GPS World

Tag: infrastructure

  • UN, Geospatial Media cooperate on geospatial infrastructure

    Letter signed to advance role of geospatial knowledge infrastructure in global society and economy

    Geospatial Media & Communications has signed a letter of cooperation with the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) to work together to advance the role of geospatial knowledge infrastructure in global society and economy.

    Consistent with their respective mandates, the UNSD and Geospatial Media will collaborate to carry out activities related to their common objective of demonstrating the value of global geospatial knowledge, the data ecosystem, public-private partnerships, and their contribution towards building Geospatial Knowledge Infrastructure and the Global Development Agendas.

    The agreement was signed by Stefan Schweinfest, director, UNSD, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and Sanjay Kumar, CEO, Geospatial Media, in New York on Oct. 31.

    “The United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda is ambitious and requires countries to have solid national information systems to successfully stir the process of implementation. It is a central task of my office, the United Nations Statistics Division, to support countries in building the necessary national information capacities, both in the area of statistics and geospatial information. For this challenging task we need the cooperation of the private sector through well established public-private partnerships. Geospatial Media & Communications is a unique partner in this respect, due to its global reach and its in-depth knowledge and understanding of country needs. I am, therefore, delighted to cooperate with them closely in the coming years,” said Mr. Schweinfest.

    “Pursuing its vision to make a difference through geospatial knowledge in world economy nad society, Geospatial Media has been evangelizing geospatial industry globally for over two decades through research, advocacy, media and knowledge exchange platforms. It has contributed in the formation and strengthening of several institutions, including the Association of Geospatial Industries (AGI), World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC), UNGGIM Private Sector Network and the National Think Tank on Geospatial Strategy for New India. Through this collaboration, our intent is to further our vision to showcase high level value of geospatial knowledge in global development agenda and facilitate alignment and evolution of geospatial stakeholders with emerging socio-economic development models in the fourth Industrial age,” said Mr. Sanjay Kumar.

    The intended collaboration will focus on a number of common objectives at national, regional and global levels which will include:

    1. Working together to create joint programs and projects to develop geospatial knowledge infrastructure, networks and human resource capacities;
    2. Assessment of the prospective role of geospatial knowledge infrastructure in global society and economy;
    3. Collaboratively developing broader methods, guidelines, architectures and policy frameworks for the adoption, utilisation and benefits of geospatial knowledge infrastructure;
    4. Develop documents, training modules and other resources to assist National Geospatial Information Agencies in their transformation and modernization aspirations in alignment with the national to global vision of the Integrated Geospatial Information Framework;
    5. Facilitate a collaborative knowledge exchange and engagement atmosphere between the commercial geospatial industry, national geospatial agencies, and the broader user industries and civil society, towards developing public-private partnership models for co-creating geospatial knowledge infrastructure and strengthening of industry and institutional capacities; and
    6. Advocate, communicate and promote the value and utility of geospatial information and enabling technologies for sustainable development.

  • Bentley Systems to celebrate Year in Infrastructure in October

    Bentley Systems’ Year in Infrastructure 2018 Conference will be held Oct. 15-18 in London at the Hilton London Metropole.

    Bentley Systems is a global provider of comprehensive software solutions for advancing infrastructure.

    Presented by Bentley Institute, the conference is a global gathering of leading industry executives and prominent thought leaders in the design, construction and operations of the world’s infrastructure. The theme of this year’s conference is “Going Digital: Advancements in Infrastructure.”

    The conference features nearly 70 speakers and more than 50 informative sessions, including keynotes by leading industry experts, interactive workshops, forums, panel discussions and product demonstrations. Attendees can visit the Technology Pavilion, which features exhibits and presentations from Bentley Systems and its strategic partners Microsoft, Siemens, Topcon and Bureau Veritas.

    On the first day of the conference, Bentley Institute will host Digital Advancement Academies, featuring presentations and interactive discussions with subject matter experts who provide insights and best practices in their areas of expertise including reality modeling, BIM strategy and constructioneering.

    The conference also includes the selection and announcement of the winners of Bentley’s Year in Infrastructure 2018 Awards (formerly known as the Be Inspired Awards), which honors the extraordinary infrastructure projects by users of Bentley software throughout the world.

