Reporter No 60, May 2009, English (PDF 2,58 MB) - Leica ...

60 

The Global Magazine of Leica Geosystems

Editorial 

Dear Readers, 

A new edition of the “Reporter” lies on my desk, 

ready for printing. At such moments, the thought 

crosses my mind how exciting the business we all 

work in is. In close cooperation with our customers, 

the editorial team manages to present the whole 

range of measurement technologies – geomatics, 

engineering, construction, machine control, geographic 

information systems, and high definition 

scanning – by describing fascinating projects. These 

projects, realized by our customers, are very diverse: 

for example the Arabian Canal in Dubai’s desert, the 

Gotthard base tunnel in Switzerland, an American oil 

CONTENTS 

03 

06 

08 

10 

12 

14 

18 

22 

23 

23 

57 km long and 

in the right Place 

The City Walls of Dubrovnik 

Project Savings at Deer Park 

Arabian Canal: 

A Miracle in the Making 

Laser Land Levelling 

Refined Dimensions 

A new Level of Precision 

Leica TS30: Pride in Accuracy 

NRS TruStory: 

First Prize goes to Latvia 

Leica Geosystems Technologies: 

«Singapore Quality Class» 

refinery, or the capturing and processing of digital 

aerial images in the UK. 

Infrastructure projects are an important factor in 

helping to ease the economic crisis that dominates 

the news as well as our everyday conversations at 

the moment. This is also demonstrated through the 

economic stimulus programmes launched by governments 

all around the world. Sustainability, stability, 

and reliability are becoming increasingly important. 

At Leica Geosystems, we combine these values with a 

deep understanding of users’ needs – accuracy, productivity, 

and efficiency. Transferring these values 

and this knowledge into products and solutions, we 

enable our customers to stay ahead of their competitors. 

Thus, we not only contribute to their economic 

success, but also ensure that our “Reporter”-Team 

will have exciting projects to present in the future. 

Enjoy reading! 

Ola Rollén 

CEO Hexagon and Leica Geosystems 

Imprint 

Reporter: Customer Magazine of Leica Geosystems 

Published by: Leica Geosystems AG, CH-9435 Heerbrugg 

Editorial Office: Leica Geosystems AG, 

9435 Heerbrugg, Switzerland, Phone +41 71 727 34 08, 

reporter@leica-geosystems.com 

Contents responsible: Alessandra Doëll 

(Director Communications) 

Editor: Agnes Zeiner 

Publication details: The Reporter is published in English, 

German, French, and Spanish, twice a year. 

Reprints and translations, including excerpts, are subject to 

the editor’s prior permission in writing. 

© Leica Geosystems AG, Heerbrugg (Switzerland), 

May 2009. Printed in Switzerland 

Cover: BSF Swissphoto AG: Employee Reto Bardill 

surveying in the Gotthard base tunnel 

2 | Reporter

57 km long and 

in the right Place 

by Agnes Zeiner, Pictures: BSF Swissphoto AG 

With the modernization of its railway infrastructure, 

Switzerland seeks to connect to the 

European high-speed train network and achieve 

a reduction in the amount of the transit traffic 

on its roads. One of the key projects is the “Alp- 

Transit Gotthard”, at the heart of which is the 

Gotthard Base Tunnel: A 57-km-long twin-tube 

railway tunnel and the longest tunnel in Europe. 

A challenge to the surveyors – under and on the 

mountain. 

Switzerland lies at the centre of Europe and the Alps. 

This compact country of blooming alpine pastures 

and the classic children's story of Heidi, is the same 

country that has a major share of European traffic 

rolling through it north to south – and back again. 

Traffic flows have increased continuously over the 

decades, as more and more people and goods cross 

the Alps in both directions. One of the most important 

transit routes in Europe passes over the 2’108 m 

high St. Gotthard Pass. 

Modern low-level rail link 

with speeds of up to 250 km/h 

The Gotthard Rail Tunnel was built more than 125 

years ago. Otto Gelpke and Carl Koppe, two surveyors 

working independently of one another, each 

created a triangulation network, which – checked 

by comparison of the two meshes – was to form 

the basis for all the later surveys. In 1880 when the 

breakthrough of the 15 km long Gotthard Rail Tunnel 

took place, the deviation of the two headings was 

only 30 cm – an incredible success for the surveyors 

involved. 

