipment, you still need to teach them how to run it. This equipment makes it easier to do the job, but you need to already understand the basics of the job. Even though the technology is very complete and exciting, a lot of the contractors are worried that if they don't get their guys trained properly, they're not going to get the most out of it. The difficult part is handling the data. After getting used to the equipment, anybody can be out taking measurements, but the key thing is what the data means and how it applies to the mapping and the job site," he says. Topcon offers extensive
training classes to its dealers as well as its end users. "We have
what we call 'point-man' training for the end users of our machine-control
applications Contino says that if a system is collecting dust, the end user will commonly blame the equipment. "But it's not a matter of faulty equipment. Either the dealer didn't insist on training or the end users didn't want to get training. Consider that surveyors have been using GPS since the late '80s, but to the contractor the technology is still fairly new—just within the last four years," says Contino, who estimates that 3D GPS machine-control use in the earthworks industry is still probably under 30%. "There's still a lot of sonic and laser-based machine control out there that has not gone to GPS. Although GPS is popular, the vertical component had not been accurate enough for precision applications," he says. "But this too has changed with the announcement of Topcon's new technology that provides millimeter-accurate GPS." Topcon refers to its Millimeter GPS as a revolutionary new technology that will provide a significant enhancement in the vertical measuring precision of RTK GPS. This laser technology, known as Lazer Zone, can be combined with any Topcon RTK GPS system to generate a vertical accuracy to within a few millimeters as compared to the centimeter vertical accuracy of conventional RTK GPS. "When a contractor needs a high-accuracy vertical component such as in precision grading, paving, curb and gutter, and curb staking, they can simply add the Lazer Zone system to their existing GPS system [which is accurate for the horizontal component] and the field computer combines the two," Contino says. The advantage of Millimeter GPS, say Topcon engineers, is that multiple GPS rovers can be used simultaneously with a single Lazer Zone transmitter. With optical instruments, only one measurement can be made at a time, limiting productivity. "We are currently training our dealers and representatives on Millimeter GPS and will subsequently roll out regional training programs for end users. Topcon is constantly coming up with the latest technology to help contractors save time and money, but if you don't get trained on it, it's of no use to you," Contino says. Shifting to 3D Thinking "The construction industry, particularly civil engineering, is comprised of many 2D-thinking people. This has to end because robotic control demands 3D data. The hardware and software involved in robotic control is solid. The only void is getting engineers, surveyors, and contractors the skill level to feed these machines," says Harry Ward, P.E., vice president of Oursource Inc. of Front Royal, VA, a firm specializing in customized, high-end CAD training. Outsource is an Autodesk Authorized Premier Training Center, a Topcon TopSite Certified Center, and one of the leading experts in GPS-guided machine control. "We have to achieve a paradigm shift in the industry to move us from 2D thinking to 3D thinking. This is where our training comes in. We have to learn to design in 3D but not lose money doing it. We're working right now with Topcon on offering a training system for engineers, surveyors, and contractors to design their sites so that 3D data can be fed to the machine for robotic excavation," he says. Ward says that contractors will invest in 3D machine-control technology but when they call the engineer to request their data in 3D, most likely the engineer will say, "We didn't design this in 3D." So the contractor has the responsibility to convert a set of construction plans into 3D data that the machine will accept. The contractor needs to be trained to convert the data, or has to outsource that task to an outside firm.
"So you have this enormous waste of time and money wrapped up in data conversion," Ward says. "The natural solution is getting engineers and surveyors to design in 3D to begin with, so that data can be transferred directly from the engineer's office to the field for construction. But engineering firms will be affected by involvement with this technology, facing considerations regarding who owns or controls the project data. A strong business model would dictate leveraging this data into a profitable commodity, rather than hiding it behind waivers. Another aspect will be whether the engineering firm produces construction plans, or simply plans that will pass state, county, or local review. If a firm produces construction plans, does its design workflow coincide with its ability to deliver the 3D design data? If the company can produce 3D design data, can it produce it in a way that is directly usable by the contractor? Is there liability involved and how should it be handled? Contractors now wish to take the civil engineer's design directly into the construction process. The design firms than cannot provide design data to contractors are forcing the developers to pay for data conversion and survey stakeout. How long will this be tolerated before the developer seeks a more progressive design firm?" he says. Ward and his company are trying to bridge these gaps by offering a customized training solution to engineers. "They are not going to change software. As trainers, we have to become the bridge between the software they've already invested in (such as Autodesk Land Desktop) and the software for 3D data," he says. "So we've designed a course to teach engineers to design in 3D using their existing software. The 3D design also produces paper plans, so they really haven't lost anything, but rather have gained another skill level. They learn how to create a 3D set of plans to pass review, while also designing them to be constructible. Once this is learned, the next step is quality control. In other words, the engineer must be assured that a grader with machine control, for example, actually sees what the engineer intended. So we bring in the Topcon software and show them how to transition from their software into the Topcon software, and attain that level of quality control." Topcon is scheduling dates nationwide for this formalized training. "Also, we offer the course every month at our location in Virginia," Ward says. The Power of a 3D Surface Ward explains that the real power of a 3D surface is the capability of the designer to identify surface elevations anywhere, automatically. Slopes of flow lines, elevations of the edge, or pavements or sidewalks can be achieved at the touch of a cursor. Modifications can be accomplished easily and effectively, and the resulting 3D models can be easily exported to programs where they can be rendered and animated. If civil engineers designed in 3D, quality assurance would benefit and surveyors would be able to expedite reviews of the projects. Stakeout tasks would flow more smoothly between the project database and the electronic field recorders. "Feeding the 'beast' with 3D data," he says, "is the only obstacle that is keeping 3D machine control from becoming a mainstream product." Construction-industry writer Carol Wasson owns JCL Marketing & Communications Inc. GEC - September/October 2004
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