The Importance of Locating and Identifying Underground Utilities
Despite the awareness around safe excavation procedures, millions of dollars in preventable damages and injuries continue to be reported each year. Properly locating and identifying underground utilities has become increasingly important in today’s challenging subsurface environment. Operators who have access to a full range of locating technology have a distinct advantage in this field.
The Role of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR)
Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is an essential tool for accurately locating non-conductive utilities and complementing the use of conventional induction locating devices. GPR uses radio waves to detect traditionally non-locatable subsurface features such as non-metallic pipes (including PVC and asbestos cement), concrete storm and sewer systems, failed underground storage tanks, tile and septic system components, as well as non-utility structures like vaults, foundation walls, and concrete pads.
The Benefits of Adding GPR to Your Locating Toolkit
By incorporating GPR into your locating toolkit, you can increase the range of jobs you can tackle and reduce errors and uncertainty. Sensors and software’s GPR products are rugged and easy to use, making them suitable for a modern locating business.
The LMX Family: Meeting the GPR Needs of a Modern Locating Business
The LMX family of GPR products, developed by Sensors and Software, provides utility locators with the perfect balance of price and capability. Two notable products in this family are the LMX 100 and the LMX 200.
LMX 100: Quick and Easy Locating
The LMX 100 allows utility locators to quickly and easily locate targets, mark their location, and determine their depth. The operation is simple and intuitive. As you collect data, you can view the screen, and when you pass over a target, you can mark its location on the ground. This tool is ideal for utility locators looking for efficiency and ease of use.
LMX 200: The Premier GPR Locating Tool
The LMX 200 is the premier GPR locating tool in the market today. It features Sensors and Software’s new and breakthrough dynamic target enhancement technology (Dyna-T). Dyna-T optimizes views of shallow, medium, and deep targets, providing utility locators with unprecedented insights and target confidence. The data collected with the LMX 200 can be displayed in real-time 3D depth slicing, which reveals the orientation between multiple pipes and cables at different depths and outlines the extent of bolts, foundations, and buried tanks. This feature is particularly useful at complex sites.
Real-time Data Visualization and Reporting
With the LMX 200, utility locators can locate utilities and assign color classifications directly on the touch screen in real-time. These targets are immediately visible in plan views and included in output reports. The device also allows users to save screen captures of line data, map views, and depth slices. By connecting to a Wi-Fi network or hotspot, you can instantly email a mini-report from the display unit to your office or your customers, facilitating efficient communication and decision-making.
Enhanced Capabilities with GPS Integration
The LMX 200 has a built-in GPS that allows utility locators to easily display their location in Google Earth and other similar geo-referenced platforms. By working with the available GPS kit, identified targets can be displayed on the unit in a map view. This provides further confirmation of linear features and suggests additional areas to review before leaving the site. With high accuracy GPS, utility locators can save time by avoiding the need to set up a grid for data collection. They can simply scan back and forth across the area of interest and seamlessly post-process the data into 3D depth slices.
Advanced Data Analysis and Integration
Data collected with the LMX 200 can be saved to a memory stick for archiving and transferred to a computer. The files can be exported or seamlessly opened and analyzed using Echo Project GPR analysis software. This powerful and intuitive program allows for easy interpretation and processing of data, as well as advanced report generation. It also enables easy integration into CAD drawings and GIS databases, providing utility locators with comprehensive analysis and documentation options.
The Future-Ready Solution for Your Business
The LMX 200 provides enhanced capabilities in a system designed with the future in mind. It caters to the needs of utility locators, engineers, and surveyors, both for daily locate and mark use and for more professional tasks. Regardless of the size and growth of your business, the LMX 200 is equipped to meet your current and future needs.
Conclusion
Accurately locating and identifying underground utilities is of utmost importance in the construction and excavation industry. Ground penetrating radar (GPR) technology, such as the LMX family of products from Sensors and Software, offers utility locators the ability to detect traditionally non-locatable subsurface features and complements the use of conventional induction locating devices. By incorporating GPR into their locating toolkit, utility locators can increase job capabilities, reduce errors, and improve overall efficiency.
If you are interested in learning more about how Sensors and Software’s GPR solutions can benefit your business, please feel free to contact us.
