NNOVATION NewsletterThree researchers in the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Department of Construction have been awarded a $150,000 grant to study the use of 3-D laser scanning technology in construction applications.
Part of the SIUE School of Engineering, the department recently was notified of the grant, which comes from the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) through its Illinois Center for Transportation (ICT) at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. The two-year project will identify cost-effective means for IDOT to implement state-of-the-art laser scanning technology in highway construction projects.
The research project will be headed by Construction Department Chair Dianne Kay Slattery. Co-principal investigators Dr. Kerry Slattery and Dr. Chris Gordon will perform the experimental design, field work, data analysis and software development, Slattery said
Laser scanning is a relatively new addition to traditional land surveying technology, allowing a user to quickly produce a 3-D representation of objects and surfaces by accumulating data on the X, Y, and Z coordinates of millions of points in the vicinity of the laser scanner, she explained.
“One goal of the project is to evaluate the feasibility of using laser scanning to survey ‘before’ and ‘after’ terrain surfaces and compute the volume of the difference in order to determine the basis of payment for earthwork contractors.”
The technology promises to improve the speed and accuracy of traditional quantity measurement methods employed on earth-moving projects, Slattery said. “The research team will develop software to import terrain models from familiar, industry-standard software programs into a program to plan where to take scans, and to compute the total volume of earth moved during the project.”
The Department of Construction purchased a laser scanner in January, using funds donated by the Southern Illinois Construction Advancement Program (SICAP), construction companies and individuals. The scanner had been used as a demonstration model by St. Louis-based Seiler Instrument Company.
“The purchase, the largest single expenditure ever made by the department, reflects a conscious move toward the more computer-savvy construction industry of the 21st century,” Slattery said.
“The laser scanning equipment has been incorporated into several undergraduate courses, continuing education short courses for industry and faculty research, and was demonstrated to high school students attending summer engineering programs.”
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is proud to celebrate its 50th Anniversary and first half century of excellence. The University has grown from 1,776 students in 1957 to nearly 13,500 students today. SIUE is a catalyst for the cultural and intellectual vitality and economic development of Southwestern Illinois and the greater St. Louis region.