Archive for category: At work!

Brendan Cornfoot from Somerton-based Cornfoot Bros in Victoria, says they use a wide range of Topcon 3D GPS technology on the company’s two CAT D6 dozers, two CAT compactors, two CAT H Series graders and one M Series grader, two CAT and one Komatsu excavators. The business specialises in a wide range of earthworks applications, including final trim, bulk work, civil projects and landfill construction and capping.

“We purchased our first GPS grader system around eight years ago from Topcon’s Australian distributors, now known as Position Partners, and we haven’t looked back since,” Mr Cornfoot explained. “These days it’s a standard part of our business and every time we get a new machine, it gets fitted with Topcon.”

When asked why Cornfoot Bros is a ‘Topcon-only’ company, Mr Cornfoot explained that it was the customer service and support provided by Topcon’s Australian distributor, Position Partners, that made the difference.

“We tried a competitor brand once and the system worked OK, but we didn’t have the same level of service and support that we were used to with Position Partners,” he said. “We made the decision to be Topcon-only after that, because we are thoroughly looked after by Position Partners’ local team in Melbourne.

“Whenever we need a new installation or any sort of technical advice, their field service technicians are out on site very quickly and we know we can rely on them,” he added.

The company also utilises Position Partners’ remote service tool, Tokara Service, which enables technicians to login to the machine control system remotely to change settings, calibrate the system, update software or train the operator. “Tokara is a great time saver and it’s especially useful when we’re working on a remote site,” Mr Cornfoot said.

Mr Cornfoot describes the key benefits to their GPS equipment are time saving and elimination of rework. “We put the material down once and move on, there’s no rework with our Topcon systems, which saves a lot of time.”

Cornfoot Bros first ventured into machine control solutions more than 14 years ago with indicate-only Topcon systems. “The indicate-only technology worked very well for us, but once we upgraded to fully automated 3D GPS the difference was unbelievable and there was no going back!”

Cornfoot Bros also uses 3D GPS technology for bulk earthworks on dozers. In recent years they have been using Topcon’s state-of-the-art 3D-MC² dozer solution, which has a unique sensor that updates the blade position up to 100 times per second for faster, smoother operation. “Topcon 3D-MC² is a truly revolutionary solution, we have been very impressed by the grading accuracy  and the speeds we’re getting from our dozers with it,” he added.

Mr Cornfoot explained that the addition of 3D machine control saves them an average of 20% in time saving for every job. “The safety element is also key for us, as it removes the need for guys to put pegs in the ground near machinery,” he added.

Feedback from Cornfoot Bros operators is also positive: “Our operators say they have a greater sense of achievement and ownership of their work thanks to the machine control they have on board,” Mr Cornfoot said.

“If they’re digging a trench, they can get 200 metres into the job and get guys in to lay the pipe straight away – knowing that the bedding is correct – so they can move on with the next section,” he added.

The company ensures its employees attend regular training courses with Position Partners Campus. “Our rover guy goes to courses a couple of times a year to learn about the latest developments and new functionality that’s available, plus our operators are given in-field practical training out on site.

“All in all we highly recommend Position Partners,” he added. “Their customer service is good, their support is good, their training is good and we have a great relationship with their local team here in Melbourne.” 

By Gina Velde

Following extensive market research and testing, one of Australia’s largest coal mines is set to increase productivity and safety by deploying Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) technology. 

Gary Robertson is a registered surveyor and senior engineer at a large coal mine in Central Queensland. His working teams have been nominated for Delivery Improvement Awards the past three years running, while he has been awarded ‘Young Professional of the Year’ at 2013’s Queensland Spatial Excellence Awards and nominated for the ‘National Individual Award’ at the upcoming Asia-Pacific Spatial Excellence Awards. Mr Robertson has a unique ability to discover ways in which the latest technology can be adapted and intertwined to benefit mining productivity. 

