Plain Sailing!
Wed 18th Jun 2008
Tired buildings...an unsightly car park...derelict land. Weymouth and Portland Borough Council recognized that the Weymouth Pavilion and Ferry Terminal was a major asset going to waste and have embarked on an extensive redevelopment programme which will turn the site into a visitor destination for the future and a venue for the 2012 Olympic Games sailing events. However before work could begin, the appointed development company, Howard Holdings, required an accurate ‘model' of parts of the existing site.
This prestigious project was awarded to St Austell based Team Surveys*, the largest multi disciplined land surveyors in the West Country*. "We needed to collect data for the production of detailed elevations of the existing Pavilion Building, a 3D model of the auditorium, cross-sections through the auditorium and street scene elevations of surrounding buildings and features", explained Team Surveys Managing Director, Andrew Cooke. "We also needed to rapidly collect data for one or two unusual items in our specification including an elevation of a ‘tree line' behind the site area. On an extensive and varied site like this, we need to be productive and accurate and therefore immediately contacted KOREC to hire a Trimble GX 3D scanner."
The Trimble GX 3D scanner can quickly catch millions of co-ordinates for recording sub-centimeter, photo-realistic job details. On this job, the scanned data was collected from existing survey control which Team Surveys had already established during a full topographical survey of the site in 2006. The point cloud data was used to produce traditional 2D elevations and sections as well as a 3D model of the internal of the Pavilion Building and also sections of surrounding areas.
Andrew continues, "The Trimble GX helped us to collect this sectional data very quickly - normally it would be difficult or even impossible to collect without the use of expensive access equipment. Choosing a scanner allowed us to complete the job in a fraction of the time on site that more traditional methods would have taken. Not only was it easy to use - we weren't delayed by the need for several days training beforehand - but the dual compensator allowed us to set-up in a similar way to using a Total Station. We simply entered the station co-ordinates and then checked reference co-ordinates in the field, eliminating the need to register the scanned data in the office."
Team Surveys Partner Paul Williams adds, "Using the scanning software on site was very straightforward but you do need a good surveying background just to make sure you don't miss anything that's perhaps out of sight behind a parked car and to avoid curious on-lookers standing in the way! The office work was equally straightforward. We used the scan data to output a pointcloud for autocad which is where we created the 2D elevations. The job went exactly to plan with the scanner delivering everything we needed for our specification all backed up by a speedy, no nonsense approach and competitive hire rates from KOREC."
* Team Surveys merged with SUMO Services, who are also a significant Trimble equipment user, in March 2008
ENDS
Image:Paul Williams and Jamie Stephens of Team Surveys prepare to scan the front of Weymouth Pavilion with the Trimble GX 3D scanner.
