Collecting Accurate Measurements of Buildings for the Military
The Kansas Adjutant General's Department coordinates resources for local, state and federal use. They also develop internal use documents for the military, including surveying building interiors to create up-to-date and accurate floorplans for military members within Kansas.
They have 35 sites throughout the state, with some locations 100s of miles away from the headquarters. Further, the Adjutant General's Department manages approximately 250 buildings state-wide, totaling approximately 2 million sq. ft. of interior space. These factors have led to some difficulties in keeping up to date with projects and any changes to the building layouts.
The team found that when remodeling buildings they were having issues getting as-builts completed in time. As-builts are documents that are used to compare a building's design plan versus its final measurements. They also provide accurate blueprints of the building, and the surrounding land, as constructed at the end of the project.
“Being able to have one person go out to capture all of the data and have the most current floorplans, along with the accuracy of the scanners is a gamechanger”
Kansas Adjutant General's Department Use of Mobile LiDAR
To tackle these issues, the team decided to adopt mobile LiDAR technology to aid them in their projects. The goal was to scan over half of their 2 million sq. ft. of interior space every year.
The Mobile LiDAR solution is handheld, accurate and fast, providing the team with a perfect tool. In addition, simplicity and ease of use mean only one team member needs to travel to a site, when necessary. Data capture with mobile LiDAR led to a faster return on projects, higher levels of accuracy and a high return on investment.
By using mobile laser scanners the Kansas Adjutant General's Department has updated over 1 million sq. ft. of interior space, achieving their overall goal, with just one technician visiting half of the sites per year. The speed of capture means that the average time it takes the team to carry out a scan is just 20 minutes. By collecting accurate measurements, they can now regularly update their GIS database, which provides up-to-date floorplans throughout the state.
Collecting Accurate Measurements with the ZEB Horizon
Due to the success, they have expanded their use of mobile LiDAR technology by acquiring a ZEB Horizon, which they use in a variety of applications. The range, versatility and data capture points make the ZEB Horizon a great option for large exterior scanning. This is important to the Adjutant Genera's Department as they cover land of up to 50 acres.
Scanning Environmental Features to Work out Contour Lines
The Kansas Adjutant General's Department has tanks that contain hazardous material which they need to track carefully. Using the ZEB Horizon, they scan exterior environmental factors to figure out contour lines within a complex. This helps them work out where any spillages of hazardous material would go, should they occur.
Using the ZEB Horizon to Ensure Current Asset Management
With ZEB Horizon, the team carries out exterior scans for asset management. Due to the scanner's ease of use, one engineer can mount it to a truck and drive around a complex. This enables the team to scan an entire site and keep on top of buildings and resources.
The team is also looking to expand this by attaching the ZEB Horizon to a UAV in the future.
Collecting Accurate Measurements of Underground Oil Tanks
The ZEB Horizon's time-saving and accurate scans have proven to be a cost-effective method of data capture. For example, scans of underground empty oil storage tanks showed that the Kansas Adjutant General's Department had been overestimating the tank's collection capacity, leading to an adjustment of the servicing contract and ultimately a cost saving.
Useful Data
Since The Kansas Adjutant General's Department acquired Mobile LiDAR technology in 2018, they have carried out over 2000 scans and this number continues to rise. Further, the contractors and architects that create as-builts are now using The Kansas Adjutant General's Department to quality-check their work for accuracy. Using mobile laser scanners, they help find errors in specifications and relay that information to the contractors.