How 3D Laser Scanning Services Can Support Multiple Stages of Development

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3D laser scanning servicesMore and more businesses are starting to realize the potential benefits offered by 3D laser scanning services. However, many of them fail to recognize just how helpful 3D scanning can be throughout the lifespan of a project. 3D scanning is so inherently valuable because it can provide key visibility at all three main phases of the project: the pre-design phase, the design phase, and the construction phase. Gaining a greater understanding of what role a 3D laser scanning survey plays in each of these three phases is key to understanding just how much of a competitive advantage this technology can provide.

Pre-Design Phase

In the pre-design phase, getting an accurate picture of the terrain and existing structures that are on-site is vital. With this visibility to guide you, you can make better decisions about the best way to move forward with your project. You can also feel confident that your decisions are based on real insights, and not on guesswork or outdated aerial photography.

A 3D laser scanning survey at the pre-design phase is particularly helpful for things like oil and gas facility location surveys and terrain surveys. In both of these examples, 3D laser scanning is both the fastest and most accurate way to get a complete look at the area that is to be developed, providing the right level of understanding to get your project off to a good start. As a result, your project will be better positioned to proceed according to plan, with no delays and no budget overages.

Design Phase

Once you have gained an accurate understanding of the site that is going to be developed, the next logical step is to consider how the development will fit together with the terrain around it. Fortunately, 3D laser scanning can help with this as well, by supporting 3D modeling.

3D modeling gives you greater visibility into how your development will look, in relation to the terrain and any enduring structures around it. This will also help you create the optimum design and identify any potential issues before they get a chance to wreak havoc on your project once the construction process actually begins.

A good example of a design processes where laser scanning surveying can be helpful is with field map preparation for oil and gas facilities. By creating 3D models before you begin construction, you can be more prepared and get started on construction sooner.

Construction Phase

Finally, once it’s time to actually begin the construction process, laser scanning surveying is there to help once again. By allowing you to quickly create as-built surveys, 3D laser scanning gives you greater visibility into how the project is improving the site around it.

Being able to turn these as-built surveys around as quickly as possible is a tremendous benefit for your project, as it insures that the construction process won’t grind to a halt while you are stuck waiting for the surveys to come in. Since 3D laser scanning represents one of the quickest methods of creating as-built surveys, it can be a tremendous value-add to the construction process.

In addition, laser scanning surveying can also help you to identify potentially unsafe environments. Safety should be a top concern for any construction project, and scanning can help project managers be more aware of potential safety issues before they can get in the way of a safe, orderly construction project.

To learn more about how Landpoint 3D laser scanning services can help your business gain visibility and drive value throughout the different phases of your project, contact us today.

Image Source : survcentex

Construction Site Safety: Surveying in Unsafe Environments

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land surveying company safetyWorker safety should be the number one focus for all construction project managers. However, since construction work consistently rates among the most dangerous forms of employment in countries across the globe, it is clear that there’s still a lot more that needs to be done to address safety issues on the job site.

How a Land Surveying Company Addresses Construction Site Safety

Part of preparing for construction safety means getting an accurate understanding of what hazards are expected, so you can prepare for and mitigate them as much as possible. From a land surveying perspective, that means knowing where unstable work surfaces might be putting your workers at risk. Using traditional technology, acquiring a survey on a potentially unsafe terrain would require the surveyor to traverse through the rugged landscape in order to gather information. In addition to being extremely time consuming, this process also puts the surveyors themselves at risk.

In many cases, construction site safety can take a back seat when project managers are concerned that the construction project may not be progressing according to schedule. The process for issuing surveys is time consuming, and can lead to forced down time on the job site, which is something that every project manager wants to avoid.

As a result, many project managers are content to proceed with their projects without waiting for the land surveys to be returned. While this may seem like a time-saving measure, it’s actually quite shortsighted, as injuries on the job site caused by lack of terrain visibility can be just as much of a time waster as waiting for land surveys.

Project managers need a solution that will allow them to balance the seemingly contradictory goals of ensuring project safety and avoiding unnecessary delays. With 3D laser scanning technology, there is no reason that project managers can’t achieve both of these important goals.

