Load & Haul

Kiwi contractor, quarry benefit from complimentary drone survey

The company recently benefited from a free drone survey – offered as part of Komatsu’s SmartConstruction concept – that its surveyor Steve Ross won during the Intelligent Machine Control (iMC) launch in the Hunter Valley last year.

The survey was carried out at Winstone Aggregates’ Flatop Quarry at Silverdale, north of Auckland, where C&R is undertaking overburden removal and rock selection.

Scott Jaimeson, the SmartConstruction Support Centre manager for new equipment construction and utility, carried out the survey.

According to Ross, the survey data would be used for volume calculations and future design work. “It was very interesting to see this new technology in use – it makes traditional methods look obsolete in terms of safety and efficiency,” Ross said.

“The point cloud data is more dense and more accurate than our typical GPS rover survey. In addition, the field work was completed in 15 minutes, compared with several hours using a rover.”

C&R has carried out overburden removal works and assisted with daily operations at Flatop for the past two years. The company was established in 1998 and continues today as a family-owned business. It owns and operates a large selection of medium to heavy plant that can be hired to suit a range of applications, specifications and timelines.

Using Skycatch high precision drones, SmartConstruction’s drone service offers full project and data collection integration across entire machines, sites and projects at a fraction of the time and cost of conventional ground-based surveys, including:

  • Site survey cut/fill and stockpile volume calculations, allowing users to:

  • Measure quantities to confirm cut and fill estimates.

  • Identify potential delays and verify truckload estimates.

  • Carry out continuous as-built surveys.

  • Progress tracking and site logistics, eg:

  • Billing verification and work-in-place tracking.

  • Site logistics overlay and site constraint analysis.

  • Quicker and more accurate site planning.

  • Online collaboration/communication, eg:

  • Frequent map updates for improved safety and co-ordination with outside agencies.

  • File exports for data manipulation, reporting and site meetings.

“Industries that can benefit from this service include civil construction, quarrying and mining, and we have added value to a number of clients across all three sectors,” Aaron Marsh, Komatsu Australia’s national technology solution expert manager, said.

“It’s also designed to allow integration to Komconnect, and real time as-built file management and reporting through iMC.”

Source: Komatsu Australia

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