KOREC is always delighted to support the next generation of surveyors coming through college, and especially when they’re keen to get their hands on some ground breaking Trimble technology! It was therefore with great pleasure that we loaned a Trimble X7 3D Laser Scanner to the BSc Geospatial Surveying TU Dublin final year students for a project that was also supported by a number of survey service providers.
The Project
Christ Church Cathedral has stood at the heart of Dublinfor almost 1000 years and this important heritage site welcomes visitors from all over the world every day. Facilitated by the Cathedral’s staff, the final year students were lucky enough to work as a team on an assignment that required them to undertake a series of scans to provide the cathedral with floor plans of the inside and elevations of the exterior. The end results were to be handed to the Cathedral’s insurance company before a policy renewal.
The Deliverables
- A geo-referenced colourised point cloud – to be used for future work in the cathedral.
- Sections, plan and elevation drawings in 1:50 scale. These drawings would then be used by a quantity surveyor to measure the volume of the assets.
- A walk-through of the point cloud. This was done to illustrate the possibility of creating a virtual tour of the church.
On Site
The students were divided into two separate teams, a laser scanning team and a control network team.
A control network to geo-reference the scans was established. The exterior of the building, minus the roof, was then scanned in just a day using the Trimble X7 and involved around 54 setups.
The students found the instrument ,and the tablet connected to it, very intuitive and following the initial setup, very simple to use: “All we had to do is press “start scan”. The X7 did the rest of the work!”
Highest rated Trimble X7 feature
The students rated the automatic registration and the self-levelling features above all. Automatic registration meant that they did not have to register the scans when they got back to the office whilst the attendant report allowed them to prove the accuracy of their work to the client and lecturers.
The self-levelling feature was also appreciated for the way it cut down on site time – the whole building scanned in a single day.
Finally, being able to geo-reference the project on site meant less work when it came to post-processing. The students were also able to colourise their scans on export.
After the survey
The final year students presented their survey and scan results in the beautiful Henry Roe room in the Cathedral.
Our thanks to Dylan de Beer and Adam Hoey for their feedback on both the project and of course the X7. Both felt the use of a top range 3D Laser Scanner to be extremely beneficial their studies and also a good indicator of what industry standard surveying can be like with the use of good equipment.
A trio of news stories celebrating the support that both KOREC and Trimble are providing to the education sector across the UK
There isn’t much that’s more important than ensuring the next generation are informed, enthused and inspired to join us in the exciting world of engineering, construction and the built environment.
In how many other industries can you make such a direct and positive change in how we design, build and maintain the spaces in which we live, work and play?
That’s why we’re delighted to highlight 3 recent stories that do just that;
KOREC & National Highways make a Big impact
Our team were delighted to support National Highways at the recent Big Bang Fair in Birmingham.
The 3-day event saw tens of thousands of children aged 11-14 descend on the NEC to get involved in all things STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths).
The KOREC team were on hand to showcase the very cool technologies that are being utilised to made the collection, sharing and understanding of spatial data easier and more intuitive. The star of the show was most certainly the Trimble XR10 headset. The team loaded various digital models including dinosaurs, robots and an airplane into the device, which the kids could then view and explore!
Check out more photos of the event and the team, here!
Trimble Technology lab expands in Edinburgh
Trimble and Edinburgh Napier University are celebrating the expansion of the Trimble Technology lab – the first of its kind in the UK.
Click here or the link below to read the complete story over on the North Edinburgh News site.
SMB College Group invest in Trimble Technology
Leicestershire-based SMB College Group has recently invested over £80,000 in Trimble technology, supplied by KOREC Group.
The college is a leader in Construction T level courses – preparing its students for work in the construction and engineering sectors including quantity surveying, civil engineering, project management and architecture.
The equipment includes some of Trimble’s most cutting-edge digital construction solutions, including the X7 laser scanner, the XR10 mixed reality headset, and the S5 robotic total station.
Read the full press release on the SMB College Group site
Next Generation is KOREC’s higher education strand – it’s how we inspire, support and train the institutions and the students who are the future workforce of our industry.
If you’d like to know more about Next Generation, or how we can help you, why not get in touch?
Ahead of next week’s COP26 climate summit, how KOREC are playing their part by investing in the future – not just of our planet, but the next generation of geospatial experts, too
Next week, virtually every world leader will descend on Glasgow for possibly the most important climate summit since Paris in 2015. By the time the summit wraps on 12th November, it is hoped they will have committed to limiting global temperature rise to the vital 1.5C to avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change.
Since COP26 takes so close to home, and with KOREC in attendance, what better time than to make some commitments of our own?
This week, KOREC Group signed up to the SME Climate Commitment, where we as an organisation have committed to halving our emissions by the year 2030, and going carbon-neutral by 2040 – a full decade ahead of the UK government’s target.
We have been working to reduce emissions across our vehicle fleet for several years with most of our vehicles now hybrid electric models – but we recognise there is work to do when it comes to our offices, our staff travel, and our supply chain.
But it’s not just the climate that we’ve committed to. KOREC was also recently confirmed as a partner of Geospatial UK. Based at Newcastle University, the organisation was formed to counteract the widely-publicised skills shortage in our geospatial industry. Their key aim is thus to engage and inspire the next generation of geospatial experts – by educating and informing them about the exciting, fast-changing and varied industry that we love. As well as being a key sponsor, KOREC will be supporting this great work in a much more hands-on way – more on this to come!
This focus on the climate and future generations will converge beautifully at next week’s COP event, which we are delighted to be attending. Our partners at Edinburgh Napier University (home to a Trimble Technology lab which is helping to expand the University’s leadership in training and research in 3D building design, digital fabrication and the sustainable built environment) have invited us to take part in their #GetOnWithIt event in Glasgow.
Sam and Stuart from KOREC will be in attendance, showcasing key digital construction tools such as the X7 laser scanner, SiteVision augmented reality and XR10 mixed reality headset, to the student body and public alike. Besides being excellent tools to showcase to a live audience, these solutions are excellent examples of ‘connected construction’ – efficient, effective digital tools that allow online collaboration (cutting down unnecessary trips to site) and as well as reducing construction site waste and rework.
We’ll be sure to be sharing pictures and clips from the event – so keep your eyes peeled on our social channels next week!
It’s a topic of great concern to many in our industry – how do we attract the next generation of geospatial professionals?
It’s also a question that we’ve addressed in a column for GeoConnexion magazine based on the experiences of KOREC Director, Mark Poveda, who recently returned to his Dublin College with two colleagues to talk to final year students studying Geospatial/Surveying. However, college students are already engaged with our industry having actively chosen a relevant course and maybe we should be talking to students earlier.
A visit with value
For KOREC Operations Technical Support, Liam Hartley, the 450th Anniversary of his old school, Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, Horncastle (QEGS), set him thinking as to what sort of career information he’d have valued as a sixth former living in a rural part of the country just starting to consider future job prospects, apprenticeships, or degree courses.
As a QEGS alumni, he’d seen invites to assist students in CV preparation or interview techniques but felt that this could be the perfect opportunity to offer some time to share his thoughts on geospatial careers with an age group just starting to think about their own futures.
At the invitation of the school’s careers lead, Sarah Holmes, Liam was able to spend a couple of days at the school chatting about the geospatial industry to teachers and students alike.
Great technology and engaging examples
Equipped with a Trimble X7 3D Laser Scanner and plenty of examples of what our industry has to offer, Liam reports that he spent a very rewarding 50 minute Development Class with the mixed group of students. Drawing on relevant examples such as 3D data (used in the gaming and film world) he outlined how F1 tracks are surveyed with Mobile Mapping, how sports events measure distance with total stations, how music festivals are set out with GPS mapping systems and how spatial data is everywhere and in everything we do, from using Google Maps to creating smart cities.
Liam feels that at least three quarters of the class seemed very engaged with four or five particularly responsive to the geospatial world. He reports, “I had a really rewarding two days at QEGS sharing my enthusiasm for an industry that has so much to offer as a career. Interestingly, very few of the students were familiar with the term ‘geospatial’ and of course, this highlights the problem we have in promoting a career where our key audience has very little understanding of what we do. If we’re to overcome this, then it’s vital that we are actively promoting our industry to this age group. Here at KOREC, we want to be a supplier that does just that and we’re perfectly positioned to do so from a unique perspective because we see everything that the industry has to offer technology wise. I very much want us to step forward and lead from the front.”
What next?
Liam used his two days at QEGS to plan for a future event for next year that he hopes can be rolled out to similar age groups in different schools. Watch this space!
To learn about KOREC’s Next Generation initiative (aiming to encourage a new generation to the geospatial industry) please contact marketing@korecgroup.com
Got a question? Want to find out more about the X7? Why not submit an inquiry with our friendly team?
Virtual reality, 3D Laser scanning, robotics, AI, reality data capture, data analytics….today’s careers in the geospatial industry offer numerous possibilities and are a perfect fit for the tech savvy, early adopters of Generation Z who have grown up immersed in technology.
Fuelled by technological developments, the collection and processing of spatial data is now a far cry from the days of just muddy boots and making maps and reflecting these advances is the Technological University Dublin which has recently adapted its BSC in Geospatial Surveying. Changes include a modular approach, updated content and opportunities to combine working with a relevant company whilst completing a degree.
Hands-on with technology
A vital part of any course is for students to be fully aware of developments within the industry. KOREC Ireland’s Mark Poveda, Niall Hand and Fran Mullally (geomatics graduates of the university), along with KOREC colleague Kevin Kinahan, were therefore delighted to have the opportunity to present some new ideas to the University’s 1st and 2nd year students. This was achieved through an on-line presentation and then a day of socially distanced hands-on experience with some of the world’s most advanced Trimble survey technology.
Bringing with them a selection of Trimble instruments including Trimble’s SiteVision Augmented Reality system, the X7 3D Laser Scanner and an R12i GNSS, Mark, Fran and Kevin also had KOREC sponsored hoodies for all the students involved, which was extremely fortunate given the rainy conditions!
Great weather for a new KOREC sponsored hoody!
Whilst the students enjoyed the hands-on session, KOREC’s Mark Poveda hopes that the on-line presentation provided a useful source of information on how far reaching and exciting the geospatial industry has become. Particularly well received was the ‘Spot the dog’ Trimble robot video which can be viewed here.
Spot the Dog
“The demonstration day was a great way to finish off my college experience in the BSc of Geographic Science. The Korec team talked us through the operating system of the latest Trimble survey equipment and offered us the opportunity to try out the instruments ourselves. The weather behaved in typical Irish fashion and rain showers were frequent. I was especially impressed with the quality of deliverables produced by the Trimble X7 Laser Scanner and accompanying touch screen under these conditions. The seamless workflow of this machine really highlighted the modern advances in technology enabling us, as surveyors of the future, to carry out surveys to the highest standard regardless of what the Irish climate throws at us. Advances such as these in technology makes me excited for my future career as a surveyor and I can only wait in eager anticipation of what else Trimble will release onto the market in the coming years. “
Rose Pearson, final year student, TU Dublin
Augmented reality with Trimble SiteVision
“…..the technology demonstrated was very sleek, it was extremely easy to use and makes quick work of any of the tasks given to them. The scanning technology particularly was great, especially being able to view scans right after taking them.”
“The day spent with members of KOREC was extremely insightful and enjoyable. The demonstrations they showed us offered an exciting look into the advancements of this industry and their equipment as well as the broadness of its opportunities.”
1st/2nd year students (TU Dublin)
Our thanks to Dr Audrey Martin, Senior Lecturer, Chair BSc Geographic Science (TU Dublin) and of course to the students who attended and were kind enough to provide some great feedback.