    During six industry-focused forums featured during the conference — Buildings and Campuses, Digital Cities, Industrial Infrastructure, Rail and Transit, Roads and Bridges, and Utilities and Water — more than 55 awards finalists will present their projects to independent panels of jurors, more than 100 members of the press, and conference attendees.

    From those presentations, winners are selected by the jurors, and will be announced at the conclusion of the conference on Oct. 18 during an evening ceremony and gala.

    Aret Garip, technical director for WSP, attended Bentley’s conference last year in Singapore to represent WSP’s One Blackfriars project in London, which was chosen as an awards finalist.

    “The conference has been truly inspiring and educational,” Garip said. “It’s a great event to learn about the latest tech in engineering design software and an opportunity to meet the creative, intelligent people who develop new tools to make it easier for us to design buildings.”

    In October 2019, the Year in Infrastructure Conference will return to the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Singapore.

  • Trimble MX9 mapping system designed for surveying, engineering, GIS

    Trimble has released its MX9 mobile mapping solution for large-scale scanning and mapping missions.

    The Trimble MX9 combines a vehicle-mounted mobile lidar system, multi-camera imaging and field software for efficient, precise and high-volume data capture for a broad range of mobile mapping applications such as road surveys, topographic mapping, 3D modeling and asset management.

    The Trimble MX9 captures dense point-cloud data along with 360-degree immersive georeferenced imagery using a spherical camera, GNSS/INS technology and dual-head laser scanning sensors.

    Trimbe-MX9-mobilemapper-O

    The system’s innovative and lightweight design facilitates easy installation and setup on a variety of vehicles. Spatial data can be captured at highway speeds from inside the vehicle for safe operation in transportation corridors.

    The intuitive, browser-based field software, accessible via most tablets or any notebook, enables operators to quickly establish and conduct data-acquisition missions, monitor the status of the system, and assess the quality of the acquired data in real time.

    “The Trimble MX9 is our next-generation mobile mapping system, focused on simple operation and integrated workflows for a new generation of users and applications,” said Ron Bisio, vice president of Trimble Geospatial. “We believe there’s a tremendous potential for a system that offers high-quality performance, simple installation and easy operation.

    “Being able to capture high-fidelity and survey-grade data for a whole project site, a complete city or even a statewide road-network allows our customers to use mobile mapping data for a variety of surveying, engineering and mapping applications.”

    The Trimble MX9 is designed for applications including transportation infrastructure planning, as-built surveying, GIS mapping and asset management. Survey and engineering professionals can analyze road cross-sections, perform clearance inspections, conduct topographic mapping, and also use the data for machine control.

    Mapping professionals can utilize the same data for city mapping and planning, inventory mapping and 3D modeling of buildings and linework.

    Complete integration with Trimble office software allows users to seamlessly process the acquired data and generate deliverables for a wide variety of applications. Tools are available for survey and engineering applications as well as deriving and publishing GIS and asset management deliverables.

    Users can also easily export their data for use with third-party software.

    The Trimble MX9 is available for virtual or live demonstrations, depending on customer location, beginning in April. The MX9 system includes a roof rack. Optional accessories such as a GNSS azimuth measurement system (GAMS) or a distance measurement instrument (DMI) are available.

  • DJI’s privacy mode enables flight without internet data transfer

    DJI has launched a new Local Data Mode that stops internet traffic to and from its DJI Pilot app, providing enhanced data privacy assurances for sensitive government and enterprise customers.

    Local Data Mode will be available in the next update on the DJI Pilot app on CrystalSky and for select Android tablets.

    When an operator activates Local Data Mode, the app will stop sending or receiving any data over the internet. This adds an additional layer of security for operators of flights involving critical infrastructure, governmental projects or other sensitive missions.

    “We are creating Local Data Mode to address the needs of our enterprise customers, including public and private organizations that are using DJI technology to perform sensitive operations around the world,” said Brendan Schulman, DJI’s vice p resident of policy and legal affairs. “DJI is committed to protecting the privacy of its customers’ photos, videos and flight logs. Local Data Mode will provide added assurances for customers with heightened data security needs.”

    Since Local Data Mode blocks all internet data, the DJI Pilot app will not be able to detect the location of the user or show map and geofencing information such as No Fly Zones and temporary flight restrictions, nor will it notify drone operators of firmware updates.

