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Five reasons to consider laser scanning in 2013…

Blog 5 photo c10 scannerI hope you are off to a wonderful New Year! In the theme of the New Year, I continue to be amazed at all of the new applications for laser scanning that our clients are coming up with or projects they inquire about measuring.

Hopefully this blog will inspire you to think of opportunities to utilize our services in 2013 to make your next project even better.

As-built data capture has always been a challenge for the AEC community and owners of assets. The outdated methods of gathering data are time consuming and lack accuracy and utilizing these record drawings can be inexact.

LandAir Surveying uses the latest technologies to help our clients. Whether you are looking for accurate as-built floor plans, historic preservation of a structure or MEP surveys in the plenum of a ceiling, we have an accurate and cost-effective solution for you.

Over eight years ago, we began utilizing the revolutionary technology of laser scanning. Our first laser scans were for the transportation industry, performing bridge surveys. Through these and other projects, we found laser scanning to be superior to traditional methods of data capture for a number of reasons:

#1: They are more precise.

A laser scan takes multiple scans to collect millions of data points. These scans are then registered together to generate a single three-dimensional “point cloud” that can be measured accurately and provides distances and elevations between points on X, Y & Z coordinates.

#2: They are versatile.

Laser scans can produce (when used with digital color photos) survey quality files, fly-through videos, BIM Models and CAD drawings.

#3: They are fast.

A single laser scan can be collected in around six to eight minutes. This enables crews to take many more scans and capture more detailed data than ever before. It also allows for accurate surveys to be done with minimal interruption to building occupants.

#4: They are safe.

Laser scanning provides a safer environment and allows crews to measure in places that would have previously been impossible.

#5: They save you money!

Finally, laser scanning almost always pays for itself. Here are a few examples of ways laser scans can save you money on your next project. Here are a few examples of ways laser scans can save you money on your next project:

  • You can always revisit the original scan multiple times from your computer desktop without the time and expense of traveling to the site again and again. With a laser scan, you can even revisit the site from your desktop years after the initial scan.
  • The quality of data collected can minimize or eliminate the need for construction reworks and field retrofitting.
  • The number of change orders due to erroneous design and unknowns in the field are dramatically reduced.
  • Material waste is reduced and the amount of production in the shop is increased.
  • Coordination between design and construction teams is greatly improved by providing visual documentation for discussion.
  • The speed of design is increased by providing accurate as-built conditions and clash detection.
  • Bid documents can be created from as-built data, resulting in lower-priced bids and a quicker schedule.

As you can see, the reasons for laser scanning are compelling. But what types of projects are best suited for this technology? In our experience, we have seen the greatest return on investment for laser scanning on projects that are complex and difficult to measure. Those projects with precise measurement requirements and a required speed of data gathering typically yield the greatest return on investment.

We have scanned miles of tunnels, airport conveyor systems, MEP structures that look like pipe “spaghetti,” hotel and casino atriums, and theaters and stadium grandstands with thousands of different sized structural beams. Laser scanning was by far the best solution for these projects.

While complex projects are great opportunities to utilize laser scanning technology, other advances in virtual design and construction solutions have allowed us to provide results for less complex environments.

New software and measuring solutions allow us to provide detailed as-built drawings and 3D models for hotel rooms, retail spaces, classrooms and offices with amazing speed and at a greatly reduced cost-per-square-foot over traditional architectural surveys. Field measurements to productions of floor plans and even Revit models can now be delivered in days.

From the industrial, manufacturing and energy sectors to hotels, hospitals and retail spaces – LandAir can provide solutions to make your next project more efficient and affordable.

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Mitch Dorsett has over 15 years in the building and construction industry and serves as director of business development for LandAir Surveying. Mitch is rapidly becoming an expert in 3D data capture and virtual design and construction, having attended and represented LandAir’s laser scanning capabilities at SPAR, RTC and Autodesk University in 2012. Contact him at mdorsett@lasurveying.com or visit www.landairsurveying.com.

3D Laser Scanning

Advances in 3D data capture are changing faster than ever. How can we help you in 2013?

First, let me say Happy New Year to all of our clients who have supported us for the past 25 years. We appreciate you and are honored that you choose LandAir Surveying to team with you on many interesting projects across America.

Over the past seven years of traveling down the road of 3D data capture and using multiple platforms for LiDAR data collection, we have seen this technology expand into almost every field of design, construction and manufacturing.

It has been fascinating to watch the world change from 2D plans to 3D data sets and models. And in the process, modeling is becoming cheaper, faster and easier.

Having attended international conferences and through speaking to groups across the country, we have seen and studied with interest what is going on in the U.S., Europe, Japan, India and Asia. The whole world of design and construction is making this shift!

Daily, we talk with firms both domestically and internationally about the diverse issues of 3D design and construction to equip us with the knowledge we need to be your trusted resource for new approaches to surveying projects.