3D Laser Scanning Helps Balance Speed and Safety

3D laser scanning contributes to increased safety on the job site, as it removes the need for land surveyors to place themselves in harm’s way to complete their surveys. Since the surveyors no longer have to risk going from place to place to manually collect the information, 3D laser scanning can also help avoid project delays, as land surveyors will now be able to turn around their finished work much faster

By making quick and safe land surveys an integrated part of the organization’s construction process, 3D laser scanning can help project managers balance the competing goals of project speed and project safety in a manner that works best for everyone involved.

Aerial Mapping

3D laser scanning technology can also be supported through the use of aerial mapping. Using either fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, or unmanned aerial vehicles, land surveyors can get the visibility they need to complete terrain maps without having to set foot on dangerous terrain themselves.

When used together with 3D laser scanning, aerial mapping allows construction project managers to get the visibility they need to understand and plan for risk in the construction project, without having to wait for the land surveys to be completed. Together, these technologies are making it so that project managers no longer have to choose between speed and safety.

To learn more about aerial mapping and 3D laser scanning services from Landpoint, and how they can help improve construction site safety, contact us today.

Image Source : Michael Gil

How New Technology Equals Better Engineering Support

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professional land surveyorToday’s civil and construction engineers need access to the right information at the right time in order to support fast, accurate and efficient work. In order to get the visibility they need, engineers depend on engineering support services like land surveying.

In the past, land surveying was a time-consuming process that could seriously delay an engineer’s work. However, there are new technologies in use today that enable engineers to get the visibility and information they need quickly, by significantly speeding up the land surveying process.

Read on to learn more about some of these surveying technologies and to find out how you can put them to work for your organization.

Laser Scanner Surveying

High definition scanning is an innovative technology that allows land surveyors to create detailed representations of a terrain and structures without having to individually visit each point of interest on the job site. Laser scanner surveying helps engineers do their jobs better by providing a more detailed deliverable, and doing it much quicker than a traditional land survey. With terrestrial laser scanning, a process that once took months can now be completed in a matter of a few days, making sure that engineers never have to wait to get the information they need.

High definition scanning, also referred to as LiDAR, works by bouncing laser beams off the terrain and recording a point everywhere the laser hits a surface. Once the area has been scanned, the result is a “point cloud” made up of millions of different points. These millions of points represent a level of detail that engineers could never dream of seeing in the past.

3D Modeling

Once a professional land surveyor has collected data using high definition scanning, they can use those data points to create a survey-grade 3D model of the area. Using this extremely detailed model, engineers are able to get an up-close look at the terrain, without having to waste time by traveling the location themselves.

3D modeling from the point cloud gives engineers a more detailed and accurate look at the terrain and structures they’re going to be working on, and does so in a fraction of the time required to complete a traditional land survey. Also, these models can be used to help inform the survey documents that will drive the entire project forward, ensuring that engineers and all other key stakeholders will always have the information they need right at their fingertips. It’s really no wonder that so many engineers are excited about the possibilities of using 3D modeling as an engineering support tool.

Aerial Mapping

Finally, today’s engineers no longer have to be limited to terrain visibility that is captured from ground level. Using either fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, or UAV’s, a professional land surveyor has the ability to conduct aerial mapping. This technique can work using a variety of different scanning methods, including the high definition laser scanning described above.

Unlike aerial photography, which merely provides a visual of what the terrain looks like from above, aerial mapping can give engineers a detailed 3D rendering of the terrain, displaying every crack and hole in astonishing detail. Since aircraft have a far greater range of visibility when operating from above than land surveyors do when operating from ground level, aerial mapping can allow quick and efficient scanning of a large area, making it the perfect technology to use on very large engineering projects.

To learn more about new technologies that help engineers work quicker and more effectively,contact Landpoint today.

Image Source : Laura

Landpoint Named As One of the Fastest Growing Land Surveying Companies

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inc5000smBossier City, LA – For the third year in a row, Landpoint has been named to the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest growing privately-held companies. At number 769 and with more than 590% growth, the company has outpaced other land surveying companies across the nation.

Landpoint is one of Louisiana’s 49 privately held companies to make the list, coming in at number 9 in the state this year. The company has also been listed as the number 5 top engineering firm in the nation. By adding over 150 jobs in three years, Landpoint has demonstrated consistent organic growth.

