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Reporter 52The Magazine ofLeica Geosystems
When it has to be rightWhether building a house or a bridge, a map or a space
station, you need reliable measurements. So when it
has to be right, professionals trust Leica Geosystems to
help them collect, analyze, and present spatial
information. With almost two hundred years of
pioneering solutions to measure the world, Leica
Geosystems is best known for its broad range of
products that capture data accurately, model quickly,
analyze easily, and visualize and present 3D spatial
information. Those who use Leica Geosystems products
every day trust them for their dependability, the value
they deliver, and the superior customer support.
Precision, value, and service from Leica Geosystems.
When it has to be right.
It is trust and reliability that characterizes the
relationship between Leica Geosystems and our
customers. We deliver innovative products and
solutions and partner with our customers to add value
and increase productivity in the workflow. In this issue
of the Reporter you will see many examples of this
cooperation from different disciplines and applications.
You will see examples of how we have helped our
customers speed up the London Underground railway
construction, design an international golf course, map
the eighth wonder of the ancient world, decipher secrets
of a Tanzanian volcano, improve tunnel construction
and stadium surveys. You can also read about how our
Metrology Division received an award “for excellence in
technology leadership within its industry”. The Frost &
Sullivan Award 2004 for Product Innovation in Industrial
Automation was presented to Metrology in October.
The “Walk Around CMM” article in this issue provides
an insight into how technology teams at Leica
Geosystems create solutions you can rely on
everywhere and any time. I’m proud of this award
because it recognizes the value our customers place in
our products and solutions and represents the spirit we
have at Leica Geosystems; to support our customers by
delivering great products, solutions, service and
support.
Hans HessCEO Leica Geosystems
Published by: Leica Geosystems AGCH-9435 HeerbruggCEO Hans Hess
Editorial Office: Leica Geosystems AG,CH-9435 Heerbrugg, SwitzerlandFax +41 71 726 5221Email: [email protected]
Editor: Fritz Staudacher (Stfi); Layout: Fritz Staudacher and NiklausFrei
Publication details: The Reporter ispublished in English, German,French and Spanish, four times ayear.
Reprints and translations, includingexcerpts, are subject to the Editor'sprior permission in writing.
The publication is printed on chlorine-free paper made by environmentally compatible processes.
© Leica Geosystems AG, Heerbrugg, December 2004, Printed in Switzerland
Editorial deadline for next issue:
30 March 2005
2
Contents
4Young Explorers surveyTanzanian volcano – Ol DoinyoLengai
8MetroNet brings 21st centurytechnology to the Underground
10Saint Sophia – Deciphering the“Eighth Wonder of the World”
14GPS Spider nets Hong Kong
18Golf course design andconstruction guidance at Bad Ragaz uses same 3D datarecord
22UK Surveyors put completetrust in Leica Geosystems
23GIS software supply agreementwith U.S. Forest Service:151 units of System 1200supplied in Western Canada
24Leica Geosystems’ instrumentsplay key role in Sydney’sbiggest ever infrastructure project
26The Award Winning “WalkAround CMM”
30New Leica HDS3000 Lifts Scanning into Everyday Use forMetco Services
Volcano Ol Doinyo Lengai4Sydney’s biggest infrastructure project
25
MetroNet at London
Underground
The Award Winning“Walk Around CMM“26
9
1021Golf course design
and machineryautomation
… and cover: Saint Sophia, Istanbul – Deciphering the“Eighth Wonder of the World”
3
4
Young Explorers survey Tanzanian volcano - Ol Doinyo Lengai
Thirty-eight Young Explorers recently took part in a scientific expedition to Tanzania where they
used Leica Geosystems equipment to carry out surveys and geoscientific measurements of the
active volcano, Ol Doinyo Lengai. The students, part of the BSES Expeditions, completed a gravity
survey using Leica GPS530 receivers, as well as a digital terrain model of the volcano and height
measurements using the new Leica TCRP1205.
Trekking up Longido as a warm up
to the trek across the floor of the Rift
Valley.
“The Mountain of God”
Africa’s Great Rift Valley hasmany spectacular sites. In theGregory Rift south of LakeNatron, northern Tanzania is aunique active volcano. OlDoinyo Lengai, which means“The Mountain of God” inMai, the language of the Masaiwho live in this desolateregion, is up against the west-ern wall of the Rift, and towersabove it. It is unique because itis the only volcano in theworld that erupts natrocarbon-atite lava. This looks like veryfluid black oil, but rapidly turnswhite as it absorbs water. Inthe dry season this canhappen over a few days, but inrainy weather the lava turnswhite immediately. This cangive Ol Doinyo Lengai theappearance of being snow-capped.
BSES Expeditions
At two o’clock in the morningon 19 July 2004, 38 YoungExplorers, together with nineLeaders, arrived at their campsite in the shadow of Longido,some one hundred kilometresto the east of Ol DoinyoLengai. These Young Explorersmade up a BSES expeditionthat would walk across thesavannah on the floor of theRift Valley to Ol Doinyo Lengai,then climb its steep flanksbefore trekking across theCrater Highlands to mankind’sbirthplace at Oldupai Gorge onthe edge of the Serengetiplains.
BSES Expeditions (formerly‘The British Schools ExploringSociety’) came into existencein 1932 from an educationalconcept of Commander
5
George Murray Levick RN, amember of Captain Scott’sfinal Antarctic expedition of1911 to 1912. The aim of BSESExpeditions is “to provideyoung people with an intenseand lasting experience of self-discovery in a demandingand natural wildernessenvironment”. BSES Expedi-tions aspire to deliver a once-in-a-lifetime experience that isboth challenging and fun. Italso develops essential skillsin each of the Young Explorerstaking part, includingleadership, communicationand teamwork skills that willhelp them in the future.Although exploration is a keypart of such an expedition,BSES also involves the YoungExplorers in scientificactivities.
Fires – Ecology, Geoscience
and Survey
Aged between 16 and 20, withmost on the younger end,these Young Explorers weredivided into three “Fires”. A “Fire” is a group of 12 ormore Young Explorers and two Leaders – a good numberto sit round a camp fire!
The largest Fire concentratedon the ecology of the region.Their prime objective was tostudy the diversity of the vegetation and birds acrossthe Rift Valley and – makinguse of the altitude on OlDoinyo Lengai – on the activevolcano and on Kerimasi, anextinct volcano nearby.
Gravity survey
The two other “Fires”, Geo-science and Survey, had activi-ties that were closely related.The main task for theGeoscience Fire was to carryout a gravity survey during thetrek across the Rift Valley andon the slopes of Ol DoinyoLengai. The need for accurateheights provided the SurveyFire with one of its two mainscience tasks. The gravitymeter measures the pull ofgravity and the last count onthe dial is equivalent to a mere
Gravity meter readings being taken with the position being fixed using
the Leica SR530 GPS in differential mode.The Young Explores are also
recording the position with an eTrex handheld GPS to compare its
accuracy for a navigation position compared with that from the Leica
SR530 GPS and the final computed position.
Bottom left: GPS Base Station at the camp at the base of Ol Doinyo
Lengai with 12 hour occupation to link the GPS observations into the IGS
Stations at Malindi with check observations to Mbarara and the
Seychelles. The Leica TCR702 was used to relate gravity meter readings
local to the camp to the GPS control.
Bottom right: Backpacking across the savannah with the Leica SR530
GPS. Hanna (one of the Young Explorers) is in front with the battery and
Cloin (the expedition Leader) follows with the SR530 GPS.
Plane table surveying
around the Kerimasi base
camp (Ben and Megan).
The Young Explorers
benefited from using
modern sophisticated
Leica Geosystems surveying
equipment. They were
introduced to plane table
surveying as a way of
demonstrating the basic
principles of making a map.
Digital Terrain model of active
crater
The other major scienceproject carried out by the Survey Fire was to produce aDigital Terrain Model (DTM) ofthe active crater of Ol DoinyoLengai. The ideal instrumentfor this was the newlylaunched TCRP1200 with itslong-range reflectorless meas-urement capabilities. A LeicaTCRP1205 and lightweight aluminium tripod werebackpacked up the very steeppath to the crater on thesummit of Ol Doinyo Lengai. Astrenuous climb of some 2000metres in altitude, so the lightweight of this instrument wasa blessing. This Instrumentalso worked faultlessly in theharsh environment found inthe crater of an active volcanoagain, despite being used byinexperienced people whoachieved excellent results afteronly a short lesson in its oper-ation. The new batteriesproved to be a major benefit.Not only were they very light –and thus did not add much tothe heavy loads of water andfood that needed to back-packed to the top to sustainthose staying up there and carrying out the survey obser-vations, but their long lifemeant that they did not needto be continually broughtdown, recharged and taken upagain. When they did needcharging it did not take long,minimising the intrusion of agenerator running at basecamp.
