Sub-dio Autumn 2011 Mapping Newsletter

Autumn 2011 The GIS Mapping Solutions Newsletter from KOREC

Sub-dio this issue: ■■ KOREC Opinion: Going Wireless ■■ The swinglet CAM ■■ Case Studies ■■ Spotlight On...Floodlight Technology

KOREC Presents... the swinglet CAM You can now undertake your own small scale aerial mapping projects with SenseFLY’s unmanned, flying camera, the swinglet CAM. The SenseFly swinglet CAM is a safe, easy to use flying camera which takes high resolution images based on your user defined GPS waypoints. A key feature is the integrated GPS based miniature autopilot which ensures it starts, flies and lands silently on its own.

KOREC is pleased to report that the swinglet CAM has generated huge interest both in the industry’s press and at various events and exhibitions around the UK and Ireland. Here’s why: ■■ Deployed in under one minute ■■ Hand launched with a take-off weight of just 500g

In our Spring issue of Sub-dio we were delighted to bring you five new products.

Yet just five months down the line here we are announcing three more new releases which have really captured the interest of the KOREC team, the press and our customers.

Available now are the Swinglet unmanned flying camera (see left), the Trimble GeoExplorer 6000 Series and the Intelligent Trench solution. Sub-dio offers a taster of all three. For full details please call your KOREC Mapping Sales Consultant.

Trimble GeoExplorer 6000 Series

■■ Records 10-40 cm/pixel images

A high-accuracy GNSS multi-function handheld series that delivers decimetre accuracy in difficult GNSS environments such as urban canyons and under heavy tree canopy. The Trimble GeoExplorer 6000 Series has been designed with a single goal in mind – delivering a high-accuracy GNSS system that works faster, longer and in more places than any other.

■■ Produces over 100 hectares of aerial photo coverage during its 30 minute flight ■■ Drag & drop functions allow you to update the trajectory, live, using PC based software ■■ Immediate download of images

The GeoXH offers real-time decimetre accuracy, the GeoXT, real-time sub metre accuracy.

■■ Additionally, the swinglet CAM’s low weight and size mean that there are few flying restrictions If you wish to learn more about the swinglet CAM, please visit our website UAV section for videos and reports. nnn

New releases

Award winning swinglet CAM

Stop Press: Trimble launches the Trimble GeoXH™ in a centimetre-accurate configuration. The Centimetre option will be available as a paid service upgrade from the standard, 6000 series GeoXH.

■■ High-accuracy positions faster than ever before thanks to Trimble’s 220 channel GNSS receiver with real-time H-Star technology ■■ More positions and increased accuracy in tough environments with unique Trimble Floodlight technology (see back page feature) ■■ Sunlight readable display with 4.2” polarized screen ■■ Internet connectivity in the field using 3.5G modem option ■■ Built-in 5 megapixel camera for high quality images nnn

New releases

Updates

(continued)

‘Intelligent Trench’ Underground mapping solution

Software

The Intelligent Trench solution comprises a Trimble Nomad GNSS handheld with a built in 1D barcode scanner, U-Track software, a 3M Dynatel Locator, 3M RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) markers with passive RFID tag technology, and a national Exor hosted database with ‘cloud computing’ web based access.

Software updates come so thick and fast that we’ve decided to move the marjority of them to www. korecgroup.com in our news section under ‘software’. This will ensure that you always have the latest information.

The plastic RFID marker balls are used to mark specific pipes or cables and have a life expectancy of at least 30 years. Each marker holds a unique bar code reference (which can be read by the Nomad’s scanner). The Trimble Nomad runs the Track ID software which is used to record the GPS co-ordinates and attributes about the underground service that the marker ball has been attached to. This includes a photograph to give the location context. These data are transmitted wirelessly to the Exor database where they can be viewed by any registered, authorised user.