For example, he recently worked with technology suppliers to devise solutions for real-time reconciliation on draglines by combining scanning systems and dragline monitoring systems to improve productivity. He has also taken part in multiple ACARP & CSIRO projects in mobile mapping and GIS functionality. “I enjoy learning about new technology and exploring ways to adapt it to improve mining operations,” he said.   

He’s been keeping an eye on the development of Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) technology since 2000, when the first military drones were released and hobbyists were designing their own remote-control aircraft and has become a UAS controller himself. “I could instantly see the potential for surveyors to use an unmanned aircraft for a wide range of applications on a mine site. It was just regulations and computing power that let us down,” he said. 

How UAS benefits mining operations

Because UAS can carry different payloads, such as an infrared camera or even gas monitoring equipment, Mr Robertson explains that they can benefit a wide range of mine applications, including:

• Reconciliation: using photogrammetry techniques for monitoring stock pile volumes and design comparisons for excavation and dumping equipment (where a fast turnaround of data is essential so that mining operations can take action while the machinery is still in the area)
• Rehabilitation and environmental: using infrared and multi/hyperspectral payloads for vegetation mapping and topsoil monitoring
• Geology and geometric applications: UAS can cover a large area that could previously only be mapped with manned aircraft
• Gas monitoring and spontaneous combustion: fly aircraft into the area to monitor sulphuric gas levels. Without UAS the monitoring is ‘hit and miss’, as it involves setting out monitoring devices based on wind direction in the hope something is collected
• Imagery: multispectral 3-band imagery for use in presentations, data analysis, and QA of GIS layers
• LiDAR: use for volumes, excavations and dumping, reconciliation, dig versus design, ramp grades & width compliance
• Geotechnical monitoring: detect movement in the spoil piles by comparing UAS data to scan data 

As the first UAS designed for surveying and mapping began to appear around 2008, Mr Robertson explained that they were hindered by computer processing power and the lack of post processing software capable of handling the huge amount of data that a UAS collects.

“Recently there have been great improvements in both, so I re-instigated the process of investigating the best setup for our mine site in earnest,” he explained. “Finding a system that would do imagery and photogrammetry was easy enough, but finding something that would satisfy the company’s rigorous health and safety guidelines, approvals process, and be capable of holding various sensors for different site tasks, all with limited impact on current resource requirements for site was another matter entirely.”

Finding the best option

Mr Robertson began a comprehensive Critical Analysis and Job Step Analysis (JSA) to determine the best solution for the company, which has now been sent to corporate so that the findings can be reviewed for other sites and as a corporate business improvement review article. “We reviewed every option available on the market, comparing fixed wing UAVs with multi-rotary systems, petrol-run versus battery-operated, large versus small, payloads, targets versus RTK. We looked at systems from America and New Zealand as well as those available locally in Australia.”

“We dismissed systems that used a catapult launch because of the energy the catapult stores inline with company HSEC guidelines and also petrol/combustion crafts due to the maintenance side of the regulations & certification,” he added. “We also needed a solution that had semi-autonomous control so that you could take over either mid-flight or during landing to avoid any potential obstacles. Larger aircraft often needed some sort of catching device or descended by parachute – there was too high a risk of them getting blown off course and landing in the wrong area. RTK systems appeared to reduce turnaround time compared with conventional target placement systems.”

In addition to the analysis of the hardware itself, as a CASA approved UAS controller Mr Robertson explored the possibilities of owning and operating the UAS outright, or contracting a service provider that will conduct the flights and post process the data. “Because of the CASA requirements to become fully certified, we thought the best option was a service provider who was experienced and had all the required qualifications in the short-term, until the business sorts out the CASA UOC, Chief Controller & Maintenance Controller requirements. It can’t just be a buy and fly approach as some people think due to the aviation regulations.”

A Mining solution …

Mr Robertson has worked with a local service provider to explore and test a potential mining solution. Matt Ewing, director of UAS service provider company Airmap3D, recently conducted a demonstration flight and data analysis over the mine with his SIRIUS and SIRIUS Pro UAV.