>> 

The Global Magazine of Leica Geosystems | 3

Gotthard Base Tunnel 

Length: 57 km 

Scheduled completion: End of 2017 

Construction costs (2008): 

6.43 billion euro (8.62 billion US$) 

Construction costs (2008) including Ceneri 

Base Tunnel: 7.76 billion euro (10.41 billion US$) 

Surveying: 

Consortium VI-GBT c/o Grünenfelder und Partner AG 

and ARGE LOS349 c/o BSF Swissphoto AG, 

www.bsf-swissphoto.ch 

Instruments used for tunnel surveying: 

Precision total station Leica TCA2003 

Digital level Leica DNA03 

Nadirlot NL 

Instruments used for monitoring : 

Precision total station Leica TCA2003 

Monitoring software Leica GeoMoS 

Leica GPS System 500 

Monitoring the Nalps dam wall 

This would have been way outside the accuracy of 

10 cm horizontally and 5 cm vertically required of the 

engineers working for the surveying consortium VI- 

GBT today, because the new Gotthard Base Tunnel 

is designed for a modern low-level, high-speed railway. 

The highest point on the route is only 550 m 

above sea level and the maximum gradient is limited 

to 0.8 percent. This means that from the end 

of 2017 (scheduled date), high-speed trains with 

people, goods, and vehicles on board will be carried 

safely through the Alps at speeds of up to 250 km/h. 

Perfect alignment of the track is essential for this to 

happen. 

The hole in the right place 

Ensuring that the alignment complies with these 

requirements is the task of Ivo Schätti and his team 

from Grünenfelder & Partner AG, the lead engineering 

consultancy in the surveying consortium. As the 

client's surveying engineers, they are responsible for 

maintaining the correct position, height, and direction 

as the mega-tunnel heading advances. “You 

could say we have to make sure the hole is in the 

right place,” grins Schätti during our visit to his office 

in Domat-Ems, a small town near the Gotthard section 

of the works. A map on the wall showing the 

whole project gives rise to the suspicion that it might 

be somewhat more difficult than that. “The special 

aspects of this project naturally include its length, 

the five entry points out of which we work, and of 

course the required accuracy,” he adds. 

Great effort for control surveys 

The mega-tunnel is being built from five places at 

once – the two portals at Erstfeld (north) and Bodio 

(south), and intermediate headings at Amsteg, Sedrun, 

and Faido. The basic primary network was created 

in 1995 and was completely resurveyed ten years 

later. “In 1995 the use of GPS was still relatively new, 

but our measurements confirmed that the points 

were stable,” declared Schätti. 

One of the principal tasks of Grünenfelder & Partner 

AG at the moment is tunnel control. As the client's 

surveyors, the team can take more time for its measurements, 

but also work more intensely, using special 

instruments such as a gyrotheodolite and enjoying 

better working conditions than the contractor's 

survey teams, who continuously monitor and control 

the heading. Their measurements are usually taken 

when the site is shut down. “This entails coming into 

work over Christmas and on other public holidays,” 

says Schätti. 

The checks are necessary as errors can creep in 

through many factors. One source of errors is temperature 

fluctuations: ventilation equipment distributes 

the relatively high temperatures uniformly 


under the mountain specifically for the surveying 

operations and the survey concept was designed to 

suit these conditions. “When you are underground 

you do not know how gravity is behaving in response 

to different rock densities – these errors would be 

transferred immediately into our measurements. 

Therefore we refer back to survey models based 

on measurements we have taken on the surface,” 

explains Ivo Schätti. 

Dam wall monitoring on the surface 

While the tunnel boring machines are continuously 

eating their way through the base of the Gotthard 

massif, other measurements are being taken on 

the surface. Some parts of the tunnel pass directly 

under three water storage reservoirs, and although 

the tunnel lies very far underground, the effects on 

the surface should not be underestimated. “A tunnel 

affects the normal flows and pressures of ground 

water. The pressure loss due to the removal of the 

water in the rock could cause the mountain literally to 

cave in,” explains Ivo Schätti. A change of pressure like 

this could have disastrous consequences for the dam 

walls of the three reservoirs at Curnera, Nalps, and 

Santa Maria in the Upper Rhine Valley – and the tunnel 

driving would have to be stopped immediately. 

monitoring the valley walls near the dam walls and 

the area in front of them. Measuring points were 

fixed directly on the rock or were set on up to 3- 

metre-high concrete pillars which the team constructed 

themselves. No easy task, given that all the 

materials had to be flown in by helicopter and the 

prisms fixed on to vertical rock faces. Highly precise 

Leica TCA2003 total stations, protected against 

the weather in small enclosures and controlled using 

Leica GeoMoS, measure the movements of the prisms 

and transmit the data to monitoring software developed 

in-house. “The instruments have been operating 

since 2000 and continue to work perfectly,” he 

adds on behalf of a satisfied BSF Swissphoto. Spot 

level surveys were carried out at particularly critical 

areas along the route using a Leica GPS System 500 

to determine the settlement of individual points. 

