GPS World

Tag: Colorado State University

  • Trimble donates to Colorado State construction program

    Trimble donates to Colorado State construction program

    Photo: Trimble
    Photo: Trimble

    Trimble has awarded a significant in-kind gift to the Department of Construction Management at Colorado State University (CSU) that will expand the university’s leadership in training and research for 3D building design, construction management, digital fabrication, civil infrastructure, geomatics and the sustainable built environment.

    The gift will enable CSU to integrate across its curricula Trimble solutions that are rapidly transforming how building and living environments are designed and constructed.

    Trimble’s portfolio of building construction solutions support the Constructible Process, Trimble’s approach for enabling digital transformation of architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) workflows. This process empowers disparate teams across the construction lifecycle with actionable data to improve productivity and reduce waste.

    The gift will be recognized as “Technologies by Trimble” throughout the Department of Construction Management.

    Photo: Trimble
    Photo: Trimble

    The department’s labs will include Trimble laser scanning, Trimble Field Link and Rapid Positioning Systems, UAS and surveying systems, and GNSS receivers. Trimble’s software packages will include RealWorks scanning software, Trimble Business Center, Vico Office Suite, Tekla Structures, Sefaira Architecture and its 3D modeling software SketchUp Pro, along with MEP software such as AutoBid SheetMetal and Mechanical, Sysque and AccuBid Electrical estimating packages.

    Potential applications of these technologies include scanning historic and other buildings to ensure their preservation as well as planning future renovations; designing and 3D printing of architectural building models; surveying and layout; and improving construction estimating and scheduling to reduce costs.

    “Working with Trimble represents the culmination of a fruitful, multi-year collaboration between CSU’s Department of Construction Management and Trimble,” said Jon Elliott, assistant department head and undergraduate program coordinator in the Department of Construction Management.

    “Through numerous pieces of Trimble hardware and software applications, students gain important exposure to cutting edge technologies in surveying, virtual design and construction (VDC)-based estimating, site logistics, 3D modeling, building energy performance analysis, laser scanning, photogrammetry, and so on.

    “Beyond the applications, Trimble’s dedicated employees provide outstanding educational opportunities through software demonstration and training. Through this exciting collaboration, Trimble is making significant contributions to our goal of preparing construction management students for a technologically advanced and dynamic construction industry.”

    “Collaborating with CSU’s Department of Construction Management has been exciting. Trimble’s portfolio is highly relevant for students at the university,” said Roz Buick, Trimble vice president. “It will be rewarding to see the next generation of architecture, engineering, construction and building operations professionals experience the breadth and depth of our construction lifecycle solutions. We also look forward to supporting and learning from these new professionals as they experience and apply our solutions to real-world applications in their curricula.”

    The gift was made to CSU’s Construction Management Program in the College of Health and Human Sciences.

  • GPS reveals Antarctic bedrock rising

    The entirety of West Antarctica contains enough ice that, if it were to melt, would cause oceans to rise 10 feet. While the West Antarctic ice sheet is at risk of collapse, GPS data suggests this crisis could be averted because the bedrock supporting it is rising.

    Using GPS, an international team of researchers found that the viscosity of the mantle under the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is much lower than expected, with the crust rebounding faster than expected, possibly stabilizing against catastrophic collapse. According to the study, in 100 years, the uplift rates at the GPS sites will be 2.5 to 3.5 times more rapid than currently observed.

    Backer Islands GPS station: The small mushroom-shaped GPS antenna is supported by the nearby equipment with solar panels. (Photo: David Saddler via Colorado State University)
    Backer Islands GPS station: The small mushroom-shaped GPS antenna is supported by the nearby equipment with solar panels. (Photo: David Saddler via Colorado State University)

    Participating researchers led by scientists at the Ohio State University installed a series of GPS stations on rock outcrops around the region to measure the Earth’s rise in response to thinning ice. Measurements showed that the bedrock uplift rates near the coast of West Antarctica were as high as 1.6 inches per year, one of the fastest rates ever recorded in glacial areas.

    “This very rapid uplift may slow the runaway wasting and eventual collapse of the ice sheet,” said Rick Aster, a co-author of the study from Colorado State University. Nevertheless, Aster told the UK’s Independent, “To keep global sea levels from rising more than a few feet during this century and beyond, we must still limit greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere, which can only occur through international cooperation and innovation.”

    The team also included DTU Space. Study results were published in the journal Science.