Pub. 5 2015 Issue 3

14 AT THE CENTER OF UTAH INDUSTRY W hether you’re the Presi- dent of the company, middle management, the facility manager or a de- partment manager you are responsible for making numerous decisions every day. Most of those decisions affect the bottom line of your organization. Man- agers are always looking for tools and ways to improve processes and make their organization better and more pro- ductive, keeping in mind that the bottom line truly is the bottom line. Isn’t it every manager’s dream to get more for less? And, if you knew you could get more bang for your buck, wouldn’t you jump at the chance. So start jumping! You’re probably asking yourself what am I jumping after… the answer, 3D laser scanning technology, also known as LiDAR. I’m sure a couple more ques - tions just popped into your head: What is 3D laser scanning and how can it help my bottom line. Let’s take a look at both of these questions. What is 3D Laser Scanning? 3D laser scanning technology is just that, laser scanning. This technology accurately captures all available visual information of a site or building. There are several different scanners out there capable of capturing 50,000 to over a million survey grade points per second. The scanner collects points through a 180° degree rotation. The scanner works by combining a laser emitted beam, a mirror deflecting the beam towards the scanned surface, and an optical receiver, which detects the laser pulse reflected back from the object. Since the speed of light is known, the travel time of the laser pulse can be converted to a precise distance measurement. Typically this data is collected from each set up in less than 5 minutes. The group of points from each setup is referred to as a “point cloud.” The point cloud from each set up is then registered or “stitched” together 3D laser scanning technology was utilized in the design stage of this project. A scan of the building was completed and the data collected was used to create a 3D model of the facility. Smart Management Dec By Henry Fox, McNeil Engineering