The kick-off meeting

My description of the project is still on its way to getting into print, but Colin Milberg's sexy research project got its official start today. The two of us who joined in on the kick-off meeting by phone had to imagine what the charts and photos looked like, but the research team and the sponsor's representative all seemed to be enthused about the preliminary work that has been done.

It's simple, but amazing: they're going to use a laser guided scanner to gather great gobs of as-built data on new concrete construction projects, compare that data to the designs, and find out how close we are actually coming to building what the plans call for. Only with this new application of scanner technology has collecting the necessary amounts of data become economically feasible. Dr. Milberg's research is a result of the fortunate alignment of technology, opportunity, funding, and somebody who has managed to get them all to work together.

The scanner itself looks like a very high-tech surveying instrument - it just sits on a tripod and does it perusal. But what really makes the data worth having is the software processes the raw data. Right now Trimble (left - to them it's spatial imaging) and Leica (right - they call it High Definition Surveying) offer commercial versions.

So the coolest thing in the meeting was when Colin floated the question about an appropriate grid. He said he was thinking of data points an inch apart, which brought a combination of gasps and tight little chuckles. One of the contractors present said he thought every six inches would be plenty, so Colin suggested he would probably go for either a three-inch grid, or maybe even every inch, if they had time. Apparently scanning a floor on a one-inch grid takes 5 or more hours, while a three-inch grid could be done in less than half the time. The reality of the project scope begins to sink in.

For more details on the project and the technology behind it, see the July 2007 issue of Concrete Construction when it comes out in a couple of weeks. Or, shortly thereafter, on the Concrete Construction Web site.