I lost what??

I have had a few calls about this in the last 2 weeks and while for many of us who have been using AutoCAD for a decade or longer it is easy, for new folks this is an important topic. “FATAL ERROR. THE PROGRAM HAS CAUSED A FATAL EXCEPTION AND MUST CLOSE.” Whether I get an error like this, or the battery on my laptop dies the end result is that the program is terminated abruptly and abnormally (in some cases catastrophically).

It is not always the end of the world. The first thing to do is grab your horseshoe, 4 leaf clover, rabbit foot, and jar of salt….

In the video below I am documenting steps for recovery when we are talking about Carlson Field with the IntelliCAD option. Much of the same information works when using AutoCAD or other Carlson programs such as TakeOff or Survey with the Embedded AutoCAD engine. Because my most recent and most urgent call involved Field and IntellICAD that is where I am focusing.

First let me explain a little about the data. Carlson stores the graphics in a DWG file and this applies to AutoCAD, AutoCAD OEM, and IntellICAD. For each drawing file created you should have a BAK file which is stored in the same location as your drawing file and should be current up to your last save. Beyond that there is an AutoSAVE file being stored based on the AutoSAVE settings specified in the program. This is not always good news for us old guys because one of the first things we often change is the interval of those AutoSAVE files. First check the time interval and make sure it is set to something reasonable (5-10 minutes perhaps, if you are a belt & suspenders kind of person go with every 1-2 minutes).

Now after the graphics we have the data. In Field we have both a CRD file AND a RW5 file. The CRD file contains all of our coordinates and the RW5 has all of our angles and distances and setup information. The video below shows how to verify where this is stored and what you can do with it.

The reality is that upon a fatal crash it is not always bad news. Often times much of what we were doing can be recovered. Take a deep breath, rub your lucky rabbit foot, toss some of the salt over your shoulder, and begin looking at the recovery options shown below.

Running out of data?

We have all had times where we did or had a survey done for us and just didn’t have quite enough data to do all of the things we wanted to do.  I am not talking about missing a point or two I am talking about acres of topo data, or data in places we couldn’t get to.  We have all been faced at some point with the task of looking to augment the data we already have, or at least find ways to get massive amounts of topo data without re-surveying it.

I remember surveying a large manufacturing plant back in Tennessee and having large areas around the plant we needed to topo.  Walking around with a prism for two weeks was NOT an option.  We “mounted” our GPS rover on the truck and took off.  The topo was crude, but it got us the data needed.  Since that time LiDAR and other types of data have become more readily available.

You often hear people talking about DEM files from the USGS.  These data sets were widely available but not many people knew what to do with them.  Today we even find the National Elevation Dataset, or NED available from the USGS, but again what can we actually do with those files?

Working with data is something I have spent years doing.  Over the last 10 years I have spent time teaching others how to do it as well.  To me data is all the same, I just need to know what format it is in and what the desired output needs to be and from there we can do anything.  It does not matter if you are a contractor with a roll of paper needing points to layout a building, an officer with a crime scene that moves from a residential street inside a building, or an Engineer looking to augment the survey data you have.  Start by determining what you have, figuring out what youwant to accomplish and then figuring out how to get from A to B becomes easier.

Recently for example we had a client looking to use NED data to augment the survey work they were doing.  How could they get profiles from this file that no one knew about?  Bring it into MAP, generate a surface, and then the rest just happens.  Once you know what you have and what you need, overcoming the obstacles preventing you from getting there become easier.  For example now that you know you have NED data and you need to get data out of that into MAP you know you need to be looking for ways to import the NED files into MAP.  Have no fear the video posted below will show you just how to do that!

To Download or Not to Download….

I think there are two main issues I want to address here, first when should you download data from your data collector, and second how should you download from your collector.  The easy one is when you should download.  To  answer that question start by asking yourself how much data you feel comfortable losing.  It is not a matter of if something will go wrong and you will lose your data, but what will be the most inopportune moment it will happen and how many weeks will it put you behind.  I never hear of someone losing their data after they collected one point, it is always in the middle of a big job when the client is breathing down their neck and they have been working for weeks.

