Member spotlight: Stegg Civil on GPS and Machine Control in your business

Technology and advancements in machine control can be the best investment you will ever make. It will save you time, rework and help your bottom line.

I have been working in GPS machine control for over 25 years and I can’t imagine construction life without it. I have made plenty of mistakes – you may also – but I hope these top 10 tips will help you or your business:

1. Understand the Process
GPS in civil construction on the ground can be a magnificent tool in the toolkit. From  using the data on your computer to assist with measuring distances, areas and volumes – to setting out on site accurately – to data in the machines for machine control.

Data needs to be sourced then interpolated, interrogated and simplified in a CAD software like Topcon Office and then sent out to the site controller for (in most cases) a “localisation”. This will scale the project to match the survey control given in your contract.

The file can then be used to set out all civil works on site and sent to machines for excavation / grading. GPS and machine control can include GPS survey Rovers, Total Stations, MMGPS and machine Control.

“Corrections” are sent to your GPS rovers or machines by way of either radio (Spread Spectrum or UHF), or a cellular network connections (paid subscription).  Make sure you know what each means or which is for right for you.

Mixed fleets may include different machine control manufacturers which will also require files to be converted to differing formats.

2. Have a champion
Find and nominate someone in your business that has an interest in technology and Civil Construction. This person needs to be able to liaise with designers stakeholders clients and, most importantly, your construction personnel.

They will have a keen eye for detail and always challenge the technology and the users of it. Knowledge of data and survey is helpful but it can also be learned. This person can be a Survey Manager but does not need to be a surveyor. I call us “Civil Surveyors”.

3. Good data
Machine control is nothing without good data.

By this I mean the digital information that comes from the design engineer into the rovers and machines.  It must be simple for the end user. Good data is easy to follow on site with layers that are easily turned on and off as required with good survey control and a localisation.

Different surfaces should be clearly named. If your job has a localisation make sure the control used to localise surrounds the project footprint well and there are at least four used for both horizontal and vertical accuracy verification. Your horizontal and vertical accuracy should typically not exceed 30mm.

4. Training, training, training!
Once you have rolled out your GPS and machine control in your business it is critical to budget for – and action – ongoing training to improve your employee’s skills and to learn from any mistakes that have been made.

Stegg Civil and GPS machine control online videos for excavator Topcon Machine Control and regularly train businesses in the formulation of data right through to the operation of machinery.

5. Challenge your norm
“That’s the way we’ve always done it”.

That is great but challenge this norm. Technology can help with efficiency and safety!

Use machine control to your advantage. I know sewer contractors that have excavated deep shafts for many years (often a couple of attempts to fit the Shields in) and then improved their process with machine control by digging the edges 50mm clear of shields for a perfect first time fit.  No-one near the edge of deep excavation checking level or plumbing a stringline down.

6. Reach out to other users more advanced
One of the best ways to improve is to surround yourself with people who are better than you at a particular skill.

Always reach out to other users in your business or keep an eye out on social media for expert users and ask them questions. Sharing is caring. We are all in this together and it is critical to share industry knowledge and particularly share industry mistakes to make sure they are not repeated.

7. Always check things as you go
Be competent and get confident with GPS and machine control but always continue to check as you go.

Check against survey rovers, check eastings and northings, check against  block pegs, check against TBMs and survey marks placed by others, check against other machines!

If there is a discrepancy, learn how to troubleshoot. It may be in the data or the machine configuration, or the localisation, or it could be operator error (choosing wrong side of the bucket), or even the old “height of the rover pole” used by the Civil Surveyor.

8. Have good site / machine files and keep them up to date
Make sure you have a good system for your machine file creation and also as you modify your files make sure you have a consistent naming convention.

Also have a process to roll these files out to multiple Rovers or machines possibly all working on the same site. This can be done by way of toolbox meetings or use of existing software applications that will roll this out automatically.

It just has to be managed. I use the project name followed by the date in reverse. E.g. “Strand stage 8250130”.  This way you can keep the project file revisions in order easily. I like to keep adding to stages of a project rather than a separate file for each stage.

I will use previous data in a new file and mostly just add new localization where it is required.

If you add to the file (e.g. pickups on site with rover or machines) get it back to the base file on your server (renamed and rolled out in a timely manner where required)

9. Backup data, keep in machine and in central location
Always keep your data in a central location. This includes:

• Project files for the survey Rovers or machines;
• Machine configuration files (I also recommend the machine files in an excavator to be kept on a USB in the machine as backup);
• Network account username and passwords;
• Software licences shared passwords.

10. Keep an eye on the future and learn what is out there
Keep an eye on where technology is headed and how it may help your business.

It might seem expensive in the beginning but early adopters can really see great value before the market catches up.

Excavators, Graders and Dozers form the basis of machine control in many countries but look out for other uses for machine control technology, such as:

• mmGPS,
• LPS (Total Station Machine Control) for work under trees or in factories;
• Concrete pavers, kerb machines, milling machines, asphalt pavers;
• Compact Equipment – More recently there has been a move to smaller machines as technology becomes more important to owner operators who want assistance with material control and a great final product!

Be in control with GPS and machine control!

👉 www.steggcivil.com.au

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