Determining the height of Ol
Doinyo Lengai
Another task performed by theSurvey Fire was determiningthe height of Ol Doinyo Lengaiby accurate measurementsusing the TCRP1205 to a pointestablished using the LeicaSR530 receiver relative to theIGS Station at Malindi. This islikely to be the most accuratedetermination of the height ofthis mountain ever made, butits value could become super-fluous next time Ol DoinyoLengai erupts. It wasestablished that the summit ofOl Doinyo Lengai has anorthometric height (heightabove mean sea level) of2951.6m whilst the GPS or
differential GPS observationswere taken for each location ofreadings with the gravitymeter.
Work in a harsh environment
Leica GPS SR530 receiversproved their worth in thisharsh environment andworked faultlessly throughoutthe expedition despite the heatand dust and the fact that theywere being used by inexperien-ced people. Using check basesand closed traverses it waspossible to establish that theprecision of the results werebetter than 0.1m in both planand height, with many of thepoints showing much betterresults than this, so the goalwas achieved in an efficientmanner. During the course ofthe expedition the Leica SR530receiver, aluminium tripod andgravity meter were transpor-ted by backpack to some verydifficult locations. Not onlywas it taken to the top of OlDoinyo Lengai and used to tra-verse down its precipitousflanks, but it was also taken upthe western wall of the Rift Val-ley to the complete the gravitytraverse across the valley floor.
0.03m in height. However, accu-rately reading this is extremelydifficult, so it was necessary toattain relative heights betweensuccessive gravity readings ofbetter than 0.1m. In order toachieve this requirement, LeicaGPS530 receivers were used indifferential mode. Four primarylocations were occupied for upto 12 hours and these werecomputed as base lines back tothe IGS (International GPS Ser-vice) station at Malindi on theKenya coast, with checks to IGSStations at Mbarara in Ugandaand in the Seychelles. Theseprovided bases from which
Plane table surveying
around the Kerimasi base
camp (Camilla and Ben).
Kerimasi, an extinct volcano
is in the background with a
Masai manyata on the left.
6
ellipsoidal height wasestablished as 2962.2m. Thisexercise fits in neatly with theuse of Leica SR530 GPSreceivers to determine theheight of nearby Kilimanjaroas reported in Reporter 44.
The team also took advantageof the GPS measurements tocompare the accuracy of anavigated GPS solutioncompared to the computedresult. Being close to the equator, there was good GPSsatellite coverage, thought theexpedition and the resultsshowed that the navigatedpositions made with the LeicaSR530 receivers were within 5 metres of the computedposition in plan and 10 metresin height, although the majori-ty were within 5 metres inheight, whilst the Navigatedpositions provided by thesmall hand held Garmin eTrexreceivers were within 15 metres in plan, but up to 75 metres different in height.
Creating awareness of
surveying
The Young Explorers benefitedfrom using modern sophistica-ted Leica Geosystems survey-
ing equipment. This was offsetby introducing them to planetable surveying around thecamp to show them the basicprinciples of making a map –and how easy it is to makeerrors if care was not takenwith setting up and orientation.
The BSES expedition to Tanza-nia was an opportunity to raiseawareness of surveying (geomatics) to young peoplestarting out in life and intotheir schools as many of theYoung Explorers are now backat school, completing theirfinal year before going on toUniversity. This type ofactivity, along with innova-tions such as Geomatics.org,which makes surveying equip-ment (such as Leica levels)available to schools and toBSES Expeditions during thesummer months, will bring thesurveying profession to theattention of young minds. Thissafari will be deeplyembedded in the minds andremembered fondly, by thosethat took part, for the rest oftheir lives.
Hugh Anderson
Our last camp on the rim of
Ngorongoro Crater. This is a wild
elephant that has wandered into the
camp to help himself to fruit that is
easily accessible in the camp supplies.
Ol Doinyo Lengai from our camp near
the shores of Lake Natron. As a result
of the survey measurements made by
the Young Explorers with the Leica
SR530 GPS and the Leica TCRP1205
Total Station, we established that the
summit of Ol Doinyo Lengai is 2955.3m
above mean sea level.
7
MetroNet brings 21st-centurytechnology to the Underground
ABA Surveying are
using laser scanning to
capture gauging data
ahead of new rolling
stock on the London
Underground.
Faced with a decision tointroduce new trains by theyear 2009, MetroNet decidedon laser scanning technologyto provide the survey dataneeded to begin the rollingstock design. The problem isthat to maximise the size of thetrain it is necessary to know thesize of the gap through which itmust pass. The gauging ofobstacles such as platforms,bridges, structures and tunnelsneeds to be known. All railwaydesign and maintenance teamsuse gauging data, andhistorical gauging informationis available by the drawer full,but the problem is that it canbecome out of date as soon asit is published. Tracks arecontinually on the move as aresult of maintenance,tamping, settlement and use.For London Underground, ahundred years of main-
tenance, renewals, additionsand modifications have left abewilderment of cables, lights,signals, electrical boxes and allmanner of assets potentiallyreducing clearances. The problem is made worse by thefact that traditional gauging is,in essence, a profile measuredat intervals along the track.Usually the interval will beevery 10m or, perhaps, 5m intight or curved alignments.Unfortunately, anything fallingbetween these regularchainage intervals tends to getoverlooked by the traditionalprofiling survey. MetroNetdecided to take a differentapproach.
Minding the Gap
There are many things whichaffect the kinematic envelopethat a train will describe as itmoves along the track. Theaspects of data that the geo-spatial surveyor is required tocollect primarily relate to thetrack position, cant, radius andminimum clearance dimen-sions to trackside infrastructurethat might impact on gauging.These are evaluated againstrolling stock design parameterssuch as the length of coach, thedesign envelope, the positionof the wheels and the wheel-base, suspension characteris-tics and the design speed –using a software packagecalled ClearRoute.
The package calculates theclearances between vehiclesand the infrastructure, andbetween passing vehicles. ltwill also calculate stepping distances to platforms. Thesoftware can be programmedwith the appropriate clearancestandards, and be used todeliver Go / No-go or fullreported clearance reports.Clearances may be defined invarious positions, and accord-ing to defined failure-modeconditions. All that is needed isto collect the data for Clear-Route's database. The initialroute priority covered in excessof 80 track kilometres andMetroNet had already started
four teams of surveyors on thesurvey of the track positionusing Leica GRP3000 rail trol-leys. Profile data was neededto merge with the track data tocomplete the input to Clear-Route.
New Technology Provides the
answer
Fortunately, the requirementcoincided with the introduc-tion of new kinematic scanningtechnology from ABA Sur-veying of Woking UK, and afterfield trials and evaluation ABAwas appointed to carry out thework. Their technology isbased on the Leica 4500scanner mounted on a LeicaGRP100 rail trolley and collec-tively known as the GRP5000system. In this configurationthe scanner is mounted on thetrolley in such a way that thescan direction is fixed per-pendicular to the track. Thescan beam rotates at 33 scansper second and is capable ofrecording 18,000 points in eachscan although we only use10,000 points in this applica-tion. Each point of the scan isrecorded by the scanner to3mm RMSE accuracy.
After initialising the startchainage, the trolley is walkedalong the track at approximate-ly 1 km per hour. At this speedthe forward movement is280mm per second. Thescanner measures 33 scans persecond; therefore each scanrepresents a progression alongthe track of 8mm. Around thearc of the profile points arerecorded every 2 - 5mmdepending on the distancefrom the scanner. No detail istoo small that it does not getscanned. The result is a pointcloud so dense that it looks likea black and white photographshowing details as small as therivets in the beams. And so itshould at an acquisition rate ofone point five megabytes ofdata per second!
Cutting the problem down to
size...
