Best Surveying Equipment For Challenging Environments

There can be many on-site challenges for surveyors in capturing and recording accurate measurement data. Even if you have lots of experience using a type of site surveying equipment, your regular tools and knowledge might not be effective for the on-site conditions you’ll be facing.

Each project will create challenges stemming from the geographical location of the site, with soil composition and natural features playing a large part.

Regardless of the nature of your site, environmental conditions such as weather can also have a significant impact on your surveying approach. The World Meteorological Organization states that climate change is continuing to accelerate from pre-industrial (1850-1900) levels, bringing more variable weather to the UK.

In this article, we discuss the best surveying equipment to choose when completing accurate measurements and data collection in challenging environments.

One of the aspects that makes on-site surveying challenging is the range of different conditions which can create problems, and it’s possible to experience any combination of these factors. The UK is a prime example of a country which experiences a variety of weather conditions throughout the year, with additional variations in geology. Regardless of the location of your project, the following environmental conditions can create problems for unprepared surveyors.

• Heavy dust – tiny dust particles can disrupt delicate components within surveying equipment if it isn’t enclosed securely. This can be caused by either high winds or heavy site traffic kicking up particulates.
• Extreme temperatures – leading surveying equipment must be able to maintain consistent functionality in both hot and freezing conditions. Additionally, equipment should have features to ensure usability. For example, interfaces should be easy to operate by someone wearing gloves. Temperature extremes can often interfere with wiring and electrical components.
• Moisture and humidity – overly wet and humid conditions can cause equipment to malfunction if it doesn’t have adequate protections. The presence of moisture across a site can also create inaccuracies due to refraction and angle distortion.
• Uneven surfaces – sites with difficult terrain and hard-to-access areas can pose a challenge for surveyors when setting up equipment. This can lead to valuable time on site being wasted, or risk of miscalibration.
• Low visibility – area mapping can be challenging when equipment can’t make accurate point distance measurements. Whether it’s fog, sun glare, or another obscuration, surveying equipment should be able to adjust accordingly.

Trimble SX12 Scanning Total Station

The SX12 is an exciting new total station, incorporating powerful scanning capabilities. It can scan up to 26,600 points per second, which is combined with precision measurement and data collection for a complete surveying solution. This versatility makes the Trimble SX12 total station ideal for complex environments.

Furthermore, the ability to capture high-resolution imaging data and record accurate measurements from long distances enhances safety in challenging environments. By allowing the operator to distance themselves from site conditions whilst maintaining accuracy, the SX12 has seen use in the construction and civil engineering sectors.

Trimble S9 Robotic Total Station

This total station is designed for highly specialised applications, including tunnelling and monitoring. Its FineLock technology further improves the Trimble S9’s capabilities in engineering projects with impressive pointing precision. What’s more, the S9 comes with a rain cover and a rain lens cover for additional protection. When you need a total station to tackle harsh conditions, you can’t do much better than the S9.

Environmental protections of the S9 include:

• Operating temperature – -20°C to +50°C
• Dust and water proofing – IP67 rating
• Humidity – 100% condensing
• Security – dual-layer password protection

Trimble Dimensions IP67 rating demonstration.

Robotic total stations are typically a good choice for hazardous environments as they can be operated remotely, improving user safety without sacrificing measurement accuracy.

Trimble S5 Total Station

Another product in the Trimble S series, the S5 total station is a reliable piece of survey equipment for use in construction and engineering projects. Although it won’t reach the same performance levels as the more modern S9, it’s still highly dependable and can typically be a more affordable option for professionals in the field. The S5 features Trimble SurePoint and MagDrive technology, along with DR Plus EDM to maintain accuracy on site.

The entire range of Trimble Total Stations is incredibly durable, able to shrug off even the most extreme weather conditions as if they were nothing. Crucially, they remain easy to operate. This means there is almost no chance of disruption to your project.

Spectra SP100 GNSS Receiver

Another type of surveying equipment that’s ideal for working around tough environmental conditions are those that utilise GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) technology. This enables accurate mapping, point positioning, and data collection with minimal site presence.