“We are very excited to be included for a third year on Inc’s list of the fastest growing American companies,” said Chad Souter, Vice President of Landpoint. “While we are thrilled to have cracked the top 1,000 companies, we continue to see substantial growth opportunities for our company in the coming years with what we have built,” Souter added. “Our employees take pride in their ability to provide an exceptional service, and they are incredibly deserving of this recognition.”

The Inc. 5000 ranks businesses in a variety of sectors – from engineering and health care, to communications and finance. In these rankings, company revenue and growth are just two of the considerations.

In addition to being listed in the Inc. 5000, Landpoint was also ranked the number three fastest growing engineering services firm by ZweigWhite and was awarded Deal of The Year by the Association for Corporate Growth upon completion of two acquisitions in 2013 and the creation of a platform for future acquisitions.

About Landpoint

Landpoint is an award winning firm that performs land surveying and engineering services for oil and gas, transportation, commercial land development, and alternative energy sectors. The company also provides environmental consulting, GIS mapping and laser scanning. The value added services and solutions offered by Landpoint are unmatched by other land surveying companies, allowing customers to realize significant time and cost savings.

To learn more about Landpoint’s services in around the country, visit https://www.landpoint.net.

4 Ways a Land Surveyor Can Help You With Pipeline Routing

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Land SurveyorCompanies working in the Eagle Ford Shale Formation face significant challenges including the need for accurate pipeline surveying and quick turnaround times for deliverables. Companies continue to invest millions of dollars into what is “quite possibly the largest single economic development in the history of the state of Texas.”

However, one of the problems that has emerged for oil and gas companies is finding the most efficient route through the increasingly congested right of ways. As more and more pipelines are developed and the amount of acceptable territory a pipeline can pass through decreases, it becomes even more challenging to find an efficient path for pipes. In order to see the largest gains possible from projects in the region, oil and gas companies need exact maps and pipeline survey information to find the most efficient routes for pipeline deployment in the Eagle Ford Shale.

The 4 Primary Ways Land Surveyors Can Help With Pipeline Routing

1. By finding the most efficient path to lay the pipeline
As the first step in pipeline routing, consider going with a professional land surveying company that uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

Using GIS mapping tools, field teams identify geographic issues like terrain changes, chasms and other geographic issues not readily apparent on topographical maps. They make recommendations based on environmental constraints, existing and proposed structures, and costs. Additionally, GIS can contain other existing and foreign pipelines and pipeline easements, ownership information, and well locations.

Before GIS technologies, surveyors used topographical maps to plan routes. These maps were not always correct and did not give the level of detail needed for pipeline surveying. Done properly, this critical first step eliminates false starts and reduces costs.

2. By helping to identify some of the legal challenges for a designated path
Land surveyors and right of way agents are responsible for researching ownership, surveys of record, federal and state land status, right of way documents, recorded easements and more. The oil and gas company receives all available information that may result in legal challenges for the proposed path.

The final survey report contains history survey information that includes all surveys performed on the property in question.

3. Byidentifying trouble spots that can lead to issues later
Land surveyors find hidden geographic issues not visible on topographic maps. They can identify whether or not the terrain for a projected path can physically handle the pipeline. They can also identify any potential environmental hazards that could cause trouble in the future. They make recommendations based on all data gathered and will often recommend the best route and alternate routes guided by costs and other considerations.

4. By Reducing Costs and Improving Accuracy
Professional survey companies offer feasibility studies, preliminary mapping for IFB and IFC proposal development, construction studies, BOM development and more. They provide environmental and land use impact studies, governmental analysis, engineering support, and high-definition scanning.

Experienced surveyors access land use records, collect geographic and spatial data, to prepare reports, maps, and surveys including:

  • Preliminary Land and Site Surveys
  • Preliminary Easement Sketches for Initial Site Planning
  • Easement and Boundary Surveys
  • Invitation for Bid (IFB) and Invitation for Construction (IFC) Support
  • Utility Location & Crossing Surveys
  • As-built documentation
Impact on Pipeline Development in the Eagle Ford Shale

Recent technological advancements such as GIS, mobile data gathering, cloud based project management, and 3D scanning allow survey companies to deliver pipeline surveys and reports at lower costs than in the past, without sacrificing accuracy and while improving turnaround times. Measurements, boundaries, layouts, sketches are much more accurate and clients make informed decisions for site selection, well locating, site layouts and pipeline deployment. This allows for better planning when building pipelines in the Eagle Ford Shale, reducing costs and speeding up development.

If you need help with pipeline routing, then get a free land surveying quote today.

Image Source : EARTHWORKS

How a Land Survey Company Helps Get Your Team Up to Speed on Projects

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Oil and Gas ProjectsNew technologies such as GIS mapping are helping to drive the oil and gas boom forward, providing a greater level of visibility and detail that lets companies make more informed decisions. However, in order to fully take advantage of the possibilities offered by these new technologies, companies need to make sure that they are providing an easy way for their employees to access the maps, documents and information they need.

Getting New Employees Up To Speed

This problem is especially challenging in the case of new employees. When employees join a project from outside the company, or move over from another department within the same company, they often find themselves having to start from square one. While other employees can find information from past e-mails or coworkers they know are familiar with the project, new employees don’t have this luxury. Instead, they often find themselves having to sift through massive archives of maps and other documents trying to find the information they need. This process is inefficient and time-consuming, and it can even cause a project to grind to a halt.

The Solution: Cloud Based Project Management

What oil and gas companies need to combat this problem is greater organization and centralization of project assets. Fortunately, some land surveying companies provide project management solutions that help make the process of managing and organizing project assets a simple and ingrained part of a company’s everyday operations. This helps ensure that employees and authorized subcontractors will always have access to all the documents they need to do their jobs well. In turn, this will help significantly reduce the time it takes for new employees to go from uninformed to contributing members of the team.

Easy Access Across All Device Types

Perhaps one of the greatest benefits offered by cloud based project management solutions offered by a land survey company is that they can provide the only information and documentation portal that a company could ever need for a specific project. In the past, important documents might have been stored in different locations throughout a company. This meant that a new employee would often have no idea where to start looking to find the documents they needed.

They would have to waste their own valuable time, as well as their colleagues’ time, tracking down those documents. Worst of all, since there was no single repository to cover the entire project, different employees might end up working with different versions of the same document, which could lead to confusion and miscommunication.

Project management solutions provide the single document repository oil and gas teams need to keep everyone on the same page. In addition, this one central repository can also be accessed from anywhere, meaning that employees can always access the documents they need, even if they need to do so using a tablet or smartphone while working in the field.

The Delicate Balance of Security and Easy Access

To ensure the level of easy access to information and documents that new employees need in order to get up to speed quickly, project assets can’t be stored on internal company networks that have special access requirements. This creates another challenge, as companies still need to be certain that their sensitive data is secure.

A project management platform can provide the balance between security and openness, allowing companies to store assets off their network for easy access, while also relying on the dedicated data security of a third-party partner–the land survey company. This means that new employees will always be able to access the assets they need, without exposing the company to risk.

Contact us today to learn more about how out how a land survey company can make project management easier. If you want to get started with Landpoint’s cloud-based project site, you can sign up here.

How a Land Surveying Company Can Reduce Bottlenecks for Oil and Gas Projects

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Oil and Gas ProjectsAs the oil and gas boom continues, projects are increasing in scope, size and complexity. Companies often find themselves unable to adjust to the new realities of their project, leading to bottlenecks that can cause extending delays and wasted resources.

In order to remove these bottlenecks and keep your oil and gas projects progressing according to plan, you need to work with an experienced land surveying company that you can trust to provide scalability, rapid access to deliverables, and open lines of communication between key project stakeholders, no matter where they are in the country.

Working With The Wrong Land Surveyor Is A Major Cause Of Bottlenecks

One of the byproducts of the oil and gas boom has been a proliferation of new land surveying companies across the country. These new companies come in many different sizes and experience levels, and choosing to work with the wrong land surveying company can have grave consequences for your oil and gas project.

