Leica GS18 T扩展了可以使用GNSS的站点

2019年，日本北海道的一家测量公司BM Field Co.，Ltd。将GNSS RTK ROVER（Leica GS18 T）添加到其测量工具包中，此后就在各种各样的网站上使用了它。这包括灌溉运河，荒野区域，甚至是滑坡地点。在这些站点上的工作更容易，因为GS18 T用倾斜的杆精确测量，消除了需要高浓度和额外时间的水平工作。GS18 T提高了工作效率，降低成本并在更具挑战性的条件下实现了GNSS调查。

GNSS增强的虚拟参考站测量

BM Field, headed by Tomokazu Aoyama and based in Sapporo, Japan, is a private surveying company with a reputation for completing surveys in challenging conditions. Their customers are building and surveying companies that work with government bodies across the Hokkaido region.

"We've been involved in many agricultural surveys to gain an understanding of field areas and create land improvement plans. We’ve also conducted disaster prevention surveys to understand landslides and create recovery plans. And so we’ve gained a reputation as an experienced company capable of handling work in forests and on steep and rocky hillsides,” says Aoyama.

Surveying in challenging conditions

BM Field uses Leica Geosystems equipment to help make this challenging work possible. Even before he set up his own business in 2008, Aoyama was using Leica Geosystems’ products.

“与市场上的其他测量工具相比，它们是班上最耐用的仪器。从那时起，由于其稳健性和可靠性，我继续使用Leica Geosystems的产品。亚搏彩票手机版下载即使是现在，我们的乐器一直在雨中潮湿，但是Leica Geosystems的产品却耸了耸肩，”他笑着说。亚搏彩票手机版下载

Aoyama purchased the Leica Viva GS08 plus in 2015 as the company’s first GNSS system. The GS08 plus receives signals from multiple satellite sources, including GLONASS and GPS, and signals are rarely blocked by tree branches or utility poles.

Before this purchase, the company did some GPS-based VRS and RTK surveys but had difficulties depending on location and time of day to get reception from the relevant type of satellite. Thinking that multiple satellite systems would expand the range of sites where surveying could be applied, Aoyama invested in a new GNSS system.

“On introduction, the impact was immediate,” he says. “It has greatly improved our on-site work efficiency.”

Tilt measurements eliminate 250 ladder ascents in an irrigation survey

At a 2019 trade show, Aoyama was introduced to theLeica GS18 tGNSS RTK rover. The “T” in GS18 T stands for tilt, referring to its tilt compensation.

“After hearing that it can measure accurately even with a tilted pole, without calibration, and that it is immune to magnetic disturbances, I strongly felt that this is what we needed,” says Aoyama. “And I was just about to work on the perfect project for it.”

该项目是对高度超过1米的农业灌溉管的调查。

没有GS18 T，测量师将需要爬入运河并为每次测量的杆平整。由于他们无法在灌溉运河的底部行走，因此测量下一个点意味着使用GNSS系统爬上梯子，然后再次回到下一个位置。

The 5-kilometre-long irrigation canal was surveyed at an interval of 20 meters – repeating this method, they would have had to climb up and down 250 times, and it would have been very tough.

“当我尝试了GS18 T,我印象深刻。它could take measurements with the tilted pole so there was no need to climb up onto the canal wall and no need to worry about the bubble. Also, there was no need to carry out troublesome calibration before starting work. So we were able to complete the on-site work in an astonishingly short time but with the same results,” explains Aoyama.

The company has taken measurements in locations that defeated conventional equipment, such as places where visibility is limited and in large areas of wilderness. Aoyama feels that with the addition of Galileo, the analytical capabilities of the system have clearly improved.

Aoyama continues to add Leica Geosystems GNSS technologies to his company’s surveying toolbox. In 2020, BM Field acquired theLeica Viva GS16GNSS smart antenna and have now a system that makes RTK surveying possible with a small number of personnel.

Aoyama explains, “VRS can't be used in the field if there is no internet connection, but with RTK, you don't have to worry about the internet connection. If the GS16 is installed in a location with a good view to the sky and used as a base station, you can carry the GS18 T into thick undergrowth and still conduct a good survey using real-time corrections.”

RTK的另一个优点是它可以节省通信成本。目前，该公司正在使用RTK进行80％至90％的GNSS调查项目。

"By combining VRS and RTK, we've significantly expanded the range of applications for GNSS antennas," says Aoyama.

测量长期长大的荒野和其他具有挑战性的网站

Let’s look at two more examples of sites where the GS18 T has strengthened the surveying capabilities of BM Field.

