The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has been standardized on survey equipment from Leica Geosystems for more than 20 years, and recently completed a large purchase that included ten Leica Viva TS15 Robotic Imaging Total Stations, four Viva CS15 Controllers, two Leica Viva GS15 GNSS Receivers, a Leica ScanStation C10, and equipment and software intended to expand the Oregon Real-Time GPS Network, which ODOT administers.
(Norcross, Ga., 27 July 2011) The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is a longtime user of survey equipment from Leica Geosystems, and recently enhanced survey crew capacities by purchasing ten Leica Viva TS15 Robotic Imaging Total Stations, four Viva CS15 Controllers, two Leica Viva GS15 GNSS Receivers, and replacing a Leica ScanStation 2 scanner with Leica’s new ScanStation C10 scanner. To expand and enhance the Oregon Real-time GPS Network (ORGN), which is administered by ODOT, the department also purchased seven GRX1200 GG Reference Station Receivers, seven GRX1200 GG Reference Station Receivers, and miscellaneous Leica GNSS Spider licenses. All items were purchased from Seattle-based Kuker-Ranken Inc. Kuker-Ranken was founded in 1928 and has three stores in the Pacific Northwest.
Ron Singh, PLS, ODOT’s Chief of Surveys and Geometronics Manager said “We realized, as we started automating data collection, that it made sense to have one common system for all our crews to maximize compatibility and to minimize training and formatting issues.”
ODOT has been using robotic total stations for many years, typically with two-man crews that are also equipped with a GPS/GNSS receiver. The ability to switch controllers from total station to receiver, as is possible with all Viva controllers, is definitely an advantage, according to Singh.
ODOT has been scanning several years, and Singh says that it’s become an important technology; “We’ve been scanning about eight years, and it’s revolutionizing some aspects of our work,” he explains, “it’s especially useful for roadbed surfaces and other areas that are hard to access due to traffic. But we also use it for structures—we have a lot of asset inventory to do.”
The Oregon Real-time GPS Network covers much of the state with 50+ receivers networked by Leica Geosystems’ SpiderNET software. The new receivers and antennas will enable to ODOT to continue with network densification and expansion of this successful regional RTK service.
“Leica Geosystems is proud to be ODOT’s supplier of quality survey equipment,” said Chuck Coiner, Leica’s General Manager of US West, “We know that state DOTs everywhere are trying to do more with less, and we’re glad to be part of the solution in Oregon.”