For example, we have been producing surveys for the transportation industry since 1998. I can remember when we had to actually put our surveyors out in traffic (with approved safety measures, of course). Now, with our scanners, we can stay off the shoulder of the road and capture all the required data without putting anyone in harm’s way. This is standard practice now and, as an owner of a surveying company, very important to me personally.

Approaches to projects are changing not only in transportation, but across all industries.

Last year, we produced a 400-acre topographic map with 1-inch contours in very, very dense foliage. Just two years ago, we would have had to field survey this project. But by using a combination of aerial LiDAR and strategic surveying techniques, we were able to produce the job at 1/3 the cost of a traditional field run survey.

In 2013, we plan to expand our technology, using drones to capture data on specific projects. This is already being done across the country and the technology is moving from military grade and unaffordable to civilian grade and absolutely affordable.

So, how can we help you this year? For one, we can show you how surveying tools are changing and getting better. We can discuss with you when to use airborne LiDAR to document and produce data over a city, county or state.

We can show you when the conditions are right to use mobile LiDAR and put together a team to make your project successful.

We know when to use helicopter platforms for LiDAR over fixed wing aircraft, and we can show you how to model the inside of an existing building faster and more cost effectively than ever before.

We look forward to being a valuable resource for your firm and hope to continue working with you in 2013 and beyond. The design world is changing very fast and we are committed to changing right along with it.

Have a great and profitable 2013!

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Tate Jones has over 40 years of experience in land and aerial surveying and was one of the country’s earliest adopters of 3D laser scanning technology. A nationally recognized expert in the field of 3D data capture, he has worked with hundreds of clients in the engineering, architectural and construction industries. Contact him at tjones@lasurveying.com or visit www.landairsurveying.com.

3D laser scanning revolutionizes construction site accident investigation and evidence collection

In early October 2012, several construction workers were killed or injured when the Miami Dade College parking garage collapsed like a pancake, trapping a then-unknown number of workers inside (See http://tinyurl.com/9956xae). Some survived, but some did not.

Post-accident site investigation

Since this tragic loss of life, injury, and property damage, lawyers have no doubt already begun what will be expensive and lengthy litigation. The owner, architect, engineer, contractor, subcontractors, construction workers and their families will all play a part.

The evidence may be sifted and sorted for years before any judges or juries hear about what happened on that fateful day.

Ideally, each party would have ample opportunity to investigate the site, take measurements, and form opinions as to what happened. However, this was not an option in Miami.

Workers needed to be freed. The structure’s potential for further collapse endangered all those around it. The owner had a dangerous pile of rubble where a new parking garage was supposed to stand. Certainly, nobody wanted to preserve site conditions for any length of time.

So, how can evidence of existing site conditions be preserved forever? 3D laser scanners were dispatched to the site immediately.

From onsite scan to a 3D model on your computer

Similar to traditional surveying, 3D laser scanners are set-up on tripods and use light to precisely measure their surroundings. But whereas traditional land surveying instruments take only one measurement at a time and need a reflector to return the light, 3D laser scanners take millions of measurements of everything that they can “see”  within 300 feet.

This data is collected in a matter of minutes and the instrument can be set up as many times as necessary to see the entire site. Technicians then convert this raw information into a 3D model.

Lawyers and their experts can use this model to return to the day of the accident at any time.  They can pan and zoom around the model to find any desired vantage point. Any angle or distance can be measured and re-measured.

Collecting quality evidence

After any given construction accident, investigators take photographs, make measurements and sketches, and interview witnesses.  However, even the most seasoned investigator can miss critical details due to time constraints, site access, or simple knowledge of the facts.

Once the site is cleaned up or altered in any way, the evidence is spoiled. However, 3D laser scanning allows investigators to return to the site at any time to retrieve missed or forgotten details.

Additionally, the evidentiary quality of 3D laser scanning data far outweighs traditionally collected evidence. Photographs provide only a single 2D perspective and each detail must be specifically targeted. Manual measurements are subject to observational and recording error.  Witnesses certainly cannot permanently remember every visible detail, especially in the wake of a tragedy. 3D laser scanning overcomes all of these limitations.

Full access to the site is often limited, for example, from the danger of additional collapse and loose rubble around the parking garage in Miami. This problem is also overcome with 3D laser scanning, as it uses light to measure from a distance. Anything that can be seen can be scanned and recorded for later review.

Using the model at trial

3D laser scans are not new to the courtroom and readily pass muster under evidentiary challenges. Foundation for entering a 3D laser scan on the record can be laid by a professional land surveyor, but courts nationally have allowed scans based on the testimony of laymen who were simply certified to use the equipment.

At trial, 3D laser scans provide unparalleled demonstrative exhibits. Judges and juries will no longer need to travel to visit a site.