In the first project, BM Field was responsible for plotting slope details of a field to create a construction plan for under-field drainage.

"The site was a large agricultural field. I walked across it taking measurements at 20-metre intervals, and because there were no trees or utility poles to block the signal, the capabilities of GNSS were immediately apparent,” says Aoyama.

The second project was a disaster prevention survey. It was necessary to understand the current situation of an area before building a retaining fence to provide reinforcement and prevent landslides. In disaster recovery surveying, the boundary between the normal area to be maintained and the area that has collapsed must be clarified. So the GS18 T’s tilt compensation was very useful.

“On a steep slope about 15 metres high, there were many long piles from the old earth retaining fences, but the upper ones were ageing and had tilted diagonally. The underfoot conditions were so bad that if I couldn't measure with the tilted instrument, the job would have been impossible,” says Aoyama.

使用高极（左）和现场软件的屏幕Leica Captivate（右）测量

Expanding survey and post-survey possibilities with GNSS

目前，对于地形调查（包括路线调查），Aoyama优先考虑GS18 T，并在GNSS不符合需求的地方使用总站。

“It all depends on the situation on the site. For example, in the case of the cedar forest in Aoyama prefecture, there were tall trees close together and we couldn’t use GNSS. So, for that project, I created some reference points and then measured these using the Total Station,” explains Aoyama.

However, Aoyama recommends GNSS in locations where visibility is poor, locations where detours must be made and locations where it is inconvenient to bring in heavy equipment.

“For people who say GNSS can’t be used because there are trees, I suggest they try RTK,” Aoyama advises. “Of course, if the site requires millimetre accuracy, I will opt for a Total Station, but if an accuracy of 1-2 centimetres is sufficient, I won’t hesitate to go for GNSS.”

Post-survey office work is also straightforward with GNSS.

The GS18 T and controller at the survey site utilise the 3D field softwareLeica Captivate在里面Leica CS20controller. After returning from the field,Leica Infinityoffice software is used to import the measurement data into a PC. Then, a plan view and vertical/horizontal cross-sectional views are created on a surveying CAD system.

“When you use Captivate on-site, it's convenient because you're constantly made aware of the accurate position and tilt of the pole,” reflects Aoyama. “The on-screen 3D viewer is also easy to read because of the sun mark and colour display features.”

Aoyama particularly likes the navigation function that indicates the next stakeout point on the screen with an arrow. Walking in the indicated direction brings you easily to the measurement point. This function is visually and intuitively easy to use and is especially helpful when moving crosswise.

此外,无穷小鬼roved data analysis and saved time from potential rework for BM Field.

Aoyama说：“ Infinity提供的自由度和适应能力比其他公司的软件更高。在数据分析中是一些反复试验的范围。实际上，由于这种灵活性，有时我们避免了重做站点测量值。”

Faster on-site work and cost reductions boost competitiveness

Introducing the GS18 T has brought BM Field several benefits, expanding the range of sites where GNSS can be used and increasing on-site work efficiency

As the GS18 T can be combined with the GS16 to perform RTK, it is now possible to conduct GNSS surveys at sites with adverse conditions, including lack of internet connectivity. Additionally, data can be received from a broader range of positioning satellites. This, together with the improvement of data analysis, has enhanced the capabilities.

By using GNSS extensively, BM Field has also increased the range of sites where measurements can be taken with a very small number of personnel, leading to a reduction in costs. Similarly, since it is no longer necessary to keep the pole vertical, far fewer person-hours are required for on-site work.

A plan view created by surveying a 10ha wilderness

”的产品介绍GS18 T,它说s 'work productivity is increased by 20%. But the increase is much higher than that. As an example, a project which would otherwise have taken 30 days before was completed in 10 days, we are now able to do double or triple the work,” says Aoyama.

这也带来了增加的利润，并将BM领域与竞争对手区分开来。

BM Field is well regarded by its customers for efficiently implementing both VRS and RTK and their knowledge of implementing GNSS in difficult conditions. This has increased work orders from nationwide construction consultancies in Aomori, Iwate and other areas outside Hokkaido.

当他的下一步行动时，Aoyama正在考虑GNSS接收天线Leica GS18 i，使用视觉定位技术。

“I'm always hoping that I'll be able to do more GNSS surveying in adverse conditions that I currently have to give up on. One solution would be the capability to use images to measure point coordinates,” says Aoyama with optimism.

Aoyama’s expectations for the future evolution of Leica Geosystems GNSS surveying technology are high, including the potential for BM Field to use these technologies to master new surveying challenges.