The latest generation of Emlid GNSS receivers are transforming the workflows of busy surveyors.

PARTNER FEATURE

Road & Civil Surveys and Geotwin are sibling NSW-based companies, with the former focusing mainly on construction projects and the latter concentrating more on modelling and data capture. One thing that both businesses have in common is their use of Emlid Reach GNSS receivers to boost the cost-effectiveness and efficiency of their daily work.

“The Emlid Reach RS3 was introduced to us through a few other surveyors as a very cost-effective solution,” says Garry Elali, Operations Manager with Geotwin. “So, we got in touch with Map Gear and started trying them.”

According to Elali, the businesses quickly recognised another benefit over and above the cost-effectiveness. “What we noticed was an easier, streamlined connection between the RS3 and 12d Field; we didn’t need any third-party applications on our tablets to connect them. That was a big thing for us.”

Elali says that many other manufacturers require you to install their own software or a third-party software package in order to use their instruments. The data from the Emlid RS3, however, transmits through a simple Bluetooth connection directly to 12d Field, one of the world’s most widely used surveying software modules.

“The advantage of 12d Field and GNSS receivers like the Emlid RS3, is that it enables a live connection to a real-world position; a live position within the digital data of the whole project or model,” says Graham Wirth, 12d Solutions’ Sales and Marketing Manager. “The surveyor can take a tablet out into the field and have the entire project on it, which includes the bridges, the drainage, the roads, the alignment, the line marking, right down to the natural surface.”

“For instance, you could be walking along the road and the foreman says, ‘Oh, while you’re here, can you set out the drainage for the pipes coming tomorrow?’ So you just bring up the model of the drainage in 12d and go and set it out,” adds Wirth. “And yes, the Emlid connects with 12d Field seamlessly, and we’ve even got the slope correction for the pole tilt running in it.”

“We’re finding that it’s the streamlined connection that the guys are loving,” adds Matt Carroll, State Survey Manager–NSW with Road & Civil Surveys.

Users are not restricted to using the RS3 with 12d Field, though. Emlid Flow is a free app for use on phones and tablets. There is also Flow360 — a web-based application for managing survey projects in a browser. This lets the user do simple work where the comprehensive breadth of 12d Field is not needed.

Fast and efficient

In terms of the efficiency gains, Elali cites a current project that involves three different sites in the Newcastle area, at each of which the Emlid RS3s have been deployed for setting out of rough piles for bulk earthworks. “Anything that needs ±30 mm accuracy, we’re using the Emlid instead of total stations,” he says. “Our surveyors are doing it faster and then moving on to other jobs so that the client doesn’t need to wait for set out.”

This efficiency adds up to a substantial time saving. For the RS3-suitable jobs, no longer do the surveyors have to spend 20 to 25 minutes just to get a total station out, set it up and do the checks. “On bulk earthwork jobs that time accumulates, because you might have six similar jobs to do throughout the day,” says Carroll. “So, by avoiding having to do that, you’re talking about potentially three hours saved.”

Elali concurs. “Some of these infrastructure jobs are about 11 to 12 kilometres long, so by the time you pack up all your gear, drive to the next section of the job, re-set up your total station, there’s another half an hour gone. But if you’re doing it with the Emlid, it’s obviously a lot quicker.”

And the time saving is not restricted to ground-based operations. For drone surveys with the Geotwin side of the business, “We’re using the Emlid to survey the ground control points; using the Emlid app or 12d Field makes it really fast instead of having to go through third-party software,” says Elali.

Cost-effective

Elali says the RS3 can do about 90% of what other GNSS receivers do in the sense of getting pretty much the same accuracy. But perhaps its major selling point is its affordability — around a quarter the price of a traditional GNSS receiver from other suppliers.

“The cost was the big thing for us to move across to the RS3,” he says. “When you’ve got a growing business and you have a lot of people on board, anything you can do to minimise your bottom dollar is important.”

The absence of proprietary restrictions is another factor, Elali says. “If we buy one of the well-known expensive GPS units, they are only great if you’re using them with a dedicated proprietary tablet or controller. So as soon as you want to go put a GPS unit on a backpack, on the car or on a boat, you can’t really do that with those units.”

“Having the RS3s means we can use them day-to-day in the field,” adds Carroll. “The surveyors can connect them to 12d Field, and we can also take them out and connect them to all the applications that we need for the Geotwin side of business as well. They’re far more interchangeable than other units on the market.”

The businesses are also using them with their drone operations. “When we do drone flights, we don’t really need to purchase a big, expensive machine when we can use the RS3 to pick up marks and survey them, without having to spend $16,000 to $17,000 on a different GNSS unit,” Elali says.

In a sure sign of their value for money, Elali adds that “It’s been about a year since we bought our first one; we’re up to nine of them now and we just purchased another three today”.

Dependability

Reliability is a further advantage of the RS3, says Elali. “You can do a job, turn the RS3 off, turn the tablet off, put it in the car and drive to the next job. But 50% of the time if you were using any of the other manufacturers’ instruments, you’re going to have some sort of connection issue the next time you try and turn everything on again. For example, your tablet might decide to crash because it’s running too many programs at once.”

“That’s something that’s eliminated with the Emlid, because you’re not running third-party software in the background of your tablet the entire time,” he adds.

Dependability also comes in the form of Map Gear’s sales and service. “Map Gear’s service is great,” says Elali. “They’ve got a guy in Queensland who’s solved every problem I’ve had, which is amazing. I can say nothing but good things about them.”

Summing up the RS3’s advantages, Elali says that “If we really look at the main aspects, it’s 1) cost effectiveness, 2) no third-party software required, and 3) the streamlined connection”.

“We’re going to be buying more, so it’s definitely become part of the furniture.”