Rugged technology solutions are supporting the digitalisation of land surveying, enabling greater reliability and connectivity. Most construction projects or land transactions involve a survey, but land surveyors are moving on from traditional surveying methods to digital tools that improve accuracy, speed and efficiency.
Key benefits of digital surveying equipment
With the advancement of technology, surveying equipment has become more accurate, reliable and efficient. Some key features of modern surveying equipment include:
- High-precision sensors and optics: these components ensure that measurements are incredibly accurate, significantly reducing the margin of error.
- Advanced software: modern surveying equipment comes with sophisticated data processing and analysis software, allowing for real-time data integration and enhanced decision-making.
- Robust and durable designs: surveying often takes place in harsh environmental conditions. Modern equipment is built to withstand these challenges, ensuring reliability and longevity.
- Easy operation: user-friendly interfaces make it easier for surveyors to operate the equipment, reducing the learning curve and increasing productivity.
- Integration with other technologies: modern surveying tools can seamlessly integrate with GPS and GIS, providing a comprehensive solution for land surveying.
The benefits of modern surveying equipment are substantial:
- Increased accuracy and reliability: high-precision sensors and advanced software ensure accurate and dependable measurements.
- Improved productivity and efficiency: easy operation and robust designs mean surveyors can complete their tasks more quickly and with fewer interruptions.
- Enhanced data analysis and processing capabilities: advanced software allows for better data analysis, leading to more informed decision-making.
- Better decision-making with real-time data: the ability to process and analyse data in real-time means that surveyors can make decisions on the spot, improving overall project outcomes.
- Cost savings: reduced errors and rework translate to significant cost savings over time.
Rugged technology solutions for digital surveying
Land surveying is an outdoor job, and rugged technology solutions address many common challenges that professional land surveyors face. Commercial off-the-shelf options for devices, such as laptop computers or tablets, typically don’t provide the durability and reliability that a professional land surveyor requires.
Land surveys may need to be completed in adverse weather conditions, including temperature extremes, rain and snow, full sun, high winds, moisture and humidity. These conditions could delay the survey completion without the use of rugged gear.
Surveys may be required in rugged or unimproved terrain to identify land boundaries. Devices must withstand vibration and potential drops on unforgiving surfaces such as rocks and hard-packed soil.
To perform their duties in these harsh surroundings, professional land surveyors need rugged technology with the durability and reliability required to do the job. Long battery life ensures easy operation and uninterrupted data collection in the field. Commercial-grade rugged technology also incorporates leading privacy and security measures to ensure data is secure and protected by high-level security, such as biometrics identification, with full access and complete control to protect mission-critical data.
Rugged technology devices used in digital land surveying work include:
- Global navigation satellite systems receivers (GNSS). Rugged tablets often incorporate GNSS receivers to record a location based on satellite data precisely. A GNSS receiver can connect with multiple satellite constellations, such as GPS and GLONASS, to complete the land survey.
- Laser scanners. Laser scanners capture natural features and shapes and build structures to create 3D models to help visualize the land for architects, builders, and others who rely on the results of a land survey.
- Total stations. A total station is the modern digital version of a theodolite, an instrument used to measure vertical angles, distances, and angles with great precision. It can integrate with other digital devices to further analyse the data it captures for a boundary or As-Built survey.
- Rugged tablets. Rugged mobile devices are designed to meet the demands of professional land surveyors, providing a trusted tool solution that delivers durability, reliability, and cutting-edge technological capabilities.
These digital technologies enable land surveyors to offer new services to the industry. For example, 3D laser scanners capture photographic reference points from multiple camera locations and integrate with data points from GPS and total stations to create accurate visual representations of how future site improvements would fit into the existing property surveyed.
Choosing the right equipment for your needs
Choosing the right surveying equipment for your needs can be a daunting task, especially with the numerous options available in the market. Here are some factors to consider when selecting surveying equipment:
- Type of surveying application: Different surveying applications require different types of equipment. For example, construction surveying may require a total station, while land surveying may require an automatic level.
- Level of precision required: The level of precision required will determine the type of equipment needed. For example, high-precision surveying may require a robotic total station.
- Environmental conditions: The equipment should withstand the environmental conditions of the surveying site. Rugged designs are essential for harsh environments.
- Budget: The budget dictates the type of equipment. It’s important to balance cost with the required features and durability.
- Ease of use: The equipment should be easy to operate and require minimal training. User-friendly interfaces can significantly reduce the learning curve and increase productivity.
By considering these factors, surveyors can select the right equipment that meets their specific needs, ensuring accurate and efficient surveying.
Best practices for implementation
Implementing digital surveying solutions can bring numerous benefits to land surveyors and engineers, including increased accuracy, productivity and efficiency. Here are some best practices for implementing digital surveying solutions:
- Start with a clear understanding of the surveying application and the requirements of the project: knowing the project’s specific needs will help in selecting the right equipment and software.
- Choose the right surveying equipment and software for the job: ensure that the equipment and software suit the specific surveying tasks and environmental conditions.
- Ensure that the equipment is calibrated and maintained properly: regular calibration and maintenance are crucial for ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the equipment.
- Training on the equipment and software: proper training ensures that surveyors can effectively use the equipment and software, maximising productivity and accuracy.
- Implement quality control measures to ensure the accuracy and reliability of measurements: regular quality checks can help identify and correct any issues, ensuring the reliability of the data collected.
- Continuously monitor and evaluate the performance of the equipment and software: ongoing monitoring and evaluation can help identify areas for improvement and ensure that the equipment and software continue to meet the project’s needs.
By following these best practices, surveyors can effectively implement digital surveying solutions, enhancing their accuracy, reliability and productivity.
Future trends in digital land surveying
Drones are among the most common additions to land surveying. With data capture through video and GNSS, drones offer the advantages of aerial photography and mapping to improve the efficiency and flexibility of land surveys – especially a topographic one. With drones, a land surveyor can collect and process more data in less time while avoiding the need to travel in potentially dangerous situations like a busy highway or mountainous terrain.
Lidar, or light detection and ranging, uses a laser pulse to map the terrain and the surrounding environment to create 3D models and maps of objects while traveling at (or up to) highway speeds. This innovation will make land surveying more time- and cost-effective. Lidar equipment can be carried on drones to generate a topographic survey and map property lines for a boundary survey.
Cloud-based data management centralizes all the data from surveys, making it available to any authorized user. Cloud storage can be sized dynamically, allowing surveyors to scale storage costs up and down depending on project needs.
These innovations will continue transforming the digital land surveying world, equipping surveyors and their clients to save time and costs.
Rugged gear is the foundation of the digitalisation of land surveying, designed to function in extreme environments with the durability and reliability that professionals require to do the job.
By embracing rugged technologies, professional land surveyors can provide more accurate information faster, with additional visualisations to facilitate communication and feedback with their stakeholders.
ESIS Industrial Electronics offers a range of industrial computing solutions, including rugged tablets, data loggers, industrial displays, integrated computing platforms and programmable interfaces for direct PLC integration. Talk to us about solutions to keep your business operations running efficiently.
Article courtesy of Getac.
