during the growing season , which helps us identify vegetation that could potentially impact the project .”
Paul Crocker , a project manager at Ayres , described how the imagery , which was shared with the utility in a secured viewer , supports design efforts .
“ Having that aerial view , augmenting the ground-based imagery really gives you an idea of what the clearances are , what those wet areas are , and any impacts with construction ,” Crocker said . “ It gives the client a much more detailed look than a lot of the online imagery would give them .”
Much of the readily available free online imagery is several years old , and conditions change – sometimes rapidly .
“ They ’ re starting construction on this site soon , so we ’ re providing current information and images . That ’ s a huge advantage , but you also have much more
high-resolution imagery – and it ’ s 360 degrees so you can look all around you from multiple points rather than a static image from the top down ,” Crocker said .
“ So there ’ s a benefit to having that updated imagery that you ’ re not going to get through some free service ,” he added .
In addition , the images are contextually viewable within the online platform as opposed to a folder of digital images that people flip through .
“ You can move from image to image within the viewer , and that , right there , is a huge advantage ,” he said . “ If you just dump a bunch of images on somebody ’ s desk , that ’ s only got so much benefit to them whereas , if they can navigate through a scene , they can really understand the context a lot better , and they can go back and forth between images to compare . You get a feel for what ’ s going on at the site .”
“ Seeing ” the site remotely allows the client ’ s teams to collaborate , review imagery together , and continue their work virtually . Eventually , the utility staff will need to physically visit the site , “ but by going through these virtual tours , they can really focus their efforts on points they really need to focus on ,” Crocker said . “ So , rather than looking at the entire site when they get there , they can focus on the areas of concern that aren ’ t addressed by the imagery or something that needs measurements in the field or things that are changing – so they ’ re a lot more efficient once they get there .”
The utility client appreciated Ayres ’ proactive approach to “ working with us on how we want to see our imagery , customize things , and always looking to make it better and more useful to us . Ayres provided a solution that no other contractor could provide at the time .”
Cormac McInnis , survey coordinator for the Wisconsin Department of
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