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.
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.