An Australia-based global geospatial services provider has reported an increase in both profit and team capacity in the rapidly expanding Indian highways and infrastructure surveying market, following the introduction of a new mobile 3D laser mapping system.Â
AAM Group started using the mobile laser scanning (MLS) technology from UK-based supplier 3D Laser Mapping at the end of 2015, after similar success in the company’s South African office, which used a unit originally purchased in 2011. The StreetMapper unit’s high levels of accuracy have allowed AAM Group to offer an all-important point of difference in India’s growing road-surveying sector, resulting in the company securing a number of new government and private road contracts. By reducing the time taken to complete projects by 70%, compared with the use of traditional surveying methods, AAM’s team capacity has also dramatically increased, allowing them to take on more work.
Revealing some of the factors contributing to its growth, AAM Group has said that StreetMapper has:
Resulted in a 75% reduction in data acquisition and processing time Allowed the company to deliver millions of survey points to 2-4 inches (5-10cm) accuracy in road projects, instead of the few points laboriously gathered by closed traverses Reduced disruption to traffic flow and pedestrians to zero Dramatically increased safety for surveyors, designers and motorists, especially given the reduced need for repeat site visits and design field checks Reduced staffing costs, as StreetMapper’s complete capture of the road corridor negated the need to redeploy surveyors for specification and priority changes
“Our StreetMapper has significantly increased the accuracy expected by the industry from MLS,” commented Satish Kumar, technical head of solutions at AAM Group. “Before StreetMapper arrived, the majority of the Indian market only had inexperienced users and non-survey grade MLS units. It has allowed us to contribute toward setting a new standard. Customers also like having access to 3D pointclouds for easy reference at any time, alongside geo-referenced panorama imagery. Ultimately, as an emerging market, India’s surveying sector is competitive. StreetMapper has given us a competitive edge over more traditional ways of working, and provides a legitimate solution to the issues created by the often-challenging landscape in the country.”
Commenting on AAM Group’s success, Dr Graham Hunter, managing director at 3D Laser Mapping, said, “As a business, one of our core values is having the ability to listen and respond to our customers. This is exactly what AAM Group has done in India, in response to a very crowded marketplace, by utilizing its purchased StreetMapper. The surveying sector is moving forward at quite a pace. The inefficiencies that stem from often time-draining traditional methods are becoming more apparent, and those that are embracing and investing in technology, and deploying new ways of working, are the ones taking the lead and reaping the benefits.”
