How KOREC are powering a Guinness World Record breaking attempt

Ian Williams is a man on a mission. Over the weekend of 7-8th August, he’ll be attempting to smash the Guinness World Record for the furthest distance travelled in a go kart in 24 hours, at the Teesside Autodrome British 24hr Challenge.

The current record stands at 945 miles, while Ian hopes to smash through the 1,000 mile (1600km) barrier – as well as raising £15,000 for charity in the process.

Ian Williams and his trusty kart, resplendent in its new livery

So how do you go about planning such an exhausting mission? Well first things first, Ian (not to mention Guinness) needed to know the precise distance of the track to be driven – which is where KOREC come in.

Whilst the official track length is stated as 2.1km, Ian needed a precise measurement – both to satisfy the stringent demands of Guinness, and to pace his race.

Ian searched around local survey companies before he was advised that KOREC might be able to assist with obtaining an accurate track measurement. Never ones to shy away from a challenge, we immediately knew this was a job for the MX9 and the Professional Services team.

Flash forward to 1st July, and our team met with Ian trackside. It took a matter of minutes to drive the race-day circuit layout in the MX9 scanning vehicle, capturing millions of measurements of data points of both track position, and elevation.

The data was processed back in the office, producing a dense 3D point cloud of the circuit, allowing for a centre-line to be produced – which came in at 1.64km in distance – almost half a kilometre shorter than the stated distance.

0.5km may not seem much to you or me, but when you’re planning to drive over 1000 miles, it works out at an additional 214 laps of the circuit – knowledge that means the difference between success and failure.

As well as providing these crucial measurements, the Professional Services team have generated beautiful 3D visualisations of the circuit, which have been incorporated into Ian’s marketing video – a vital piece of promotion for his charity drive.

Ian is hoping that his record attempt will raise £5000 each for his three chosen charities – Shelter, Papyrus (prevention of young suicide) and the Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance.

So how is Ian gearing up over these final weeks for this massive challenge?

“I’ll be focussing on building up my stamina by taking part in track days. I’m also conditioning my neck muscles, as they’ll be coping with around 70 tonnes of pressure over the 24-hour period. I’ve also upped my water intake, ensuring I am well hydrated, and getting used to a liquid diet”

(Ian won’t be consuming food during the attempt)

Whilst this is a solo attempt, Ian is far from alone. Upwards of 100 other racers will be on the circuit, with Ian hoping his kart’s bright livery will help him stand out from the crowd. He’s also got the support of the Haase UK Kart team, who have learnt him the kart, and his very understanding partner Alyona!

All of us at KOREC wish Ian the very best of luck in his challenge!

If you’d like to support Ian’s chosen charities, you can do so via his Justgiving page; https://www.justgiving.com/team/British24hoursolo

Article Links

Teesside Autodrome – British 24hr Challenge

Guinness World Records – Current World Record

Shelter

Papyrus

Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance

It was only a few weeks ago that we caught up with Sky Revolutions Company Director, Ben Gorham when Sky Revolutions became the first KOREC customer to invest in the newly launched senseFly eBee GEO. This time we’re back with Ben talking about a particularly successful week the company’s had with the Trimble X7.

Whilst picking up the new eBee from the KOREC Huntingdon office, members of the Sky Revolutions team took the time to take a closer look at a Trimble X7 3D Laser Scanner that was on site that day and immediately saw how it could contribute across the business and in particular, to an upcoming measured building survey project.

With over 20 years’ experience in construction surveying, Sky Revolutions undertakes a wide range of work and until recently carried out its measured building surveys using the traditional method of a Trimble S7 Robotic Total Station. However, already familiar with 3D laser scanning technology, they were keen to see what the X7 could deliver on the planned job of 25 measured building surveys on structures ranging in size from as small as a shed sized sports pavilion to as large as an office block with everything in between.

When we caught up with Ben, the Sky Revolutions team had successfully completed eighteen of the scans in just four days and expected to be finished in five. Ben explained, “Our aim is to deliver projects promptly and to supply our clients with data of the highest quality. The X7 has been exemplary in helping us achieve those aims. The scan speed alone has really assisted on this project as did the smart auto-calibration. We’ve had laser scanners before but the X7 is a step ahead. The argument for not buying one doesn’t really exist!”

https://skyrevolutions.co.uk/

Sky Revolutions surveyor Dave Gaffney puts the Trimble X7 through its paces

Definitely not when it comes to examining why the Trimble X7 3D Laser Scanner lends itself to the pressures of crime and collision scene investigation!

We round up the top ten reasons why the X7 delivers on key requirements.

