The Global Magazine of Leica Geosystems

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10 | Reporter Arabian Canal: A Miracle in the Making by Agnes Zeiner “Like our CEO, Saeed Ahmed Saeed, one must be visionary,” insists Dr. Nedal Al-Hanbali, Head of Corporate Geomatics Information Systems at Limitless LLC. Visionary is the way to describe the Arabian Canal, a project on which the surveyor will work for the next 15 years. In the Dubai desert, Limitless is building a 75 km long canal and waterside city where up to two million people will live and work. Nedal Al-Hanbali’s life can be defined as dedicated to establishing and building a new standard and caliber of Geomatics/GIS in the real estate industry using state-of-the-art technologies. One of his most important projects is the Arabian Canal. “At Limitless we have visionary objectives that do not remain dreams, but are actually realized. The consequences are projects as unique and innovative as the Arabian Canal. This visionary approach is the reason I joined Limitless,” explains the Geomatics/Surveying expert, former professor at the Al-Balqa’ University in Jordan and researcher at the University of Calgary/Canada. Modern city in the Dubai desert This fascinating project involves construction of a 75 km long canal, in the shape of a horseshoe, flowing inland from Palm Jumeirah harbor to the west to the new Dubai World Central International Airport, and east to the harbor area again. It will be approximately 150 m wide and 6 m deep.
On its banks will be hills and valleys – a new topography for Dubai – and a modern, sustainable city. Supplied with water from the Gulf, Arabian Canal will have marinas, promenades, beaches, and public transport on the canal. Construction costs for the waterway – the most complex civil engineering project ever undertaken in the Middle East – are estimated at US$11 billion. For a project of this magnitude it is crucial to use resources as economically as possible. “The project involves moving large amounts of earth each day, which requires a highly efficient system,” explains Dr. Nedal. “The basis for the system is a model of the terrain that is constantly kept up to date with the aid of a complex interaction between total stations, GPS/GNSS, HDS scanners, airborne digital sensor cameras with LIDAR, reference stations, and to some extent custom software.” Continuous support Several Leica Geosystems instruments for static and dynamic measurements are used in this process. A high definition scanner, Leica ScanStation 2, provides point clouds of the terrain, while Leica SmartPoles are used for the surveying. A dedicated GNSS reference station network with five stations and Leica GNSS Spider software provide the necessary RTK correction data for the entire area. Soon a further reference station will be added. Before appointing Leica Geosystems as a supplier, a number of possible systems were put through their paces, explains Nedal Al-Hanbali. “We organized a ‘competition’ between the various providers to obtain the best possible instruments for our requirements. Important factors included speed, efficiency, accuracy, the integration of software and workflows, and also the customer support and people behind these products. During this process all companies offered their equipment for several days of testing in the Arabian Canal pilot excavation. The regional sales partner for Leica Geosystems, Geco, was very cooperative, offering their scanner for three consecutive tests to explore all possible scanning and processing possibilities. As a result we could check on-site that the instruments – and service – met our requirements. Geco now also provides us with continuous support during the construction phase.” Limitless LLC Global Real Estate Developer Business unit of Dubai World, one of Dubai's leading business groups Set up in July 2005 CEO: Saeed Ahmed Saeed Vision: “To enhance and enrich lives through the delivery of distinctive, sustainable developments.” Geco – General Enterprises Company Leica Geosystems’ Partner in the United Arab Emirates for 32 years Distribution, training, and service 30 employees Projects: Al Garhoud Bridge, Dubai Reference station network Abu Dhabi Burj Dubai [see Reporter 56] Abu Dhabi Airport The Global Magazine of Leica Geosystems | 11
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