    Telemetry data on flight logs such as altitude, distance or speed will remain stored on the aircraft even if the user deactivates Local Data Mode.

    Whether Local Data Mode is activated or not, photos and videos captured by the user are always stored on the drone’s SD card and are only shared if the user chooses to upload them online to the SkyPixel community, social media or other websites.

    When using Local Data Mode, drone operators are reminded that they are solely responsible for the safety of their flight operation and that they understand that features that may enhance and support the safety of their operations, but that rely on internet connectivity, are no longer available.

    Drone operators can enable Local Data Mode by opening the DJI Pilot app, clicking on “Activate LDM Mode” and entering a password which will be required to deactivate Local Data Mode when they decide to go online again.

    New drones will still have to be activated first by logging into the user’s DJI account with an email and a password. To ensure the drone has the latest firmware, users can download and update it while they have internet connectivity before re-activating Local Data Mode.

    The Local Data Mode feature may not be available in locations where an internet connection is required or highly advisable due to local regulations.

  • Harnessing scan-to-BIM technology on historic sites

    Attucks School in Kansas City.
    Attucks School in Kansas City. (Image: GeoSLAM)

    When it comes to renovating a building, unforeseen structural problems or lack of knowledge about the materials used can result in costly delays. Detailed site surveys help to highlight these issues before work begins — and digital technology is playing an increasingly important role in identifying them.

    The GeoSLAM ZEB REVO. (Image: GeoSLAM)
    The GeoSLAM ZEB-REVO. (Image: GeoSLAM)

    A project undertaken at a 112-year-old school highlights the advantages of using 3D mobile indoor mapping for rapid and simple site surveys.

    “The beauty of scanning an historic building is that you find yourself delving into the stories behind its life,” said Stuart Cadge, sales and marketing coordinator at GeoSLAM. “As you peel back the layers you discover how the building has been used and altered over many decades of use.”

    This was certainly the case at the Attucks school in Kansas City, Cadge said. The distinctive red-brick building was designed by local architect Charles A. Smith and built in 1905. It is known for its colonial revival influences and also played a key role in the educational history of the African-American community.

    Two decades later, the school was suffering from over-crowding, and Smith was asked to extend it with a two-storey wing that connected to the east façade of the building. While the 1905 building had been symmetrical, the extension changed the floor plans considerably. Nevertheless, Smith delivered a sympathetic design that incorporated some of the original architectural details, ensuring the new wing was in keeping with the building’s aesthetic.

    While details of the school’s building history are available on national and state registers, it would not have been possible to uncover problems in its structural condition without an accurate survey.

    A Unique Challenge

    Redeveloping and retrofitting a building like Attucks requires careful planning to uncover any existing conditions in its infrastructure. Civil engineering firm BHC RHODES was tasked with providing a 3D Revit building information model (BIM) of the building. The firm decided to use lidar 3D mobile mapping technology provided by GeoSLAM to achieve this.

    The extremely rapid and efficient workflow of the GeoSLAM solution meant that possible setbacks in the project, caused by weakness in the structure, could be identified in advance, helping to speed up delivery time and reduce the overall project spend.

    At Attucks, there were visible signs of deterioration to the wooden flooring, as well as concerns about ceiling collapses and air quality — specifically, asbestos.

    The Value of Technology

    “The process of mapping a historic building can expose site personnel to a number of risks, so BHC RHODES wanted to ensure they spent as little time on-site as possible,” Cadge explained.

    As well as entering the Attucks building, personnel were required to move across the site safely, climb stairs and go into places that a trolley scanner could not.

    On this basis, the firm chose the GeoSLAM ZEB-REVO, a handheld, lightweight, mobile mapping scanner, which employs 3D Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (SLAM) technology. In this case, it was seen as a much more time- and cost-effective alternative to terrestrial, static or trolley-based systems.

    The complete 3D scan of the building comprises four separate scans and over 160 million data points. (Image: GeoSLAM)
    The complete 3D scan of the building comprises four separate scans and over 160 million data points. (Image: GeoSLAM)

    “The ZEB-REVO is an incredibly useful tool for indoor mobile mapping, particularly in buildings with multiple storeys,” Cadge said. “It enables users to simply ‘walk and scan’ the building, in order to generate building footprints, 2D plans, area measurements for real estate and facility management, 3D BIM models — the list goes on.”

    In the case of Attucks, just four-and-and-half hours were needed to scan the whole building, with the ZEB-REVO recording more than 43,000 measurement points per second. This was helped by the fact that operation of the device requires minimal staff training.

    Results

    Data from the ZEB-REVO and a trolley-based scanner were registered with Cyclone 9.1.4 to a common coordinate system before being exported to Autodesk ReCap as a .pts file format. From this, data was divided into 10-GB files to be used in ReCap and Revit 2014, where a level 200 BIM model was generated. The smooth and hassle-free workflow resulted in the entire building model being completed two weeks earlier than predicted.

    The Jazz District Redevelopment Corporation (JDRC) in Kansas City has plans to transform Attucks into a new community performing arts facility, with office space, paying tribute to its African-American history. By supplying the JDRC with the geospatial data, the organization was better able to understand the structural condition of the building and consider how the space could be used.

    The 3D point data was used to build a level 200 BIM model in Recap and Revit 2014. (Image: GeoSLAM)
    The 3D point data was used to build a level 200 BIM model in Recap and Revit 2014. (Image: GeoSLAM)

    The development will form an integral part of the 18th and Vine historic district in Kansas City, known as the Jazz District. The area is recognized as one of the cradles of jazz music in the 1920s and 1940s, and a historic hub of African-American businesses.

    To secure approval on the plans for Attucks, JDRC must produce detailed drawings that show what materials will be used, as well as full dimension drawings, floor plans, site drawings and elevations. In addition, it must provide details, both graphically and in written form, on what parts of the building will remain and what renovation techniques will be used.

    All this might present a number of challenges, but the scans produced by GeoSLAM’s ZEB-REVO show that the existing buildings are of exceptional quality. When the project does proceed, it will be able to do so quickly and efficiently thanks in part to the speed, simplicity and ease of use of the ZEB-REVO.

  • Phase One’s new aerial camera features innovative shutter design

    phaseone-ixu-rs1000-cameraphaseone-ixu-rs1000-camera-2Phase One Industrial has introduced the iXU-RS aerial camera series, featuring a breakthrough central lens shutter design, according to the company. The new shutter technology is based on an innovative direct-drive concept with electronic charging that enhances exposure speed to as fast as 1/2500s, while guaranteeing half a million exposures, an unprecedented shutter life span.

    The series’ flagship 100MP iXU-RS1000 camera system, with the advanced lens shutter, an exceptional capture rate of 0.6 seconds per frame and its CMOS sensor with superior light sensitivity of 50-6400 ISO, is uniquely designed to expand the efficiency of aerial imaging operations, including under deteriorating weather conditions or on days that were previously not conducive to image capture. This allows for faster flights and larger surface coverage.

    For a small-bodied medium format camera, the iXU-RS1000 offers a large-format-quality experience thanks to its sensor technology and high-performance optics, which can deliver 11,608 pixels cross-track coverage. Users can gain more image coverage during a flight, while maintaining the same ground sample distance (GSD), or a lower GSD, while flying at the same height. Its small form factor supports multiple uses — as a standalone camera for photogrammetric work or as part of an array (to cover a larger swath) or as part of an oblique camera system.

    Other iXU-RS series cameras include the 80MP iXU-RS180, and 60MP iXU-RS160 and 160 Achromatic systems. All iXU-RS series cameras feature accurate metric calibration, scalability to form multi-camera arrays, and easy integration with popular flight management systems and GPS/IMU receivers. There are seven available lens options, including: 32mm, 40mm, 50mm, 70mm, 90mm, 110mm and 150mm. Lenses have been designed and built for aerial photography by Rodenstock and Schneider Kreuznach, and factory calibrated for infinity focus.

    Easily integrated into existing or new set-ups, the cameras offer maximum connectivity with diverse systems and help operators execute and manage missions, such as: surveying, mapping, critical infrastructure inspection and many other applications with greater reliability, cost effectiveness and operational efficiency. The iXU-RS1000 is also suited to four band-imaging applications.

  • Cityworks enhanced with new functions in 15.1 release

    Cityworks has released Cityworks 15.1, making the care of critical infrastructure, capital assets and property easier and more straightforward.

    Cityworks 15.1—Platform 4.1 introduces Cityworks “apps” — functional applications that run parallel to the platform, providing faster updates for fixes and new functionality.

    Cityworks 15.1—Platform 4.1 includes updates to Cityworks AMS and PLL, Web Services (APIs) and Storeroom, as well as the release of the Cityworks apps. As part of the enhancements to the core functionality, Cityworks AMS now provides more robust options and methodology for inspection data as well as a new design for comments to support extended functionality, formatting and preferences for end users.

    GIS-centric functionality has also been furthered to support population of GIS data across fields on service requests, work orders and inspections.

    New functions related to Respond 1.1 include a standardized layout and design for ease of use and responsiveness across multiple devices. This version improves upon the initial release of Respond and provides a superior UI and design, as well as added functionality. The extended functionality allows users to create and edit work orders and inspections, and to edit service requests.

    “We’re really excited that the new model of Cityworks apps will allow us to more efficiently and effectively provide improvements to our clients,” said Becky Tamashasky, executive director of product roadmap. “With this change, individual apps are able to be upgraded on a release cycle independent of the platform. This important improvement allows Cityworks to be more effective as we constantly work to upgrade the existing suite of products and provide expanded functionality as our users’ needs continue to grow and evolve.”

  • Mapillary raises $8M Series A to map world through photos

    Mapillary, a community-based photomapping platform, has received an $8 million Series A funding round led by Atomico, with participation from Sequoia, LDV Capital and PlayFair.

    Anyone can contribute photos to the Mapillary platform and mobile app (available on iOS and Android) with a smartphone or action camera. The company’s computer vision software automatically extracts geographic information, blurs license plates and faces, and detects traffic signs from each photo uploaded. Then, the photos are meticulously stitched together on the map alongside other users’ photos, creating a digital representation of each location through the eyes of those who have been there.

    Mapillary’s growing global community has uploaded more than 50 million photos and mapped more than 1.2 million kilometers in over 170 countries to date.

    “Mapillary is reinventing the way we map and navigate our world,” said Niklas Zennström, CEO and founding partner at Atomico. “Their ambition is to transform the way we plan our cities, develop transport networks, and understand all parts of the globe. We’re proud to invest in the next phase of their growth and we look forward to working alongside Jan Erik and his team as they advance their technology and scale the business.”

    Cities, corporations, and nonprofits can access Mapillary’s platform through an extensive API, which holds multiple layers of visual data. Mapillary’s ArcGIS integration — built in partnership with Esri — lets governments, nonprofits and businesses see locations evolve in real-time, arming them with insight into infrastructural problems like inefficient public transportation and changes in road conditions.

    Mapillary partners with several nonprofits to help them improve infrastructure in developing countries around the world. The World Bank trains university students and local community members to use Mapillary in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, to create accurate maps of the most flood-prone areas of the city, and the Red Cross has been mapping Haiti so NGOs and individuals can use the data to better respond to crises affecting the area. Mapillary allows nonprofits to allocate resources more efficiently and to empower communities to contribute to the growth and development of their cities and towns.

    From backyards to Antarctica, Mapillary allows anyone to be immersed in places both familiar and unknown. This funding is bringing the company one step closer to accomplishing its goal of creating an open and complete digital representation of the earth to benefit governments, businesses, nonprofit organizations and curious explorers alike.

  • OGC seeks comment on land and infrastructure standard

    The membership of the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) seeks public comment on its candidate OGC Land and Infrastructure Conceptual Model Standard (LandInfra). Deadline for comments is March 2.

    LandInfra defines concepts for land and civil engineering infrastructure facilities.This conceptual standard will provide a basis for one or more implementation standards for encoding infrastructure data. Developers will use the encoding standard to implement software and services that enable users of diverse technologies and vendor platforms to efficiently exchange information about land and civil engineering infrastructure facilities.

    The extended stakeholder community for this standard spans civil engineering (such as road and rail) and surveying; land parcel; facility and asset management; and government information communities. It is applicable throughout the entire facility lifecycle, including planning, design, construction, operations, maintenance, and removal. It represents a seminal venture into GIS-CAD-BIM integration.