Over the years, KOREC has enjoyed a long and informative relationship with the UK’s police forces supplying a range of survey instruments from integrated GNSS and Total Station Systems to more recently, 3D Laser Scanning technology including the groundbreaking Trimble SX10 Laser Scanning Total Station.

Crime scene and collision evidence gathering is a discipline that brings its own set of challenges. The pressure to work quickly and capture every detail of a scene, often with no chance to revisit the site later, means that the emergency services need to have 100% confidence in the reliability of their data. They need to be able to gather that information quickly and it needs to be accurate, all encompassing and sufficiently robust to stand up in a court of law. Consequently, we’ve seen a shift towards 3D Laser Scanning as the best methodology for capturing a scene as quickly and completely as possible. Additionally, this can often be done from the side of a site reducing the chances of contaminating evidence.

The latest Trimble X7 3D Laser Scanner lends itself to the unique set of challenges faced by the police in a number of ways:

Scan data from the Trimble X7

For further information on the Trimble X7:

info@korecgroup.com

Call UK Sales: 0345 603 1214

Call Ireland Sales: 01 456 4702

For anything else, view our contact page.

There are seven days in a week, seven colours of the rainbow, seven seas, seven continents and now Survey Solutions has seven Trimble X7’s!

Following Survey Solutions’ recent acquisition of three further survey companies, Survey Systems, Locate Surveys and Kempston Surveys,  it is now the UK’s largest engineering survey company and one that prides itself on offering ‘more than a survey’.  Survey Solutions sees investment in the latest technology as an integral part of that process and has an extensive survey fleet that reflects this forward thinking approach. Most recently this has included expanding and updating its range of 3D Laser Scanners.

With nine offices – from Scotland to Somerset – company CEO James Cooper was particularly keen to ensure that his regional teams had access to a 3D Laser Scanner that would meet their demands for high quality data, ease of use and excellent productivity in the field.  In upgrading the fleet’s older laser scanners, he was also keen to replace them with an instrument that all the surveyors and engineers would engage with. Their choice was the Trimble X7.

Seven scanners later, we caught up with Survey Solutions South East Director, Dave Bredin, who kindly shared his views on why the X7 has been such a popular addition to their survey fleet.

Top of Dave’s list was onsite registration. With seven X7’s in constant use, the increased efficiency on site and time saved in the office is considerable and a vital part in helping their clients meet important project deadlines. Dave estimates that on every job, office time is reduced by at least one third with the registered point cloud going straight in to drawing up.

The onsite registration also ensures that the Survey Solutions surveyors have total confidence in the data they have captured with the ability to check there and then that there are no gaps or missed areas. This reduces rework as well as time spent travelling back to a site if additional information is required. Tellingly, Dave says that it would be counter-productive to highlight a specific example of this function earning its keep because ‘… it’s every time on every job’!

Second on the list as a requirement for any laser scanner to be used nationwide was ease of use. With a large number of surveyors having access to the instruments it was vital that they could pick up the workflow quickly, with minimal training and have total confidence in their ability to collect high quality data from the off.

Dave reports that aside from the sensible pricing of the X7, there are many features that make it a perfect fit for the Survey Solutions’ fleet. These include it being easily carried in a backpack (many jobs in his SE area are undertaken in central London), the auto-calibration and self-levelling functions that ensure greater productivity on site and the Trimble RealWorks processing and analysis software that handles and combines data from different sensors. However, the real proof of an instrument’s contribution to a fleet is how it’s perceived by those who use it every day. Dave concludes, “The mark of a good piece of kit is the feedback from the surveyors who actually use it and every one of our surveyors loves it! Clearly the advancements in the Trimble X7 represent the next step in laser scanning technology and the X7’s easy to use and productive workflow is highly beneficial to both ourselves and our clients. It certainly ticks all the boxes for Survey Solutions.”

Did you know that the Trimble X7 3D Laser Scanner has an integrated calibration feature that offers full auto-calibration of range and angular systems in 25 seconds with no user interaction or targets?

This Trimble technology is a smart feature that monitors environmental temperature, ambient light, vibration, instrument temperature and vertical speed to take the guesswork out of your data.

With all the X7’s unique benefits, it’s possible that this one can get overlooked but in fact, when we talk to KOREC customers, they cite the low running costs and maintenance of their X7 as one of the major factors behind their purchasing decision.

Here are five reasons why auto-calibration really delivers:

Find Out More

Can it really be over 4 years since Trimble launched the SX10 Scanning Total Station? We can’t believe it either, but if there’s one thing we are sure about, it’s that the Trimble development team never stands still!

…which is why we’re delighted to announce the launch of the SX12 which brings several new features based on both customer feedback and the Trimble desire to create an instrument that combines unrivalled versatility and ease of use.

