How did Infomap come to be involved in Machine Guidance?
Our background has been of survey and mapping using traditional equipment, but the advent of GPS and now GNSS enabled a significant change in the way we surveyed. For over 4 years from 2004 we worked on 210kms (yes! kilometres) of the major gas pipelines in Wales using exclusively GNSS to carry out the pre-construction surveys, then the survey of the as-built position of the pipe in the ground prior to backfill, then the production of 420 final plan and profile drawings to complete the required information. At every stage, GNSS equipment was used along with ground modelling to create profiles from the survey data. This experience showed us that machine guidance in construction was absolutely essential. Our unique GNSS machine guidance demonstrator is the result of our desire to bring all our experiences together and show a better way of doing things in construction.
