9. Acoustic Pipe Locator – sends and receives waves throughout the soil and exports data for objects found below the surface. The technology proves to be valuable in situations with plastic material with no tracer wire. 10. Drones – are used for project inspections, high-definition photos, LiDar scanning, site topography and infrared scanning. 11. 360° Reality Capture – is used to provide 360-degree site walks through- out an area, as well as side-by-side views between the real world and 3D model at any desired location. The days of shuffling through hundreds and thousands of utility records and relying on the institutional knowledge of one person no longer sat - isfy the fast-paced nature of the AEC industry. Using electromagnetic utility locators, ground penetrating radar, hydro excavation, CCTV truck, acoustic pipe locators and infrared energy pattern analysis, SUM, when paired with a construction team’s expertise, helps clients build confidently. The AEC industry now thrives on data transfer, cloud platforms, and virtual building, making now a critical time for owners and campus staff shift the mindset of “the way we have always done it.” Implementing a risk mitigation strategy that ensures zero-loss of data across all stakeholders is becoming paramount. Moving in this direction yields a greater ability to impact early plan - ning, design, construction, and facilities management operations. Decision making becomes more impactful. Leadership becomes more aligned. Budgeting and planning become more accurate and reliable. And this can all be attributed to a single source of truth surrounding existing utility data. How will you and your team manage The Threat from Below ?
Synergistic Technologies Some owners might turn to a private utility locating company to mark underground lines. The fact is that private locating companies typically don’t dig deeply enough — both literally and figuratively — to identify all the dangers to projects and workers. Unfortunately, there is not a utility-locating technology that yields ac - curate results for all encountered utilities. To effectively mitigate the risk facing a project, while knowing and clearly communicating the limitations of certain equipment, Utility Designators require several different surface-level technologies. McCarthy utilizes the following technologies to designate existing utilities: 1. Electromagnetic Utility Locators – used as our primary method for locating utilities. This technology allows us to hook directly to the utility and provides location, GPS tracking and approximate depths. 2. Ground Penetrating Radar – the Stream C is used for a compact array solution, generating real time 3D mapping of underground utilities. This technology has 34 antennas in two polarizations and can produce GIS based digital maps when exported. Also, MALA technology is utilized for sites of all sizes to investigate voids, buried structures, and other underground utilities. 3. 3D Printing – allows our team to create models of existing infrastructure to implement into three-dimensional models of proposed buildings throughout a campus. This process gives invaluable viewpoints into a proposed project’s area of influence and possible areas of concern. 4. Laser Scanning – used to aid in the 3D modeling of certain areas of a campus or internal building. The gathered point cloud is used to determine exact dimensions for critical areas of a project’s design and construction. 5. Colorized LiDar Scanning – is typically flown with a drone and provides high-density colorized point clouds that can be seamlessly merged with our 3D model of existing utilities. 6. CCTV Truck Video Cameras – are used to capture video footage and condition assessment reports for pipes of all sizes. The truck also has a lateral launch capability, allowing our team to view and inspect building lateral connections. 7. Concrete Scanning – allows us to locate items below concrete slabs such as conduits, rebar, PT Cables, pipes, etc. This tool can have multiple applica- tions, especially in the renovation setting or during the preconstruction phase of a job. 8. Infrared Energy Pattern Analysis – can be used manually or mounted to a drone or plane. It uses sensors to determine drastic changes of temperature, which shows locations and alignments of utilities such as chilled water and steam.
MATTHEW FITZGERALD is a registered professional engineer and senior busi - ness development manager for McCarthy Building Companies. In addition to supporting McCarthy project needs, Matthew is focused on developing relationships and project opportunities with current and potential clients across the country.
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