Since 2003 Geo-Logic has used
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software to manage our geotechnical data.
At present, we use
ESRI* ArcView 8.3. This package gives us great flexibility and power to produce site plans that are accurate, easy to update and modify, and easy to export, for example as PDF or DXF files.
Site plans are an integral part of many reports that Geo-Logic compile, and the days of hand-drawn plans are long gone!
Our vision
We
believe that in the near future, Councils and other works bodies will
be requesting Consultants to submit reports electronically. Since most
major regional authorities are developing their own GIS platform, we
will be able to submit data-rich site plans that can be integrated with
the Authority’s own database.
The
future of engineering geology and geotechnical work will be underpinned
by sophisticated digital processing, and we plan to be there as it
develops and matures!
What is GIS?
GIS is so much more than a simple drawing programme! For one thing, GIS data are georeferenced. This means that data are spatially located relative to a well-known coordinate system, such as the New Zealand Map Grid 1949, or New Zealand Geodetic Datum 2000.
Georeferencing ensures that:
• geotechnical features can be accurately located relative to, for example, survey pegs
• data can be migrated from one coordinate system to another
• data from different coordinate systems can be fitted to a single, common coordinate system
• different kinds of data, including scanned raster images and CAD files, can be
seamlessly merged in a single site plan
Geo-Logic commonly uses data gathered and supplied by surveyors, and compiled in a Computer Assisted Drawing (CAD) package. The ability to manipulate these data, as well as import data from Councils, LINZ, and handheld GPS receivers, then re-export in different formats enhances communication and data sharing between different organisations, and makes our business more efficient.Project Index
All completed projects are recorded in a Project Index. Compiled in
ArcMap, the Project Index shows where Geo-Logic projects have been
carried out, and identifies projects by type (e.g. eco-development
projects). Even more importantly, attribute tables which lie hidden
behind the map store useful quantitative data. These tables
can be linked to a Job Book spreadsheet, so that practically any
information relating to a project can be accessed through the ArcMap
interface.
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The map at left shows the state of the Project Index for the Nelson City area as of November 2006.
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Applications
Select either of the following to see examples of what we produce using GIS:
* ESRI and the ESRI Logo are licensed trademarks of Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc.