Winter 2011/12 The Survey Newsletter from KOREC
Synchronize this issue: n Intergeo Trimble releases n KOREC Opinion - Going Vertical n Integrated Surveying - a case study n Technical Tips
KOREC expands Survey Sales Team
KOREC partners choose Intergeo 2011
KOREC is delighted to announce that Dominic Gregrory has been appointed to the position of Survey Sales Consultant for Lincolnshire, Yorkshire and the North East.
INTERGEO is the world’s largest event and communication platform for geodesy, geoinformation and land management. The 2011 event, held in Nuremberg in some glorious Autumn weather, was no exception with over 16,000 visitors from 80 countries flocking to see the latest developments in the industry.
Dominic has over 11 years of site based experience in surveying and project management roles and has gained extensive hands-on experience of both GPS and Optical instruments in his previous positions for Halcrow, Jacobs and Tata. Responsible for the sales and hire of the full Trimble range of survey instruments for KOREC, Dominic graduated from Newcastle University in 2000 with a degree in Surveying and Mapping Science and gained his RICS Chartership in 2007.
Specialist Rail Role Dominic will effectively be replacing Matthew Lock who has taken up a new specialist role as KOREC’s Rail Sales Consultant. Matthew’s move reflects KOREC’s increasing commitment to approach markets from the customer’s perspective and in this case, better serve those within the railway industry with market specific systems and solutions. nnn Dominic Gregory
With four partners present, Trimble, FARO, Sensefly and Pointools, the KOREC Team barely had time to draw breath in a frenetic couple of days of new releases, interviews, demonstrations and presentations.
Intergeo - Trimble Nuremberg was also the location for Trimble’s 2011 dealer meeting allowing KOREC a preview of the latest releases (all rounded up in this issue), a chance to network with other distributors and for Synchronize, unfettered access to talk to a worldwide selection of Trimble’s key players! The Trimble stand with its ‘arrows of success’ theme was a knockout and even needed its own floor plan to help visitors navigate their way around. As well as a noticeable blurring of boundaries between the traditional division of Survey and Mapping products there were also a few ‘mini stands’ within the main Trimble area dedicated to vertical markets such as rail and utilities….but more about that later! So, what caught our eye? Take a look inside....
Floor plan required for the Trimble stand alone!
Stop Press: Wishing you a Happy New Year from KOREC
Intergeo - Trimble Trimble S6 Robotic Total Station with Trimble VISION Technology
Trimble Business Center Software Version 2.60
Now available with Trimble VISION technology, the Trimble S6 Total Station enables surveyors to remotely see and measure through a live video feed from the instrument on their data controller. By integrating survey data with the live video, surveyors can verify their work and ensure that they have captured everything before leaving the job.
Two new functions include:
The calibrated camera allows users to easily integrate images into their survey workflows. Photo documentation also allows surveyors to complement the data they provide to clients with images of the job conditions and point attributes, making the data easier to understand. nnn
“….. I think that we will see a clear shift towards photogrammetry. Trimble invests around 12% of its revenue in R&D and continually assesses what is happening in the market place. Our recent acquisitions show a clear shift towards photogrammetry and the new release of Trimble VISION on the S6 reinforces this.”
Setting-out Points Import - users can import setting out points collected by Trimble Access Field Software. Office surveyors are able to easily validate the results for points, surfaces, and alignments that were set out in the field. The surveyor can ensure that the field-work conforms to specified criteria, create reports to deliver to clients, and archive all of the information for future needs. Enhanced Baseline Processing - users can post-process GNSS observables faster by taking advantage of multi-core computer processing. nnn
Trimble GeoExplorer GeoXR Network Rover The new rugged Trimble GeoExplorer GeoXR Network Rover is a purpose-built complete solution designed to make both high-accuracy surveying and handheld point measurement easier, more efficient and more flexible. The Trimble GeoXR can be used mounted on a survey rod with an external antenna for survey-grade accuracy and when connected to a Trimble VRS network, it serves as an advanced and highly productive rover. For GIS users, the Trimble GeoXH will also be offered in a centimetre-accurate configuration and will be available as a paid service upgrade from the standard, 6000 series GeoXH. nnn
Chris Gibson, Vice President, Trimble
Trimble M3 Total Station with Trimble Access Field Software The power of Trimble Access Field Software is now available on Trimble M3 Mechanical Total Stations. Designed to support the surveyors’ everyday work, including topographic surveys, setting out, control and more, Trimble Access offers a familiar, easy-to-use interface to ensure a short learning-curve. nnn
Trimble Access Software Development Kit (SDK) Software developers can now create tailored applications for customers and make them available for sale through the Trimble store. A variety of specialised modules, developed by Trimble, are already available such as Roads, Tunnels, Monitoring and Mines. Tailoring workflows for the users’ applications can enable a higher quality control process and more efficient workflows for field teams. nnn
KOREC Partners Intergeo - FARO
Intergeo - SenseFLY
As the newly appointed UK distributor of FARO’s ground breaking Focus3D Laser Scanner, the KOREC Team was delighted to catch up with the company’s Juan Pablo Lemaitre, Div. VP of Sales and Marketing, EMEA, who took the time to talk us through the latest release of the Focus3D Laser Scanner, demonstrate his favourite feature, WebShare, and even pose for a few shots!
As sole UK and Irish distributor of SenseFLY’s unmanned flying camera, the Swinglet CAM, the KOREC Team was pleased to share a few ideas with SenseFLY’s Andrea Hildebrand, Head of Marketing and Sales at Intergeo and lend support to the stand in the form of our irish mapping and swinglet CAM expert, Brock Ryder.
“Simply, we wanted to create a scanner that was as easy to use as a digital camera.”
The Focus3D was launched in 2010 and comes in at 5 times smaller and 4 times lighter than its nearest rival. It’s been described as a ‘game changer’ in 3D laser scanning and it’s easy to see why. Offering a 120m range and easy touchscreen control, it creates a precise, virtual copy of reality in millimetre-accuracy at a speed of up to 976,000 measurement points per second. The end result is a high-speed 3D laser JP Lemaitre, FARO scanner for detailed measurement and documentation which, when combined with Trimble’s powerful RealWorks software, is ideal for a range of applications including Building Surveys, Forensics and as the first step in building renovation for the emerging BIM market.
New Features Intergeo was the perfect opportunity for FARO to showcase some new features for the Focus3D: A new Multi-Sensor hardware feature includes a Compass and Height Sensor which complement the existing Dual Axis Compensator. The two new sensors deliver the orientation and the relative height against a set starting point for each scan. They significantly improve the automatic registration process, minimizing manual effort in post processing. A WLAN remote control allows users to start, stop, view or download scans remotely, perfect for scanning from difficult to reach positions like high posts, inside tanks and sewage canals.
Every now and again a new tool comes along that really captures the imagination and this year that tool has to be the Swinglet CAM. A lightweight, unmanned air vehicle (UAV) with a high resolution electronically integrated digital camera, the Swinglet has been designed to undertake small scale aerial mapping projects. It can be deployed in under one minute, is hand launched and has a take-off weight of just 500g. The camera records 10-40 cm/pixel images and can produce over 100 hectares of aerial photo coverage during its 30 minute flight. If you’d like to learn more about the Swinglet CAM, please view our webinar at www.korecgroup.com or visit our website UAV section.
View the Video Costain has been using the SenseFLY Swinglet CAM to monitor progress on the M1 J10-13 project providing the perfect opportunity for us to join forces and make a video that really shows how pioneering technology such as the Swinglet can be made productive. Find the video on KOREC’s you tube channel at www.youtube.com/ user/korecgroup nnn
Scans shared using the WebShare functionality can be directly analysed on the internet. In the overview map it is possible to accurately measure distances and surfaces and in the panorama view of the software, measure distances between points. WebShare 4.9, also offers new ‘Documentation Objects’ functionality which provides measurement tools and enables users to add information and attach documents using hyperlinks.