Swinglet CAM The swinglet cam is now available with Post Flight Suite software offering the following features:

The benefits are numerous – completed work can be viewed live by all registered users, fewer unnecessary exploratory excavations are required, there is traceability of all works undertaken, a reduction in damage to underground assets, a reduction in traffic congestion and of course improved safety for site workers who can check data live in the field before they dig.

■■ Fully automated Geotagging of images ■■ KML flight path extraction after mission

The Intelligent Trench underground mapping solution has just won a prestigious Health & Safety award at the Chartered Institute of Highways and Transportation Ceremony. nnn

■■ Integration with the newly release PIX4D image processing software

Trimble Nomad

■■ Pix4D and Sensefly have teamed up for the first fully automated image processing software for UAV systems

KOREC News

■■ Photos are auto uploaded from Post Flight Suite to Pix4D ■■ Images are processed and a report generated and emailed to you for acceptance

Destination 40° 0’ 0” N, 45° 0’ 0” E For KOREC Technical Support Analyst Darius Mirdamadi, a recent training request from our Mapping Consultant Martyn Palmer, took him slightly out of his comfort zone when he found himself 2500 miles away in a mountain range in Armenia!

Training a group of geologists involved in gold prospecting for Lydian International, Darius spend two days teaching them how to use their new Trimble ProXRT and Recon controller with the 10/20cm accuracy Omnistar HP+ service to collect borehole information for GIS analysis.

■■ You are then notified of completed project for downloading of the ortho-rectified stitched image ■■ Optional DEM modelling is also available for missions

Safely back at his desk, Darius reports that the team were keen and fast learners, treated him like family and everything went really smoothly - even his journey in a Lada 4x4! nnn

Hardware Itronix GD3070 Rugged Tablet The GD3070 rugged tablet has been designed and engineered to meet the needs of the mobile workforce. Packed with features, it is a cost-effective computing option for all sectors requiring a truly rugged option.

■■ 2 Megapixel camera, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, WWAN, barcode scanner, RFID reader, Express and SD card slots

KOREC’s Darius Mirdamadi

■■ Meets United States MIL-STD-810G ■■ Sunlight-viewable display incorporates polarized LCD glass and anti-reflection technology

Join the KOREC Team

KOREC in the Press

Mapping and GIS Sales Consultant / Scotland & NE

It’s been a busy few weeks for the KOREC marketing department with stories, opinions and articles in all the major UK publications. Whilst CES has covered this issue’s Sub-dio customer story ‘Behind the Scenes’ in its latest GIS/GPS Supplement, Surveyor magazine has just published an in-depth look at how Surrey County Council has approached the data collection requirements of the Flood Water and Management Act with their Trimble Yuma. KOREC’s Director of Sales, Andrew Beckerson, has been sharing his views on wireless working with GIS Professional readers and our Operations Director, Oliver Brooks has just submitted his latest GeoConnexion ‘Modern Surveying’ column on Smart Metering. As if you haven’t heard enough from us already, look out for our piece towards the end of the year in GeoConnexion on how the Utilities can tackle the day to day data collection challenges they face.

KOREC is expanding its mapping team and we are now looking to recruit a full time Mapping and GIS Sales Consultant to cover Scotland and the North East of England.

Position summary The successful candidate will be responsible for maximising the sales of Trimble Hand Held GNSS Data Collection solutions for a wide range of applications. You will have experience in GIS Data Collection, Land Surveying or GIS Software solutions.

The right candidate will be a self-starter, with evidence of sales success in a business-to-business sales environment, be ambitious, tenacious and have a ‘sense of urgency.’

Candidates will have excellent communication skills, written and verbal, and outstanding negotiation and presentation abilities at all levels. Above all you will have the confidence, commitment and ability to sell innovative positioning solutions.

This is an outstanding opportunity to join a rapidly growing company with a young and ambitious team.

Full Product and Professional External Sales Training will be provided. A substantial package, including company car, is available to the right candidate.