Obviously this wealth of datarequired considerable intelli-gent thinning to make it use-able in anything less than aCray supercomputer. Part ofABA's task was therefore to
8
reduce the data to a typicalminimum profile correspon-ding to each 5m chainage. Thedata for 2.5 metres behind andin front of this chainage wasused to create the minimumprofile available to the train. Inthis way what amounted to600-plus profiles were effecti-vely reduced to just one, but alldata was still used. ABA alsowrote software to intelligentlythin the minimum profile with-out losing its shape. Aftermuch experimenting aresulting profile of some 1200 - 1400 points was consid-ered the optimum solution. A considerable improvementover the 10,000 points original-ly selected.
...and packaging the results
Finally, ABA had to take thetrack data provided by Metro-Net, attach to it the profile datathat had been suitably correc-ted for cant, add in the obstruc-tions falling between the tracksand then output perfectly for-matted ClearRoute files. Again,special software was written todo this and also to output theClearRoute data in Auto-CADformat for quality checking purposes. Each profile hasbeen visually checked for quality and flyers.
On the open track the scanner measures
and records all visible detail including
trackside and overhead infrastructure.
In the scan it has been measured to
millimetres.
The Image on the right which has been
rendered, is of a station, whilst that
below shows the track and a train.
Did it work?
All survey data was captured in five weeks of three-hour"Engineering Hours" shifts. Theresult is a database of spatialinformation that includes allvisible assets which can beinterrogated at any time asrequired, to precisely measureor position or identify any oneof them. If a tight spot isencountered by ClearRoute, thedatabase is there to identify thetype of obstruction.
Alan Barrow
9
Deciphering the “Eighth Wonder of the World”
Almost one and a half thousand years after its construction in the
center of ancient Constantinople, Saint Sophia has divulged the
secret of its design principle. Volker Hoffmann, professor at the
Institute for Art History at the University of Bern, deciphered this
using state-of-the-art HDS laser technology from Leica Geosystems.
Some of the first laser evaluations went on show for the first time
in mid July 2004 in Istanbul at the Congress of the International
Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS) and
attracted numerous visitors. In mid-October, the Leica HDS3000
was used to record the floors of this building. The handheld laser
meter Leica DISTO™ also played an important role at an early stage
of the research project.
Saint Sophia is scanned with the
Leica HDS3000 by Nikolaos Theocharis
of Bern University. That day alone this
UNESCO world cultural heritage site
drew 9’800 visitors in its rooms.
Floating with apparent weight-lessness over the main room isthe vast dome of the Cathedralof Saint Sophia. Commissionedby Emperor Justitian during the late antiquity period, thisUNESCO World CulturalHeritage site is regarded as theeighth wonder of the world.According to the plans draftedby the mathematicianAnthemios von Tralles and thearchitect and structural engineer Isidoros von Milet, the“Aya Sofya”, which is now opento the public as a museum, wasbuilt in six years during 532 and537 AD. However, the originalplans of this building have been lost without a trace. Forhundreds of years, experts havetried to fathom just how the scientists and artists working inthe 6th century managed to construct a freely suspendeddome measuring almost 56 meters high and 31 meterswide, supported only by four pillars. Considering the technicalequipment available at the time
Every point of Saint Sophia’s
main dome is recorded in 3D
in this HDS laser scan file.
Using the Cyclone software
from Leica Geosystems,
it is possible to view and
measure the building
from various perspectives
on the PC.
10
of its construction, many expertsstill regard this building even tothis day as one of the boldestfeats of construction ever tohave been achieved by thehuman hand.
The “impossible task” of
determining the dimensions
“The key experience on enteringthe main room through theemperor's gate, whichimmediately presents itself infull view exposing its full widthand height up to the vertex ofthe huge dome, is theimpossible task of finding a clearrelationship to the proportionsand an accurate calculation ofthe dimensions“ writes theMarco Polo travel guide. Thisphenomenon, which was intend-ed by its architects, is producedby the spatial structure, theapparent weightlessness of thedome, and the bewilderingabundance of direct and indirect
Right: Saint Sophia gives visitors
an impressive feeling of space.
Left: Just like the entire Hagia
Sophia, the south wall is also based
on the proportions of a double circle
and a double square
Below: The pillar heights of the
south wall also follow the uniform
design principle to the precise
centimeter of the “master plan”
deciphered by Volker Hoffmann.
© Hoffmann/Theocharis
Left: A symbol of Christian and
Islamic heritages, Saint Sophia towers
above the Golden Horn (photo) and the
Bosporus strait connecting Europe and
Asia.
11
Below: The finely chased
capitals from the Byzantine
period also follow the same
design principle now
uncovered.
lighting effects. Thanks to thework of the Bernese arthistorians, insights into thesedimensions and their consistentapplication by the architects andbuilders of the day are nowavailable.
Constructional wonder of the
world from one to one point
zero six
Volker Hoffmann workingtogether with his employeeNikolaos Theocharis in aresearch project sponsored bythe Swiss National Fund foundthat the entire design of SaintSophia is based on ananalemma. This is a projectiontechnique that was described byPtolemaeus. This techniquemade it possible to interconnectthe earth and the canopy ofheaven in accordance with theview of the world at the time: thesphere representing the sky, godand the church, and the cuberepresenting the earth with itsfour directions, above andbelow, and the Emperors real.For Saint Sophia, according toVolker Hoffmann's findings,Anthemios and Isidoros devisedan overlapping double-squareanalemma as a uniform designshape for the ground plan andthe elevation of the cathedral,penetrating each other three-dimensionally in the form of acube and sphere. After perform-ing 3-D laser measurements withthe aid of a HDS™ Leica 3000laser scanner at Saint Sophia,
the two scientists from theUniversity of Bern used the tech-nique known as reverseengineering to decipher a “master plan” generated some1470 years ago. It is based on aratio of 1 to 1.06 of the smallsquare to the large square. Onthe basis of the investigationsthey have performed to date, theresearchers have arrived at theconclusion that “there are nolayout-related points or lines inSaint Sophia that cannot bededuced from this master planusing geometric logic.” TheLeica Disto also played animportant role. In VolkerHoffmann's words: “Thanks tothis compact and highly practicallaser measuring instrument, wewere able for the first time todetermine the precise distancesof the four supporting pillars atthe simple press of a button.This was highly important at thestart of our work for the calcula-tion of the dimensions of thedouble circle/double square.”
Ingenious design principle
reconstructed
This design and buildingprinciple described by VolkerHoffmann as the “master plan”of Saint Sophia is trulyingenious. “Putting it simply, the master plan was marked outwith pegs and strings on thebuilding site, meaning that thebuilder then only had tomeasure in the double square,which in turn allowed him to
In the evening, after having
closed Saint Sophia for
visitors, Professor Volker
Hoffmann and Nicholas
Theocharis are able to
complete their work on the
floor. On the left: the
Emperors Gate, allowing
the most splendid view.
The basic distances of the four main
pillars have been defined by Volker
Hofmann with the Leica Disto™ hand-
held laser meter at 31,031 metres,
representing hundred Byzantine foot.
12
Each year, over one million visitors
admire Saint Sophia, the ancient eighth
wonder of the world.
Technology and architecture:
laser technology of the 21 th
century for the documenta-
tion and research of the
secrets of the eighth wonder
of the ancient world built in
the 6th century.
transfer across very precisely allthe other points (pegs) and lines(strings and/or lines of bearing)of the Saint Sophia architecturalelements”, says the professorfor architectural history andpreservation of historical monu-ments from the University ofBern. In the second half of April2005, following the completionof the laser evaluations and afterconsulting the museums directorMustafa Akkaya, results of thisresearch work are to be present-ed in the form of an exhibitionfor the 14 million inhabitants ofIstanbul and for the scores ofvisitors that flock to SaintSophia. The two thousand-oddphotogrammetry and remotesensing experts who travelled tothe ISPRS Congress in July 2004have already gained an insightinto this in Istanbul at the LeicaGeosystems exhibition stand.The final results are to bepresented also in exhibitions inBerlin and Bern. Exhibition sitesin the US and in France are alsoforeseen.