As noted by Lt. Warren Hamlin of the Knox County Tennessee Police Department, “It’s almost like taking the jury right to the crime scene. We can show pictures all day long, but when you’ve got a panoramic view that shows exactly how it looked and where everything was, that’s a much better depiction than a photograph. … So, if a guy says, ‘I was standing in that corner,’ you could create a viewpoint exactly where his head would be and look around the model and tell whether, yes, he could see that, or, no, he’s lying.”

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David Headrick has over 14 years of experience in the surveying, engineering and legal industries, both as a project manager for LandAir Surveying and as a lawyer in private practice. He has represented numerous land surveyors, designers, architects, contractors and other industry professionals throughout his career. Today, David serves as an executive and project manager for LandAir, focused on developing and managing the company’s 3D laser scanning department. Contact him at dheadrick@lasurveying.com.

The Future of Laser Scanning: 5 predictions for design and construction

In a few weeks, I am speaking at a conference about the future of laser scanning in the design and construction world.

The audience will be members of a top international construction firm that is very progressive in its use of BIM and 3D laser scanning, so it got me thinking about some of the research I have done and observations I’ve made at various 3D laser conferences over the last eight years.

Based on the incredible innovations in our field in the last decade, I have five predictions as to how high definition scanning will change design and construction in the near future:

#1: Rapid and creative increase in the use of the technology. 

When GPS hit the market in 1992, we were early adopters of the technology and found great savings for our workflows as a result. For one, what used to take us two to three weeks of field surveying could now be done in just hours.

While there is still pushback in some sectors of the design industry related to laser scanning, contractors are largely on board. No other single group gets a better return on investment for the dollars spent on laser scanning.

Every major building contractor I know is using the technology in some way. The reason is simple. If something is designed from old plans and doesn’t fit, it is the contractors who will have to pay to make it fit. They live in the world of construction schedules and why is not nearly as important and when and how much!

The use of this technology will only increase in the future. Currently, 3D laser scanning technology is being used to show floor flatness with 3D contours well before the new floor is built. As a result, if there are any critical departures from the plans, they can be fixed for a fraction of the cost of what it would be once the walls are already in place.

BIM models are being compared to the laser scan in real-time so minor changes can be made before they turn into a major – and expensive – problem.

As we go forward, I see a time that scanners will be attached to each floor of a building as it goes up and will robotically scan at appropriate times, allowing the laser point cloud to be compared and clashed every night or even hourly to the BIM model to detect changes between the design and construction.

This technology has already reduced the cost of construction and will go upstream to reduce the cost of project insurance because it lowers risk.

#2: Video vs. Laser Scanning?

Ironically, one of the innovations of 3D laser scanning will be using the laser less and the iPhone more.

For many years, “close” range photography has been able to create accurate as built information. Used by experts who understand the survey control necessary and the techniques required, the results could be better than laser data.

Now there are firms writing software that can produce point clouds using video or multiple pictures of the same object (which is what video really is). With no control, it does not have the same accuracy as lasers, but the cost is significantly less.

There is a debate in the 3D world whether this will replace laser scanning or compliment it. I suspect the latter.

One study I read said that creating point clouds from photography currently was about 98% as accurate as a laser scan on smaller areas. That said, if you measured a room that was 100-feet long with a point cloud based on photography, it could theoretically give you a resulting measurement of only 98-feet long.

Consider this: How many times is 2% good enough? The truth is, many times it is. One of the oldest problems in scanning is how to get above the ceiling tiles to document the utilities above.

Getting a scanner up there is slow and expensive. Removing the tiles is slow, dirty and expensive. But if you could remove a few tiles and snap a few pictures, you could get an accurate inventory of what was there and where it was going that would be extremely helpful.

Much research is being done in this field, but I think in a very few years – depending on the specifications – we will be using cameras as often as lasers.

#3: Intelligent point clouds

This is where much of the research in software is going.

Right now, there are some programs that can model pipe correctly between 70% and 90% of the time. They can also recognize walls and show some, but not all, of the flat surfaces.

While this is a huge step forward, if only 80% are right then you have to check 100% to see which are wrong. You would not want to order a couple of hundred feet of the wrong size pipe and have in onsite only to find that it was the wrong diameter.

In the design world, it has always been our opinion that no data is much better than bad data.  Ironically, the current software does have excellent object libraries, so you can isolate the point cloud of a structural I-beam and ask the software to find the right part and it does a great job. However, though it is a more reliable process, it is a manual process.

I believe this problem will be completely solved in less than two years and the use of point clouds will increase exponentially.

#4: Why create a model at all?

At the risk of creating total confusion, there is a growing group of expert users that ask this very question, why model at all? Their thinking is that when you model, you change the shape of the object scanned and the cleaned point cloud is a better representation of an object.

That being said, with the ability to bring the point cloud into design programs, more professions – especially the high precision users – are designing inside the point cloud and not from a model.

I saw a fascinating presentation by a satellite designer. When another payload was added to the satellite, he would not work off the plans, but instead scan the existing satellite in the next room and use that point cloud for the additional design. Of course, we don’t all have the luxury of having a working copy of the design next door.

The important point here is that for critical design, the point cloud is closer to reality than the model. The other realization is that nothing is ever built exactly as it was designed.

#5: Advanced data capture platforms

This will be one of the biggest changes and most fun to watch.

Currently, we use helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, automobiles, trucks, off road vehicles, boats, and tripod-based systems to collect data. Though these work well for most uses, many of the projects that need scanning are in dangerous conditions. (Tunnels, large underground pipes, underground mines, failed construction areas, high voltage transformer stations and nuclear power plants.)

All of these areas have one thing in common: they are unsafe.

Enter drones and walking robots. When the nuclear power plant in Fukushima, Japan, failed and melted down, the level of radiation was so high that the workers could spend very little time inside the radiation zone.

The team brought in a small drone that delivered high quality close range aerial photography and was equipped with avoidance technology so it would not fly into a fixed object. The digital information was extremely valuable in assessing the damage and did so safely with little human risk.

I have already seen experimental drones equipped with small scanners that are programmed to scan flat surfaces and recognize open areas like doors. They will go through to continue the scanning in areas that, because of gas or other dangers, would be very difficult for humans to work in. In studying the decaying infrastructure of America for rehabilitation, can you imagine being able to put a drone down the sewer systems of New York City or Atlanta and get high resolution scan data without having to put people in such an environment?

Track mounted robots are being used in the same way. These will definitely be used more and more in the future and will change the way we work.

The future of scanning is immense and the different ways we scan – the data capture vehicles and the software – will continue to evolve and become more customized to the specific industry problems presented. Point cloud data, whether collected with lasers or iPhones, is still the best data that exists for capturing and studying existing conditions.

The future will be exciting to watch and the prize goes to the person or company that can best see beneath dense foliage, behind walls, or under the ground.

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Tate Jones has over 40 years of experience in land and aerial surveying and was one of the country’s earliest adopters of 3D laser scanning technology. A nationally recognized expert in the field of 3D data capture, he has worked with hundreds of clients in the engineering, architectural and construction industries. Contact him at tjones@lasurveying.com or visit www.landairsurveying.com.

Young innovators push 3D design and high speed data capture to new heights

When we were asked to bring our booth and support the 2nd Annual Revit Technology Conference in Stone Mountain, Georgia, last week, I didn’t know what to expect. But I’m glad we went because we saw the future – and it’s very bright.

For BIM managers and designers, this conference was a look through the hourglass of the future at the world of design and one thing is for certain: gone are the days when firms could avoid BIM, 3D Cad modeling and laser scanning and still hope to be competitive. What I saw were bright young innovators already pushing the technology of 3D design and high speed data capture to the limits.

It was very refreshing to attend a conference where presenters and attendees agreed that 3D laser scanning was the best tool to use in many design situations and were openly discussing how they currently used the technology in innovative ways.

The largest 3D scanning show I attend every year is SPAR. I had the same feeling at the Revit Technology Conference last week that I had at the third SPAR show back in 2005 when laser scanning was still a new and relatively untested technology. The quality of what was being presented at the Revit conference – and how and who was presenting – was way up on the charts.

Around the showroom floor, there were the larger suppliers of the Revit technology, who were very knowledgeable about new improvements to the products, alongside many boutique firms that were selling all types of software to make the design process in Revit easier and more organized.

There were also other groups selling “cloud” technology that provided a new, more efficient vision of the cloud. While most of us already have data on our iPhones, it will be a short time before we will all have our data in the cloud and projects will be able to be worked on by anyone, anywhere with just a password and a computer.

On large mega-projects like new airports and major industrial facilities, multiple design teams in multiple cities will be able to work on the same cloud-based data at the same time. It will change the way we do things forever. Yes, there will still be security issues and priority issues, but ultimately that’s where we are headed.

Why have one computer process for one million seconds to solve a data set if you can have a million computers process for one second? It’s not quite that simple, but that’s the goal.

The speakers were great, too.

My favorite was Dick Morley. His opening presentation was in the form of a fireside chat with Brad Holtz serving as the interpreter. (I say interpreter because when the audience looked confused and a topic seemed to go over our heads, Brad would bring Dick back down to earth.)

Dick Morley invented the programmable logic controller, which pretty much controls all the electronic machinery in the world. To put it in prospective, that one device produces more revenue than all of Hollywood’s productions combined.

He also invented antilock braking technology, which revolutionized cars and greatly reduced accidents on the highway. (As a side note, he said that while the number of accidents decreased for many years, they slowly started going back up as drivers in America learned to drive closer using the antilock brakes. As the margin of error decreased, accidents increased.)

Dick also invented the cash register overlay that has pictures of food on it rather than numbers. This greatly reduced errors and increased production in the fast food industry.

Dick, who was trained in physics at MIT, had a clear message: “Look at where things are going and what needs to be solved and find the technology to solve it. Holding on to the way it has always been is just a reason to justify where you are – not a plan to move forward.”