The Spectra SP100 GNSS Receiver has all these capabilities, along with an ultra-rugged design for maintaining functionality in the face of extreme temperatures, dust, wet, salt, and wind.

One downside of using GNSS systems for surveying projects is that there can be signal interference. So while you avoid being hampered by many common ground-based conditions, you may be faced with new challenges to overcome depending on the location. Tall buildings often present a problem for GNSS and GPS survey equipment.

When planning surveying work, it’s essential to implement strategic health and safety measures. Any protocols and risk assessments should consider the aspects of potentially challenging environments in relation to your upcoming projects. Best practice recommendations include:

• Pre-calibration – minimising time in the field should be the goal of every surveyor for not only efficiency, but for user safety as well. Making sure all site surveying equipment is calibrated to function effectively, irrespective of the conditions, is key to save time and ensure any geospatial data gathered can be utilised.
• Site partitioning – for larger sites or those with different conditions throughout the area, establishing boundaries between work areas can be beneficial. For instance, you might only need certain building surveying equipment for mapping interior spaces which would be inappropriate for external areas.
• Transport equipment safely – although most surveying equipment from leading brands is lightweight and compact, moving laser scanners and total stations around a big site can still be difficult. Purpose-designed bags and cases will protect valuable surveying equipment in the harshest environments.
• Sturdy mountings – uneven surfaces can compromise accurate data collection and create safety risks. To account for this, surveyors should have access to a variety of bipods, tripods, brackets, clamps, and levelling staffs.
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – land surveyors must wear PPE that’s appropriate for the site environment. This includes standard items such as head protection, safety glasses, protective footwear, and visibility vests, as well as PPE tailored to the specific on-site conditions.

It’s important to consider all environmental factors of your project site as this might help narrow down your equipment search. For instance, Trimble total stations are typically better-suited to wet conditions than Leica models, even though both brands sport impressive dust protection.

Land survey equipment undergoes rigorous testing to ensure it can complete high-performance measurements and data collection in even the most challenging conditions. To this end, there are various testing requirements which survey equipment manufacturers must consider. Common standards include:

This is an overarching standard concerning the terminology, methodology, and test requirements for geodetic and surveying products. Within are standards that relate to certain types of survey equipment or survey equipment components, such as:

• ISO 17123-3:2001 – Theodolites
• ISO 17123-5:2018 – Total Stations
• ISO 17123-8:2015 – GNSS and RTK Systems
• ISO 17123-9:2018 – Terrestrial Laser Scanners

IP65 rating

If a piece of surveying equipment has received Ingress Protection (IP)65 rating, this means it has the highest level of dust protection. On top of this, airflow testing ensures it will be able to withstand low-pressure jets of water from any direction. There are many other kinds of IP which might be valuable for surveying equipment, although IP65 is common for resisting challenging on-site conditions.

IEC 60825-1 laser safety

This safety standard applies to laser-emitting products with laser radiation in the wavelength range of 180nm to 1mm. Although this is a wide-reaching standard that applies to laser products used for materials processing, physical/optical demonstrations, data measuring, and information transmission, it also governs laser scanning equipment used in surveying. Here, IEC has the objective of aiding hazard evaluation and the determination of user control measures.

ISO 9849:2017

The international ISO 9849 standard outlines the specific terms relating to geodetic field instruments for use in terrestrial measuring projects, such as topographical surveys, engineering surveys, plane surveys, and more. These terms include the likes of theodolites, levels, distance meters, and other essential component parts. Importantly, this standard does not deal with surveying accessories that don’t impact the functioning of the equipment.

The biggest requirement when purchasing surveying equipment and accessories for use in challenging environments is to ensure it can produce high-accuracy data without compromising on time or operator safety.

It must still be well suited to the project requirements though. There’s no point purchasing a brand new piece of imaging equipment for use on the roadside, only to find it can’t compensate for the glare from vehicle headlights.

At SEP Geospatial, we believe your investment in surveying equipment should be flexible across multiple industries. That’s why we provide fully refurbished equipment alongside equipment for hire to meet the needs of our customers.

If you’re still unsure whether a piece of surveying equipment is the right fit for you, get in touch with a member of the team today.