The long, hard winters in the Swiss mountains make 

the team's job even more difficult: “In places the 

snow depths are huge, some points in avalanche 

areas are off limits for the whole of the winter, and 

often ice forms on the prisms and can remain there 

all day. In spite of all this we have been able to reach 

90 percent of our points, even in the winter,” concludes 

Ivo Schätti. 

For this reason BSF Swissphoto AG, the lead surveying 

consultant of the ARGE Los349 consortium, is 


The City Walls 

of Dubrovnik 

by Miljenko Žabcic; Picture: Gerald Loacker 

Geographica d.o.o. recently completed a major 

project which included scanning and comprehensive 

documentation of the almost 2 km long 

city walls of Dubrovnik in the very south of Croatia 

for the “Society of Friends of Dubrovnik's 

Cultural Heritage”, a group of engaged citizens. 

The medieval city, nicknamed “the Pearl of the 

Adriatic”, is on the UNESCO list of World Heritage 

Sites. Purpose of the four year project was 

to fully document the current state of the city 

walls and fortresses for future improvements 

and in order to preserve their current state for 

upcoming generations. 

The “Society of Friends of Dubrovnik's Cultural 

Heritage” (Društvo prijatelja dubrovacke starine) 

approached Geographica d.o.o. in 2004, as 

Dubrovnik’s city walls hadn't ever been completely 

documented before. 3D laser scanning was selected 

as the best method. The documentation included 

scanning, modeling, and drawing and will be used 

for multiple purposes such as everyday maintenance, 

legal requirements, interior design for functionality 

improvements, cost estimate calculations for various 

work, study of the object in terms of its origin, and 

building stages. 

The town fortifications, ramparts, and towers outside 

the walls were built, reinforced, and reconstructed 

in the period from the 12 th to the second 

half of the 17 th century. A number of engineers were 

involved in these works – well known names such as 

Nicifor Ranjina in 1319, Michelozzo di Bartholomeo in 

1461–1464, Juraj Dalmatinac or George the Dalmatian 

in 1465–1466, Paskoje Milicevic in 1466–1516, 

and Antonio Ferramolino in 1538. 

The main wall is 1’940 m long (following the ring-corridor), 

4–6 m wide on the mainland side and between 

1.5 and 5 m wide on the sea side. It is up to 25 m high 

in parts. The wall was reinforced by three circular and 

14 quadrangular towers, five bastions (bulwarks), 

two angular fortifications, and a large fortress called 

Sveti Ivan (St. John). Among the towers, the most 

monumental is the circular tower of Minceta, on the 

north-western corner of the ramparts. The reinforcement, 

along the main wall on the mainland side, 

includes one larger and nine smaller semicircular bastions, 

and the casemate fortress Bokar, the oldest 

preserved fortress of its kind in Europe. 

Very dense scan data 

Since one of the products to be achieved with the 

scan data were plane drawings of the current state 

of the walls, including drawings of the wall’s struc- 


ture, scans had to be very dense. Therefore all the 

walls ware scanned with a resolution of under 1 cm, 

usually around 5–8 mm, depending of the shape of 

the stones. Only the interiors of the fortresses were 

scanned with a resolution of 2.5 cm. The scan data is 

a very important part of the final product because it 

will be used in the future for precise measurements 

in the process of preservation. 

3D model as simplified representation 

A 3D model was created as a simplified representation 

of the walls and fortresses but it contained all 

main construction elements of the walls. It is used 

for general planning in various projects, fast overview 

of parts of interest, calculations of quantity and 

expenses in preservation works and presentations. 

The model was created in two steps. The first step 

was edge extraction, done with Leica Cyclone Software 

by converting the edges of scan data into lines 

and polylines. The second step was the generation 

of surfaces from the extracted edges. Surfaces were 

generated in a CAD environment to ensure the whole 

model is suitable for a wide range of applications 

and users. 

Plane drawings as documentation 

of the current state 

Generating the plane drawings was the most 

demanding and time-consuming part of the project. 

According to Croatian laws of preservation of cultural 

heritage this documentation has to be prepared for 

plot with a scale factor of 1 : 50 and must include 

ground views, horizontal, and vertical sections and 

facade (elevation) views with stone structure. Every 

drawing has to be dimensioned with plane and height 

dimensions. 

Drawings were created in a CAD environment using 

Leica CloudWorks for AutoCAD. These drawings are 

very detailed and contain all the segments of the 

walls including drawings of every individual stone. 

