GPS Reference Networks

One of the mistakes we see companies make is they forget to be Boy Scouts (always be prepared).  In an effort to save a little money we often do not get back ups such as extra batteries, cables, etc…  This cost cutting usually ends up costing you more than you saved when everything goes down.

The same thing applies to working on GPS Reference Networks.  We assume that this simple solution that saves us thousands of dollars is a perfect end all answer and while it is great it is not the total solution.   We forget the variables involved such as the range of the receiver from the base, cellular connections, and let’s face it the base is being controlled by someone else.

When the company I worked for sent a GPS crew out to survey they had a back up.  When a standard crew went out, they had a back up.  I remember working in Louisville, KY one winter after a nice snow had come through and the temp was well below freezing.  We took 2 extra batteries for the total station which was a good thing because the old batteries did not hold up so well in the cold.  With about an hour of surveying left to do we had gone through the first two batteries and the third was starting to show signs of failing.  Several hours drive back to the office and a client wanting their job done that day did not leave us in a good spot.  My old friend and the Survey Manager (who was much smarter than me) chuckled when I started to hop in the truck to head back to the office.  He came around the truck with a level, a rod, and a tape.  We finished the job that day.

It can be expensive to have these extra things, but when you need them the savings is almost unmeasurable.  Reference networks are no exception.  The idea of being able to work miles from a base (over 20 miles in some cases) without having to ever set the base up or figure out the position is huge and something I would encourage more people to look in to.  The problem is that we get too relaxed and buy a single rover and have no back up plan.  When we reach the limits of the range of the network, the end of cellular coverage, or the network goes down you are essentially shut down and that is not good.

What do you do?  Go to plan “B”.   With so much new technology coming out right now we are finding great deals on used older technology GPS receivers.  We are also seeing products like the Altus APS-3 that can operate as a network rover, or as a base/rover.  For anywhere from $5,000-$12,000 you can have a back up plan that over time can save yourself down time, lost production, and most importantly money.

So do yourself a favor and be a Boy Scout….always be prepared!

Topcon acquires InlandGEO

Award-winning European dealer of Topcon and Sokkia positioning products expands to distribute Topcon precision agriculture throughout Europe, Middle East and Africa

LIVERMORE, Calif. – May 26, 2010 - Topcon Positioning Systems (TPS) has acquired InlandGEO, one of Topcon’s top performing distributors. InlandGEO is headquartered in Madrid, Spain, and has four additional offices in Spain, two in Portugal and one in the Canary Islands.

In addition to continuing to distribute Topcon and Sokkia positioning products to the construction and survey markets in Spain and Portugal, InlandGEO will become the headquarters for distribution and support for Topcon precision agriculture products in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Established in 1987, InlandGEO “has a deep knowledge of the positioning industry, starting with lasers, machine control and precision land leveling systems,” said Ray O’Connor, TPS president and CEO. “This acquisition reinforces InlandGEO as a premiere Topcon and Sokkia distributor in Spain and Portugal, and now provides the opportunity for rapid growth of Topcon’s position in precision agricultural markets all across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.”

From 1993 through 2005, InlandGEO was a top European distributor of Trimble positioning products. It acquired one of the world’s largest Sokkia dealers in 2002, and then acquired Topcon distribution for Spain and Portugal in 2005.

O’Connor also announced that Carlos Monreal, InlandGEO president and CEO, will remain president of the company, in addition to his current duties as vice president of global agriculture for Topcon Precision Agriculture (TPA), and he will be responsible for TPA’s European operations. TPA is a business unit of TPS and is led by Albert Zahalka, senior vice president and general manager for the division.

Tony Hirayama, former executive vice president of TPS and president and CEO of TPA, as well as holding several positions with Topcon Corporation in Tokyo, will assume the position of CEO of InlandGEO. Dave Mudrick, president of Topcon America Corporation, the holding company for TPS, will be chairman of the InlandGEO board of directors. Ewout Korpershoek, managing director of Topcon Europe Positioning, Ivan Di Federico, TPS senior vice president of global engineering, and O’Connor round out the board of directors.