“The hardware met all of our safety requirements, as it is launched by hand just above the operator’s head and it has semi-autonomous control options to ensure a safe landing,” Mr Robertson said. “The data it supplies is well within our accuracy requirements and the SIRIUS Pro has the unique ability to map accurately without setting out ground control points through GPS RTK solutions. This has the added safety benefit of removing surveyors from the active mine site environment while also reducing job request turnaround times.”

Mr Ewing has extensive experience with UAS technology, having conducted more than 160 flights since his company launched in 2013. Like Mr Robertson, he saw the instant appeal of unmanned aircraft for mining, having worked as a mine surveyor for ten years.

“For me, the appeal in UAS technology is that it gives you the perfect vantage point for conducting surveys,” he said. “All terrestrial systems face two main challenges on a mine site: covering a large enough area and getting a good vantage point where you can capture the right data. UAV systems are the ideal solution to both of these problems.”

Mr Ewing also did his homework before committing to a UAS. “I was starting my own business that was completely centred around this technology, so I had to make the right decision,” he said. “As with any complex technology venture, I also needed to buy from a supplier that would be able to support me.” He opted for the SIRIUS UAV, distributed in Australia and New Zealand by Position Partners.

“The accuracy, ease of use and reliability of this UAV is astounding,” he said. “I carry out quality assurance on every job that I do and consistently achieve a mean accuracy of around ±50mm xyz, with a standard deviation of less than 100mm. But I can often get ±20mm mean accuracy, with only a 50mm standard deviation.” 

Mapping like a pro

Before purchasing the newly-released SIRIUS Pro, which eliminates the need to set out ground control points, Mr Ewing faced the challenge of getting site access to the mines in order to set out. “Organising the logistics to get out and set out the ground control points was a long process that would add up to a whole day to each job,” he explained. “But now with the new Pro system, I am able to achieve the same if not better accuracies, without having to go through the ground control setup at all. 

“That means I can deliver a job to a mine site, from start to finish including data processing, in half a day,” he added.

Mr Ewing has said the response he has received from mine surveyors has been very positive. “Because I can supply them with a wealth of accurate data in a short period, they can focus on data analysis and other tasks and not spend time manually walking the site to collect data. Having stood out in the scorching Queensland sun myself collecting data with GPS for many years, I can understand why they love to see me arrive on site!” 

Basic 3D machine guidance offering grade (cut/fill) for every, single machine? I can hear the salivation of positioning sales professionals around the world. The goal is ambitions but is it so far fetched?

The benefits of 3D positioning and guidance is well documented yet adoption remains mostly in its’ infancy. This is especially true when considering all of the applications and all of the machines that are beneficiaries of the technology. So if the technology is such a differentiator positively impacting safety, accuracy and productivity, why then doesn’t every machine (or even half) have 3D machine guidance as standard equipment?

Let’s discuss a few of the “challenges.”

Warning! Steep (Learning) Curve Ahead

There is the perception that setting up a job site for GPS site control is difficult. For those that are not familiar with the process (and for some that are) this can be true. As with any technology, there is a learning curve. The day is not here just yet where a piece of earth moving equipment is unloaded on a job site, engine started, with all parameters ready to go. There is technical preparation, but it is getting easier.

A. RTK Correction

GPS is a primary positioning “sensor” for machine guidance. The principals for accurate kinetic positioning (machines and site supervisors moving about a site) require that the GPS receiver at the rover receive a positioning correction. This is usually broadcast by radio and received by radio although there are other methods (see the references at the end of this article for more information). But the real-time kinematic (RTK) correction must be established in order to acquire and maintain a moving position. Challenges may arise if there is a mix of GPS brands between the base station receiver and rover receiver or base and rover radios. Radio channels and message protocol must also be compatible. System developers are making this connection easier and more automatic. I akin this to the past difficulty of connecting a modem by setting up parameters such as baud rate, parity, stop bits. These settings are still required but they are buried under the “hood” so to speak and people just turn on and connect.

