technology&more technology&more A Publication for Geospatial Professionals • Issue 2013-1 technology&more European Central Bank’s New Headquarters Double Tower Challenges Surveyors Measuring Mountains Planet Action Global Projects Help Protect Environment technology&more technology&moreWelcome to the Latest Issue of Technology&more! technology&moreDear Readers, Whether the construction of a • India pg. 10 tunnel in the depths of the San Studying Seismic Activity Francisco Bay or the quest to measure the world's highest peaks, this issue of Technology&more highlights some of the most innovative projects (and adventures) our • Korea pg. 14 customers are involved in Surveying Ships around the globe. You’ll read about measuring mountains Chris Gibson: Vice President in Antarctica and Nepal; construction surveying for the European Central Bank’s new headquarters in Germany; studying seismic activity in India; surveying for shipbuilding in Korea; protecting • U.S. pg. 16 the environment in France, Mexico and Chile; and many Northstar Surveys other projects. Each issue of Technology&more seeks to showcase projects around the world that demonstrate the enhanced productivity that can be gained through the use of Trimble® technology. As always, we hope that one or more of the • China pg. 18 articles will provide useful ideas and information that will Lunar Test benefit you and your business today—and tomorrow. You’ll also find our new “Day in the Life” feature in this issue. Profiling a geospatial professional on the cutting-edge of their industry, this issue spotlights Rich Freese, PLS, of Published by: Northstar Surveys in Southern California. Watch for more Trimble Engineering & Construction profiles in future issues. 10355 Westmoor Drive Westminster, Colorado 80021 Phone: 720-887-6100 And finally, thank you to all who attended Trimble Dimen- Fax: 720-887-6101 sions 2012. It was the most exciting conference to date and Email: T&[email protected] offered a wide variety of educational, networking and social www.trimble.com opportunities over three days in Las Vegas. For those who Editor-in-Chief: Shelly Nooner were unable to attend, you’ll find an overview inside. Editorial Team: Lea Ann McNabb; Lindsay Renkel; Omar Soubra; Angie Vlasaty; Heather Silvestri; If you’d like to share information with Technology&more Eric Harris; Kelly Liberi; Susanne Preiser; Christiane Gagel; Anke Becker; Lin Lin Ho; readers about your own innovative project, we’d like to hear Bai Lu; Echo Wei; Maribel Aguinaldo; about it: just email: [email protected]. We’ll even Stephanie Kirtland, write the article for you. Survey Technical Marketing Team Art Director: Tom Pipinou © 2013, Trimble Navigation Limited. All rights reserved. Trimble, the Globe & Triangle logo, eCognition, Geo- And now, enjoy this issue of Technology&more. Explorer, Juno, TSC2 and TSC3 are trademarks of Trimble Navigation Limited or its subsidiaries, registered in United States Patent and Trademark Office. Access, NetR9, Maxwell, RTX, SurePoint, Survey Controller, VISION, VRS, VX and xFill are trademarks of Trimble Navigation Limited or its subsidiaries. All other trademarks are the Chris Gibson property of their respective owners. www.northstarstudio.com technology&more technology&more technology&more Mining a Profit A Nevada Mine Uses Advanced Technology to Control Costs and Improve Safety long the east side of Nevada’s Big Smoky Valley, the Like most production operations, labor and consumables Round Mountain Gold Mine sits near the town of are primary cost components. At Round Mountain, major AHadley, roughly 6,000 ft (1,830 m) above sea level. consumables include fuel and tires for the trucks and The climate is extremely dry, and the little precipita- loaders. Musselman’s team knows that haul road design tion that does fall comes mainly as snow in the bitterly and construction can affect the mine’s operating costs. cold winters. In the summer, temperatures top 105°F By designing and staking roads with proper grades and (40°C). The enormous mine—its permit boundary cov- superelevations, the team can help tires stay cooler and ers more than 14,500 acres (5,870 hectares)—operates avoid damage while reducing fuel consumption. The year round, which means its employees and equipment effort has not gone unnoticed—Round Mountain has are exposed to the challenging weather conditions. In become a world leader in reduced tire wear. 2011, the mine produced 375,000 oz (10,630 kg) of gold and employed more than 800 people in its min- In addition to its surveying operations, Round Mountain ing, processing and support operations. has an advanced Trimble monitoring system. The mine uses two Trimble S8 total stations installed in monitoring Working under the supervision of Chief Surveyor