Monreal praised the acquisition, saying, “The global scope of the new board of directors, with officers from Europe, the United States and Japan shows a strong commitment to InlandGEO and its expanded customer base. This acquisition is a very positive step for Topcon, InlandGEO, the company’s employees, customers and potential customers.”

Topcon Positioning Systems, Inc. (TPS) designs and manufactures precise positioning products and solutions for the global surveying, construction, agriculture, civil engineering, mapping and GIS, asset management and mobile control markets. TPS’ parent company, Topcon Corporation (Tokyo Stock Exchange – 7732), was founded in 1932.

Autodesk Floats Design Tools in the Cloud

Company releases new details on Project Butterfly collaboration tool and outlines plans for cloud computing offerings around MoldFlow and Inventor

Beth Stackpole, contributing editor, software/hardware — Design News, May 17, 2010

Autodesk filled in some pieces of its vision for putting design tools in the cloud, releasing new details on its Project Butterfly collaboration tool and announcing two new Software-as-a-Service initiatives surrounding Inventor and its MoldFlow offering.

Project Butterfly, as described by Tal Weiss, lead software development manager at Autodesk, allows AutoCAD users to view, edit and collaborate in real time on DWG files online. With this cloud computing technology, anyone with a Web browser can log onto a site and access the same version of a file as opposed to the current way many engineering teams collaborate, simply by e-mailing files around.

“Our intent is to enable AutoCAD users to take any AutoCAD file and upload it to the cloud using this application, and share it with anyone at a remote site without the need for the software,” says Weiss, who came to Autodesk last November when his company, VisualTao, was acquired as the foundation technology for Project Butterfly. “The only thing they need is a browser — there is nothing installed on the disk and they can pan and zoom, annotate and edit files.”

Dave McGee, lead CAD technician at Lacy and Ebeling Engineering Inc., a structural and industrial engineering firm, has experimented with the Project Butterfly technology preview. Most recently, he and a client at a remote site conducted a co-editing session on a 2-D AutoCAD drawing showcasing a load-out facility for a truck. “Rather than the time-consuming task of having to send him a PDF, then calling him and having him tell me he wanted something in the northwest corner, we didn’t have to do any of that,” McGee says. “He was looking at his 2-D drawing, I was looking at mine, and I just followed his pointer and it was pretty obvious what he wanted.”

Weiss wouldn’t say when Project Butterfly would be commercially available. Users can download the technology preview at Project Butterfly.

In related news, Autodesk announced a couple of other SaaS efforts: Project Cumulus, which leverages the cloud computing model to deliver more computational horsepower for MoldFlow plastic design simulations; and Project Centaur, which lets Inventor users offload simulation tasks to the cloud. Both technology pilots, currently available to select Autodesk customers, leverage the cloud to lets users perform simulations they traditionally wouldn’t be able to do on the desktop.

“We’re letting users leverage the untapped potential compute power of the cloud to bring optimization into the equation,” says Jeff Wymer, Autodesk senior product line manager, digital simulation. “We’re allowing the MoldFlow designer to optimize their design and get the best results with unrivaled performance and capacity compared to the desktop.”

The new technology will run as a lightweight desktop, allowing MoldFlow users to set up their geometries and input locally. Once they hit “solve,” the lightweight application will transmit the data to the cloud for computation and will return the results back to the desktop when finished. The amount of processing time will vary depending on the complexity of the design, however, the technology works asynchronously so it allows users to conduct normal computing during the simulation.

Project Centaur, aimed at mechanical engineers, is focused on the pervasive problem of design optimization, helping users reduce material weight while achieving quality targets. Similar to Project Cumulus, Project Centaur will run as a small plug-in on the desktop, allowing users to retain the user of their computer while the simulation is in progress on the cloud. Project Centaur is also aiming to push the envelope in terms of usability, delivering simulation capabilities in such manner that they can be utilized by the broad spectrum of mechanical engineers, not just simulation experts, Wymer says.

There is no official availability date for either Project Centaur or Project Cumulus.

Remember when….

With so many people making the move to windows 7 for reasons that include upgrades in their CAD software I thought I would address some of the common things I am seeing and hearing.  I have heard conflicting reports on if you should move to a 64-bit Operating System (OS) or not, and for the most part my answer is YES!

Windows 7 comes in a 34-bit version as well as a 64-bit and as I found on my new laptop you have to specify which version you want.  I thought by selecting Windows 7 Professional it was a given, but now a month and a half in I just realized that I was sent the 32-bit version.  The upgrade if you catch it early is an easy re-install.  For me at this point it means I have to start over again which I am not ready to do today.

To verify your version click the button then select CONTROL PANEL.  Once you are in the Control Panel, click the system and security option .  Once here you can click the SYSTEM option to see information about your system including the system type (32-bit or 64-bit).

Now why does it matter if you have 32 or 64-bit?

Memory, memory, memory.

If you are working on with large images, scans, Lidar or any other large data set this will make or break your production. Make sure you get the 64-bit of Windows 7 if you want to take advantage of all of that memory you purchased.

For more information follow the link below to go to Microsoft’s page on Memory Limits.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa366778(VS.85).aspx

Trimble Adds CAD Point Creator Software to its Building Construction and MEP Portfolio

New Trimble Point Creator Office Software Provides the Ability for Contractors, Engineers,
Detailers, and Architects to Create 2D and 3D Points for Field Layout within their Native CAD Application
NEW ORLEANS, May 5, 2010 — Trimble (NASDAQ:TRMB) today introduced the Trimble® Point Creator Software for contractors, engineers, detailers, and architects supporting the building construction industry as well as mechanical, electrical, and plumbing trades. The application, available in two versions—Trimble Point Creator and Trimble Point Creator Pro—provides a platform where Computer Aided Design (CAD) users can create 2D and 3D points easily transferrable to and from a Trimble LM80, Trimble MEP, Trimble TS Series Total Stations as well as other total stations. The application is compatible with popular CAD platforms such as AutoCAD, Bricscad, and ZWcad.

The announcement was made today at the Associated Builders and Contractors 2010 Educational Conference, the association’s annual gathering of merit shop contractors, subcontractors, material suppliers, and related firms throughout the U.S.

As the construction industry continues to push the utilization of Building Information Modeling (BIM) practices for cost savings, overall efficiency, and project data collaboration. Trimble Point Creator Software enables users to create 2D and 3D points directly within familiar CAD platforms—and then easily share with field layout software/controllers. For the project manager utilizing CAD drawings for information as well as point creation for field layout, Trimble Point Creator works seamlessly inside CAD software, simplifying data preparation for layout.

By incorporating common industry standards and file formats such as .cnx, .dwg, .dxf, .csv, and many others, Trimble Point Creator Software supports the transfer of points to and from a Trimble LM80, Trimble MEP, Trimble TS Series Total Stations as well as other total stations on the market today. And with overall data integrity playing a key role in the effectiveness of deploying BIM throughout a project, Trimble Point Creator is designed to retain each point�s attribute data, even when imported from a field controller file.

The introduction of Trimble Point Creator Office Software to Trimble’s Building Construction portfolio demonstrates a continued commitment to leveraging technology to deliver solutions that provide a strong return on investment for a broad range of contractors and trades on the industrial, commercial, and residential construction jobsite.

Trimble Point Creator and Trimble Point Creator Pro Software are available now through Trimble’s worldwide Building Construction Distribution Network.

About Trimble’s Building Construction Business

Trimble’s Building Construction Division is a leading innovator of productivity solutions for the building construction contractor. Trimble’s solutions target site prep, general, concrete, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing contractors on large and small commercial, industrial and residential jobsites. Trimble is focused on delivering solutions that tightly link office based process and information with the field crew—including taking Building Information Modeling (BIM) and other design data to the field for highly accurate positioning and layout of foundations and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems. Trimble solutions provide a high-level of process and workflow integration from the design phase through to the finished project—delivering significant improvements in productivity throughout the building construction lifecycle.

About Trimble

Trimble applies technology to make field and mobile workers in businesses and government significantly more productive. Solutions are focused on applications requiring position or location—including surveying, construction, agriculture, fleet and asset management, public safety, and mapping. In addition to utilizing positioning technologies, such as GPS, lasers and optics, Trimble solutions may include software content specific to the needs of the user. Wireless technologies are utilized to deliver the solution to the user and to ensure a tight coupling of the field and the back office. Founded in 1978, Trimble is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif.