Measure What You See — How New GNSS Technology is Helping Surveyors Improve Efficiency

作者：Anne Pitkaenen

Many variables can complicate a surveyor’s job. Measuring a point where the view to the sky is limited can be difficult. Surveyors often face a race against time to survey a site before the first foundations are laid.

提高效率通常是迈向更有利可图的业务的第一步。无论您在现场面临什么挑战，依靠快速准确的测量设备都可以轻松克服障碍。

Capturing hard-to-access or obstructed points

Hard-to-access points are as much a part of a surveyor’s job as hard hats and high-vis clothing. Tackling them often requires additional equipment, which can complicate things and slow you down.

You might, for example, need to map a point of interest on the other side of a busy road. Crossing roads safely is difficult, and blocking the traffic consumes time at the site. Another common challenge is obstructed points. Take, for instance a point under an overhanging canopy. Without a view to the open sky, measuring with a traditional GNSS rover will be a challenge.

In most cases, and with most conventional RTK rovers, you have little choice but to measure the point using additional equipment such as a total station or a DISTO™.

这种方法没有错。有用。但是，所需的额外设备意味着在站点之间运输，更长的设置和处理时间以及额外的成本 - 所有这些设备都会减慢您的速度。

With its integrated camera, the newLeica GS18I makes this process far simpler. When faced with a hard-to-reach point, like our canopy example, there’s no need to try and reach it with other means. The GS18 I allows you to walk alongside the structure capturing images as you go. These images are used to measure survey-grade points, which can be further processed into a point cloud. Also, the GS18 I automatically defines the position and orientation of the images, making them ready to use for measuring instantly in the field.

Measuring hundreds of points in minutes

Accurately mapping hundreds of points, whether the entire façade of a building or several pipes crossing in a trench, can be time consuming. This is particularly true if the tool you use measures the structure point-by-point, as is the case with some conventional RTK rovers.

GS18我能够在您走路时在图像中捕获该站点。这些图像可以在现场或办公室中用于测量其中的点。这意味着即使是庞大的结构，通常需要花费数小时才能进行测量，可以更快，更有效地捕获。另外，您永远不会错过测量点。

您无需返回站点即可测量其他点，因为即使出现新的点需求，也可以从图像中测量它们。

In the office, points can be measured with Leica Infinity office software conveniently on a larger screen. Office time is, in general, less expensive than time on site — there are no disturbances and frustrations from weather and fewer risks.

Viewing data on site

Some imaging GNSS systems don’t allow you to review what you are doing on site. Those systems that use a GNSS together with a camera but don’t have Visual Positioning technology, like in the GS18 I, often require processing back at the office before it can be used for measuring. This means waiting to return to base to check whether you’ve captured everything correctly.

This just isn’t practical. If you’re visiting multiple sites in a day, you need to be able to review and upload work on the go and ensure you have everything you need before continuing to the next job. Anything else risks multiple site visits to correct errors, having a negative impact on your productivity.

The GS18 I approaches this more efficiently. When you use the GS18 I’s Visual Positioning, it automatically defines the position and orientation of the images, making them ready to use for measurement. Also, there is no need to pick a point across multiple images — the GS18 I automatically matches the point. All you need to do is pick the point and hit measure to compute coordinates instantly.

This means no waiting until you’re back at base to check whether you have mapped everything you need and the quality matches the project requirements. With the GS18 I, everything is available instantly. So, you can access the quality of the results on-site and leave the rest of the measuring for the large screens back at the office.

可以在现场审查积分，从而减少了错误的风险。您无需返回站点即可纠正错误或在等待返回办公室时延迟项目。

GNSS to empower your business

Surveyors will probably always face complications in their projects, but the right technology certainly makes things easier. Visual Positioning technology is providing access to many points that were previously unreachable with a conventional GNSS rover alone. And, with the GS18 I, surveyors now have a simpler, faster more efficient tool for handling whatever they encounter on site.

Tackling inefficiency in your surveying business starts with your equipment. And the GS18 I provides an answer to many of the common problems that cause it. Get everything you need to start transforming your business in a single, easy-to-use device.

What is Leica GS18 I?

Leica GS18 I是最通用的测量级GNSS RTK ROVER，使您可以测量与图像的遥控点或用极尖端测量的遥控点。它具有与GS18 T相同的功能，但具有添加的视觉定位技术。视觉定位技术，将GNSS，IMU和相机组合的传感器融合，使用户可以安全有效地达到以前无法访问或阻塞点。