Until now, no one had un-covered the secret of the designprinciple used in this building,which is devoted to HolyWisdom, Saint Sophia –at leastnot until Volker Hoffmann,together with his employeeNikolaos Theocharis, finally succeeded in deciphering itusing state-of-the-art 3-D lasermeasurement techniques some1470 years later. With is long his-tory as the principal imperial
church of early-Christian GreekOrthodoxy, as a mosque, andnow as a museum, Saint Sophiarepresents the history of theOccident and the Orient as noother building can. Stfi
13
The Hong Kong Lands Department has again partnered
with Leica Geosystems to increase their local GPS
network to cover the whole Hong Kong area. This major
project of the Hong Kong Government’s Spatial Data
facility aims to extend its network to 12 GPS reference
stations fully covering the entire island state.
Senior Land Surveyor for the
HK Lands Department, Simon
Kwok (left) discusses the Ref-
erence station project with
Eric Pow, Leica Geosystems’
Sales and Marketing Manag-
er for Hong Kong.
Map showing the Reference Stations
throughout Hong Kong, and their
coverage.
Leica GPS Spidernets Hong Kong
Expanding infrastructure
Although only a tiny islandstate of 1,092 sq km incomparison to its neighbourChina, Hong Kong has a popu-lation reaching roughly 6.8million, making it one of themost densely populated placesin the world. In the urbanareas of Hong Kong Island,there are over 25,000 peopleper sqkm, and the Govern-ment continues to develop andexpand its infrastructurethroughout the territory.
The latest work contract inclu-des the purchase of 12 units ofLeica SR530 GPS receivers foran upgrade of the existingLeica CRS1000 GPS receiversthat have been operating since2000, and the establishment ofa further 6 GPS referencestations. In addition, the newsystem will contain the nextgeneration Leica GPS network
software packages – SPIDERand GNSMART – to performremote operation, data collec-tion, modelling, verificationand distribution.
“Satellite positioning is a tech-nology that is becoming veryimportant for the surveyingindustry,” said Simon Kwok,Senior Land Surveyor for theHK Lands Department. “Inorder to take advantage of thisnew technology in Hong Kong,we have to set up theinfrastructure so that the entireterritory can make use of it.“
Reference stations accessed
every 10km
As the configuration will coverthe whole of Hong Kong, it will
mean that individual surveyorscan access at least onereference station within 10 km.In fact, in most cases, they willbe able access two referencestations, thus providing twomeasurements allowing forindependent checks of the survey work, ensuring highreliability and quality in thesurvey results.
“By setting up a ReferenceStation Network in HongKong, normal surveyors canhave access to this networkand no longer have to set uptheir own reference stations,”Simon Kwok said. “With thisinfrastructure people canimprove the efficiency of theirwork and therefore reduceequipment costs, personneland travelling time.”
RTK data stream – wireless
and over the Internet
The system will generate anddistribute atmospheric-correc-ted RTK data stream for usersin the field in Area CorrectionParameters (FKP) and VirtualReference Station (VRS)modes in order to achievelonger range precise RTK posi-tioning. Thus the GPS networkwill enable various positioningapplications to be accuratelyundertaken in a much morecost efficient manner, thanksto the use of integrity checkedDGPS or RTK data streams 24-hour a day, 7-days a weekavailable via wireless commu-nication media such as GSM /
14
Leica Geosystems-Technical
Specialist, GPS Networks
(GSR Asia), Vincent Lui,
stands by one of the
reference stations that will
have a dual role as a sundial.
CDMA / GPRS and also via theInternet.
Meeting the Customer’s needs
“We chose Leica Geosystemsbecause they provide a systemthat suits our need,” saidSimon Kwok. “Leica has astrong commitment to the customer. They have been ableto offer us solutions to suit ourrequirements and they haveresponded quickly to developand build systems that meetour needs.”
The first phase of the projectwas in the northwest of HongKong, where a high number ofdevelopment projects were inprogress, such as railway construction. The referencestations will also serve cross-border engineering projectswith China, such as bridgesand roads. In order to partici-pate in a joint survey withShanzhen will require that theHong Kong and Shanzhen control networks be connec-ted. This will save a lot of timeand the quality of initial resultshave proven to be very high.Billing of users is possible foratmospheric-corrected RTKdata as well as for conven-tional RTK and DGPS datadelivery through Internet.
Vincent Lui, Technical Special-ist, GPS Networks (GSR Asia)of Leica Geosystems said:“The long-term goal of thisproject is to support landsurveying and mapping, but
we also see many potentialadditional uses such as GIS,emergency positioning services, weather forecasting,fleet management and otherscientific research.”
Training for data processing
Although users are able to usethe surveying technology,there can still be some difficul-ty in processing and assessingthe results. In order to solvethis, Leica Geosystems hasdeveloped web-based facilitiesfor users to submit the rawdata to the data centre. “Wewill receive the raw data,process this data usingoptimal parameters and thensend the results back to theusers,” said Vincent Lui. “Thiswill greatly aid the users withtheir data processing andincrease their understandingof how to use the software.”
Simon Kwok still believes,however, that further educa-tion will play an important rolein the success of the system. “I still believe that generalusers need basic knowledge tounderstand and interpret theseresults. This is why we hope toconduct seminars to teachpeople about the system.”
Merging ancient and modern
technologies
In addition to observing satellite signals, some of thereference station towers willbe transformed into sundials
and become Hong Kong ‘monuments’.
“It is an interesting idea to seehere a merging of ancient andmodern space technology,”said Simon Kwok. “Satellitepositioning is a very accurateway to measure time, which inturn determines a position. Wecan combine this by using themovements of the Sun pastthe tower that the antenna sitson, to measure the shadow,and hence calculate the time.”
“This sort of infrastructure willstay in place for many years,and it will help people remem-ber that humans and natureare working together.”
Teresa Belcher
15
16
Leica Geosystems AGHeinrich-Wild-StrasseCH-9435 HeerbruggSwitzerlandPhone +41 71 727 31 31
www.leica-geosystems.com
DependabilityInnovationTrust
17
There are more than three dimensions to the data youneed to build a house, a bridge, an aircraft or a map.
There is also dependability. You can depend on absolutely reliable measurements and
all-round support from Leica Geosystems – whenever and wherever you need them.
There is innovation. You get the right solution and the best product – created by
people who understand your challenges, and are proud to work for a company that
has been pioneering geospatial technologies for over 150 years. And there is trust.
In everything we do, that dimension comes built-in.
Three extra dimensions – that's why more companies trust Leica Geosystems to
collect, analyze and present spatial information.
Dimensions weknow best
Golf course designand construction
machinery guidance with the
same 3D data record The first GPS golf course terrain modeling - the
Public Golf Course in Bad Ragaz, Switzerland
In the context of the research project, "gps rt 3d p - gps and
real-time-based 3D planning", the HSR Technical University
Rapperswil, Switzerland, achieves golf-course terrain modeling
for the first time using GPS in real time. This research project
looks into the question of how "earth grading by real-time GPS"
might function as part of an overall digital operation for the
planning of a golf course. This project is funded by the Commis-
sion for Technology and Innovation of the Swiss Federal Office
for Vocational Training and Technology.
The new 9-hole golf course was designed by well-known golfcourse architect Peter Harradine, and nestles in the charming val-ley of the Alpine Rhine, near to the border between Switzerlandand Austria. As a result of the sensitive treatment of the terrainand a new body of water, the project has been slotted into thevalley landscape very effectively. The Public Golf Course, withholes totaling approx. 2,000 meters in length, enables evenbeginners to experience the fascination of golf on the course.
Thousands of regions around the globe are improving the qualityof their location by providing a golf course. With over fifty milliongolfers, the potential of this leisure-time and sporting option isfar from exhausted – and it is growing in double percentagefigures. As a result of the increasing demand for golf playingpossibilities, the Grand Hotels of Bad Ragaz, Switzerland, decided to supplement their 18-hole club course. Golf managerRalph Polligkeit. "We want to be in a better position to meetrising demand, and also to create playing opportunities for a
Top picture: The Bad Ragaz golf
course is located in "Heidi country"
between Bad Ragaz and Maienfeld.
The section, which has been
developed using Leica Geosystems’
GPS Dozer, can be seen at the
bottom of the photo and in the
design sketch.
18
wider public in Bad Ragaz, by means of a public golf course."Peter Harradine was given the opportunity to design a 9-holecourse, which will be located right next to the existing 18-holecourse. This golf course was designed by his father, DunHarradine.
