A $1.5 billion site expansion was planned for an Ohio auto manufacturing facility to begin the production of electric vehicles. As-builts of the existing 3,700,000 sq. ft. facility spanning 419 acres were out of date. The auto manufacturer sought updated as-builts to provide the construction company accurate data to plan the expansion and avoid injuries and delays.
Rudolph Libbe was hired as the general contractor to build a 2,625,000 sq. ft. addition to the facility, according to the auto manufacturer’s specifications. They contacted GPRS to perform utility locating, video pipe inspection, and 3D laser scanning services prior to excavation and construction. GPRS delivered accurate as-builts to aid design, communication, collaboration, and sequencing during the construction of the facility addition.
2D Utility Maps Delivered Weekly
Video Pipe Inspection of Defects
3D BIM Model to Reroute Storm Drains
Utility Locating Delivered Precise CAD Maps
Trusting the plant’s existing documentation caused a water line in the fire protection system to be hit, requiring costly repairs. Utility mapping prior to construction provided Rudolph Libbe accurate and detailed information about the location of underground utilities to reduce accidents, budget overruns, costly rerouting, injuries, project downtime, and project duration.
A team of GPRS Project Managers located all outdoor underground utilities with GPR technology on 220 acres of the automotive assembly plant’s property. Electric, natural gas, water, storm sewer, sanitary sewer, and other utilities were marked on the surface using paint, flags, and other appropriate means. GPRS delivered precise information about the location, depth, direction, and distance of buried underground utilities.
A GPS-enabled subsurface utility map was created in CAD by the GPRS Mapping & Modeling Team with detailed outdoor utility locate markings on an appropriate coordinate system. The linework was added to the client’s existing CAD drawing and overlaid on aerial drone imagery.
In 25 working days, GPRS delivered subsurface utility KMZ files and PDF maps for the 220-acre site prior to construction planning so the construction company could coordinate the facility expansion.
After preconstruction utility locating was completed, the client asked GPRS to make weekly updates to the data as construction progressed, to create a progressive record of every phase of construction. Each week, the client printed a 6' x 6' poster of the CAD map to scale and hung it in the trailer for planning and discussion.
Subsurface as-builts were uploaded to SiteMap® for the construction company to access, visualize, and securely share accurate site data in real time.
Video Pipe Inspection Identifies Sewer Problems
To diagnose critical sewer line problems and assess the existing system, a GPRS VPI team traced the sewer lines on site. 7,500 lft of main sewer line and 20 laterals were traced with CCTV sewer inspection crawlers from accessible cleanouts by a NASSCO-certified Project Manager. Reports were delivered to Rudolph Libbe with video and photography of pipe defects, geolocation of defects, and their severity, ranked from most to least severe. The general contractor has access to vital information about the sewer system’s condition and functionality, allowing them to assess any problems and develop a maintenance plan.
3D Laser Scanning Delivers Accurate As-Builts
GPRS captured accurate as-built data of the plant’s ceiling and trusses with a Leica laser scanner. More than 200 laser scans were taken with the RTC360 Leica laser scanner, capturing a 350,000 sq. ft. area at the south end of the facility to document the locations of existing roof drains, columns, trusses, overhead piping, and cable trays.
3D laser scanners captured every detail of this site – the structural, architectural, and MEP features, plus underground utilities, and concrete reinforcements – at incredible speed with millimeter accuracy. 3D laser scanning provided an overall site plan, capturing exact building dimensions, locations, and layout.
The GPRS Mapping & Modeling Team created a 3D BIM model from the laser scan data to assist in the process of rerouting the storm drains in the plant. Accurate architectural, structural, and MEP data ensured a clear path for the drain pipe.
SiteMap® Provides Instant Access to Utility Data
The client received a Project level subscription to SiteMap®, GPRS’ secure cloud-based infrastructure software where subsurface as-built data is uploaded in minutes to an easy-to-use interface for the life of the project.
Data is aggregated and layered to provide a single source of truth for the construction team to reduce risk, damages, and injuries. The customized subscription hosts up to 25 users and was updated as GPRS collected data and updated GPS maps. Every member of the team received their own login to SiteMap®, so they could access accurate site information via mobile devices, on and off-site, to take ownership of the project and make critical decisions
The client shared subsurface as-built infrastructure data with subcontractors, engineers, and stakeholders to make critical decisions and eliminate miscommunication to keep this project on time, on budget, and safe.
GPRS Delivers Accurate Data for Your Project
GPRS is committed to helping manage and mitigate risk on your job and for your team. We provide complete facility infrastructure visualization through utility locating, concrete scanning & imaging, 3D laser scanning, video pipe inspection, leak detection, drone photogrammetry, and state-of-the-art mapping & modeling services so that you and your team can see potential hazards and design obstacles and mitigate risk to keep your project on time, on budget, and most importantly, safe.
GPRS will help you avoid costly delays and rework, and it can help you identify potential issues before they become major problems.
What can we help you visualize?
Frequently Asked Questions
What Type Of Training Do Your Project Managers Go Through?
Each Project Manager completes a three-month training process which includes two weeks at our Training Center in Sylvania, Ohio. The highlight of the GPRS Training Center is 6,000-square-feet of dedicated test slab created to simulate most conditions encountered in the field. This test slab is riddled with buried utilities designed to provide an immersive test experience for our Project Managers-in-training. As part of the GPRS training regimen, each Project Manager is trained per the Subsurface Investigation Methodology (SIM), which consists of 320 hours of field training and 80 hours of classroom training.
Why Should I Choose GPRS Over A Similar Company?
No company can match GPRS’ comprehensive suite of infrastructure visualization services, which include utility locating, precision concrete scanning and imaging, 3D laser scanning, video pipe inspection, leak detection, drone photogrammetry, and mapping & modeling. And no company can match our nationwide network of highly-trained Project Managers who are able to respond to your job site, no matter where it’s located, usually within 24 hours of contact.
What is SiteMap?
SiteMap®, is GPRS' cloud-based infrastructure software where subsurface as-built data is uploaded in minutes to an easy-to-use interface and is securely sharable for decision-making. SiteMap® is made up of two main components – the Map Viewer and the Digital Plan Room – and is designed to provide you with accurate and interactive subsurface as builts in multiple ways. You can access SiteMap® via computer or mobile device from anywhere in the U.S. 24/7.
Digital Plan Room: The Digital Plan Room is your central data hub. Inside, you will find every GPRS data file on your subsurface infrastructure in an easy to use, fully interactive format. You can review, copy, send, and share your files with your team in a secure, centralized environment.
The Map Viewer: The Map Viewer shows you geolocated pins for each job you have in the system, so you can see an instant snapshot of your jobs, nationwide. To reach any job in the Digital Plan Room, you only need to click on its associated map pin, to find an overview of the job and its files.
What is a Point Cloud?
Point clouds provide powerful and dynamic information for a project, documenting every visible detail of a project site in a digital file. The data captured will look like a pixelated, digital version of the asset. By representing spatial data as a collection of x, y, and z coordinates, point clouds deliver large datasets that can be mined for information. The visualization and analysis from point cloud data is invaluable for design planning and decision making.
