GPS receivers are critical tools for infrastructure creation and maintenance. The dynamics of any construction site benefits greatly from precision tools that constantly update progress related to the plan.
The days of survey stakes are nearing their end. Instead, project managers will be able to monitor and manage site progress thanks to dynamic Web-based visualization systems with precision GPS receivers as the primary sensor.
Construction Site Management
GPS and surveying vendors have long understood the need for greater asset management on a construction site, and software tools and systems have begun to come online to greatly streamline construction operations. The use of GPS to track assets and personnel on a construction site, tied to a time line of tasks that need to be completed, can greatly increase efficiencies and provide significant cost savings.
The concept of a construction asset management solution for a connected construction site has come online this year. Trimble’s Construction Manager software is designed to combine into one view the locations of mobile assets (trucks, heavy equipment, etc.), portable assets (generators, compressors, etc.) and personnel. The system is marketed for its ability to help allocate resources effectively, reduce equipment rental, reduce maintenance and fuel cost, improve safety, improve worker efficiency and reduce overtime. All of these items has a dollar sign attached, and the net affect on bottom line promises significant ROI.
Topcon recently unveiled a similar job site management solution with their SiteLINK software. Topcon has designed their wireless network of in-cab devices to act as a mesh network that act as repeater stations and increase data transmission capabilities between each other and the office.
Machine Control
Another revolution on the construction site is the use of precision GPS on machinery for 3D grading and excavation. These systems use GS, laser and total stations to position the blade of earth movers in real time. Rather than requiring surveyors to stake and re-stake a construction site, these systems allow the machine operator to maintain consistent grade by keeping a close eye on the design plan within the cab.
Bringing the design into the cab gives the operator greater control and has been said to increase job satisfaction. There’s greater work site safety and efficiency because grade stakers and checkers aren’t required on the job site. The resulting grading is done with greater accuracy, more quickly with lower operating costs and reduced material cost.
Infrastructure Monitoring
Survey-grade GPS can be used to measure the movement of a structure due to wind deflection, traffic loading and temperature changes in real time. The active GPS monitoring of a structure provides a accurate record of movement in 3D space that when correlated with time provides monitoring information that is hard to match with any other combination of sensors.
I had the opportunity to see such a system up close on the Tsing-ma Bridge in Hong Kong in 2001 as a guest of Leica. This bridge is the longest span suspension bridge in the world and carries both road and rail traffic to the new Hong Kong airport.
The heavy loads on the span due to traffic is constantly monitored and managed to reduce stress on this span and decrease the need for maintenance. The bridge is also in an area that is susceptible to typhoon winds. The monitoring of the span during extreme weather events is critical for safety and provides a helpful performance record that can improve bridge design.
That trip gave me a great appreciation for engineering-grade GPS with millimeter level accuracy. Similar equipment has been installed to monitor dams, maintain slope stability, monitor skyscraper wind displacement, etc. Each of these monitoring systems is driven by the need for long-term maintenance planning and real-time safety.
GPS has an enormous role to play for increasing the efficiency of construction management, the accuracy of what’s built, as well as the safety and maintenance of our world’s infrastructure. I’m excited about the next wave of integrated spatial products that will combine multidisciplinary knowledge, taking the best of each area of expertise for the betterment of all.
Read Jeff Thurston’s take on this topic here.
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