But how do the initiators and planners develop their projects?How realistically do they present their designs to an environmen-tally aware public? And how in the end do they translate theirplans onto the landscape in technical terms? Such questions arenot just of interest to clients, landscape designers, ecologists andexperts from the construction industry, but also to geomaticsspecialists.
Innovative scientists, planners and clients
"To the present day the planning and realization of golf courses isstill carried out in the conventional manner – without a uniformdata structure and without using the currently available, modernmethods of automation," says Peter Petschek, Professor at HSR and head of the research field Information Technology inLandscaping. The internationally experienced landscape architectalso follows developments in golf course construction within hisspecialty, and has been in contact with Peter Harradine for a longtime. This dynasty of golf-course designers has achieved aninternationally respected name for itself, creating over 200 golfcourses worldwide. And the fourth generation is going down thesame path, as Peter Harradine's eldest son Michael studies land-scape architecture at HSR.
In Bad Ragaz, HSR ProfessorPeter Petschek and hisassistant Yves Maurer havecreated a start-to-finish digitallandscaping process for thefirst time. A surveyor's officecollected the data for the golfcourse by means of GPS.Colleagues in PeterHarradine's office firstproduced the analogue draftdesign using 2D-CAD, andthen the 3D digital terrainmodel using Autodesk's Map3D. The planners recorded fur-ther terrain and vegetationdata by means of the LeicaGS20 professional datamapping device.As a result of an optimized(optimised) interface betweenthe programs 3d max and Ter-rainView, which was also partof the research project, thedata were made available foran interactive virtualinspection tour of the plannedsite. After the landscape archi-tects made some adjustmentson the basis of the real-time3D inspection tour, theplanning data was transferred
to the Leica Dozer 3D GPS system for terrain modelingwith an appropriatelyequipped bulldozer on site. Atthe same time the elevationpoints were also passed directly from Autodesk Map3D to the Leica GPS machineautomation system. Thisremoved the necessity for
time-consuming measuringand pegging out on site. At theend of October 2004, in thecontext of a workshop in frontof experts, the landscaping,road-building and excavationfirm Toller Ltd. used it tomodel the terrain on a 10,000sq m section of the Public GolfCourse.
Integrated data model
Using the Leica GS20, the
landscape architects
recorded vegetation data for
the data model digitally in
three dimensions.
A closed chain of automation,
from data acquisition through
virtual 3D design visualization
(visualisation) to the guidance
data for the construction
machine.
1) Autodesk Map 3D site model
with the dot matrix and the
edges of the test site from the
GPS survey of the site.
2) Dot matrix of rough grading.
This Autodesk Map 3D data
record was transferred to the
Leica GPS machine automation
system.
3) Isometric drawing of the
shaded triangulation of the
rough grading of the test site.
4) Virtual reality real-time flight
through the model of the test
site.
1 2
3 4
Bottom picture: Marco Riva (right) from construction company Toller Ltd.:
"Planners should always provide 3D data records like this. You can make
much faster progress that way." Michael Harradine (left) is studying these
options for modern landscaping at the HSR Technical University
Rapperswil.
19
Qualified data recording with the Leica GS20
The landscape architects struck out in a new direction as soon asthey started recording the landscape features, vegetation and terrain of the site to be remodeled into the golf course. Tosupplement the 3D coordinates recorded at five-meter intervalsby the surveyor's office using GPS, they also digitized the terrainand vegetation characteristics using the Leica GS20 GIS/GPSmapping device. This intuitive and handy device also enabled theplanner to record qualitative characteristics and to insert items inthe GIS database that are of ecological or artistic importance.
After recording the data relating to the terrain, 3D visualizationsoftware was used to design the golf course. The scientists from Rapperswil also worked with the Multi-Media-Laboratory ofthe University of Zurich, with ViewTec and with Autodesk for the purpose of data processing and visualization, as well as withthe Federal Office for Water and Geology. The client, the golfexperts and the local population were able to view the design invirtual reality from every perspective by means of the 3D fly-through. The data from the same database was also used for 3D-guidance of the construction machinery, and was displayedboth graphically and numerically in the cab of the bulldozer orgrader. The time-consuming distraction of staking out becameunnecessary.
Excavators and bulldozers guided by the same 3D data.
A small bulldozer manufactured by Liebherr was chosen for thelandscaping earthworks. Volker Kuch of Leica's machine auto-mation division fitted the Leica GPS receiver, guidance anddisplay units to the bulldozer right on site in Bad Ragaz, alongwith the hydraulic control elements of the Dozer system. Theproject data supplied by Harradine and HSR were loaded into theguidance software. A Leica System 500 GPS reference station setup outside the construction site supplied correction values forprecise kinetic 3D positioning in real time. Without any priormarking out of the site and without any poles to get in the way,the machine operator followed the graphic and numerical detailssupplied by the Leica Dozer system with extreme 3D precisionfrom the driver's cab of the bulldozer.
The practical expertise of (the) construction company Toller, as amember of the ARGE Golf Toller / Restrukta team, was alsocrucial for the implementation of these designs on site.Managing director Marco Riva: "The research project proved thatit is now possible to model terrain in this way. But the plannersmust provide the building contractor with reliable 3D datarecords, as in this case in Bad Ragaz, if the process is to be anymore efficient with automated machine guidance. That is still theexception rather than the rule!"
Many earth-moving operations can be more sensibly carried outwith an excavator rather than with a bulldozer, so a machine ofthis type should also be equipped with Leica's automationsystem for this type of job on larger construction sites. As aresult of fine, three-dimensional terrain modeling, smallermodels of bulldozers are more suitable for projects such as thisthan those with wider scoops. Work advances much more rapidlyon the site no longer cluttered with marker poles and tapes. Both
Picture left: The fine 18-hole golf course at Bad Ragaz is one of Dun Harradine's
creations. The new 9-hole public golf course was designed by his son Peter
Harradine. The fourth generation of the family, in the person of his grandson
Michael Harradine, is assisting in its digital design and construction.
Picture left: On a well-known triangulation point outside the golf course construc-
tion site there stands a Leica GPS500 as a reference station. It supplies correction
data accurate to the nearest centimeter for real-time 3D machine guidance.
Top picture: The construction machine is equipped with
a Leica Dozer system, which determines the 3D position
of the blade in real time to the nearest centimeter.
The driver of the machine receives all guidance details
directly from the system.
20
time and money are also saved as a result of the significantreduction in the volume of earth moved, on the basis ofadherence to the amounts scheduled for removal accurate towithin a centimeter.
Ready for everyone to tee-off as early as May 2005
Professor Peter Petschek: "To sum up, we can now say that three-dimensional recording of terrain and vegetation data, using theLeica GS20, offers new opportunities for the landscape designer,and that GPS machine automation can also be employed outsideits traditional areas of application such as mining or road-building. The relevant technologies and technical componentsare available and are already supported by the machines currently in use on construction sites. This is all on the conditionthat the planners hand over their designs and plans to thebuilding contractor in the form of three-dimensional datarecords, based on an elevation model of the existing terrain produced by the surveyor.”
Fritz Staudacher
In the driver's cab,
Peter Petschek sees
the results of the
research project on
the machine
operator's display
unit. Volker Kuch
shows how planning
data are combined
with the clear
guidance data from
real-time GPS
positioning, providing
the machine operator
with all the necessary
details for the excava-
tion, graphically and
digitally accurate to
within a centimeter –
more quickly, more
comprehensively and
more precisely than
marker poles.
Bottom picture: Michael Harradine (Stud.Ing. HSR), Marco Riva (Toller AG),
Peter Petschek (Professor of Landscape Architecture at HSR), Yves Maurer
(Assistant, HSR).
21
Robert Page, Managing Direc-tor of the Building Surveysdivision, explained: "Green-hatch Building Surveys havealways found that Leica equip-ment lends itself well to meas-uring buildings. The HDS3000and pin point reflectorlessmeasuring of the 1200 series,enables us as a company toundertake more complexstructures with greater easeand accuracy."
Robert's colleague, AndrewDodson, who has developed agood working relationshipwith heritage organisations islooking to break new groundwith the integration of HDS3000 and third-party softwareto develop the use of photorectification and photogram-metry.
"Forming new divisions withinthe group has enabled us topursue and offer our clientsalternative ways of surveyingand therefore morevariety in products we canissue."