Daily or weekly backups are a good idea, monthly or quarterly only work if you are using the data collector once a month or once a quarter.  The fact is you want it backed up almost as often as you use it.  You can clean it off once a quarter or once every 6 months, removing old data that you should not need any longer.  I also recommend downloading everything before making a large change like a software or operating system upgrade.  While many of those upgrades are intended to work with no hiccup and no lost data you never know what can go wrong.

Now once you have determined your back up schedule how do you do it?  Most data collectors have office software that corresponds with the software on the data collector for seamless data transfer.  Sometimes these can be quite archaic and in some cases too cumbersome for larger data dumps.

“Use the technology Luke”.  Using programs like ActiveSync you can “sync” your data collector to your computer and transfer data just as you would moving it from one folder to another on the computer.  The hardest part here is getting the device to sync initially.  Here are a few tips or suggestions that might make life easier.  If you are using Windows Xp or older on your computer, use Active Sync which can be downloaded form MicroSoft’s web page.  If you are using windows Vista or 7 go with Windows Mobile Device Center.  You will often have to launch a program on the data collector such as “PC Link” to get the device to begin communicating with the computer.  There are also questions on the cables and while you can use mini USB to USB, or 9 PIN to 9PIN, or 9 PIN to 9 PIN with a converter to USB, the key here is to make sure the port is working and the connection is recognized by windows.

The bottom line is that the transfer process should be relatively painless and easy and you should do it as often as you can.  Don’t wait until everything has been lost to decide you should be backing your data up, start today!

Trimble Expands the Quantm Alignment Planning Product Line with Desktop Option

SUNNYVALE, Calif., June 10, 2010 — Trimble (NASDAQ: TRMB) introduced today its Quantm™ Desktop software for road alignment planning to complement its existing alignment planning system. The innovative new Quantm Desktop software simultaneously considers construction costs, environmental restrictions, social constraints and legislative obligations, allowing infrastructure planners to thoroughly examine all alternatives and select the most appropriate corridors for roads. When compared to results using traditional industry best practice planning methods, the software can provide significant reductions in project planning time and cost for road projects.

Since 2000, the Quantm System has supported road planners through the complex process of generating and selecting corridors and alignments. Unique alignment optimization technology generates millions of alternative alignments and provides a range of options for review by various stakeholders. As the project progresses, different scenarios are created using the latest terrain, geological, topological, social and environmental inputs to iteratively produce revised results for consideration and refinement. Using a thin client and advanced IT technology, the Quantm System accesses data that is processed on the Quantm server and is implemented on a consultative project-by-project basis.

The new Quantm Desktop software is ideal for a variety of short distance projects such as local and regional roads, bypasses, ring roads and many others. The Quantm Desktop software version has been optimized to take advantage of unique Quantm technology to process the data locally on the user’s computer. The Quantm Desktop also allows the customer to use the software for multiple projects rather than on a project-by-project basis. For larger road and rail projects, Trimble continues to offer its Quantm service using a thin client and advanced IT technology to access data that is processed on the Quantm server.

At the pre-feasibility stage, the Quantm Desktop software can be used as a tool to aid decision making, determining the macro viability of the road corridor options. The software generates multiple alignments that cluster into primary corridors, while maintaining the 3D geometric requirements and other project constraints. The result is a set of preferred alignments for public consultation.

Using detailed data in the preferred corridor, the software further optimizes and refines the alignment. Throughout the feasibility process new constraints can be added based on the detailed data collection and the alignment can be refined to address the social and environmental constraints.

The Quantm Desktop software is also available in a configuration for civil engineers and contractors. This version allows users to refine the vertical geometry to reduce earthwork and other construction costs, based on an analysis of the material flow along the road alignment, after introducing the project constraints to material flow.

The Quantm Desktop software is currently available and supported in North America, Australia and New Zealand.

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.