Watch the Webinar Visit the webinar section of www.korecgroup.com to catch up on the full event entitled ‘Introduction to the FARO Focus3D and SCENE software’ nnn
Intergeo - Pointools Also present at Intergeo, was KOREC’s new partner, Pointools. Pointools software streamlines scan-to-model workflows by enabling project teams to reference and reuse the largest point cloud models – the billions of measurement points taken by 3D laser scanners – inside the broadest range of applications. KOREC has joined the Pointools Partner Program in the UK & Ireland. nnn
The Survey Newsletter from KOREC
Customer story Shifting Sands
A sand dune hydrology study in South Wales provides a text book example of the benefits of Integrated Surveying. The Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH) is a publicsector research centre and part of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) which delivers independent research, survey, training and knowledge transfer in the environmental sciences. The CEH is the UK’s Centre of Excellence for integrated research in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems and their interaction with the atmosphere. Operating from the Wallingford research site is wetland hydrologist Charlie Stratford, an experienced user of both GPS and optical surveying techniques and currently overseeing work on a wetland system near the coast in South Wales on a site of significant importance for the centre’s research. Work is being carried out jointly by CEH and the British Geological Survey (BGS) which are both part of the Natural Environment Research Council. Under Charlie’s guidance, the regular monitoring and surveying of this dynamic site have provided a text book example of the advantages of using integrated surveying techniques.
Managing Change with Change The South Wales site is of particular interest to CEH because it is constantly changing; in the short term, a storm can remodel vulnerable parts of the coastline overnight whilst in the long term, erosion can significantly alter the area over a number of years. Older local residents recollect how they could stand on the cliff edge and toss pennies onto the boats below. Today the sea is 500m away and where there once was deep water is now sand, and with it, a new ecology has been created. As the landscape changes, the water within it also evolves. The salt water becomes fresher and consequently new plant and animal life begin to inhabit the area. “Few landscapes can exist as freely and as independent from human intervention as the one we are seeing in South Wales and that makes it particularly significant and exciting for us, “ explains Charlie. “This is a dynamic ecology that really is doing its own things and the key to observing, monitoring and understanding these changes – in fact, the linchpin in our research is reliable topographic survey data.” The CEH team aims to monitor the South Wales site over the next 5 -10 years and were keen to upgrade their existing equipment and exploit any relevant technological advances since their original investment. They contacted Trimble’s UK distributor, KOREC, to discuss their options. Charlie planned to carry out most of the survey work using optical surveying methods which would also sidestep any issues surveying under heavy tree canopy. Additionally he was keen to turn his surveys, where possible, into a one man operation and have the ability to carry out reflectorless measurements when required. His choice was a Trimble S3 Robotic Total Station and TSC2 data logger with Trimble Access software on board. On the GPS side, the upgrade included the purchase of a Trimble R8 GNSS to enable surveys to pick up both GPS and GLONASS satellite signals to facilitate data capture in the somewhat demanding environment of a
Synchronize | Winter 2011/12
coastal dune site. CEH also chose to use VRS Now, Trimble’s subscription service that provides instant access to RTK corrections. This service removes the need and cost of setting up a base station and eliminates extensive post processing of data once back in the office. “This is an evolving site so permanent markers may be buried by sand or washed away during storms” explains Charlie. “The obvious solution was the R8 GNSS which, on the one hand, would take away a whole layer of uncertainty for us and on the other, provide us with excellent mapping functionality and the ability to do repeat surveys.” CEH now had all the components of an Integrated Surveying system in place - the most productive solution for the various demands of the site.
Integrated Surveying The idea of Integrated Surveying is to integrate seamlessly GNSS or GPS receivers and optical total stations so that surveyors no longer regard these instruments as separate entities but as a combined system. This is achieved through a field controller and software that provide a common file and interface to GNSS/GPS and conventional survey instruments. In Charlie’s case the key to the seamless connectivity of the two systems is the Trimble TSC2 data logger with Access software on board. With this Trimble Integrated Surveying solution, Charlie’s GNSS and optical data can be integrated in a single data file whilst he is still in the field. He can simply toggle, using a custom app button, between optical sensor data and GPS data collection whilst the Trimble Total Station and GNSS Rover are both active at the same time. Using the R8 GNSS to position the S3 Total Station, Charlie carried out a resection to establish himself on the Ordnance Survey grid and was ready to go. Having a choice of GNSS or optical instruments provides positions always recorded to a six figure OS grid value which in turn can cut back on any post processing and give Charlie maximum flexibility for his surveys. “If sand hills compromise our line of sight with the optical instrument, or heavy tree canopy affects our GNSS
signal, we simply push a button and switch over. The TSC2 logger connects with the two systems at the same time. It’s a simple process that has increased our productivity enormously; depending on the task, by 50% - 100% compared to using our old systems individually – it’s fantastic. In many cases the robotic total station has turned our surveys into a one man operation freeing up the second site surveyor to carry out other pressing work whilst the reflectorless option allows us to get a general feel for heights of dune ridges which is particularly useful. The VRS has also worked a treat. Some of these coastal areas are very challenging but with Integrated Surveying we are always confident of getting a good fix.” The project is about the specific monitoring of changes in topography and the accurate recording of a range of hydrological and ecological data from elevations for the tops of well tubes to soil properties, water levels, flood areas and plant locations. Once data have been collected they are downloaded back at the office and Trimble Business Centre is used to display the data or to overlay collected data on to Google aerial maps. Additional analysis can be carried out in ArcGIS . Charlie concludes, “Spatial analysis is the key to our team truly understanding the changes. We’ve still got far to go with this project but already, using overlays of our collected data, we can look back at old aerial photographs and identify clear differences between then and now. We expect to repeat our surveys annually, possibly more if we know a major storm has taken place, and build up a time series of topography. As the project evolves so will our use of the survey instruments as we explore their full functionality and continue to invest in training.”
Project Background – Whiteford Burrows Whiteford Burrows NNR (Grid ref NGR SS 440955) comprises a c. 160 ha coastal spit dune system located on the north coast of the Gower Peninsula in Swansea, South Wales. Primary habitat features of the NNR include sand dunes, dune grassland, dune slacks and saltmarsh. The area of study is the sand dune system from Cwm Ivy plantation to Berges Island. The aim of the project is to improve the understanding of sand dune hydrology and ecology in these habitats and use this knowledge to help guide future site management. nnn
Technical Support n Survey Controller is now up to v12.49. This is available to download and install from Trimble’s website for anyone with a software warranty expiry date of 10/2008 or later on their Survey Controller device. n Access users should keep checking TAIM (Trimble Access Installation Manager) in order to keep on top of any updates that they may be entitled to. n There is a new GPS config file available for people who process GPS data in any of our office software packages. This can be downloaded from our website under Resources > Software > Utilities > GPS Antenna Files. n TSC3 users should ensure that they keep on top of the firmware updates that are released from Trimble containing software enhancements and improvements. The latest of these is UpdateC. n Trimble have recently released an online version of their popular (and free!) planning tool for GNSS applications, available at http://www.trimble.com/ GNSSPlanningOnline/. If you’ve not heard of the planning tool before, it allows a user to plot the course of the various GNSS constellations over the next 30 days by using a downloaded almanac. The beauty of the online planning tool is that it allows you to view the same information but without having to download any almanac or install any software, thereby taking a step out of the process. The user can position themselves (or their impending survey) using an easy online map. You can then view various details including : Access to GPS, Glonass, Galileo, Compass and QZSS constellations Elevation graphs Number of satellites over a given period Dilution of Precision (DOP) Graphs (PDOP, GDOP, HDOP, VDOP)
KOREC Opinion “Surveyors that can specialise in a particular vertical market, such as rail or utilities, and gain and in-depth knowledge of that market, will find themselves in great demand.” Chris Gibson, Trimble Vice President
“With a vertical market approach, Trimble and its distributors gain a deep understanding of the industry and generate closer ties with our customers. Understanding and listening to our customers is key.” Goran Jedrejčić, Trimble Environmental Solutions
Visibility charts Sky plots A new World view, showing the position of the SV’s in relation to your worldly position.
“…this approach will also enable us to develop the sort of railway specific solutions that will really meet our customer’s needs.”