I think this is true across the industry. The true leaders and innovators are not the ones who are really good at getting a piece of paper from the left side of their desks to the right, he said. The innovators ask, why paper?

Other interesting speakers shared new and innovative ways the power of 3D is being used across the spectrum. Kelly Cone with the Beck Group gave a very thorough presentation of using modeling in a major construction project and how the model was embraced and used by many of the subcontractors on the project.

They even built a “construction” roll-able computer workstation so the subs could walk over in real time, look at their section of the project in 3D, and understand the intent of the designer.

He also talked about how having access to quick laser scanning information helps designers and contractors come up with workarounds in tight spots.

The conference had attendees from most of the continents in the world and it was evident that critical mass has been reached and that the tipping point into 3D design technology is complete.

The transition away from 2D drawings and flat surveys is history and 3D models and clash detection and design testing prior to construction is now the new standard.

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Tate Jones has over 40 years of experience in land and aerial surveying and was one of the country’s earliest adopters of 3D laser scanning technology. A nationally recognized expert in the field of 3D data capture, he has worked with hundreds of clients in the engineering, architectural and construction industries. Contact him at tjones@lasurveying.com,  tjones@3DLaserSurveys.com or visit www.3DLaserSurveys.com.

3D Laser Scanning: The New Industry Standard

When we first started laser scanning back in 2005, we replaced some of our total station surveying equipment with scanning technology. As much as anything, this was a great way for us to learn how to use the technology and understand its capabilities and limitations.

Early on, much of the work we did involved transportation projects and large complicated intersection surveys. There were many immediate benefits. For one, our surveyors were no longer put out into traffic and in harm’s way.

Another benefit was that we didn’t have to drive across town or across the state just to check on a few ambiguous points in a survey. Instead, we could just go back and look at the point cloud.

Today, in 2012, the entire world of architectural and engineering design and construction has changed. While before we had to convince clients of the benefits of using laser surveys, we now have a growing client base that simply will not consider starting a project without one.

In addition to providing accurate spatial information to civil engineers, plant designers, architects, contractors – and even insurance companies and crime scene investigators – laser scanning saves both time and money.

The truth is that in very complicated environments – like a mechanical heating and air conditioning plant room or a baggage room in an airport – the cost of scanning is nominal when compared to the total cost of the project.

Here are four primary reasons 3D laser surveys, or high-definition scanning, is quickly becoming the new industry standard when it comes to making precise measurements in complicated environments:

Reason #1: Scanner Speed

The speed of scanning has changed dramatically compared to what it was just seven years ago.

The first scanner we purchased (and still use today) took one hour for a 360-degree spherical orbit. Today, with our current scanners, it takes just six minutes.  This speed enables us to take many more scan set-ups than we used to take.

With our phase-based high speed scanner, we can now get 40 to 60 scans per day, which is very adequate to cover a large two-story mechanical room. To get the same amount of scans seven years ago would have taken a week.

In areas like these, it is the detail we look for, not the range. In extremely complicated areas, we make a set of scans on all sides. This data is invaluable to designers because it allows them to avoid interferences that often occur in these types of areas.

Reason #2: Software Improvements

Improved software programming has also contributed to the widespread acceptance of scanning technology.

I remember talking to clients back in 2005 and our message was something like this, “We will scan for you, then give you a 2D deliverable set of drawings that you can use to design your project.” When they would ask if they could use the point cloud in their design, our answer was always the same: “Yes, but you will have to buy $10,000 worth of software.”

As you can probably imagine, this was not an easy sell.

Fortunately, today Bentley, AutoCAD and Revit all have point cloud engines in them. The difference between an engine and a viewer is that we can now load a point cloud into an “engine” for a client and they can use the data in the design without having to purchase expensive “point cloud” software.

In fact, one of the takeaways from a scanning conference I recently attended was that all of the major software providers are moving to full 3D software design systems. They finally understand what we have known for years. Why would you survey in 3D, flatten the data to 2D, design in 2D then build in 3D? It just doesn’t make sense.

Reason #3: Clash Detection

This alone is worth the cost of a 3D laser survey.

Consider that if a project is modeled in the design phase, the completed final design – including the MEP systems, air handling systems, structural system and all of the architectural design – can be placed within the point cloud and clash detected. Anything that interferes with another system can be seen immediately and corrected before construction.

This is huge! What prudent engineer, designer or contractor would not want this advantage?  How important would this be to an owner?

Reason #4: TrueView or 360-Degree Spherical Photography

This technology has also improved quite a bit in the last seven years. When we first started scanning, we were fascinated with the fact that scanners could take photographs of the surrounding area, and then take that photographic data and overlay it with the scan data to make general measurements to the environment.

Unfortunately, back then the on-board camera was not as good as we had hoped and sometimes the pictures would come out octagonal and disjointed. As the process became more refined, we were able to mount a high resolution camera on the scanner and produce a crystal clear, color spherical photograph of the site.

This is a big step because it allows you to view a site from any scan set up. You can add text and information to the photographs and then e-mail a specific view to a client across the country or across the world. (In this case, some of our clients pay for our scanning fees with their savings in plane tickets!) This tool also enables clients to look out from the center of every scan and saves lots of time and discussion as to what is or is not located in the area of interest.

High definition scanning has quickly evolved from an emerging technology to an industry best practice when it comes to complicated projects. The construction process always includes many unknowns and the chance of design and construction errors is always high.

Why put yourself in the position of having to explain how a construction project was slowed down or over-budget because a laser scan was not the foundation of the project?

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Tate Jones has over 40 years of experience in land and aerial surveying and was one of the country’s earliest adopters of 3D laser scanning technology. A nationally recognized expert in the field of 3D data capture, he has worked with hundreds of clients in the engineering, architectural and construction industries. Contact him at tjones@lasurveying.com,  tjones@3DLaserSurveys.com or visit www.3DLaserSurveys.com.

Scan to BIM: The evolution of scanning technology

The truth is, scanning is the only cost-effective way to collect the existing world.

You simply can’t go into a cathedral, petroleum refinery, or metropolitan multi-use entertainment facility and measure with rulers and expect to get the accuracy you need to confidently design renovations.

Laser scanning is the only way to do it.

Up until recently, BIM users would take a set of “asbuilt drawings” put them into a 3D modeling program and create a computer model to work from. Now, after several years of doing that, the harsh realization has surfaced that there are many discrepancies between the “record drawings” and the actual environment to be constructed.

If it’s sheet rock and wood, it can be adjusted to fit. But if it’s glass, steel, concrete or mechanical equipment, a seemingly small error can grow very costly as it is much harder to warp and bend. (Putting expensive new equipment into an area that is too small is a nightmare for the installer, designer, engineer and the insurance company.)

These new 3D laser scanning technologies have dramatically changed the surveying industry – and they have changed it fast. But to really understand the evolution, let’s take a step back….

2004: 360-Degree Scans

The first 360-degree scanners came onto the scene around 2004. Before that, if you wanted to scan something above your head, you had to tilt the scanner back and scan at a steep angle, as most only had a 120-degree scan ability on the vertical axis. Several companies came out with full straight scanners about this time that made it much easier.

2006: Time-of-Flight Scans

The next evolution was time-of flight scanners. In 2006, a time-of-flight scanner took about 45 minutes to one hour for a complete 360-degree scan. If you could do 8-10 scans a day, you were doing very well. Today, the same can be done in about 12-15 minutes, depending on the density you want a scan.

At our firm, our first scanning projects were roads. In a very complicated area, we would scan 1”X 1”. The time-of-fight scanners back then could collect 4,000 points per second. Now they can easily collect 50,000 points per second!

2008: Phased-Based Scans

Today’s phase-based scanners collect 2,000,000 points per second and can create a ¼-inch x ¼-inch pattern at a distance of about 100 feet. This is incredible and as fast and dense as the average user needs. The hardware will eventually get better, faster and cheaper, but phase-based scanning is effective, stable, and provides the ability to scan almost anything in a reasonable about of time.

Present: Scan to BIM

Today, the big research money is going towards Scan to BIM technology, which converts billions of points in the point cloud into useful data.

Several companies have begun addressing this including small independent companies like Pointools, which came up with a way for scanners to recognize flat surfaces. (As small as this may seem, it is a huge advancement.) The program will also recognize pipes and model them automatically about 50% of the time. (Another major advancement.)

Now many of the pipe programs are getting to the same place and advancing the ball. Currently, we are at what I call the “Model T Ford” in software programs, but every year the programs get better.

The next evolution

Having now scanned may very complex areas in industrial sites, we have had a chance to compare them to the asbuilt drawings. In the horizontal view, they are generally close geometrically to the actual. But in their vertical axis, the pipes and duct work in the asbuilt drawings are rarely correct.

There are many reasons for this, but most often it is because the process is so difficult that when an installer sees an easier path, he generally takes it.

“Record drawings,” or asbuilt surveys, are rarely done after the work is complete. Typically, the conversation goes something like this: “Here are the design drawings. Redline any changes that you made.”

There is not a lot of motivation to do a totally new survey. But if a design team takes these documents and models them into their computer programs, they are unknowingly creating multiple problems for the contractor on the new job.

We recently took a set of asbuilt documents for a complex project, modeled them and then compared them to the point cloud to do a clash detection to determine potential interferences. The outcome was eye opening.

Few of the pipes, ducts, waterlines or fire lines in the ceiling were in the place shown on the record drawings. If these documents had been used, the MEP contractors would have spent ten times our fee “field fitting” the new utilities inside the old.

With the utility and cost of laser scanning, it would be smart to use one on every renovation project. If for nothing else, insurance! Just one field fit can sometimes cost far more than the scan itself.

