On the Water with the Baker Navy

Sometimes, a project requires a different approach than what has been performed in the past.  We were presented with one such project for a bridge in West Virginia.  Capturing the structure underneath presented a challenge that could not be accomplished using traditional means - total station or static scanning. Therefore, we utilized a barge to move our system around underneath the structure.

Having not been on-site, but in contact with the crew throughout the day, I had no idea the barge was so large.  It was in service on the project already and we merely had to drive the Suburban up onto it - no need to dismantle the system and perform additional system calibration.  I was quite surprised to see the size when I received the pictures.

Our crew could take it easy during the collection.  The barge operator performed a ballet of maneuvers beneath the bridge and around the pilings to inundate the support structure.  If you recall from our Measuring Systems posting, there should be a DMI cable running down the side of the truck.

Since we obviously weren't going to be driving around on the barge, there was no need for the DMI, so we utilized an alternate collection methodology to account for the barge's movement, as opposed to wheel revolutions.  This also meant that we could maximize our time onsite, by stationing one crew member with the system, while the other used the Trimble S6 total-station that we carry on the vehicle to measure identifiable targets on the bridge to adjust the point clouds together.

Following the collection on the barge, the crew attached the DMI and collected the topside of the bridge.  The entire collection, including control, was completed in a single day.  I can't wait to see the results, which I will be blogging about soon enough.