Going vertical Next year will see the appointment of KOREC’s first ‘vertical market’ specialist when Matthew Lock takes on the responsibility of managing KOREC’s rail solutions. It’s a big change in the way we work as an organisation but one that we feel will equip us to better serve our customers. But what do we mean by vertical markets and why do we need to specialise? At KOREC we have traditionally targeted our sales, support and marketing efforts according to the specific product groups that we provide from Trimble, i.e. survey, mapping, construction or machine control, based on the simple assumption that a local government customer who used our GIS technology to map Japanese Knotweed wouldn’t be particularly interested in how Trimble Machine Control technology can help a rail contractor reduce their possession times when working on track renewals. However we are starting to see a blurring of boundaries between Survey and MGIS solutions from manufacturers and customers alike and it is becoming clear that certain areas of our indsutry, such as Rail, Environment and Utilities, can profit from an expertise that goes beyond a specific product or application area. This shift has led us to ask ourselves, ‘how best can we serve our customers’? Our solution is to take the knowledge and know how that the KOREC team has acquired over the years and build sector specific solutions for our clients. This shift to a vertical approach mirrors Trimble’s approach, one that was clearly underlined at this year’s Intergeo show. Undoubtedly, any exhibition stand that needs its own floor plan to help visitors navigate their way around puts UK exhibitions in the shade but this year also saw the addition of ‘mini stands’ within the main Trimble stand. Each one was dedicated to a vertical market such as rail or utilities and manned by a Trimble industry specialist. The KOREC team has worked closely with Trimble in developing some of the solutions now being offered on a global scale within these sectors. Looking again at Rail, the Trimble GEDO TMD is a great example of this sector-specific product development; what started out as a device that was developed by Sinning, one of the Trimble dealers in Germany, has subsequently been tested in the UK with Matthew working closely with the Network Rail Survey Team to ensure that it successfully achieved Network Rail approval. Returning to my Japanese Knotweed example at the beginning of the article, vegetation control is a day to day challenge on the rail network, so when Matthew begins his new role he’ll be dipping into the full ‘Railway Toolbox’ of solutions to help his customers overcome challenges across the full railway lifecycle: Planning route alignment and corridor mapping with Trimble Quantm Corridor surveys; capturing existing spatial and geographic information utilising Trimble GeoSpatial; surveying and mapping with GNSS and optical solutions; track measurement with the Trimble GEDO TMD; laser scanning of existing structures or tunnels with Trimble and FARO scanners; track construction and replacement with Trimble Machine Control systems; vegetation mapping and control using traditional MGIS or our new UAV technology; deformation monitoring and on-going track inspection with specialised software... Matthew…over to you! nnn David Bennett, KOREC Marketing & Strategic Accounts Director
Ron Bisio, Trimble Rail
KOREC News Events Macro Rail, COMIT (Construction Opportunities for Mobile IT) the RWM Environmental show, Intergeo and the Infrastructure Show have been and gone, but KOREC is already looking ahead to next year. Watch this space for a couple of surprise announcements! nnn
Digital Frenzy! KOREC’s gone digital crazy! Find us on Twitter, Facebook and of course view videos on our You Tube channel. Our latest video addition showcases SenseFLY’s unmanned flying camera, the Swinglet Cam. Costain has been using it to monitor progress on the M1 J10 - 13 project providing the perfect opportunity for us to join forces and make a video that really shows how pioneering technology such as the Swinglet can be made productive. Find this video on KOREC’s you tube channel at www.youtube.com/user/korecgroup nnn
KOREC Webinars Missed our latest webinars? You can use the KOREC website to revisit any of our past webinars including our two latest additions listed below. Simply visit the ‘Event’s’ section on our website and click on the webinar link. The FARO Focus3D laser scanner: Introduction to the FARO Focus3D and SCENE software. We demonstrate just how simple and fast it is to scan a project and produce a precise 3D model with the FARO Focus 3D without the use of unecessary additional devices or cables. Using example projects see how the simplicity of operation plus the auto-registration process results in savings of up to 50% in scan and processing time over conventional laser scanners. The SenseFLY Swinglet CAM Here how the swinglet CAM can be used to collect geographic and spatial information. This is an exciting new addition to the KOREC portfolio and is already being used in projects across the world. nnn
Contact us: For further information on any of the products or services mentioned within Synchronize, please contact your nearest Survey representative or visit our website
T: 0845 603 1214 E: info@korecgroup.com www.korecgroup.com