Added value:
In 2005, British Waterways commissioned Halcrow to carry out phase 1 (data collection) assessment of the embankment condition for 2,500km of watercourse. Our close working relationship with British Waterways enabled us to recognise the far reaching implications and the urgency of our immediate and sensitive response. Our resource management structure provided us with the ability to respond rapidly to this unforeseen commission. At short notice we were able to put in place a project management and support team to assess the full requirements and allocate 25 field staff to site teams throughout the UK.

Innovation:
We have considerable experience of using mobile data collection systems which offer savings (time) of 200% over paper collection. In addition the final deliverable (of a digital map based data) provides a range of advantages over traditional database delivery. Due to the large number of surveyors required to complete this project and their wide geographic distribution, a new technology was required. All data was collected with GPS enabled ruggedised PDAa (Trimble’s GeoXMs), with touch screens, running Microsoft’s Mobile 2003. The GPS centres the surveyors’ position on digital background mapping pre-stored on the GeoXM and the asset information collated via predefined input forms. Surveyors downloaded the data to a central database on a daily basis (or as frequently as they require) using a Bluetooth connection to their mobile. A secure GPRS connection delivered the data to a central server.

Team work:
Previous experience has shown the importance of the entire team understanding the reasons for data collection and the rational for the methodology. It allows the surveyors to make informed decisions about situations as they arise in the field. During this project’s planning the surveyors, support team and client were involved in a workshop explaining how the objectives and processes were applied to the project. With the assistance of a facilitator, feed-back was sought from delegates – a number of suggestions being integrated into the project plan.

With considerable quantity of information being collated in a short period a streamlined approach to data collection was key. We minimised the information requirements through discussions with the client and produced bespoke forms, using drop-down menus where possible, to guide the surveyors through the process.

Downloading information through the GPRS connection enabled us to track data collection and identify any data quality issues immediately. This information was relayed back to the surveyor whilst on site to minimise the need for re-visits. Collating the data early also allowed us to deliver to the client at incremental stages enabling them to implement Phase 2 ahead of schedule.