Next challenge and critical component, localising the machine to the site.

B. Localisation or Site Calibration

A machine or GNSS rover must be localised or calibrated to the site for which it is about to work. The Texas DOT provides the following definition:

“Site calibration or localisation is a process of computing parameters which establish the relationship between WGS-84 positions (latitude, longitude and ellipsoid height) determined by GPS observations and local known coordinates defined by a map projection and elevations above mean sea level. The parameters are used to generate local grid coordinates from WGS-84 (and vice-versa) real-time in the field when using RTK surveying methods.”

That is a mouthful and intimidating to some. Site calibrations usually include occupying control points, preferably 5, to perform the calculation. This step can be reduced or even eliminated with some RTK network providers but still, you have to know what you are doing. If not calibrated properly, the machine is simply not going to be referenced accurately. Site calibration/localisations are easier to accomplish than years past but the principles are the same. Again, developers are creating easier more intelligent methods along with a simpler user interface.

That brings us to the next challenge, the design or digital terrain model.

C. Digital Terrain Model

A digital terrain model (DTM) is the digital representation of the of the site design. The design communicates grade elevations, slopes, building corners, etc. and traditionally is delivered as blue prints (paper). The blue prints are read and the information is transferred to the ground by driving and marking stakes (pegs) which offer a physical reference for the machine operator. This is a crude method “guessing” between stakes when compared to using a DTM and 3D machine guidance system.

The DTM files must be compatible with the 3D machine guidance system. The files are imported and the site calibration (described above) aligns the machine(s) on site to design. This is a simple enough process but often the DTM is provided from various sources thus can be in different file types. Typically, a machine operator or site supervisor will use a data prep service or hire the expertise to operate within the company. Again, simple enough but these are critical steps required in order to be sure your machine is beginning accurately.

The importing or loading of digital files is a fairly easy process. But building the model and checking its integrity before getting to the site is a key to 3D machine control. I would recommend using a professional until you get the hang of it. Remember, expensive earthmoving equipment and machine control systems are powerful, productive and even sexy to watch. But they are like printers, they just sit there waiting for data. If the data is bad, they print gibberish.

Initial Cost for Basic 3D Machine Control

The initial investment may just be the biggest challenge to having higher adoption. There are different configurations for different applications that can increase the cost. For example, for fine grading or paving applications, you likely will augment laser or robotic total station technology that will cost in addition to the basic system. Hydraulic controls for 3D machine control and faster axial sensors with 100mhz+ update rates cost extra. But their productivity benefits are easily justified if you have the right kind of work that requires these extra features.

But GNSS prices have been coming down over the last 6 years. Other factors such as system providers recognising basic systems have their own applications have sparked a lower system cost that is sure to continue. For basic grading for dozers, graders, wheel loaders, scrapers and compactors, pricing starts at around 50K per machine not including the base station. There are rumblings that new systems will be available in 2014 that start just below the $35,000 price point. This is serious technology at never before seen price points. This increases the value proposition not just by the lower , more affordable cost but also by easier to use, simpler systems. These types of systems will surely make 3D machine guidance more accessible to more machines and to more applications. No longer is it just the “big companies can afford machine control” or “only complex applications require machine control.” This is approaching standard equipment.

Summary

3D machine control offers the same task that manual staking and grading has provided for years. The primary difference is paper plans become digital terrain models and an operator’s view of a grading stake has become a digital grid referenced on a computer display. The operator recognises a grade reference and moves the cutting blade to work towards the design cut. While adoption challenges remain, 3D positioning is maturing and with that maturity comes a more affordable, simpler to use value proposition. Let us pose the question again:

“If the technology is such a differentiator positively impacting safety, accuracy and productivity, why then doesn’t every machine (or even half) have 3D machine control as standard equipment?” The answer is it surely will and that day is soon approaching.

