Abstract

Paper
Paper
Applying GIS, GPS, and LiDAR for Urban Infrastructure Renewal Projects
Track: Technology
Authors: NIJAZ KARACIC, SCOTT HOLT, RANDALL MARSHALL

The first decade of the twenty-first century has led or forced many in the surveying profession to adapt to and embrace the technological applications of GIS. The progress that has been made in the areas of GPS and mobile LiDAR has allowed surveyors to accurately collect more topographic shots than ever before.

GIS, in this instance ArcMap, allows surveyors to visually see and compare their datasets as features change over time, either by natural causes such as erosion or by man-made causes like construction. This presentation will show how GIS can be applied by surveyors when working on large scale urban infrastructure renewal survey projects, particularly as a concern in light of recent disasters (e.g. flooding, landslides, and levee failures). The Dallas Levees, that protect downtown Dallas as well as other areas in the metroplex from the flood forces cause by the Trinity River, will be the case study use to show how surveyors can bring the improved technology of GPS, LiDAR, and GIS together with the conventional methods used for years. By using GIS, different vertical datasets, obtained by different surveying methods, can be used to enhance and expand the value of the survey data. By adding GPS and LiDAR methods to traditional conventional methods, comparisons can quickly be made between base and current elevation models.

The audience will also be able to see that by bringing these methods together, improvements will be seen in the overall product of the survey, the time schedule needed to complete the survey, and most importantly the budgets of the client and the surveyor.