Building a better future with measuring technology

Author:Renata Barradas Gutiérrez

Houses, buildings, schools, bridges, roads and any infrastructure you can think of stand not only in the material and structure that support them but in the work and know-how of the people who built them. Qualified and skilled labour has never been more vital for not only the construction industry but for the economical well-being of societies and countries. Craft trade schools, vocational schools and trainee programs can provide the valuable hands-on and work experience needed for construction projects and building construction companies.

The农村发展组织（RDO）成立于2012年,并hed in Tanzania, is aware of the life-changing potential of learning a new trade. RDO, in partnership with Eine Welt Gruppe Schlins - Röns, works to improve the long-term living conditions of the people in the regions of Mdabulo and Kilolo, in the highlands of Tanzania, through diverse programs based on the principles of sustainability and knowledge transfer. RDO is opening opportunities to young men and women through vocational training and building projects – undertakings where Leica Geosystems equipment has proved useful.

The transformative power of lasers and levels

For young people in the region, mainly living from subsistence farming, RDO training centre is a hub of opportunities to expand their prospects by接受有关各种工艺交易和可持续农业实践的培训. RDO’s beneficiaries usually come from an agricultural holding and completed compulsory schooling but couldn’t continue their studies. The training provided by RDO in specialised areas includes practical and theoretical courses and is completed by a state examination.

“Craft trades have no tradition here, which is why craft training places are rare, and the infrastructure for such training is generally very poorly developed. In addition, there are only a small number of secondary schools, which are only affordable for a fraction of the population,” explained Johannes Rauch, project manager at Eine Welt Gruppe Schlins - Röns.

Tosupport the mission of RDO, Leica Geosystems donated aLeica NA730 automatic level, aLeica Rugby 800 Seriesrotating laser and a distance metre to the organisation. Since then, the equipment has been key to support RDO projects.

“We use Leica Geosystems equipment very frequently and very often. This has made our work much easier. In the training for building craftsmen, these devices increase the value and the modernity of the training very much,”劳赫说。

RDO - Centre in Mdabulo – A multi-purpose rammed-earth building built together with graduates and pupils of the RDO - craftsmen school established. The architecture project was provided by ETH Zurich students.

在Mdabulo的RDO课程中心，通过动手社区项目，学生们使用自动级别，旋转激光和距离计来了解建筑和获取技能的基础。学生学习使用橄榄球系列激光器进行不同的应用，包括土地级别，成绩检查，斜坡领带，垂直对齐模板和隔离墙。同样，使用NA730自动水平, learners understand how to measure distances, set as-sign datum lines, define height differences and read heights.

“发生通过定期培训课程at the building craftsmen's school. The use of laser and level equipment is now firmly anchored in the curriculum. Every year, about 40 students are trained in the use of lasers, levels and distance metres,”said Rauch.

提供饮用水，建造更好的学校

Leica Geosystems equipment is also used in the construction of the region’s infrastructure, including schools, buildings and water supply works. As of today, three water supply concrete tanks have been erected and four school buildings at two school locations are currently being built.

“Leica Geosystems equipment is particularly useful in the construction of our project buildings, such as school buildings, student hostels, craft workshops, administration buildings, agricultural stables, teaching kitchens, teacher's accommodation, water tank construction, pump houses and field surveying for water pipes,”said Rauch.

RDO的一个关键计划是村庄饮用水设施的建设和管理。RDO和Vorarlberg的专家配备了Leica Geosystems设备，以及村民，从春季流域挖出水管进入村庄，韦尔斯和创始的水上合作社。

Surveying the construction site of an elevated tank in the village Isele, Tanzania, to provide water supply.

Planning, digging and building a water supply infrastructure in a hilly terrain with deep valleys and heights is not an easy task. To do it right, the NA730 automatic level is used over long distances of up to3.5 to 4 kilometres to measure foundationsand precisely plan pipe-laying terraces in connection with gravity pipelines.

“Previously, the foundations were done with a slat and spirit level or with a cord spirit level. Deviations up to 15 centimetres at distances up to 15 metres were the rule,”said Rauch.“The use ofthe levelling device greatly simplified planning and made it safer.而且，我们已经成功地提高了准确性。”

Empowering people

Empowering people and ideas to do their greatest good – this is the ultimate purpose behind Hexagon’s technology solutions. In this sense, RDO is leveraging construction tools in Tanzanian communities to deliver access to clean water, provide the structures so children attend school, and prepare a generation of young individuals with a trade and skills to face current and future challenges. Access to measuring and positioning technology has the transformative power not only to build the world around us but provides skilled labour the means to earn a livelihood.