If you scan the environment and put the proposed design into the point cloud, you can tell in just a few minutes where the major interferences will be. We have found conflicts that would have taken upwards of $100,000 to fix if they had to be field-changed during construction. Some were fatal flaws in the required design clearance that could not have been achieved and a totally new design would have had to been submitted.

Scanning to BIM is a big and extremely important step in surveying. Right now, it is the design software that is trying to catch up with the scanning potential. Already this year, several new programs have come out that are much better at accepting point clouds and computer models, but they still have a long way to go.

Not having a design based on a laser scan of the actual environment is a risk that few designers should take. I know I wouldn’t want to tell an owner that there is a construction problem that could have been avoided with a relatively inexpensive laser scan.

Laser scanning has evolved from a “luxury” to a best practice and it’s not a step that any prudent designer should skip.

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Tate Jones has over 40 years of experience in land and aerial surveying and was one of the country’s earliest adopters of 3D laser scanning technology. A nationally recognized expert in the field of 3D data capture, he has worked with hundreds of clients in the engineering, architectural and construction industries. Contact him at tjones@lasurveying.com or visit www.landairsurveying.com.

3D scan helps Feds catch vandals of ancient American Indian temple

The Nez Perce Indians of Idaho lived in the Pacific Northwest for many centuries before they bumped into Lewis and Clark in 1805. A peaceful tribe who lived mostly on the natural foods available in Idaho’s rivers, they probably never imagined they would one day use high definition scanning technology.

Fast-forward to February 2010.

In a small, little known rock shelter at a national park in Idaho, vandals used spray paint to deface ancient Nez Perce tribal pictographs, estimated to be some 2,500 years old. In addition to having both cultural and spiritual significance to the Nez Perce tribe, the rock shelter is located in a national park on federal land, which makes it a very serious crime.

LandAir Surveying worked with the Archaeological Damage Investigation and Assessment (ADIA), the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, and the FBI to assist in a federal investigation to prosecute the vandals and document the destruction.

This wasn’t your everyday survey.

Our crews packed up their gear and boarded a plane to Idaho. Then they rented a car and drove to an access point on the Snake River in Hells River Canyon, where a jet boat was waiting to take them to the crime scene. The ride down river was exciting and rigorous, and the drop-off point was a small piece of land in the middle of the wilderness.

The colors and materials used to create the ancient drawings made it very difficult to capture all of the detail in the pictographs. After multiple scans – using a combination of laser scanners and GPS – over two trips, our crew was able to collect enough data to create detailed images of the rock face, as well as the defaced pictographs themselves.

Once processed, the data was presented to the Nez Perce elders, many of whom were very angry as they were seeing the vandalism for the first time. When we returned, we created color drawings, digital files and spherical photography that was used to evaluate and document the damage.

But ultimately, just two years later, justice was theirs.

Two Idaho men were eventually arrested and prosecuted for willful injury or depredation of U.S. property and were sentenced this February to federal prison and fines of more than $33,000 each for defacing the pictographs. A third man is set for sentencing in June.

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Tate Jones has over 40 years of experience in land and aerial surveying and was one of the country’s earliest adopters of 3D laser scanning technology. A nationally recognized expert in the field of 3D data capture, he has worked with hundreds of clients in the forensic engineering, law enforcement, criminal defense, architectural and construction industries. Contact him at tjones@3DForensicScans.com, division of the LandAir Surveying company.

An eight-lane bridge falls into the Mississippi River during rush hour traffic? Yeah – we do that.

A few years ago, an entire span of a busy eight-lane interstate bridge broke apart and fell into the Mississippi River in Minneapolis during rush hour traffic. Cars, concrete, twisted metal and people went crashing into the water.

When the dust settled, 13 were dead and more than 145 injured.

The bridge was Minnesota’s fifth busiest, carrying 140,000 vehicles each day. Eventually, the NTSB cited a design flaw – plus additional weight on the bridge at the time of the collapse – as the likely cause. It was one of the country’s worst infrastructure accidents in history.

When most people think of “forensics,” images of CSI and police dusting for fingerprints immediately come to mind. But do you also think of accident reconstruction and lasers?

In 2007, at the time of the bridge collapse, our firm was one of the first to use 3D laser scanning technology. When we heard about the bridge, we made some calls to the local authorities and offered our scanning services. The response was very positive. (Because of the magnitude of the disaster, the FBI ended-up scanning the site.)

The advantage and need for laser scanning in a case like this is to preserve the scene exactly as it is. On that evening in Minneapolis, the scene was changing, literally, as the rescue was taking place.

Cars were being checked and retrieved, pieces of the bridge were being moved, and all of this was taking place in a river. The precision of high-definition laser scanning and the ability to stay out of the way of first responders and rescue teams was very important.

Once scanned, the data files and photos of the scene could be sent directly to forensic engineers, the Department of Transportation, structural experts, bridge experts and many other engineers and contractors to begin collaborating on the information and building 3D computer models and animation.

