There is a new way to talk about transportation among surveyors and engineers. Now, I will be the first to admit that there is a huge personality difference between the two. Neither personality is bad thing, it is just a thing. What the engineer says is often times not what the surveyor hears. Project communication goals must be clear from the beginning. Why is the project being done? What is expected from the data? What is the time frame? These are questions that define the approach that the surveyor will take, whether traditionally or by using technology like terrestrial mobile LiDAR scanning (TMLS). As the surveyor expands the tools of documentation that allow them to mine data from their survey at later time, up front communication will allow for a seamless workflow of sustainable data. As the additional applications of data expand with technology so must the communication.
The goals for each project must be clearly defined. Public mobility needs safe highways that can accommodate the traffic flow. The traveling public wants to get where they want to go quickly, without incident. And, they want to do it with one person in a car per destination. But don’t get me started on limited usage of HOV lanes and public transportation. That is another BLOG. What the transportation industry is looking for is accountability, community based planning, and a performance driven plan. At the early stages of a project the engineer relays to the surveyor that data needed is usually needed for planning purposes.
The second stage of the project requires a topographic survey usually including the utilities. So how do you get these two phases of a project completed without undue rework? A detailed written plan including time lines for phase deliverables and clear objectives. The traditional surveyor may or may not collect all the field work during the first phase, planning, but usually they just collect the data needed for the planning stage. The second phase, topographic survey for design, may be collected months or even years later. TMLS collects both phases quickly during the planning stage. This allows the engineer to look at different concepts using the point data during the planning stage and will eliminate multiple trips to the field by the surveyor to collect additional information whose value was not foreseen at the beginning of the project.
So regardless if your project is utilizing TMLS or traditional survey, be sure to focus on the communication between the surveyor and the engineer, it will pay dividends throughout the project life cycle.
The second stage of the project requires a topographic survey usually including the utilities. So how do you get these two phases of a project completed without undue rework? A detailed written plan including time lines for phase deliverables and clear objectives. The traditional surveyor may or may not collect all the field work during the first phase, planning, but usually they just collect the data needed for the planning stage. The second phase, topographic survey for design, may be collected months or even years later. TMLS collects both phases quickly during the planning stage. This allows the engineer to look at different concepts using the point data during the planning stage and will eliminate multiple trips to the field by the surveyor to collect additional information whose value was not foreseen at the beginning of the project.
So regardless if your project is utilizing TMLS or traditional survey, be sure to focus on the communication between the surveyor and the engineer, it will pay dividends throughout the project life cycle.
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