Surveying

BWSC provides engineering surveys in support of our own in-house design disciplines, government agencies, private developers, and other engineering and architectural companies as well as land surveys for title transfer and subdivision. Using the latest technology, BWSC’s highly trained field and office staff provides high quality and accurate surveys to clients with demanding schedules and requirements. BWSC surveyors perform hundreds of surveys each year ranging from large tracts of undeveloped land to as-builts of complex industrial or commercial sites.

3D LASER SCANNING
3D laser scanning redefines surveying as drastically as email has changed communications. With one of BWSC's Leica laser scanners in a room, in front of a building, or in the middle of a field, we can quickly grab a real-time, 360-degree 3D scan of every visible surface, even down to the leaves on a tree. The result is a 3D digital replica of what is being surveyed, an accurate rendition made up of millions of data points, far more detailed and precise than what is typically possible with conventional surveying.

How is 3D laser scanning different from traditional surveying? In traditional surveying, the field surveyor must decide which and how many measurements will convey the data required by the designer. Since the surveyor must touch each point and describe its relevance, the number of points that can reasonably be acquired is limited by time and cost. The data is processed and interpreted by a CADD technician, and is a representation of actual conditions based on limited data filtered through the field surveyor's and CADD technician's opinions. The 3D scanner only requires that we can see the surfaces to be measured and does so at a much higher level of speed. The result is a computerized model comprised of millions of measurements that essentially becomes a "virtual world." The difference in the older and newer survey methods is like comparing the 80s-era flat dimension video games with today's lifelike games. Surveys that were simple stick drawings become 3D models with texture and color.

The uses for this level of survey information are nearly limitless. Because the scanner records its data remotely by way of sending a visible laser, surfaces normally inaccessible or only accessible through great effort--powerlines, bridges, building facades, busy runways or highways--can be accurately surveyed. And its ability to capture everything in sight makes it especially useful for surveying industrial piping, mechanical rooms, manufacturing lines, accident investigations, and historic buildings and sites. If there's a need to survey multiple rooms or sides of a building, the 3D software will link it up seamlessly.

3D scanning allows surveys to be conducted that are cost prohibitive by traditional survey procedures, and allows a level of data collection on regular projects that was previously unheard of. With the laser scanner, cost savings can be realized when surveying dangerous sites, like highways, runways, high walls, and ceilings, since the scanner can survey remotely without the need to close highways or use ropes or scaffolding. The technology offers multiple cost advantages, such as improved safety, easier access for data collection, minimal data collection time, no need to return to site for additional information, and day/night flexibility for data gathering.

It is no exaggeration to say that 3D laser scanning will revolutionize survey data gathering. Call one of BWSC's surveyors to see if this technology is right for your project.

Survey site (click to enlarge)

3D scan of survey site
(click to enlarge)

The 3D laser scanner plays a powerful role in accident reconstruction. This scanner image, with accompanying photo for comparison, is being used as a tool in a personal injury lawsuit by allowing investigators to revisit the scene in a virtual sense. Capable of acquiring millions of precise measurements, the 3D scanner gathers enough data in a reasonable period of time to create a detailed and reliable digital representation of the landscape. This allows for reconstruction through animation of the accident site using actual views and measurements rather than a caricature of the site. Vehicle position, speed and orientation can be added with real data relative to slopes, obstruction and sight distances. Witness testimony is assisted by the computer image that depicts the same scene as the photographic record.

Tenaris

Tenaris is an international manufacturer of steel pipes with plants in 10 countries. When engineers at their Hickman, Arkansas plant decided to upgrade one of their “Quench and Treatment” lines, they were in need of an accurate depiction of the existing conditions which included the size, angle, spacing and elevations of the rollers and support structure. Time and wear modify the dimensions from the original design documents. With the use of 3D scanning, BWSC was able to model the equipment, create a drawing, and provide verification of required dimensions far more comprehensively than conventional surveying procedures would allow.