GIS as means of construction operations optimization
GIS as means of construction operations optimization
(OP)
Hello,
I am currently in school and am doing a research project on the use of GIS to optimize earthmoving operations. Having been on projects where sometimes amounts greater than 6M CY are moved, i most definetly see reason and feasibility for implementation of such a system that can aid in scheduling, estimating, (by creating a dynamic production rate database among many reasons) and all around improvement of data flow between take-off, scheduling, surveyors, PMs, etc. Be forewarned, in my mind, this is purely conceptual. The idea first came to me after reading a thesis, ht tp://fire. nist.gov/b frlpubs/bu ild02/PDF/ b02095.pdf
ANyhow, I am curious if this sort of thing is in use in any related form that someone may know of. Also, i am currently devising scenarios in which a system like this would be used. As examples, a dynamic production rate database or the ability of GIS to take data from surveyors or a GPS equipped dozer and and relate that to geotechnical data to create more accurate volume counts and potentially real-time relations to Actual Cost of WOrk Perofrmed (ACWP) and Budgetted COst of WOrk performed (BCWP). I relize I am not doing very well on communicating what it is I am talking about, but even if you're unsure, I would appreciate your input. Input regarding scenarios where this sort of system could potentially be of use would be awesome and greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Robert Hardison
I am currently in school and am doing a research project on the use of GIS to optimize earthmoving operations. Having been on projects where sometimes amounts greater than 6M CY are moved, i most definetly see reason and feasibility for implementation of such a system that can aid in scheduling, estimating, (by creating a dynamic production rate database among many reasons) and all around improvement of data flow between take-off, scheduling, surveyors, PMs, etc. Be forewarned, in my mind, this is purely conceptual. The idea first came to me after reading a thesis, ht
ANyhow, I am curious if this sort of thing is in use in any related form that someone may know of. Also, i am currently devising scenarios in which a system like this would be used. As examples, a dynamic production rate database or the ability of GIS to take data from surveyors or a GPS equipped dozer and and relate that to geotechnical data to create more accurate volume counts and potentially real-time relations to Actual Cost of WOrk Perofrmed (ACWP) and Budgetted COst of WOrk performed (BCWP). I relize I am not doing very well on communicating what it is I am talking about, but even if you're unsure, I would appreciate your input. Input regarding scenarios where this sort of system could potentially be of use would be awesome and greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Robert Hardison





RE: GIS as means of construction operations optimization
I don't mean to discourage you, I'm talking about the optimal solution, and there is a *lot* of room for improvement in what is used out there.
What you are trying to do will be extremely valuable. I would suggest considering using a CAD based system vs. a GIS system, with flexibility with regards to equipment availability (based on owned equipment).
Keep us posted!
RE: GIS as means of construction operations optimization
RE: GIS as means of construction operations optimization
As long as surveying is done with respect to state plane co-ordinates, or the conversion factor is known, it should be easy to integrate the data into GIS. A bounty of data should be available.
RE: GIS as means of construction operations optimization
rth
RE: GIS as means of construction operations optimization
RE: GIS as means of construction operations optimization
1. I think the larger earthwork contractors are always looking for productivity increases and they would be the ones that would support your GIS idea. The smaller firms generally don't have the capital to invest in "untried" methods.
2. Have you thought of contacting an equipment manufacturer like CAT or Terrex to help with the research?
3. The agrecultural industry uses GIS in a number of ways for soil testing, planting and harvesting. Some insight might be had from contacting IH, Deer or other AG company that currently uses the method.
RE: GIS as means of construction operations optimization
Just a very quick, hopefully useful, hint. If you finally go for a ESRI-based GIS, I would recommend programming your add-ins in Visual Basic, rather than Avenue (thus using more recent versions of the software). Interface with other applications, ease of communication, flexibility and capility of the programming language, future developments are among the reasons why.
RE: GIS as means of construction operations optimization
http://www.trimble.com/sitevision.shtml
The contractor had the complete finished grade plane down loaded into this system and didn't request any stakes. As I was in the role of adminstering the contract(inspection, etc) and not at all familiar with this system, nor outfitted with a backpack unit to check grades, I had my survey crew stake the job the same as any other job, slope stakes, and finish grade stakes. Our specs were basically + or - 6" on cut and fill slopes, and 0.05' on the subgrade plane. I was totally impressed, what I found was that on embankement and cut slopes, the were within an 1" of where they wanted to be, and it always high on the cut slopes, and low on the embankment slopes (thus reducing the actual excavation by almost an average of 5" over the entire job in the slope areas, exclusive of the area under the new pavement structural section. We used a hand generated mass diagram to figure where the balance points were. When it came time to check subgrade and base rock grade, over the 2 miles of roadway (~every 50'), we found only two spots that were about 1/2" high on base rock grade. We had the grader outfitted with the gps system pull up on itand set the blade down, and it agreed with what we figured by pulling a stringlines and stabbing grades.
They also had it mounted in dozers, and compactors. I believe trimble claims accuracys within 1" but I found it to be alot tighter (which is probably due to the real time kinematic grade calc's always having alot of satellites in site).
As this equipment constantly figures the coords of the two gps units mounted directly over the corners of the blades, and knowing distance down from the gps unit to the bottom corners of the blades cutting edge, it continously would calc their coordinates. As I recall, the only issue was that there was nothing mounted to the equipment which could figure the grade of slope the equipment was traversing, and thus always projected the two points down through a perfectly plumb plane. At the normal profile grades of the roadway 3,4, 5% etc, the error was negligible, but when the equipment was trackwalking side slopes up or down a 2:1 etc, when it should have been projecting on a plane perpindicular to the side slope, it assumed it was in a plumb plane through the gps unit pts. As this is a simple math problem, the manual calc to figure the adustment was simple.
With respect to economics, I recall making rough calcs to what I believed to be a break even point in the costs of this gps equipment to pay for it self due to savings on grade setters and stakeing,increased effiency of earthwork equipment. This job had about 150,000 cy of roadway exc. and total cost was about $4,00,000. As I recall, according to my rough calc's., it would have taken 3 to 4 similiar jobs to pay for the equipment they purchased. As they get alot of earthwork projects in the bay area, they obviously could justify it. I was very skeptical about this process, but was very amazed at how will it worked. Not sure what you are really asking, just putting my two cents worth of experience in.
I am also another subdivision project in the hills which was using this system. As this project had a whole lot of pads. As this project would have required alot more gradesetter hrs / cy exc/emb, I think its safe to assume purchasing the equipment would likely pay for itself alot quicker.
RE: GIS as means of construction operations optimization
THanks
RE: GIS as means of construction operations optimization
Do some searches for sitevision by trimble, you likely can find a whole lot of contacts.
I am also aware of a job where they used this near my home. Here is a link to an article about it.
http://www.cadinfo.net/editorial/eldorado.htm
RE: GIS as means of construction operations optimization