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ARTICLES
BROCHURE
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Who We Are
Our
company collectively combines 50 years of earth moving and Civil
Engineering experience to provide you with a data preparation service
for 3-D machine control, layout and quantity takeoffs. Daily we
use our knowledge, with McGowan-Stauffer,
Inc., thereby guaranteeing you that we can combine theory with its
real world application.
Don,
Mike and Jim McGowan
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GPS BASED MACHINE CONTROL AND HOW WE CAN HELP YOU
Technology
is constantly changing businesses, including the earth moving business.
In recent years there has been a lot of discussion about the use of
Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite technology to control the blade
elevations of dozers, graders, scrapers and other equipment.
A
short summary of how GPS based automatic machine control works:
GPS allows a piece of equipment to be located three dimensionally
on a job site. The computer,
located in that same piece of equipment, then compares its actual 3-D
location to a digital terrain model (DTM) of the proposed site.
Based on this comparison it then determines whether to
automatically raise or lower the blade. This same system also allows for complete site layout through
the use of a “rover” which is similar to a prism pole but it does not
require a theodolite.
Benefits
of GPS based automatic machine control and layout: Numerous
benefits occur when using GPS based automatic machine control and layout.
Such as:
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Improved
accuracy of finished grades, usually to with-in +/- .10’.
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Less
reworking grades thought to be completed.
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Performing
your own layout for projects thus eliminating the need for an
engineering firm. Also
eliminated is down time while waiting on restaking.
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Moving
your company to, what will be, the industry standard of the future.
The state of Minnesota already issues digital terrain models as
part of their bid documents on certain projects.
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For
monthly billing purposes, you’ll have firm quantities of how much
dirt has been moved.
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Reduced
Survey Costs
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Barriers
to automatic machine control: For
the small to medium size contractors the major stumbling block is the
generation of the digital terrain model (DTM).
This model provides the computer with the proposed site plan.
This is a stumbling block for several reasons:
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Lack
of in-house personnel with the knowledge to build digital terrain
models.
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CADD
files from engineering firms often need to be “cleaned-up” and
converted to the proper format for use in automatic machine control.
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Many
Engineering firms will not provide CADD Files, as they would like to
perform the layout work.
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How we can help you: Building
your digital terrain models in a timely manner and at reasonable cost.
This will allow your company to take advantage of all the benefits
that GPS based machine control and layout have to offer while being
economical. You won’t have to add personnel and software to the company
overhead. Also you will benefit by being able to compete with the larger,
more sophisticated, contractors in your area who have their own people to
build digital terrain models.
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