Richard buildings at opposite ends of the pit, together with six Musselman, Round Mountain’s team of surveyors and GNSS/optical control stations that combine Trimble NetR9 support engineers handles the surveying for mining op- GNSS receivers with prism targets for the total stations. The erations, planning and construction. Round Mountain’s entire system is controlled by Trimble 4D Control software. surveyors provide stakeout and quality control for con- The monitoring system can spot motion in slopes and struction projects such as roads, leach pads and tailings highwalls and alert the geologists and engineers before impoundments. The team also performs extensive work a problem occurs. for as-built and volumetric surveys and provides gen- eral support to mining operations. Open skies and low While the high-tech surveying and monitoring systems vegetation enable the vast majority of Round Mountain’s make clear contributions on the financial side, the mine’s surveying work to take place using Trimble RTK GNSS. The bottom line is safety. “That’s what it’s really about,” Mus- mine’s Trimble NetR9™ GNSS reference station is the posi- selman said. “I can actually sleep better at night knowing tioning basis for Round Mountain’s surveying, monitoring that we are providing a safe place for our people to work.” and mine operations. The survey crews are equipped with Trimble R8 GNSS receivers and Trimble TSC3® controllers See feature article in POB's November 2012 issue: running Trimble Access™ software. www.pobonline.com -1- Technology&more technology&more technology&more technology&more ECB’s Double Tower Challenges Surveyors ising 185 m (610 ft) over the skyline of Frankfurt am Main, the most striking fea- Rture of the European Central Bank’s new premises is nearing completion. This complex of two polygonal office towers connected by an atrium, presents a unique silhouette—and plenty of headaches for the surveying team—thanks to its twisted architecture. The European Central Bank (ECB) is constructing its new headquarters on the site of the historic Großmarkthalle (wholesale market) in Frankfurt. The design of Vienna-based architects COOP HIMMELB(L)AU consists of three main elements: the former Großmarkthalle with new internal structures; a 185-m (610-ft) asymmetric double office tower with connecting atrium; and an entrance building. The entrance building creates a visual and functional link between the high-rise and the Großmarkthalle and houses the press conference area. Once ready for occupancy, the facility will provide employment for around 2,300 workers, mainly in the office towers. The restored Großmarkthalle will largely retain its appearance and provide a historic venue for the ECB’s public functions, with a lobby, visitor center, conference area, library, ex- hibition spaces and a restaurant. Gross floor area of the premises—scheduled for completion by the end of 2013, with staffing by 2014—will total approximately 185,000 m2 (45.7 ac or 1.99 million ft2). Technology&more -2- Creative Design The Right Equipment The design of the double office tower is creative, to say the The complex geometry and required measurement accuracy of least. The north tower, whose east side is inclined by 9 degrees, +/- 8mm (0.3 in) in core areas, +/- 6mm (0.24 in) for other setout begins on a rectangular base with sides of 16x79 m (52x260 ft); points and +/- 5mm (0.2 in) for flatness presented a significant by the 45th floor, it has become a trapezium with side lengths surveying challenge. To meet this challenge, Gemmer & Leber of 8x59x25x56 m (26x194x82x184 ft). The south tower is just the used five calibrated Trimble S6 total stations, which achieve an opposite: It starts at the base as a trapezium with side lengths accuracy of 0.3 mgon (1 arcsecond) for direction measurements, of 5x55x27x59 m (16x180x89x194 ft), changing to a rectangle enable distance measurements to be made with an accuracy of with sides of 15x55 m (49x180 ft) by the 43rd floor. 2 mm (0.08 in)+2 ppm and compensate for levelling errors up to an accuracy of 1.5 mgons (5 arc seconds). The special architecture of the towers, with inclines, overhangs and continuously changing floor plans, means that the whole “Trimble total stations are very user-friendly and have an structure looks completely different when viewed from different almost self-explanatory menu operation,” said Dipl. Ing. Bernhard angles. It also places high demands on the surveying team. Engelbreit, project manager for the surveying work. “Using robotic total stations with cable-free Trimble TSC2® control- Werneck-based engineering company Gemmer & Leber was lers, our surveyors could control the instruments remotely responsible for the survey work. “A structure with such unusual in most cases,