topographical maps for initial routing

[John Foley]

Mike (& others) - Do you do all the post processing of the imaging data to get you output or is that farmed out? It would seem that  is alot of info to produce a working document, however powerfull that working document becomes. Does that then become the basis for all of you work (engineering work, cut & fill details, customer ready / presentation routng plans)? Do you then import that data into AutoCad or other SW?

Has anyone looked at LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging)as a way of generating the info to base your work off of?

[Mike Nuzzo]

John,
The resultant files are a CAD file and an aerial tiff file - 1 pixel = 1 foot.
I integrate both files and use that single file exclusively for the length of the project - it gets large, and I back it up often...
I do everthing from sketchs to cut/fill calcs - irrigation spacing - drainage - renderings all in the same file - not AutoCAD fyi.

I would like to hear more about LIDAR - last I checked it wasn't as cost effective.

Mike

[John Foley]

Mike thanks.

I heard about LIDAR and thought it a cool tool rather than sending out a surveying crew on a large site which in man hours could get expensive.  I imagine they could/would take imaging adata along w/ the contour data.

Well I guess the plane, pilot, operastor & associated hardware ain't cheap either.

[Mike Nuzzo]

John,
You're welcome.

The surveying crew was 2 guys.  And they installed about 20 panel points - they are 6' tall X's.
It is relatively easy if you know how to operate GPS - 2-3 days work.
I have surveyed extensively however - both sub-meter and centimeter.

Alone I once surveyed an entire existing course - for a renovation - elevations (1' contours) and features in a week.
The system consists of a base station and a rover (me).  They communicate with each other via radio and both with the satellites - getting better accuracy - cm.
It can get extremely difficult very fast - there are dozens of items that need to go just right - including setting up the equipment and coordinate systems.

To sub-meter survey (a single rover) a course takes 1 day for features and 1 day for the irrigation - 1000ish heads.  If you think of yourself as a giant pencil and the earth is your paper - it gives you a good idea of how the process works.

I bet Lidar would be more cost effective if mapping 10,000 acres.  Although I'd guess Tom D. would be able to get the greens and tees a little bit closer to use a little less property.

Mike