    After evaluating the LandXML 1.2 schema, the OGC Land and Infrastructure Domain Working Group (LandInfraDWG) recommended the development of an alternative standard to be part of the OGC standards baseline. With shared interest by the buildingSMART International Infrastructure Room, it was agreed that this would be a concepts-only document — encodings such as GML, IFC, and possibly others would follow as separate implementation standardization efforts. An anticipated GML encoding will be compatible with other GML standards such as CityGML. Having a common underlying Conceptual Model across all LandInfra encodings will help ensure compatibility across multiple encoding standards.

    The OGC is an international consortium of more than 515 companies, government agencies, research organizations, and universities participating in a consensus process to develop publicly available geospatial standards. OGC standards support interoperable solutions that “geo-enable” the web, wireless and location-based services, and mainstream IT. OGC standards empower technology developers to make geospatial information and services accessible and useful with any application that needs to be geospatially enabled.

  • Bentley Systems offers new sewer and stormwater products

     

    StormCAD from within OpenRoads.
    StormCAD from within OpenRoads.

    Bentley Systems’ latest infrastructure products are now available. They include SewerGEMS, SewerCAD, StormCAD and CivilStorm V8i (SELECTseries 5) products for the analysis and design of wastewater and stormwater systems. All of the V8i (SELECTseries 5) sewer and stormwater products can be used as stand-alone products, or be run on CAD and GIS platforms.

    They can also now be used from within the V8i (SELECTseries 4) versions of OpenRoads-based products — combining 3D design and hydraulic analysis capabilities in the same platform. The resulting comprehensive civil solution eliminates the need for extra import/export steps or file conversions, Bentley Systems said.

    “The integration of Bentley’s OpenRoads civil design functionality with the advanced capabilities of Bentley’s storm and sewer analysis products will be a huge benefit to productivity and quality for our highway drainage design workflows,” said Chris Haines, senior civil engineer and PAR-BIM technical lead, Drainage and Utilities, Parsons.

    Terrain model elevations on profiles.
    Terrain model elevations on profiles.

    “With these new releases, the automated hydraulic design functionality of our sewer and storm products can be effortlessly combined with the 3D physical design and terrain modeling capabilities of Bentley’s other civil products,” said Gregg Herrin, Bentley Systems director of product management, hydraulics and hydrology. “From an information mobility standpoint, this has a direct and substantial positive impact on roadway, site and municipal work where hydraulic engineering is just one part of a much larger project.”

    Bentley’s SewerGEMS, SewerCAD, StormCAD and CivilStorm V8i (SELECTseries 5) products provide the following capabilities:

    • Ground elevations from terrain models may be used during automated design runs to consider “cover” along a pipe’s length, improving decision making related to system design.
    • Terrain model elevations can also now be added to profiles, improving the resulting visualization and the user’s understanding of the physical network.
    • New low-impact development (LID) elements are now available, making it easier to model a wider range of controls for stormwater management.
    • With the new lateral link element, engineers can include lateral pipes in their hydraulic analysis without creating “fake” elements where the laterals connect to the main pipe.
    • Easy access to the Bentley Communities professional networking site is embedded within the applications, facilitating communications between users and Bentley’s hydraulic modeling experts.

    Users of any of these SELECTseries 5 releases now benefit from the products’ support of MicroStation V8i (SELECTseries 3), OpenRoads V8i (SELECTseries 4), AutoCAD 2015 and 2016, and ArcGIS 10.2 and 10.3 (SewerGEMS only), giving them the ability to model from within the latest MicroStation, OpenRoads, AutoCAD or ArcGIS version.

  • CartoPac, EDM Implement Inspection Software for Western Power

    CartoPac International and EDM International have implemented a new transmission line inspection solution based on the CartoPac Software platform for the Western Area Power Administration. Western markets and delivers hydroelectric power within a 15-state region of the central and western U.S.

    Western sought quotes for a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) utilities inspection software application that would provide a more efficient, integrated process and technology for improving Western’s transmission line inspection practices/process. Teaming with EDM, CartoPac was awarded the contract to deploy the CartoPac software platform, configure the COTS solution to meet specific needs for Western, and provide training to field personnel for use of the new system. 

    With the COTS solution, Western now has a fully integrated application within their Esri GIS system, leveraging Windows OS field computers for field inspection of transmission lines. The CartoPac solution provides Western linemen with complete, streamlined access to data needed in the field. Using ruggedized laptop computers, field personnel have access to a complete suite of tools, including GIS maps and digital inspection forms to perform the required inspection tasks in the field. CartoPac provides a streamlined process for data transfer in and out of the system, and provides a standardized, centralized application across all of Western. In addition, the new solution provides tools for GIS, foremen, and other key stakeholders to review, validate, and report on critical information.