How to apply Send a CV and covering letter, together with current salary details, by email to hr@korecgroup.com or by post to HR Department, KOREC Group Ltd, 34-44 Mersey View, Waterloo, Liverpool, L22 6QB. nnn

■■ Hot-swappable dual battery

If you’ve missed any of these pieces, please contact us at marketing@korecgroup.com for copies. nnn

Digital Frenzy KOREC’s gone digital crazy launching a new web site and getting social. The website has received a full revamp and brings you some new features - you can now find all the latest case studies, resources, newsletter downloads and product information here including some fantastic product videos!

■■ Standard 3 yr limited warranty

TruPulse 360B Laser Rangefinder The TruPulse 360B Rangefinder combines an integrated compass, inclinometer and distance laser that delivers mapping-grade accuracy and the ability to shoot from any angle.

■■ Horizontal distance, vertical distance, slope distance and inclination measurements ■■ Advanced target modes: Closest, Farthest, Continuous, Filter (reflector only) ■■ TruTargeting: Automatically provides the best possible accuracy and acquisition distance to a given target ■■ TruVector : Provides the best possible compass accuracy regardless of the laser’s orientation - it even warns you when it needs to be calibrated nnn

We’re also on Facebook and Twitter, keep an eye out for latest news and special offers. nnn

The GIS Mapping Solutions Newsletter from KOREC

Customer story Access All Areas...

KOREC’s Trimble GeoXT is key for festival layout The Summer of 2011…long warm days…local strawberries in the shops….and more music festivals than ever! With some of the largest events covering 300 acres and attracting audiences of around 60,000 visitors over several days, the build-up and site preparation of these festivals is key to the successful handling of artists, technical teams and visitors alike.

Enter events and marketing specialists, EMO, a Birmingham based company run by Steve Hill from the world of event management, production and live music and David Andrews a marketing and events expert with extensive strategic expertise acquired from a range of high profile projects and as the ‘client’ in his previous work in commercial radio.

Working together they have managed some of the most high profile field and arena events in the world including May’s Radio 1 Big Weekend event in Carlisle and Sonisphere’s Knebworth rock festival in July. Faced with turning these green field sites, and others like them, into vast temporary ‘villages’ with all the attendant facilities and infrastructure, EMO felt that using a professional surveyor, backed up by their own traditional survey methods, to plan and set out the sites had its limitations in terms of how quickly they could change and update things once in the field. Steve Hill therefore began researching GPS on the internet where he discovered KOREC and Trimble’s GeoExplorerXT, a handheld GPS offering sub-metre realtime accuracy.

“I could have continued to use a professional surveyor but the lure of finding a solution that offered me versatility, the chance to survey sites in greater depth without incurring additional costs and generally speed up our work, proved too great as did the chance to learn something new by carrying out the work myself,” explains Steve. “I later discovered from KOREC that other site managers I knew were already using the Trimble system with the same benefits in mind - marking out a site quickly and accurately with the flexibility to implement changes without having to call a surveyor. It’s a small world!”

Mapping Radio 1’s Big Weekend Although a novice user of mapping grade GPS, Steve quickly picked up the main features and functions he required for his site work and following some preliminary

trials on other smaller sites, put the GeoXT to use setting up Radio I’s Big Weekend.

Having been involved with the event since 2004, Steve had been the site manager for the past four years concentrating on the preparation of the location for around 40,000 people and 70+ bands over the two days.

The event is in a different location each year and has constantly evolved to reach its current format of four stages - including a main stage in a 14 pole Kayam concert tent with a capacity for 12,000 - and numerous other attractions.

Several months before the event, site owners Stobart Air provided Steve with a CAD plan of the site which he reset to the correct coordinates. He then carried out a site survey with his Trimble GeoXT to test the accuracy of the drawing. “Over a period of a couple of months, the site plan evolved into the finished item,” explains Steve. “The Big Weekend site is a very busy venue and also has a large and complex TV/Radio Studio with a couple of hundred staff and technicians backed up by many Outside Broadcast vehicles and all of the infrastructure that comes with them so accuracy in laying out the site is a must. I marked out the first couple of features with the GeoXT and then checked the results with a bit of old-school measuring. The Geo was spot on! Once I had got over this first hurdle I decided to just trust the GPS (and my previously confirmed drawing) and get on with it.

It was quite a liberating experience. After years of pacing about with various measuring devices and checking and re-checking the results I could now just go out and record points and attributes - simple! Previously I would have done lots of measuring and re-measuring from known datum points in order to get a site marked out as accurately as I could. Although this method involved an element of guesswork, dead reckoning and trusting to luck, my attention to detail and extensive checking meant that I never made a mistake. Needless to say, this wastes lots of time and distracts from the many other things I could/should be getting on with.”

office compounds, even a temporary police station and interview room, but don’t expect to find them too clearly marked on the plan for reasons of confidentiality! The clear benefit of switching from traditional survey methods to the GeoXT has to be the improved accuracy of the site drawings and the speed with which I can produce them.

The reliability of these drawings is vital for all involved and it’s imperative that I trust the information I provide to contractors – it’s not easy to move a stage once it’s built!

In all honesty, the best thing the GeoXT has done for me is to free up my time so I can get on with being the site manager.” nnn Many thanks to Steve Hill of EMO (www.emouk.com)

Whilst Steve feels that he has just scratched the surface of the GeoXT’s functionality, he is now in a position to add as much or little detail to each site plan as he requires. “I could be recording anything from a tree’s position, genus, trunk diameter and canopy to boundary fences, trakway roads and pads for truck loading, to dressing room and

EMO’s Steve Hill

KOREC Opinion “The consumer market has gone wireless and so should we” says Andrew Beckerson The world’s gone wireless! How many iPhones do you see in a day? How many Twitter stories hit the press each week? The consumer market has taken to wireless communication like a duck to water and sales in smart phones have driven the consumer side of GNSS to unforeseen levels.

But what does this mean to users in the commercial data capture world?

KOREC’s best selling multi-function GNSS handhelds are the Trimble Juno series of handhelds. The Juno SC and SD models are wireless enabled, the Juno SB handheld is not.

A quick analysis of our sales figures show that sales of the Juno SC and SD handhelds are 60% up on the same time last year whilst those of the none wireless model are static. With wireless connectivity accounting for an additional cost of around £200 per unit, the decision to opt for a wireless solution is not one that is taken lightly, especially when purchasing 50+ units.

There is a clear trend towards working wirelessly so what are the options?

Working with standard wireless technology For many of our customers, using wireless GNSS data capture is an obvious first step towards improved productivity. By purchasing a wireless system you buy into a complete two-way data process of work instructions, mapping, GIS data, photos and tasks. When a job is finished, data forms, notes and photos verifying completed work can be wirelessly transferred to the office directly from handheld devices such as the Trimble Juno SC and SD, Nomad 900GXE, or GeoExplorer 6000 series handhelds, all of which offer internet access and a 3.5G cellular modem for data transfer. Workers are kept productive in the field and fuel bills are cut to name two stand out benefits.

by network availability are all familiar questions. These are genuine concerns and thanks to more development within our industry, can now be addressed - welcome to the world of cloud computing! Or to be more exact, welcome to the world of cloud computing and the new wireless mobile solutions utilising this technology such as Trimble’s Municipal Reporter system. Comprising data collection software and a handheld GPS, this is a hosted wireless system allowing captured field data to be viewed instantaneously on a secure Trimble hosted website. Data can be transferred, as it happens, from the field on a minimal signal or held until a network is available. By using a hosted website, potential firewall issues are removed along with all the usual headaches of working with corporate IT infrastructure. A solution such as this offers a low-cost and low-risk option for mobile workforces to go wireless whilst still reaping considerable benefits.