By Randy Noland – www.randynoland.com
Reprinted with permission from MachineControlOnline.com 

References:
Texas DOT Glossary
http://onlinemanuals.txdot.gov/txdotmanuals/ess/glossary.htm

Internet RTK-A Changing Model by Joe Sass
http://machinecontrolonline.com/joe-sass/2701-internet-rtk-a-changing-model

Why Standards? Interoperability through RTCM and NMEA by Joe Sass
http://machinecontrolonline.com/joe-sass/2700-why-standards-interoperability-through-rtcm-and-nmea

Internet RTK-A Changing Model
http://machinecontrolonline.com/joe-sass/2701-internet-rtk-a-changing-model

Construction GPS-Animated Overview by Sitech SE
http://machinecontrolonline.com/general-industry-videos/4724-construction-gps

Surveyors @ Work specialises in civil construction surveying throughout the east coast of Australia. With some 25 employees, the company puts strong emphasis on staying abreast of the latest technology, including Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) surveying, to remain competitive.

UAS manager Wade Mills is passionate about the opportunities this emerging technology will bring to the survey industry.

“We believe that UAS will become an integral part of surveying in the future,” he said.

“Surveyors @ Work is committed to the technology because we can see the potential for a UAS to collect the majority of survey data for all subsequent analysis work.”   

The biggest advantage, Mills explains, is the level of detail and the speed at which it is captured.

“We surveyed a 60-hectare landfill site to 30mm tolerance in five hours,” he said. “It took two hours to put in the ground control targets and another two to three hours to fly the site. After a few hours’ work, the client has an accurate, time-stamped survey as a permanent record of all assets and height measurements.”

Safety and ease of use are the other key benefits to UAS over traditional surveying methods. Some mine operators are soon to introduce zero interaction between light and heavy vehicles, which will make life impossible for survey crews according to Mills.

“When such policies are introduced, UAVs will be one of the only viable alternatives, as they can be set up and controlled away from the pit to remove any risk to survey crews.”

Quarry Stockpile Test Site

Mills is quick to point out that far from replacing the work of surveyors, UAS technology is purely an additional tool to help save them time and increase productivity, often at a critical time of the month when they have a narrow window to calculate volumes.

“UAS can quickly capture the data and save a considerable amount of time for the crews. The surveyors still need to set out the control points and calculate all the volumes and so on, we simply provide them with the data model to work from,” he adds.

When it came to choosing the right UAS setup, Mills explains the company took its time to find the right solution.

“Some of the first products to market were not quite robust enough or suitable for our purposes,” he said. “We did our research and it was only after testing out the SIRIUS that we found a solution we were comfortable with.”

The SIRIUS UAS can be flown in automatic or autopilot assisted mode, which Mills says is an important differentiator. “It’s good to be able to manually control the plane if you need to, but the autopilot assist means it is easy to manoeuvre. You don’t need to be a pilot to fly it!” he added.

The greatest challenge has been the ability to process the incredible amount of data captured during a flight. 

“But the software is developing quickly and we are now looking into new solutions that hopefully enable us fast processing and presentation of the data. We need it for calculations, but also for video data fly throughs and 3D presentations to clients.”

Now that the initial fervour over high tech ‘toys’ has passed, Mills believes the key is to prove their capabilities by comparing UAS accuracy with traditional survey methods. Surveyors @ Work has already done this for volume calculations of a quarry, putting the SIRIUS UAS to the test against the company’s Leica C10 scanner. Only a 1.5% difference in volumes was recorded.

“Like anything new, there was a lot of hype about UAS when they first came out but the technology needs to be proved before it will be widely adopted,” Mills added.

A second case study between the C10 scanner, the SIRIUS UAS and a GNSS-based survey of a NSW coal mine will be released shortly.