narromine-shire-council-infrastructure-management

Narromine Shire Council: A Success Story in Innovative Infrastructure Management

See how Narromine Shire used drones, laser scanning and Autodesk solutions to transform infrastructure management with high accuracy and cost savings.

Dimension measurement in Recap Pro makes it feasible to measure in non-accessible locations.
Image: Dimension measurement in Recap Pro makes it feasible to measure in non-accessible locations.

Introduction

Narromine Shire Council services the local government area of Narromine, New South Wales, Australia. The Council provides essential services and support for the community, including infrastructure maintenance, waste management, and community development initiatives. Committed to fostering a vibrant and sustainable community, the Council manages public lands, supports local businesses, and ensures strong connections to major cities like Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Newcastle through its proximity to Dubbo Airport.

Pioneering Project Initiatives

Narromine Shire Council embarked on an ambitious project to enhance its infrastructure management using cutting-edge technology, including drones and laser scanning. This project aimed to collect and reverse-engineer data from existing buildings and structures, successfully filling critical information gaps in their database with remarkable accuracy.

The Council faced several initial challenges that prompted the adoption of this technology. Upcoming building maintenance projects required updated as-built details from past jobs, which were unavailable. Additionally, asset management data for some assets had limited attributes, making future maintenance and upgrades difficult. For instance, while the location of a culvert was known, its accurate dimensions were not. Furthermore, level 3 bridge inspections required costly third-party consultants, leading the Council to develop in-house 3D model reviews to reduce costs.

Technology Implementation

Roof levels of building from drone photogrammetry were verified with laser scanned data model for accuracy.
Roof levels of building from drone photogrammetry were verified with laser scanned data model for accuracy.

The Council selected Autodesk's Recap Pro and Revit for data processing and plan generation, primarily due to their compatibility with locally available scanning tools like the Z+F IMAGER® 5016 scanner. These tools, part of Autodesk's AEC Collection, offered an integrated and efficient solution.

  • Drones: Drone technology enabled the engineering team to efficiently scan buildings and bridges, providing an accurate and comprehensive overview of their infrastructure. The drones captured detailed information previously unavailable, significantly enhancing the Council’s database.

  • Laser Scanning: Laser scanning technology was used to scan large bridges, culverts, and buildings. The results were highly accurate, addressing significant information gaps in the database. This technology proved essential for capturing detailed and precise data.

  • Data Processing: Once collected, the team used Autodesk's Recap Pro to align and process the scanned information. The processed data was then imported into Revit, where plans were generated, and dimensions were extracted with high precision. This workflow ensured the data was accurate and usable for various applications.

To ensure accuracy and reliability, the team meticulously followed the scanner supplier's steps to create raw data point clouds and verified this data against known dimensions. For example, roof levels obtained from drone photogrammetry were cross-verified with the laser-scanned data model to confirm their accuracy.

During data collection, the team encountered challenges such as out-of-range tolerances. They reattempted the Recap Pro indexing process and, in some locations, used the rescan option to ensure accurate data collection, maintaining the integrity of the data.

Transforming Data into Actionable Insights

A crashed guardrail location in 3D model provided details to investigate and design a new updated guardrail for its replacement.
Image: A crashed guardrail location in 3D model provided details to investigate and design a new updated guardrail for its replacement.

The collected data has been instrumental in several areas:

  • Asset Management: Accurate data is now a crucial part of Narromine Shire’s asset management systems. It provides reliable information for their GIS system and asset database, ensuring efficient infrastructure management. For upcoming building maintenance projects, drawings generated by Revit serve as reference materials. Additionally, Recap Pro allows for dimension measurement in non-accessible locations, further enhancing the accuracy and efficiency of asset management processes.

  • Planning: The data is also used for planning capital works and design projects. For instance, it has been crucial in redesigning a council building’s roof, providing detailed and accurate measurements. When a highway guardrail was damaged, the existing 3D model of the bridge provided detailed information that facilitated the investigation and design of a new guardrail for replacement.

  • Tendering: Accurate data has streamlined the tendering process for redesigning facilities. By providing precise dimensions, it has reduced the need for consultants and contractors to make assumptions, leading to cost savings and more efficient project planning.

Measurable Gains and Future Potential

The increased data accuracy has led to measurable improvements in project outcomes and quality for Narromine Shire Council. The collection of asset data in a 3D model format provides multiple future uses, ensuring projects are executed with higher precision and reliability. This enhanced data accuracy has facilitated better decision-making and more effective project management.

  • Time Savings: Accurate data collection has significantly reduced the time required for consultants to perform investigative work.

  • Cost Savings: The need for additional subcontractors has been eliminated, leading to substantial financial savings of up to 30%.

  • Accuracy: The high accuracy of the collected data ensures that contractors can provide more economical quotations, reducing the risk of errors and leading to smoother project execution.

"Using Recap Pro, we discovered its capabilities allow us to view scenes in 3D and measure building walls and structures precisely. This technology lets us measure distances in three dimensions, even for abandoned buildings. The combination of laser scanning and 3D modelling is making accurate dimension extraction a game-changer for future projects."

Hemant Jadhav, Civil Designer, Narromine Shire Council

Conclusion: A Blueprint for Success

Narromine Shire Council's adoption of Autodesk solutions has revolutionized their infrastructure management approach. By leveraging drones, laser scanning technology, Recap Pro, and Revit, the Council has achieved significant time and cost savings, higher data accuracy, and enhanced asset management. This case exemplifies the transformative potential of technology in public infrastructure management, setting a benchmark for other councils to follow.