The Greenhatch Group, basedin Derby in the UK midlands,manages three companieswith nearly 50 employees. Thecompany specialises in theareas of: Design & Develop-ment Mapping, BuildingSurveys and the newly establi-shed 3D laser scanning. Theirclient base of over 2000 rangesfrom multinational companiesto local architects, and jobs areundertaken throughout Europeincluding the UK, Spain,Northern Europe, Belgium,France, Gibraltar, Poland andRussia.
"When we heard about Leica'sX-function, we knew that wewanted to make use of the system's interoperability," saysNeil Jefferies, Managing Director of Greenhatch Design& Development Mapping."System 1200 gives us greaterflexibility, enabling us to useour instruments across disci-plines - from our building sur-vey to our land survey group."
Neil Jefferies added that theSystem 1200's one-mansolution and the speed ofupdating information made
their work much more manage-able. They were also veryimpressed with the compactpower management and charg-ing accessories.
"With System 1200, there is onlyone learning curve for TPS andGPS," says Chris Sharrocks,Chairman of the GreenhatchGroup. "Following only oneday of training, we decided toconvert over all the instru-ments on just one day. Wewent out on site and couldn'tbelieve how smoothly it allwent. We encountered very fewproblems because the instru-ments are just so easy to use."
Greenhatch Group specialise inusing multiple crews on site inorder to collect data as quicklyand as efficiently as possible."Clients know that they can relyon us for quality of informationand know that the work will getdone in the required time-frame, no matter what," ChrisSharrocks says.
"Bearing that in mind, we areonly as good as the peoplewho back us up, and LeicaGeosystems certainly do that -providing first class personalservice whenever we need it."
The new instruments completethe company's recent imageoverhaul following a re-designof their logo and a move intonew refurbished premises,that have been specificallydesigned to accommodate theLeica equipment and to enablestaff to perform with the high-est efficiency and productivity.In addition, a piece of artworkalso hangs in the mainstairwell of the new offices,which was commissioned torepresent the excellentrelationship that existsbetween Greenhatch and LeicaGeosystems.
"The confidence that Green-hatch have in Leica Geo-systems is yet another impor-tant validation for the newgeneration System 1200 tech-nology," says Mark Concannon,Vice President of Leica Geo-systems' Surveying andEngineering Division forEurope/Africa.
Additionally, the arrival of theHDS3000 Scanner has come atan ideal time, as Greenhatchare working closely withvarious heritage and archaeo-logical groups.
UK Surveyors put complete trust in Leica GeosystemsThe success story of Leica’s System 1200 is continuing,
as this report from UK Surveyors illustrates. Leica
Geosystems has completed delivery of 14 TPS1200,
two GPS1200 receivers, a DNA03 digital level and a
HDS3000 upgrade to UK Surveyors, Greenhatch Group.
The acquisition of the TPS instruments means that
Greenhatch now operate solely with instruments from
Leica Geosystems.
Greenhatch have replaced all
existing instruments with
Leica Geosystems stock.
Above: Mark Concannon, VP
of Leica Geosystems' S&E
Division for Europe/Africa,
and Greenhatch Chairman
Chris Sharrocks with the new
mosaic in the background
"Following only one day of
training, we decided to convert
over all the instruments on just
one day. We went out on site and
couldn't believe how smoothly it
all went.”
Chris Sharrocks, Chairman
Greenhatch Group, UK
22
GIS software supply agreement with U.S. Forest Service
Leica Geosystems GIS & Mapping division has signed a blanket
purchase agreement (BPA) for Leica Geosystems software with
the USDA Forest Service. The Forest Service is standardizing on
Leica Geosystems imaging processing and photogrammetry
software, joining a growing roster of organizations that recogni-
ze Leica Geosystems as the premier provider of geospatial
imaging solutions.
Through this agreement, theForest Service will employ thefull complement of Leicasoftware products, includingErdas Imagine®, Leica Photo-grammetry Suite, Imagine Virtual GIS®, Image Analysis™for ArcGIS, and StereoAnalyst® for ArcGIS. The soft-ware will be utilized by ForestService field units in nearlyevery forest managementapplication, including forest
planning, inventory, resourcemapping, fire monitoring andmanagement, and forestrestoration.
“The USDA Forest Service ispleased to continue its longrelationship with LeicaGeosystems through this newfive year BPA contract forimage processing software.The field units will benefitgreatly from the expanded
151 units of System 1200 supplied in Western Canada With sales of 151 System 1200 GPS units in fall 2004 in WesternCanada alone, the success of Leica Geosystems’ universalsurveying system is continuing also in the Americas. “Theselarge orders represent an important validation of Leica’s System1200 technology for demanding applications in one of the harsh-est environments on the face of the planet,” says Rick Kurash,President Spatial Technologies, a Leica Geosystems’ distributionpartner in Alberta. “Leica Geosystems is quickly establishing areputation as the premier supplier of dual-frequency survey-grade GPS receivers for the industry, due to the products’reliability, robustness, quality and performance in the field.”
A total of 151 units were ordered by several well-known surveycompanies with the largest single order coming from Wolf
Survey and Mapping, a division of Destiny Resources.Other major companies purchasing similar System 1200packages include Enviro-Tech Surveys, Raymac Surveys,Seisland Surveys, and Datum Surveys. They are beingused for staking out seismic lines, setting survey controland other applications.
“One reason for the success of the System 1200 GPSproducts in the Canadian surveying industry is theaccurate and complete quality control informationdisplayed,” noted Kurash. “This ensures maximumproductivity while maintaining the required precision.”
availability of Leica Geo-systems products and numberof licenses,” says Michael Morrison, Program Leader forthe USDA Forest Service ImageProcessing Software System.
Richard McKay, Vice Presidentof Sales for Leica GeosystemsGIS & Mapping adds: “We aredelighted to expand ourrelationship with the ForestService. This BPA is the largestsingle commercial softwareorder our Division has fulfilled.It is a tremendous vote of con-fidence in Leica Geosystemssoftware, and this builds ourmomentum as the preferredprovider of solutions for everylink of the Geospatial ImagingChain.”
23
Leica Geosystems’ instruments play key role inSydney's biggest ever infrastructure project
The A$ 2 billion Epping to Chatswood Rail Link, that is being
constructed though the most densely populated suburbs of
Australia’s biggest city, is using top-of-the range equipment
from Leica Geosystems. Total stations TCA1101s and TCRA1101s
as well as the DNA03 Precise Digital Level are being used for
general tunnel surveying while the TCA1800s are being used to
guide the giant tunnel boring machines and road headers to
ensure the accuracy of the tunnelling.
The project, undertaken byThiess Hochtief Joint Venture(THJV) is the largest publiclyfunded infrastructure project inNew South Wales and a keypart of the NSW Government’sinfrastructure plan – aiming tohelp meet the challenge of agrowing population (growingat a rate of 1000 people aweek). The project will alsoprovide considerable long-termenvironmental benefits to Syd-ney by reducing traffic conges-tion and therefore improvingair quality.
Hochtief expertise
Previously located in SouthAfrica, Dieter Schuerenberg,Chief Surveyor from Hochtief,and his team were broughtespecially to Australia to workon the project due to theirexpertise in tunnelling andTBMs. Hochtief is one of theworld's leading tunnelling con-tractors and has produced aninnovative technical solutionfor the project that focuses onsafety, environmental manage-ment and community relations.Currently, 7 out of 15 HochtiefSurveyors (tunneling specia-lists) are working outside ofGermany on different projects.
Twin Tunnels
The main component of theEpping to Chatswood Rail Linkwill be 13 km of twin tunnels,which includes four stations, atdepths of 25-40 meter. Theseunderground stations are beingexcavated using road headermachines and are accessedwith decline tunnels.
Excavation of the new under-ground stations, located atEpping, Macquarie University,Macquarie Park and DelhiRoad, began in February 2003.All are now completed andconsist of cabins of 23 meterwide, 15 meter tall and 220meter long.
Tunnel construction process
Two 215 meter long TunnelBoring Machines (TBMs) eachof 7.2 meter diameter werethen launched from the M2Shaft to carve through theHawkesbury Sandstone. Thesegment from M2 Shaft toEpping was completed in
July 2004, and the TBMs havebeen completely pulled backand re-launched at Delhi Roadto bore in the opposite direc-tion to Chatswood. A conveyorbelt runs through the entiretunnel to remove spoil, anddepending on progress, each TBM can advance up to60 meter per day.