So what can data capture systems utilising cloud computing technology offer users in the UK? In short, better workforce management, better quality data, ability to quickly share data with multiple stake holders and a data / image record that’s ideal for analysis and compliance purposes.

Captured data also provides a perfect record for visualising trends and identifying opportunities for further improvements in responsiveness and efficiency in handling tasks.

All the market indicators are pointing to an increase in wireless working and in particular, using cloud computing based systems. This is backed up by Peter Lloyd of Trimble Professional Services. “Trimble is committed to advancing wireless working through improved hardware and software solutions. As an organisation we are sending out a message that wireless is the way forward. Recent product releases such as the GeoExplorer 6000 series offer a 3.5G cellular option to ensure that customers have seamless connectivity from the field” If I had one tip for Contractors and Local Authorities involved in data collection projects, it would have to be in Trimble’s words, “Send data back and forth, not people.” nnn Andrew Beckerson, Director of Sales, KOREC

Working with Cloud Computing Technology However some of our customers have raised issues about the practicalities of data transfer.

Will we need dedicated servers, what about our company firewall and will we be restricted

Sub-Dio | Autumn 2011

GISProfessional published a full version of this KOREC Opinion in its August/September issue.

Customer Story Trimble Junos Deliver on Birmingham Tree Survey Why all the trees in Birmingham?

The Birmingham Highways Maintenance and Management Service is an ambitious highways maintenance programme on a scale that has never been undertaken before in any part of the UK. Amey, in partnership with Birmingham City Council will be delivering a step change of improvements to the city’s road network over the first five years of the 25 year programme to remove any backlog of work and increase standards. The works include refurbishment and improvement of the city’s carriageways, footways, bridges, tunnels and street lighting. Across the city, this includes 2,500km of road network, 100,000 street lights, 76,000 trees, 850 highway structures and bridges. The programme is the biggest Private Finance Initiative in the country.

Undertaking the tree survey on behalf of the highways service was PBA Consulting. With over 22 years of highway tree experience, PBA was able to deliver on the program’s key requirement that the tree survey be mobilized and completed within a 6 month period starting in June 2010. This meant that PBA Consulting’s Director, Peter Barton, had to ensure that his team were sufficiently equipped and trained to be productive from day 1 if the job was to be completed on time and free from time consuming technical hiccups.

“I’m impressed …nearly 2 million taps later and all our Junos are still intact and serviceable” Peter Barton

Experience Counts

“The highways service required sufficient positional and attribute information on every tree in their care to provide them with an accurate and up to date database of tree stock. They also required enough detail to establish a cost-effective management routine for the trees’ care, and where necessary, replacement,” explains Peter. “This meant that we needed to be able to record up to 70 pieces of attribute information out of 350 fields on each tree along with its position to within 2-3m. Based on these requirements, the obvious choice of handheld was Trimble’s Juno SB multi-function GPS for our team of eight surveyors. The Juno is lightweight and durable and ideal for commercial large scale data collection projects such as this. In June we purchased 9 units from KOREC, each with FastMap data collection software onboard. The Juno was definitely the most cost-effective option for our needs and consequently, enabled us to keep costs down for the client. The Junos delivered on all fronts; due to the size, our surveyors had no trouble managing them, even when cycling between locations and apart from a few minor teething problems at the start, they have been problem free throughout the duration of the job. This was a definite bonus for our surveyors who are paid per tree and wished to avoid any interruptions or down time. They also liked the all day battery life which ensured that they stayed productive in the field.”

Peter continues, “The highways service supplied the digital map data that we would use on the Junos and briefed us thoroughly as to what information needed to be collected. This ranged from obvious fields such as tree type and condition through to more complex information such as proximity to properties or power lines. FastMap Mobile allowed PBA Consulting to create forms in-house with drop down boxes which kept things straightforward for our surveyors and cut down on the likelihood of errors creeping in. If there was ever a query, the software allowed them to attach a digital note that could be looked at back at the office. We deliberately avoided any specialist tree surveying software as FastMap software is straightforward to use and gave us the flexibility that we needed. For example, if Amey needed additional attribute information to be collected, it was easy for us to incorporate a new field without commissioning any external customisation.”