Working with a land surveying company that is too small or too inexperienced can cause project bottlenecks due to:

  • Lack of scalability
  • Inability to distribute information quickly
  • Inexperience in oil and gas surveying

Working with the right land surveying partner can help you address these issues, ensuring that bottlenecks won’t occur with your project.

Ensuring Scalability

In the context of land surveying, “scalability” refers to a company’s ability to keep up with rapid changes in product scope. Scalability is frequently an issue in the oil and gas industry, as new obstacles and complexity arise frequently as these projects progress.

Oil and gas companies simply can’t afford the long turnaround times that occur when a land surveyor can’t complete field work and produce deliverables quickly. It’s also important that these companies assess a land surveying company’s ability to scale before the project begins; having to replace a land surveyor that can’t scale will only delay the project even further. It’s a better idea to do your homework beforehand, and make sure you’re working with the right land surveyor right from the start.

A land surveying company can ensure scalability by having a large team of experts and the latest technology. When change in project scope creates the need to have more surveyors in the field, a larger company that has experienced teams spread out across the country can easily make that happen, ensuring that the project can continue with no major delays.

On the other hand, smaller land surveying companies often lack the resources needed to respond quickly to changes in project scope. If they need more surveying teams in the field, it may take them weeks to get those teams lined up, if they are able to do at all.

Ensuring Distribution of Information

Today’s industries are more spread out than ever before, and oil and gas is no exception. Key stakeholders from the same project can often be stationed at different locations throughout the country, making it difficult for everyone to be on the same page. As project scope changes, this problem only gets worse. Oil and gas companies need to work with a land surveyor who can provide the ability to distribute information quickly across dispersed geographic locations.

Land surveyors with cloud-based project management offerings can help address this issue. When new information arises that changes the nature of a project, team members have one centralized portal they can upload that information to, and instantly ensure that everyone is able to see it. This removes the bottleneck involved with trying to make sure that everyone is on the same page. Land surveyors can also offer field teams the ability to access the project management system on mobile devices, so that new information can flow from job sites to offices as quickly as possible.

For more information on land surveying services from Landpoint, read our oil and gas brochure, or request a free land surveying quote.

How Tablets Are Used For Field Work on Surveying Projects

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Land SurveyLand surveying teams are benefiting from sophisticated tablet technology that combines collection, real-time data access, and a plethora of other utilities in a mobile environment. Surveyors are able to interact with their data to obtain realistic, multidimensional knowledge of the survey area. Essentially, tablet technology has revolutionized how field surveyors operate, allowing them to work smarter and faster.

Here is a look at how surveyors are using tablets for field work boosts project efficiency.

Real-Time Communication

Land survey teams can coordinate efforts from disparate locations with ease as they utilize 2D and 3D views that inform their work in real-time. Data can be shared in real-time and quantitative data, including analytics, can also be accessed. Field agents can synchronize data with data technicians and surveyors in the office to get real-time support, minimizing the need for field crews to revisit the site

Mobile Workforce Management Tools

These tools enhance productivity in the field with applications that help withteam and asset management, mobile workforce routing and field service scheduling. Surveyors can review the progress of other teams, send out messages, and answer emails from individuals back at the office.

Calculation Tools

Mobile devices offer a variety of handy tools, such as calculation and productivity apps, which helps to increase onsite efficiency. Essentially, many of the tasks that would have to wait until the surveyor got back to the office (or at least back to an internet connected computer) can now be performed with a tablet in the field, greatly cutting down turnaround times on projects.

Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality (AR) is a potentially dynamic view of real-world information enhanced by computer resident data that includes sound, graphics, GPS data and video. This technology is becoming more widely used by surveyors since it allows them to get a clearer view of a project and make better recommendations.

In AR, targets become registration points that orient the tablet to the identical point where construction is occurring. As targets are scanned, the original design of the construction is displayed. This view updates as location changes.

Visualization is an extremely important part of augmented reality. In a proposed site development, ease of access for large installations can be determined and reviewed in 3D to foresee how any phase of project construction can be best accomplished with optimal access and best fit. Trial and error belongs to the model world when problems can be solved virtually. Tablets show exactly what a project will look like at any stage of development, provided the data is available.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a target resource utilizing AR. It provides improved visualization and information retrieval, as well as the ability to coordinate project documentation. The ability to embed and link vendor specific data, location details, and quantities required for estimation and tendering is invaluable to project efficiency.

Tablets and 3D Laser Scanners

When paired with other surveying technology, tablets can dramatically increase a surveyor’s productivity and further improve turnaround time. One good example of this is when tablets are paired with 3D laser scanners.

With 3D laser scanning, points are scanned at 2mm intervalsby the scanner’s high resolution digital image and are then colored according to the photo. Scan stations are set up in multiple areas for comprehensive data collection. When GPS is associated with data scanned, it can be tied to a local coordinate system. With the latest laser scanning techniques, it becomes possible to convert three-dimensional surfaces into highly accurate mathematical models, which can be viewed on the tablet device. This means that a surveyor can utilize 3D scans, upload the information to the project management site and then review that data on the tablet.

Overall, when tablets are used for field work, project managers can enjoy better data collection, decision making, problem solving, and accuracy. To learn more about how the latest land surveying technologies can benefit your business, please contact us.

Image Source : Martin Voltri

How a Land Surveying Company Creates 3D Models

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land surveying companyTraditional methods of collecting, rendering, and storing survey data are rapidly being replaced with 3D digital data scanning and modeling. Today, three-dimensional surfaces and objects are converted into highly accurate mathematical representations using laser scanners and 3D modeling software. Thanks to the benefits of 3D laser scanning and modeling, construction project managers enjoy an easy, independent, and cost-effective resource for mapping any type of surface.

Using 3D Models

Contractors, engineers, land surveying companies and historical preservation groups all use data modeling. When creating a model, they start by scanning the area to be modeled with 3D laser scanners.

Scanners collect millions of survey-grade points to aid the engineer and land surveying company with design as well as problem identification and resolution. Once the points are collected the modeling process can then begin. This is useful for:

  • 3D BIM (Building Information Modeling)
  • 3D topographical site scans
  • 3D site representations and modeling
  • Construction As-builts
  • Measurements for erosion control plans
  • Grading volumes
  • Height measurements for equipment and crane mobilization
  • Environmental compliance
  • 3D laser scanners provide fast data collection and an increased safety envelope in difficult environments such as valleys, quarries, landfills, and facility locations.
  • Surveyed contours, volumes, and cross sections may be delivered as 2D or 3D models. They may be 3D survey points and break-lines used to produce digital terrain / elevation and TIN models, or full-detail models used for advanced designing.

How It Works

3D Laser Scanning for Construction

Thanks to Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR), extremely accurate data can be collected, and therefore more accurate 3D models can be made.Here are some facts about 3D laser scanners:

  • 3D laser scanning uses high speed lasers fired at incredibly-high rates of speed.
  • 3D laser scanners may be Phase Based, where a constant laser energy beam is released, or Time of Flight based, where the scanner calculates the distance based on the laser light phase change.
  • The more, and closer, scans are taken, the more accurate the scan is. Scanned points are typically every 1/4 inch.
  • Each point taken by the scanner’s high resolution digital image is colored according to the photo.
  • Analysts setup scan stations in multiple areas to collect as much data as possible.
  • GPS can be tied to the scan data to make use of existing local coordinate systems.
3D Mapping Software

3D mapping software takes all of the raw scan data and converts it into a format that the modeling software is able to read. Clients can also request the raw scan data for use in AutoCAD, Miscreation, or other architecture/engineering related programs that can import point clouds.

Here are a few facts about 3D mapping software:

  • Many software platforms provide editing, direct access, visualization, spatial data analysis, and CAD modeling.
  • The initial “raw scan file” can be several gigabytes. When compressed and converted into anAutoCad drawing, the file size will normally drop considerably
  • Videos, digital color photos, Point clouds, survey files, and computer models of roads, bridges, and fully textured objects are all common forms of deliverables.

An Example of 3D Modeling for Oil and Gas

Landpoint was contracted to do an As-built 3D intelligent model on a gas processing facility located in Haughton, LA in 2011. The scan produced models within a 1/4 inch of accuracy and provided the contracting company with a complete as-built survey as well as an easy to access asset management model. To learn more about the benefits of 3D laser scanning, contact Landpoint today.