New Capabilities!

Santa was good to us here at PGS!

Leica ScanStation 2

To say we are excited would be an understatement. The ScanStation 2 will give us the ability to provide high definition mapping -- also known as 3D Laser Scanning -- for our clients. High definition mapping captures existing conditions of the built and natural environment in minute detail and produces point cloud images and 3D models containing millions of measurements. The ScanStation 2 collects data at a rate of up to 50,000 points per second! Benefits of high definition mapping include:

• Creates a model with a 360° field of view allowing visualizing from any angle
• Captures intricate details in hard to access areas
• Sites can be surveyed from safe distances without interrupting operations.
• Data is compatible with AutoCAD and Microstation.
  

Here is a short clip demonstrating the use of high definition mapping on a bridge.

I'll be posting up more info on this new system soon. Hope everyone's holidays are going great!

Cheers!

Happy Holidays!!!

Merry Christmas to all! Hope the fat, jolly guy left you lots of great gifts and filled your stockings with many treats.

See everyone soon.

New GPS Satellites!

The US has launched a new GPS satellite and Russia just sent up another 3 satellites to add to their Glonass system.

The addition of the new GPS satellite, due to be on healthy status in early January, will hopefully help with the mid-day down time we have been experiencing lately. This will be especially true once the new Glonass satellites are online since we use Glonass compatible receivers. The more satellites we can see the better the results we obtain and we are able to receive a "fix" position quicker when using RTK. More satellites also means we are able to work more efficiently in areas with limited sky visibility.

We are becoming more and more reliant on the GPS network for our everyday work here at PGS. Most all of our local jurisdictions are requiring mapping to be done on "datum" and we are finding that local control networks are less than reliable. When working on large scale projects it is very important to know and understand the datum that the mapping is on. This makes it much easier to add additional mapping as needs arise and integrate the additional mapping with the original data.

We are looking forward to having the opportunity to test the new satellites and find out exactly how they are going to effect our everyday work. We expect that there will be measurable improvements in effencies and less down time, especially on challenging projects like Boundary Dam and the Icicle Creek.

Cheers all!