3D GPS machine control is quite the technology “buzz” for site and road construction, mining, drilling and solid waste landfills. Nothing can boast the impact this technology has made on these industries. Call me a nerd, perhaps strange, but I find it sexy to watch these machines automatically sculpt the earth with such precision. The components: axial sensors, GPS receivers, hydraulic controls, inertial measurement units, radio systems beaming live data, all work together in perfect harmony. The convergence of technology is truly a marvel and a every bit a symphony.

• Where does the data come from?

• How is it built or created?

• What are the possible file formats of data and how do I know its compatible with my machine control system?

• Is the data compatible with other machine control systems I may be working with on the same job site?

• How do I know the data is accurate? And if it isn’t, who is liable?

• Do I need to hire a “data guru” or should I choose a data preparation company?

• Should I favor Engineering companies that design in 3D with machine control technology as an end goal?

• If I choose to check the data or build my own data in house, what software products are available from which to choose? How much are they?

• How much time is required to become proficient at data prep giving me my true cost of ownership?


These are all good questions. Many of the answers lie in the exclusive articles at MachineControlOnline.com. Please check them out when possible. (Click here for the MCo Past Articles archive.)

I will briefly summarize a typical work flow.

The majority of engineering firms design for 2D paper plans. It has been this way for years. The receivable product is paper plans or 2D CAD files at best. Of course there are progressive companies that are the exception, but by far, these traditional methods are the rule.

The challenge now exists to digitize the paper plans into 2D CAD files or use the 2D CAD files you received. A popular format also is a PDF file. (TIP: be sure to look for PDF import to CAD in your data prep software.) This conversion from 2D to 3D is “data prep” or “building the model”, terms you may have read about. This process is truly an art form. Think about it, you have to visualize, with mathematical certainty, this flat data file into the 3D digital terrain model (DTM) that feeds the machine control. This file in essence is your “string line” reference by which the site is built. The quality of the model file is heavily reliant on experience. Typically those gifted with the art form of building accurate 3D models for machine control arrived at their skill level by way of trial and error; trial and error that can cost thousands, even hundreds of thousands of dollars and more.

Now that you have a 3D model or DTM, you have another hurdle, to export the 3D file into a file format (or multiple file formats) for ingesting into your machine control system. What if there are more than one type of machine control system on site? There are no standards at this time thus, the journey the data flows remains the primary challenge.

There is progress however by software companies that write the data prep and estimating software. I will leave those feature nuances and company philosophies to Marco Cecala’s new Software Review section. But I will offer this word of caution, be sure to research your data flow needs and the compatibilities with alliance companies.  These are the gotcha’s that make or break your machine control adoption.

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