Connected Construction

Software innovations boosting construction efficiency

February 6, 2017

Software innovations can help road construction and asset management – Mike Woof writes New developments in construction software offer major benefits for civil engineers, contractors and maintenance firms. The latest advances will help optimise the construction process, while also allowing easier monitoring of existing assets. In terms of construction, Bentley Systems is again pushing the bar with regard to advanced software solutions. Its latest OpenRoads ConceptStation package is said to combine en

Arizona uses 1Spatial for inventory for the FHWA requirements

February 6, 2017

The US state of Arizona is using 1Spatial’s technology to send a yearly update of its entire road network to the Federal Highway Administration. As required by law, all state governments must do this and many have created a data set of their road network. But much of this is held at county level. The challenge, now that data has been collected, is how to keep this information up-to-date and accurate. 1Spatial software will automate the data validation process and also the change process. The technology w

Bluesky Aerial Mapping sees the trees and not the forest

February 6, 2017

Scientists at the University of Lancaster in England are using 3D data produced by Bluesky to refine a tree failure-risk model Pinpointing trees that might collapse onto roads and other infrastructure currently uses complex wind analysis techniques to assign a level of risk to individual trees. The data is Bluesky’s UK National Tree Map, laser mapped 3D height models, colour infrared (CIR) data and soil data. It will help identify individual trees and their proximity to roads as well as electricity insta

Sokkia is offering new field service solutions for GNSS

January 31, 2017

Sokkia is introducing new field and office software solutions for its total stations, robotics and GNSS rover systems. These are the GeoPro Field and GeoPro Office packages. GeoPro Field provides a graphical user interface designed to collect field measurements for land surveying and construction activities. Sokkia GeoPro Office is the office-processing complement to the field software and can clean, process, and analyse field data into an easy-to-use form. The office software can also be expanded wi

Nicaragua building new coastal highway

January 26, 2017

Nicaragua is planning to build a new coastal highway that will improve transport connections between capital Managua and Rivas in the south of the country. Work on the design of the first section of the new highway is now commencing. The route will run close to Nicaragua’s Pacific Coast and is intended to boost trade and transport. The contractor that will carry out the construction work has yet to be finalised although initial plans had suggested that the firm Inocsa-Edicro would be responsible. A 131km hi

Power Curbers performing on machine control

January 25, 2017

And Power Curbers based in Salisbury, North Carolina reports steady throughput at its factory. Becky Lane at Power Curbers said, “A lot of domestic customers are ordering machines now.” This improvement has come because the market for work in parking lots and housing sub-divisions in the US has seen a steady gain. Demand for new machines has increased as a result and particularly as many contractors had previously held off on purchasing new equipment. Lane said, “The markets have picked up and prices are hi

Runway rebuild for Detroit airport

January 25, 2017

A US contractor has employed equipment from Guntert & Zimmerman to help carry out a runway rebuild at Detroit Metro Airport The busy airport handles around 30 million passengers/year and the project had to be carried out in a tight timeframe as a result, with the paving crew working 16 hours/day to meet the schedule. Ajax Construction has been using its G&Z S850 paver for the work, which was needed as the existing concrete surface on runway 4L/22R had suffered from an alkali silica reaction (ASR). The

Leica Geosystems offers smart compaction tool

January 12, 2017

Leica Geosystems is now offering a sophisticated machine control tool for use with compaction equipment. The firm’s advanced iCON roller package is said to offer contractors an effective solution that can deliver constant and effective compaction on any site. The new iCON roller has on-screen visualisation to show the user where completed passes have occurred and where more are needed for consistent results. Colour coding helps avoid costly reworking as pass count progress is constantly tracked. The unit

Smart compaction at Istanbul airport with BOMAG machines

January 6, 2017

A new airport project is benefiting from some of the latest developments in compaction technology Work started on a new airport for Istanbul in June 2014, with the facility set to be one of the world's largest and to set new standards when it opens for business.