    Through the partnership established with EDM, CartoPac and EDM were able to provide a proven enterprise mobile technology, combined with expertise and experience in the electric transmission inspection and maintenance arena. EDM provided configuration and training of the solution using experienced subject matter experts, trained in configuration of CartoPac technology, with knowledge and experience in transmission line inspection and maintenance. The combination of the existing COTS CartoPac platform and EDM’s experienced personnel has created an electric industry offering with a highly flexible software platform and industry proven workflows. 

    CartoPac is hosting two webinars on the utility industry:

    May 28 — CartoPac for Electric Utilities

    June 4 — Digital As-Builts for Gas Distribution

  • Trimble Expands Geospatial Portfolio to Increase Productivity

     

    Trimble-S9-Total-Station-Application-W

    Trimble has expanded its portfolio of geospatial solutions for surveyors, engineers and mapping professionals. Highlights include new total stations, a new GNSS receiver and new field and office software features. The solutions save time, reduce costs, streamline workflows and produce high-quality geospatial deliverables across a wide range of industries, Trimble said.

    “Trimble’s portfolio expansion will enable our customers to work in a more efficient, seamless and collaborative manner,” said Chris Gibson, vice president of Trimble. “Trimble’s solutions are best known for quality, dependability and performance. Our vision is to equip customers with the most innovative tools, which includes a focus on offering new software applications that streamline and elevate the value of geospatial data to guide smart decision-making and transform the way organizations work.”

    The expanded portfolio of productivity solutions include:

    Total Station Solutions

    Trimble-totalstations-W

    A range of new and enhanced robotic total stations — the Trimble S5, S7 and S9 — improve project efficiencies, productivity and deliverables. Times saving enhancements include improved Trimble VISION technology, SureScan technology included in the S7 and optional in the S9 total station, and the DR Plus electronic distance measurement technology as a standard feature.

    Theft and loss risks are also minimized now with Locate2Protect technology embedded in each instrument, allowing users to remotely track the location of their equipment in real-time using Trimble InSphere Equipment Manager.

    In the office, Trimble Business Center software can be used to create high-dynamic-range (HDR) images using data captured with total stations. A new total station data editor enables fieldwork to be rapidly reviewed and allows surveyors to create deliverables with confidence, Trimble said.

    Scanning Solutions

    Trimble continues to blend powerful 3D laser scanning and imaging hardware with workflow-based software to drive new efficiencies for survey applications and construction planning and design.

    The Trimble TX8 3D laser scanner now offers greater accuracy (down to 1 mm) and streamlined onboard operation when measuring to longer ranges, decreasing the field time required for capturing reliable high-accuracy data.

    Enhanced tools in Trimble RealWorks software version 9.1 further reduce the time to produce high-quality deliverables from Trimble TX8 data. The new version of Trimble RealWorks software includes improved workflows for creating floor settlement plans and 3D pipeline models as well as complete storage tank inspection and reporting capabilities.

    GNSS Solutions

    The new Trimble R8s Integrated GNSS receiver and updated version of Trimble Access field software combine to offer configurable and scalable settings. Surveyors have the flexibility across their workflows by being able to tailor the Trimble R8s receiver with the updated field software for their specific application. The ability to customize provides flexibility for future business requirements and allows customers to maximize efficiencies across their workflows.

    cameraSightImage_S6-W

    Imaging Solutions

    Trimble enhancements to Trimble VISION workflows increase the value of highly accurate image data. Survey, engineering and civil infrastructure professionals can now generate dense point cloud deliverables in Trimble Business Center from images captured using the Trimble V10 Imaging Rover. Users can also quickly generate 2D CAD and 3D real-world models from images captured with Trimble total stations using the streamlined workflows created within Trimble Business Center and SketchUp software.

    Availability

    Trimble Access field software, Trimble Business Center version 3.50 office software, the Trimble R8s GNSS receiver, Trimble S5, S7 and S9 Total Stations and TX8 3D Scanner are available now through Trimble’s Geospatial Distribution Channel.