“As the tunnels are construc-ted, horizontal stresses andtension can occur,” DieterSchuerenberg says. “Defaultzones are set up with specialsupports and anchor drillingsto minimize this impact.
“In addition to the networkbehind the TBMs, gyromatmeasurements are taken andcalculation are performed tocheck the direction under-ground until breakthrough ofthe TBMs. With the installedtunnel guidance system theoperator examines all the monitoring data in order tosteer the TBM along thedesigned center line within thegiven tolerances.”
Currently, the survey teamsusing seven TCRA 1101s fornormal day work and six TCA 1800s for tunnel guidingsystems on the TBMs and roadheaders. This will be increasedwhen another team is broughton board.
As the TBMs progress, each 35 – 60 meter a “short moveup“ is undertaken, to install anew theodolite position on awall bracket. At any one time,there is a minimum of two
Dieter Schuerenberg,
Chief Surveyor from Hochtief
The cuting edge of one of the
Tunnel Boring Machines
24
brackets installed in order tomonitor the excavations. Everytwo to three days, however, a“long move up“ is performedwhere the position of the TBMsis measured from networkbehind the TBMs.
Software for every aspect of
surveying
On-board software includes“Road Plus”, “Sets of Angles”,“Free Station”, “Stakeout”,“TMS Proscan”, “Leica SurveyOffice” and “TMS Prowin”,which cover every aspect of thesurveying operation, from rock-face to business integration.
Tunnel completion
When each tunnel segment iscompleted, it is ready for a con-crete lining, then installation ofthe track, and finally applica-tion of the stage concrete. It isanticipated that the finalexcavation will be completedby June-July 2005, and that following the complete liningand final checks, the entire tun-nel will be ready in May 2006.
Environmental considerations
“This project has involved significant environmental consideration and publicconsultation, particularly with
regard to crossing the LaneCover River,” Schuerenbergsays.“ The decision toconstruct a tunnel rather than abridge was made in responseto widespread community con-cern. A cut and cover tunnelwill be built approximately onemeter below the riverbed. This will reduce the long-termvisual, environmental andamenity impact on the LaneCove National Park and RiverValley.”
Because construction and boring is being undertaken 24 hours per day, noisemonitoring is required around-the-clock. Residents are alsokept completely informed ofconstruction progress that isundertaken close to them.
Great service and precision
Every two months, THJVundertake their own calibrationof the instruments. In addition,every six months, LeicaGeosystems’ Australian Distri-butors, C.R.Kennedy & Com-pany complete a comprehen-sive service. “We have beenextremely happy with the greatservice we receive from C. R. Kennedy,” Schuerenbergsays. “We are also completely
A Leica TCRA1101 is set
up on a bracket to monitor
the tunnel construction
Map showing the route
of the Epping to Chatswood Rail Line
happy with the precision of theinstruments and have had noreported breakdowns.”
Hochtief in Germany havechanged now to the new TPSSystem 1200. “On the currentrail line job, we will continue touse the existing TPS 1100instruments for data consisten-cy,” Dieter Schuerenberg says.“However, for our next project,we will use the new system.”
Teresa Belcher
25
Driven by customer requirements and
based on Leica’s existing technologies
used for camera-equipped automatic
theodolites Leica Geosystems has
developed a new three-dimensional
measuring system. Our Metrology division
is now able to address not only typical
laser application segments such as in
tooling but also parts inspection and
digitization applications in the aerospace,
automotive and general precision
industries.
Walter Mittelholzer, President of the Metrology Division, says:
“As a result, we now have a new portable coordinate measuring
solution – the walk around CMM T-Probe. This product has
proven to be more efficient and more accurate than comparable
solutions”. He continues: “The division’s new solution was well
perceived by our customers and enabled especially automotive
manufacturers to significantly improve efficiency and accuracy in
their inspection processes. And last but not least, this new
technology of Leica Geosystems received the prestigious Frost &
Sullivan ‘2004 Industrial Automation Product Innovation of the
Year Award’. The New York-based company said the nomination
recognizes Leica Geosystems’ position as the company that had
most clearly shown “excellence in technology leadership within
its industry” – most recently in the area of hand-held industrial
metrology applications.
The innovative hand-held probing device
T-Probe is Leica Geosystems’ first product
that has been introduced to the market
based on the Local Positioning Technolo-
gy. It is the world’s smallest and lightest
precision coordinate measuring system
for large measurement volumes of up to
30 meters. Dr. Jürgen Dold, Vice President and Head of Product
Management says “This innovation will change the way people
measure industrial structures, by enabling operators in the
automotive, aerospace and general precision industries to walk
around with this light and wireless T-Probe and compare tools
and parts in real time against CAD design data. Compared with
conventional portable CMM solutions, Leica Geosystems’ new
“Walk Around CMM” reduces inspection times by up to 50%,
The Award Winning
Dr. Jürgen Dold,
Vice President and
Head of Product
Management
Dr. Roland
Zumbrunn, Vice
President and head
of R&D, and Walter
Mittelholzer, Presi-
dent Leica Geosys-
tems Metrology
Division, at the
Frost & Sullivan
Industrial Automa-
tion award
ceremony on Octo-
ber 20, 2004
26
“Walk Around CMM“
with enhanced accuracy, leading to significant productivity
improvements for our customers. With the T-Probe, the
Metrology division can now address a myriad of new applica-
tions in the industrial inspection market.
The new T-Probe system is based on the division’s newly
designed Local Positioning Technology (LPT). The basic
concept of this Local Positioning Technology is that one base
station determines the location and orientation of a freely in
space moved hand- or machine-held device. It consists of a
state-of-the-art Leica Laser Tracker for position measurements
and the newly developed high-speed camera T-Cam for
precise orientation measurements. The combination of this
base station with various hand or machine held devices such
as T-Probe and T-Scan enables the Metrology division to
create an entire range of new portable metrology solutions.
Dr. Roland Zumbrunn, Vice President and head of R&D says:
“The key challenge for R&D was to develop a tracker – camera
– probe system that measures and synchronizes orientation
angles and position of a hand-held device over the whole
measurement range with the similar accuracy, speed and
robustness that customers are used to get from Leica’s Laser
Tracker Technology. This project challenged the whole
development team in every field. It was our division’s biggest
project ever. We had the chance not only to develop a great
product but also to make significant improvements in process-
and project management.”
The project involved a majorjty of R&D resources within the
Metrology Division. External partners delivered around 20% of
the required developments.
Only people make it happen. Walter Mittelholzer, President of
the Metrology Division, is proud of his team: “I want to thank
all employees for their efforts and contributions in bringing
this new product to the market. They have worked very hard
over the past few years, sometimes at night, over weekends
or during their holidays. Their dedication and brilliant ideas
have made it an outstanding product which will revolutionize
the metrology world.” We want to thank and congratulate all
the team members who eventually “made it happen“.
Leica T-Scan
Leica T-Probe
27
Mechanical Design Group: Markus Fäs, Daniel Hirter,
Dieter Hoffmann, Bernhard Hauri
The mechanical design group proposed to makeuse of new materials to increase stability, durabili-ty, accuracy and ease of use. The T-Cam is basedon a light but very stiff and stable titanium frameand the optical design was chosen so that frequentcalibrations of the T-Cam became obsolete. Thenewly invented and very unique vario-opticensures that measurements with hand-helddevices such as T-Probe will be equally accuratewhether it’s in small or large measurementvolumes. New materials were also chosen for thehand-held probe. A carbon fiber composite basedmaterial was used to manufacture the body of the T-Probe. With this choice the T-Probe became notonly the smallest and lightest walk around CMM, italso became shock resistant and very stable underdifferent environmental conditions.
Electronic Team: Martin Stampfli, Konrad Von Arb, Rolf Döbeli,
Hans-Ueli Minder, Konrad Wildi, Beat Hunziker, Tomasz Kwiatkowski
Our electronic team faced several challenges. Asalways, new measurement technologies are full ofelectronic components. One of their achievements wasthe outstanding innovation of the communication concept, which allows wireless communication of ourT-Probe system. In addition, they introduced intelligentstylus identification, reducing operator errors to a minimum. This enables easy to use and walk aroundfreedom with the hand-held probe, eliminating theneed for awkward cables. They also developedtechnologies for high-speed operations and calcula-tions with the new camera T-Cam, permitting up to 100 point measurements per second.