Reconstruction is a critical because understanding how the bridge landed could be an excellent predictor of how it originally fell, which could lead to the point of the initial failure and ultimate collapse.

Unfortunately, these types of structural accidents happen all of the time. Recently, there have been several events here in Atlanta where this 3D scanning technology was used or could have been used.

Remember the bus accident on I-75 at Northside Drive, also in 2007? Six were killed when the bus carrying the Bluffton University baseball team tumbled over the highway overpass and hit the ground 30 feet below. The scene was scanned to run a simulation of what might have happened. Investigators later determined that the driver mistook the exit ramp for a lane and went into the curve at full speed.

Or what about the collapse of the elevated pedestrian bridge at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens in 2008 that killed one and injured 18? This is another example of a site similar to the Minneapolis bridge collapse, but on a much smaller scale.

Another example was when a 170-foot section of the railing and fencing along Atlanta’s 17th Street Bridge came loose and crashed to the interstate below in 2011.

All of these are good examples of where 3D laser scanning technology was (or could have been) an excellent choice.

Tate Jones has over 40 years of experience in land and aerial surveying and was one of the country’s earliest adopters of 3D laser scanning technology. A nationally recognized expert in the field of 3D data capture, he has worked with hundreds of clients in the forensic engineering, law enforcement, criminal defense, architectural and construction industries. Contact him at tjones@3DForensicScans.com.

Surviving 2012: Six things every business can learn from the surveying industry

As a professional land surveyor for 40 years, I have a first-hand understanding of the housing downturn and subsequent economic recession we have been experiencing for the past six years.

At our firm, we began seeing the impact in early 2008, just one year after the peak in our business in 2007. Surveying is often viewed (at least by banks) as part of the construction industry and when construction loans dried-up, so did our business.

For surveyors, the hit was especially hard because our industry doesn’t just rely on the housing market, but also on commercial and retail expansion, which depends on the public sector to build infrastructure like new roads, sewer outfalls, parks, schools, airport expansions and industrial parks.

When things got bad, many surveyors began discounting their services in an attempt to hold onto their clients and market share. Over the past three years, for example, I have seen the fee and value of ALTA surveys – surveys required by banks before they will refinance a loan – sell for half of what they did before the fall.

The irony is that as the economy slowed, interest rates began to fall and investors, shopping centers and businesses began to refinance their properties. The need for ALTA surveys actually grew as a result! It was only a matter of months before attorneys representing banks began calling our firms asking for “ALTA updates,” implying something other than a new survey.

The firms of the future will be smaller with fewer permanent staff. Fees will change. It will no longer be just about how many crews you have, but how smart you are at collecting and selling 3D data. And those firms that can find ways to use existing sources of 3D data will be even better equipped to weather the storm.

For survey firms – as is true for all industries in this economy – the way to survive is to simply be a better businessperson. Here are six important things every business can learn from the surveying industry:

#1: Control your price. There are only two ways to control your prices: have a healthy backlog of profitable work and provide valuable services to your clients.

#2: Utilize subcontractors. Have a permanent staff large enough to process the workflow and provide quality control, but maintain relationships with good subcontractors and associate firms to expand your workforce when you have a wave a work that your permanent staff can’t handle.

#3: Make profit your goal – not billing. Just because you bill a crew out at $1,000 doesn’t mean you make $1,000. Your actual profits are typically closer to $150.

#4: Don’t buy – rent, swap and borrow. If you can rent a piece of equipment for $500 and make $150, you have greatly reduced your cash flow and improved your profit margin. Take a look at all of the expensive equipment you have purchased and must pay for every day. Unused equipment sitting on the shelf is not a good investment. Swap with other firms when you can, rent when you have to, and buy when the workload demands it.

#5: Always have a contract. Make the signing of a contract the starting point for every job. Even with an established client, having a signed contract can save a lot of scope creep and misunderstanding even on the simplest jobs.

#6: Don’t cut your price without changing the scope. Many lawyers have called to tell me that my price is too high. I remind them that it’s less than their price and they don’t even have to leave the office!

Lastly and most importantly, be realistic. If your workload goes down, you must cut your overhead immediately. For most of us, this means staff, which is always the hardest thing to do.

At one point, we had to reduce our employees from a high of 45 to just seven. We have since slowly built back up, but it was this reduction in staff, combined with tight cash management and a realistic outlook, that enabled us to survive.

The key to surviving this economy – for land surveying firms, as well as all business – is to be realistic, creative and adaptable. This is what it will take to survive and grow into better times.

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Tate Jones has over 40 years of experience in land and aerial surveying and was one of the country’s earliest adopters of 3D laser scanning technology. A nationally recognized expert in the field of 3D data capture, he has worked with hundreds of clients in the engineering, architectural and construction industries. Contact him at tjones@3DLaserSurveys.com.