Highways Agency Invests in Trimble GPS and Trimble Spatial Imaging Total Stations to Open Roads Faster
The Highways Agency, which is responsible for England's motorways and major A roads, has invested £2.5million in new state-of-the-art GPS (Global Positioning System) equipment for collision scene investigation across the UK.
Following a successful trial of GPS equipment KOREC was approached by the Highways Agency to tender to provide an ‘Integrated Surveying Solution' utilising both a Robotic instrument and GPS. KOREC are Trimble's main distributor for Survey equipment in the UK and as such have been providing conventional Robotic surveying products to Police Collision Investigation Sections for a number of years.
KOREC have supplied the Highways Agency with Trimble R8 GNSS Rovers, which are combined with the Trimble S6 Robotic Total Stations for an Integrated Surveying Solution. The Agency has also invested in Trimble's Spatial Imaging Solution, the Trimble VX - which offers 3D scanning with integrated video to capture the shape, detail and precise coordinates of all aspects in the collision investigation. All of this advanced survey technology will allow police forces that patrol some 4500 miles of UK to create a ‘virtual-map' of any collision scene, and re-open the road faster after a serious incident and to keep traffic-flow moving.
One of the Police forces who have been using the Trimble surveying technology since 2007 are North Yorkshire Police, PC David Taylor explains the reasons for selecting the Trimble solution:
"We selected the Trimble S6 DR (Direct Reflex) Total Station with TCU because it scored so highly on our tender document. We required an instrument that was future proof and with the S6 MagDrive servo technology the instrument provides us with high speed turning and low power consumption as well as reducing instrument wear. We needed equipment that was reliable and from a trustworthy company.
Since taking delivery from KOREC in April we have attended twenty fatals, twenty potentials fatal, two crime scenes and one plane crash and have been cutting survey time on site by up to 50% in some cases. Shorter time on site means shorter road closures and less disruption to traffic."