Calibration Team: Andreas Christen, Albert Markendorf
The development of a compensation model for thenewly invented vario-optics, including calibrationmethods and related tools, was a major challengefor our calibration and measurement laboratoryteam. Furthermore the mathematical relationbetween the Laser Tracker, the T-Cam and T-Probehad to be formulated and related compensationmethods suitable for on-site operation had to bemade available. Various calibrations and testmeasurements were conducted in countless hourswith a large number of prototypes to verify theperformance and reliability of all systemcomponents as well as of the entire T-Probesystem. Last but not least, this team transferred its know-how to the production, service andsupport teams.
Product Management Team: Daniel Moser, Pirmin Bitzi, Thomas
Rietze, Dr. Raimund Loser
Besides the R&D teams, many other teams wereinvolved in bringing our new T-Probe system to themarket. Under the leadership of the productmanagement team, internal and external beta testingwith key customers were performed to furnish the finalproof that the system is ready for release. The supplychain team is in the process to ramp up the productionfor high quantities, ensuring fast delivery with the quality customers expect from Leica Geosystems. Several marketing initiatives were launched under theleadership of our marketing team in close cooperationwith the sales organization to increase marketawareness for our new “Walk Around CMM” with ourexisting customer base and also with new customersegments. The support and service team completedintensive system testing as well as training for ourglobal sales representatives. The support and serviceorganization will ensure high-quality service for ourcustomers around the world.
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Project Managers: Alexander Stieger,
Dr. Manfred Küpfer, Dr. Raimund Loser,
Dr. Alfons Meid, Dr. Burkhard Böckem
The key task for the projectmanagers was the manage-ment of multiple teams fromdifferent disciplines to ensurethat innovative technologieswere developed according toproject plans and that eachsingle project was focused onthe overall completion of anew innovative optical coordinate measuring system.In this process we have significantly improved ourproject management skills,meeting and reporting culture,and applied the Leica Innova-tion Process in a pragmaticway.
emScon Team: Andreas Brönnimann, Werner Stähli, Urs Wigger,
Dr. Martin Flucher
Any measurement sensor requires software that opensthe hardware functionality for industrial applicationsand supports field checks and calibration processes.With emScon (embedded system control), a veryunique web based interface was created. The on-boardTracker Programming Interface (TPI) enables any application software to fully control the Leica Tracker,supporting C, C++ and COM interfaces. The plug-inBase User Interface (BUI), based on a client server concept, enables users to control the laser tracker via astandard browser like the Internet Explorer. The ease ofuse of this interface with the complete programmingdocumentation and training courses allows the Metrology Division to connect its new system to manydifferent application software so that customers areable to use the new system with the software they arestandardized on. This facilitated a fast market entranceinto many new customers segments.
Service and Support Teams: in the back
from left to right: Markus Steiner,
Gerald Köck, Christian Joray. In the
front from left to right: Adrian Renold,
Matthias Saure, Roland Schötzau
The market acceptance of thenew “Walk Around CMM” T-Probe and T-Scan is extra-ordinary. This new product hasmade it possible to enter newmarket segments such as theautomotive industry. Todayabout half of our customers arein the automotive industry andmany of them are evaluating the replacement of theirexisting metrology system with the T-Probe to improveefficiency in their productionprocesses.
Udo Röhler, Risto Lazarevic, Dave Koster, Peter Dössegger,
Roland Strub, Sven Ryser, Dieter Hartmann
29
New Leica HDS3000 Lifts Scanning intoEveryday Use for METCO ServicesMetco Services has dramatically increased its use of laser scanning for topographic surveys,
thanks to its new Leica HDS3000 scanner
Metco Services is a
progressive civil engineering
and surveying company based
in Detroit, Michigan. The com-
pany maintains approximately
seven survey crews from two
offices that provide topo-
graphic surveying and
construction staking services.
The company recently began
using their new Leica
HDS3000 for everyday
topographic, as-built, and site
surveys. Previously, Metco
had used laser scanning only
for selected topographic
surveys with special require-
ments. The move up from
specialized use to everyday
use of high-definition survey-
ing portends a bright future
for the technology and for
Metco.
Leica HDS3000 sharply
reduces field time and field
staff needs
One key reason for thedramatically increased deploy-ment of high-definition survey-ing by Metco is the sharplyincreased productivity and effi-ciency of the HDS3000scanner, compared to its inno-vative predecessor, the Cyrax2500. Metco has found that theHDS3000 can be used to
complete the field aspects oftopographic and site surveysabout 50% faster. Furthermore,they have found that for manyprojects, the entire site surveycan be conducted with justone person, instead of multi-person field crews.
What has changed so much toenable such a large jump inproductivity and efficiency?Metco reports that theHDS3000’s full 360° horizontalx 270° vertical field-of-view,combined with the ability to“script” or program theHDS3000 to automatically scanvarious parts of the site at different densities, has giventhem unprecedented field pro-ductivity for site surveys. Thelarge field of view simplifiesthe placement of scanning tar-gets within the site. Comparedto the Cyrax 2500’s 40° x 40°FOV, far fewer targets areneeded and they can be placedin more convenient locations.
Unmanned Robotic Reflector-
less Station
Metco has also found thatwhile the HDS3000 is auto-matically scanning through itslarge field of view and scripts,the same field person canoften simultaneously use oneof Metco’s Leica TCRA 1103total stations to complete site
survey work for objects forwhich the scanner is not wellsuited. This includes surveyingscan targets for geo-referen-cing and/or registration andsurveying points not otherwisevisible to the scanner. Forexample, buried utilities mayrequire lids to be lifted in orderto gain access to them. Theseare not good candidates forscanning, but are well suitedfor Leica total stations. Metcois essentially using theirHDS3000 as an “unmanned,robotic reflectorless station”that enables a single field person to operate two instru-ments at one time.
The bottom line: for manytopographic or as-built sur-veys, instead of using a 2-per-son or 3-person conventionalfield crew, Metco can use oneperson with a Leica HDS3000and Leica TCRA 1103 total station to do the total fieldwork in about half the time.
Office Workflow Gains
The second key to Metco’s success has been theirrefinement over time of officework procedures to convertrich point cloud data into 2D topographic or as-builtdrawings. Metco today uses afull suite of software tools:Leica’s Cyclone software and
Laser scan images placed on 2D maps
provide valuable marketing for Metco.
METCO uses Cyclone
software's Virtual Surveyor
feature for creating
2D maps.
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New Leica HDS3000 scanner in use at Kennedy Square, Detroit.
2D topographic survey map based on HDS3000 scan data.
Metco has used their HDS3000 scanner for site and building surveys, such
as Ford Field Stadium.
CloudWorx for AutoCAD, plusAutoCAD’s Land DevelopmentDesktop software. Using thelatest advances in these tools,Metco has also applied theirstrong understanding of how2D maps deliverables, includ-ing line work, single point elevations, and symbols areused by clients. The result isthat today, Metco is able toproduce high quality 2D mapdeliverables for about thesame office cost and time as ittakes to produce such mapsusing conventional surveymethods. Going forward,Metco sees opportunities toeven further reduce their officecosts for projects that includelaser scanning.
Bright Future
In addition to seeing opportu-nities for further reducingcosts and time for projects thatinclude high-definition survey-ing, Metco sees opportunitiesto also increase client demandfor high-definition surveys. Forexample, in order to increaseclient awareness of the
richness and completeness ofhigh-definition surveys, Metcotoday routinely incorporatesscan images onto 2D mapdeliverables. These imagesreplace photographs that usedto occupy these spots on mapdeliverables. Metco hasalready noticed that as clientshave become more aware ofthe richness of these surveysand the ability to re-use or re-visit high-definition surveydata, clients have begun tospecifically ask for high-definition surveys. This is a“win-win” for all.
Geoff Jacobs
31
Leica Geosystems AGHeinrich-Wild-StrasseCH-9435 HeerbruggSwitzerlandPhone +41 71 727 31 31
www.leica-geosystems.com
Contact
You can find Leica Geosystems at numerous exhibitions, congresses and roadshows in your region. In addition, you canfind information and documentation on our national websites oron www.leica-geosystems.com. There you will also find previousReporter issues in various languages. Please visit us.