Spotlight On...

Trimble’s Floodlight Technology In our front page GeoExplorer 6000 series launch story we proudly announce that that the 6000 Series offers more positions and increased accuracy in tough environments thanks to Trimble’s ‘unique Floodlight technology’. But what is Floodlight technology?

Satellite shadow prevents position acquisition in difficult GNSS environments and occurs when an obstacle between a GNSS satellite and a receiver stops the receiver from tracking the satellite effectively. As more satellites are blocked from view, it becomes progressively more difficult for the receiver to compute accurate positions. In extreme cases there are simply too few satellites in view to compute positions at all.

3 reasons why it works 1. By combining GPS and GLONASS tracking, satellite availability is increased by up to 60% over GPS-only positioning.

2. Advanced tracking algorithms speed up signal acquisition and ensure more stable tracking of satellites with weakened signals. With steadier tracking comes smoother positioning that is less prone to drop-outs and spikes caused by erratic satellite tracking.

3. Floodlight technology uses altitude-constrained positioning to reduce the impact of weakened or blocked signals. This technique limits the impact of weak signals, allows 3D positioning with fewer satellites, and improves horizontal and vertical accuracy.

Quality Assured Back in the office, collected data was downloaded as a CSV spreadsheet to upload into ‘Confirm’, the highway service’s asset management system.

Peter Barton reports that the highways service and PBA Consulting regularly carried out QA checks on the data collected and that 99% of the time it was spot on. “Throughout the project, the quality was good and actually got better!” he explains. “The client was delighted with our QA method which involved loading collected data onto a large screen tablet and then taking it back into the field for joint verification.”

Work was completed by the target date of 31st December as required by the contract and Peter is delighted by the performance of the Trimble Junos. “Our surveyors worked tirelessly and have surveyed 76,000 trees on this project.

Each tree required around 20-30 taps on the Juno’s screen to record the Trimble’s Juno SB information, so here we are nearly 2 million taps later and all PBA Consulting’s Junos are still intact and serviceable – I’m very impressed. They’ve been dropped in puddles, dried out on radiators, used relentlessly in all weather conditions and the only damage I can report is some broken pens. Even that is not through excessive use; the surveyors had been using them as probes to remove small bits of bark to check tree condition!” nnn www.pba-consulting.co.uk

Contact us: For further information on any of the products or services mentioned within Sub-dio, please contact your nearest Mapping Sales Consultant or visit our website

T: 0845 603 1214 E: info@korecgroup.com www.korecgroup.com

Floodlight technology is compatible with real time and postprocessed workflows. There is no extra configuration, back-office processing, or quality control required, it just works!

In fact if works better than any other technique. Receivers that address satellite shadow by offering GPS and GLONASS positioning are only solving part of the problem.

Other solutions that use lower quality thresholds may increase position yield in obstructed conditions, but do so at the expense of accuracy. Floodlight technology tackles satellite shadow by improving satellite visibility and tracking while safeguarding against the effects of weak satellite signals on position quality—achieving the best possible position. nnn

Events London Mapping Festival KOREC is delighted to announce that it will be exhibiting at this year’s Mapping Showcase alongside the likes of Google, Autodesk, BAE Systems, Cadcorp, British Geological Survey and ICES. Billed as ‘The Single Mapping Event that Crosses Boundaries’, Mapping Showcase is on Thursday 1 December 2011 at the Emirates Stadium in London.

Running alongside the commercial exhibition is a range of informative presentations and interactive workshops which will include a talk by KOREC’s Andrew Blogg on SenseFly’s Swinglet CAM.