Data Prep: Tips, Tricks & Techniques: Organization

Written by Chad Cooper

Created on Wednesday, 10 June 2009 20:46

I have spent the past three articles addressing what I see as important fundamental issues pertaining to the challenges faced by anyone who builds data. Building data for the sole purpose of GPS machine control use is still new enough that there is still a general lack of information or proper training. Now that we have moved past these previous issues, I feel like we can now move onto the nuts and bolts of building data.

This past winter we built the data for a US Military tank range. Weighing in at 1500 acres, it was my biggest site yet for data. Needless to say when I started moving through the five volumes of design plans it was an overwhelming amount of information to know inside and out. Add on top of this the numerous and significant design errors ,we had a bear of a project to work through. It became obvious that one of the biggest challenges to successfully approaching this large job was planning and organization:

Organization

Knowing when and where all your information came from, where you stored it and exactly what you are about to do with it are all keys to effectively building data. If you had all the time in the world to build files, organization would not be as critical. Whether you are building data for your own company or for someone else, it is rare that you will have limitless time to build a project. These types of deadlines require a near perfect system of organization.

Managing ones emails, files (both paper and electronically), phone call records and so on are all-important to efficiently building data, but are not unique to our trade. However, layer management within the design software of your choice is central and critical to remaining efficient and organized. Not only do your layer names and system need to make sense to you in the office, these are also the layer names and system that will be used in the field and I can guarantee that your average dozer operator does not know about national CADD standards. This again makes my previous point clear that building data is not building engineering files.

This is not the place for me to cut and paste my layer management system into this article. Just because my system has worked for me and evolved over the years, that does not make it universal to everyone. Instead, let me take this chance to make some specific suggestions to what I consider important aspects of data layer management:

•    Can’t touch this – First and foremost, keep all the original information provided to you from the engineer in an unaltered form both as an actual file (such as the original CADD file) and within your design software, including original layer names. If you consider just keeping the original CD or email as a backup, your setting yourself up for problems a year down the road when you need to access the original files again.
•    Place for you work – Have a series of layers within your design software where you can do your work separate from the engineer’s original work. These are the layers where I copy and modify the linework that I need from the engineer. This not only satisfies the above requirement of keeping a backup of the original engineers’ linework with its original layer name, but it allows me to remain consistent with layer names regardless of which engineer designed the project. For example, let’s say that the engineer has all their proposed curb linework on the layers 937-CIVIL-CURB-PAVEMENT and 937-CIVIL-CURB-CONCRETE. I would leave all that linework alone but copy it to my own layer 2D CURB layer.
•    Decide what they see – Decide up front exactly what you are going to provide as linework to your client. Not everything that you modify or use is going to be needed in the field. Have unique layers for the work that needs to be done, but does not need to be seen. If you use any layers that involve your name, such as BILL’S CURB, no offense, but you need to rethink your naming conventions.
•    Keep it together – Use numbers or symbols to group your working layers together. If you need to search through a layer list looking for your work, you are doing something very wrong. For example, I use 2D in front of my linework layers that will not have elevations, 3D in front of those that will, and an “&” symbol in front of all my layers that I need, but don’t need to provide to the client. That way, all three groups of layers are at the top of the layer management selection and I never need to go looking for them. That also helps me keep straight what will be provided to the field, and what will not.
•    Great job, now do it again – Whatever system you use, use it every time. Make sure that the system you use works for both a subdivision and a parking lot. For a one acre site or a one hundred acre site. Consistency with the naming and placement of your layers that you work with make all the difference with speed and efficiency of building data.

No one system of organization is perfect, but having a consistent system that you use throughout all your projects is critical. Most importantly, this ensures that every file you provide has the same organization of information and layer names as the last one. Keeping things organized and consistent for the people actually using it is one of the chief differences between a good data builder and an okay one.

 

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