We’re shaking things up
By trying a different way to convey the latest news and views from Hexagon Geosystems (aka Leica Geosystems–we’ll get used to the new name); we put some of the experts at HxGN LIVE 2016 in front of a camera for unscripted Q&A.
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1: Ken Mooyman, President, Hexagon Geosystems NAFTA.
We interview Ken at least once a year for his insights on the surveying profession, trends in technologies, and the latest developments from Hexagon Geosystems. Ken took us on a tour of the exhibit hall at HxGN LIVE 2016 to highlight several of these developments in this four-part interview.
2: Advances in construction documentation and real-time as-built collection.
Talk of BIM and integrated construction might be all the rage, but how do you get a constant flow of construction documentation and incremental as-built data into these processes to enable BIM magic? Ken Mooyman interviews David Stadnik, chief operating officer for Multivista, a firm that puts teams into construction sites to document in real-time with photos, video, and measurement and delivers this through a web interface that all of the stakeholders can access.
3: How to 3D map an entire city quickly and cost effectively.
Ken interviewed John Welter, president of Hexagon Geosystems, Geospatial Solutions Division, who told us of a particular conundrum that a city in China posed to his group: how to update the 3D model of the city on a monthly or quarterly basis. John’s solution was the City Mapper: a hybrid airborne high-resolution camera and laser scanning system.
4: Digitization from multiple platforms.
We’re not seeing many people using just one specific technology; they’re using multiple forms,
said Chuck Coiner, HDS VP and division manager at Hexagon Geosystems, in his interview with Ken. He cited UAS, airborne, GPR, mobile systems, backpack, total stations, and combinations thereof that can feed a complete 3D model. Chuck explained that his division reformed teams in 2016 to be able to better support these multi-tech approaches.
5: Ground penetrating radar in 3D.
A popular exhibit at HxGN LIVE 2016 was the Stream system that marries a Pegasus:Two with a trailer array GPR system. How good is the GPR component? You’ve probably seen GPR images that look like ultrasounds and almost require a PhD to interpret, but this new system–as Alexandre Novo, manager and researcher IDS North America explains–uses multiple sensors to create more of a 3D image of underground features.
6: “A great time to be a surveyor.”
Juergen Dold, president of Hexagon Geosystems began his career (like many in the management of the company) as a surveyor. He told us that early in his career some folks told him there was no future in surveying. He is eager to dispel that notion. In our interview with Juergen about the new HxGN SMART Build solution, he detoured into insights on what he sees as great opportunities for surveyors moving forward.
7: Self-learning GNSS.
It’s always great to hear how something works directly from the folks who designed it. We got a chance to quiz Bernhard Richter, business director GNSS Hexagon Geosystems (who began his career in surveying), about his new GS16 rover. He said that while it looks like the GS15, the similarity stops there. Bernhard gave an in-depth look at the new rover, an explanation of the self-learning features, and an impromptu drop-test showing us just how tough this little device is.
8: What is PPP, SMART Link, and Veripos?
RTK and network RTK are wonderful, but the Achilles heel is when you lose cellular connection to the correction services or work in an area where there is no cell service–or there are no base stations in the area. Leica and Novatel have implemented a real-time precise point positioning (PPP) correction service provided by Veripos. We asked Miguel Amor, VP of marketing and product development at Veripos, to explain the fundamentals of how PPP and their services work and how PPP differs from differential GNSS solutions.
9: “We need to get our people up to speed ASAP!”
Throughout the proceedings of HxGN LIVE 2016 we heard many surveying, construction, and engineering firms bemoan current difficulties in securing new employees–qualified employees. In some of these segments and in parts of the country things are absolutely booming, and firms are scrambling to get staff up to speed on the latest solutions. We spoke with Jay Meszer and Jeff Bower of IMAGINiT, a nationwide CAD-and engineering-solutions training provider, about their services and trends they are seeing.