C+S March 2021 Vol. 7 Issue 3 (web)

3. Completeness of Data For both QA/QC and clear communication, being able to overlay point clouds on linework enables you to quickly create detailed visualizations that bridge any gaps in understanding and eliminate return trips to the field. “Now we have added datasets where we’re able to significantly increase quality, increase the number of locations and redundancy,” Smith says. “Think about a site where you have to locate a couple of signs as part of some ALTA require- ments, or specific existing conditions you need to locate for proposed improvements, and you

forget to do that,” he explains. “When you’re able to go back to your datasets and pick up those details very accurately in the point clouds, you’ve just saved the return trip to the site. How much is that worth?” With today’s technology, the move from traditional survey- ing to laser scanning can be done easily. “The thing I love the most is that I can have one instrument that really changes the way we’re conducting business,” Smith explains. “I can go out in the morning with the MS60, which is a one-second total station, and I

The same survey with a real-time, interactive 3D picture achieved through laser scanning.

can do my construction layout with the most accurate instrument we have in our toolbox so our contractors can do the concrete pours. And I can stop off and do stakeout for a property line where somebody wants to put up a fence. And then I can do high-end topography for a new sidewalk that’s going in front of a pharmacy to ensure it will conform to ADA requirements. Not only do I take the traditional locations with my surveying instrument, but I can do a very dense scan afterward with the same instrument for immediate validation. And if there are any areas that don’t meet minimum requirements, I can quickly identify where—which panels, which sections—without taking a shot every 6 inches to make sure I have enough locations.” The potential with laser scanning, says Smith, is eye-opening. “Once you start using laser scanning, you start to under- stand what digitalization can really look like and what it can offer to us as professional surveyors. It can help shape the way we conduct business and plan our work.” Watch the full webinar here: Automation, Digitalization, and the Rise of the Next Generation Surveyor To learn more about solutions to maximize your surveying potential, get in touch with a surveying and engineering expert at Leica Geosystems.

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