Trimble describe the SX12 as ‘engineered for every day’ and there’s no doubt that the additional functionality creates new workflows and new opportunities, especially in tunnelling, internal surveys and construction.

So what have we got that’s new?

Vivid, eye-safe laser pointer

Green and focusable, the SX12’s laser pointer yields the smallest spot size in the industry, just 3mm at 50m. This useful feature has had tremendous feedback from early testers, including KOREC customers, who report that it is exceptionally bright making it ideal for internal buildings, tunnels, mines and construction sites.

Improved camera system

The SX12 now offers an 8.1 MP resolution camera (compared to the SX10’s 5 MP) and a 107x zoom (compared to the SX10’s 84x). This means clearer, more detailed pictures of far away objects resulting in improved aiming, more vivid colours and of course, less image noise in low-light situations.

The SX12 retains all the other stand out features of the SX10 and that includes ease of use, a short learning curve and versatility which means it could easily become the hardest working instrument on your fleet.

To celebrate the release of the SX12, we’re running a little promotion to allow a lucky winner of our prize draw to meet the new kid on the block before anyone else! Just follow the link here to enter your contact details and you could benefit from a week’s FREE hire of the SX12 and get your hands on it before anyone else!

Closing date – 19th March 2021.

info@korecgroup.com

Call UK Sales: 0345 603 1214

Call Ireland Sales: 01 456 4702

For anything else, view our contact page.

Here’s a question. How do you continue to motivate, inspire, inform, or even just get your teams together during a national lockdown?

Whilst 2020 has been unusual (to say the least), for KOREC, we were already quite used to remote working & collaboration. Serving two nations, and with staff the width and breadth of the country, regular communication via phone, email, virtual chat or even Whatsapp was already the norm for many.

But for those used to office working or field working, now confined to the kitchen table at home, we realised that it was more important than ever to ensure everyone felt connected & informed.

That’s why we launched our virtual lunch ‘n’ learn series in October. The objective was simple – every 2 weeks, we invite everyone in the organisation to a brief overview of a product, solution or application. The vibe is informal – questions and interruptions are very much welcomed, prizes are awarded, and of course, lunch is munched.

It’s the perfect opportunity for a refresher on a particular product, an introduction to the latest piece of kit on the market, all presented by one of our in-house experts. For our people, it’s a reminder of the sheer variety & versatility of the solutions that KOREC offers, be it land survey, drone, rail, highways, mobile mapping…the list goes on.

It’s an excellent way for many of us to take 30 minutes out of our day, to get together, have a chat, and even learn something new.

So far, we’ve held 3 sessions;

An overview of our in-house, K-Matic software suite, presented by Darrell Theobalds

Introduction to the R12 & R12i GNSS systems & ProPoint, hosted by Leigh Rowell

Laser scanning made simple, with the X7, presented by Melvin Penwill

And we have many more up our sleeves going into 2021.

The story of 2 customers

Cast your mind back to September 2019, when trade events were in full swing. At INTERGEO, Trimble announced the launch of a new type of laser scanner – one that delivers powerful performance, with simple operation.

The X7 promised fast, simple and accurate laser scan results, but 1 year on, does the product live up to the hype?

Barry Burrows takes delivery of his X7 from KOREC’s Barry Monk

Barry Burrows of BB Solutions didn’t have to think twice before making the purchase and became the first customer in the UK to own an X7. Since then Barry has put his new kit to the test on multiple occasions and has found that it was the perfect piece of kit for him and his business.

“I watched a few product videos on YouTube, read some online reviews and after about 15 minutes I knew that this was the right kit for me and my business.”

“With that scanner the amount of data collected was huge – I would easily spend 6-8 hours back at the office just processing the data, a lot of which was only needed for registration and would then be discarded”

In August, Survey Solutions took delivery of four brand new Trimble X7 laser scanners to use across their UK offices. The ongoing investment in the latest tech will insure that they continue to supply their clients with the best possible data as well as meeting important project deadlines.

“Laser scanning is a huge part of our measured building service and the new scanners further help our teams carry out their on-site survey and office processing.”

The Trimble X7 has most definitely lived up to expectations and gone above and beyond in just 365 days and we can’t wait to see what the X7 will get up to next.

To see for yourself just what the X7 can do, click here

KOREC are delighted to today (11th August 2020) be announcing their new initiative, Meet the Experts, to further help and support their growing customer base.

The concept is to increase awareness and understanding of eight key business areas and solutions, which are;

Each KOREC Expert has been selected for their specific experience, product knowledge, industry connections, and ability to share that knowledge with our customer base.

The initiative was launched with a introductory video interview with laser scanning expert, Melvin Penwill – watch the video here.