The number of required drawings was not defined at 

the project beginning. There have to be enough to 

represent every part of the walls and every segment 

of its construction. In case of disaster it must be possible 

to completely reconstruct the walls according 

to this documentation. Such drawings are also used 

for detailed planning in preservation and restoration, 

studying the walls’ history and phases of building, 

everyday preservation works in the field, and various 

other tasks. 

About the author: 

Miljenko Žabcic is a surveying engineer and director 

of Geographica d.o.o. in Split, Croatia. Geographica 

d.o.o., founded in 1999, employs 12 experts covering 

the fields of geodesy, architecture, construction, and 

archaeology. The company was the first in Croatia to 

start using 3D laser scanning technology in 2003. 

City Walls of Dubrovnik 

Total perimeter (including both sides 

of the walls): 4’300 m 

Total scanned area: 120’000 m² 

Scanning time: 240 days (1 scanner, 2 operators) 

Products: Leica HDS2500, Leica ScanStation 

Total project time: 4 years with two persons 

in the field and three persons in the office 


Project Savings 

at Deer Park 

by Stefana Vella 

One of Australia’s leading construction companies, 

Leighton Contractors, is realizing the 

benefits of using Leica GradeSmart and Leica 

DigSmart machine control technology during 

construction of Melbourne’s $331 million, 

9.3 km Deer Park bypass. Leica Geosystems distributors 

CR Kennedy fitted several graders and 

excavators with the latest GNSS 3D technology 

to deliver higher productivity, machine utilization, 

and performance. 

on investment was straightforward, Mr. Wall said: 

“The grader systems have basically cut out the need 

for two or three blokes with stringlines and pegs for 

each machine. And with the two excavator systems 

we have also been able to cut a man out because we 

don’t need a spotter measuring with the excavators. 

The systems are cheap to buy when compared to 

what you are saving. When you add up nine wages if 

you were using surveying crews you are miles ahead 

and over a two-year project like this that adds up to 

substantial wage costs. You also don’t have to water 

or feed them or get them out of the weather.” 

The Deer Park bypass is the largest design and construction 

contract awarded by VicRoads and features 

four lanes and four major interchanges over its 9.3 km 

length. Scheduled to open in late 2009, the bypass 

will eliminate 20 intersections and is expected to 

reduce journeys by up to 15 minutes. 

Leighton Construction Manager Ray Wall chose to 

equip three graders (two John Deere 872 and a Caterpillar 

140H) with Leica GradeSmart 3D technology 

and to fit two subcontractor excavators with Leica 

DigSmart 3D guidance systems. Calculating the return 

Compatibility with surveying equipment 

Deer Park bypass senior surveyor, Greg Bennett of 

GW Bennett & Associates said Leica Geosystems’ 

compatibility with surveyor’s equipment was a major 

feature. “We load the designs straight from our Leica 

LISCAD software already in the format required by 

the graders. With the Leica Geosystems’ system we 

can also load much more information onto the data 

card than any other system available and we can do 

it quicker because there are no compatibility problems. 

We can load 16 MB of data on one data card, 

but we generally break the project into two design 


models of about 8 MB each. Compare that to some 

other systems that will only take 1 MB total – it is a 

massive advantage,” he said. 

One-man operation 

Fitting Leica DigSmart 3D technology to two contractor’s 

excavators has also delivered timesavings for 

Leighton Contractors. “With excavators you’d generally 

have to peg trenches up to three times as they 

got closer to the design, now with Leica Geosystems’ 

technology we start at ground level and go through 

in a complete cut – the operator does everything 

according to the instructions,” Mr. Wall said. “It is 

basically stake-less and with GNSS is accurate to 

± 30 mm so when we are pulling up batters it is probably 

20 percent quicker and you don’t have to wait 

for anyone to grade check – it becomes a one-man 

operation.” 

Ray Wall added: “This gives us great flexibility with 

the graders because we can move them anywhere 

on the project – with other systems we are limited 

until we load new designs if a grader needs to move.” 

Set in automatic mode, the Leica GradeSmart 3D system 

precisely controls the blade to the design model 

loaded, moving it to the required elevation, angle, 

and side shift in real time – eliminating operator 

guesswork, multipassing, and the need for re-work. 

“Wouldn’t do it any other way” 

Leica DigSmart monitors the precise position of the 

digging bucket with the data appearing via an onboard 

monitor in real time allowing the operator to 

excavate, trench, or batter confidently. “We can have 

the GNSS machine cut slots in batters every 20 m 

and then put another excavator in there to work off 

those slots,” Mr. Wall said. “The accuracy we achieve 

using DigSmart when digging drains and other earthworks 

is a lot better than having an operator trying 

to measure off pegs. This is the first job where we’ve 

had a lot to do with the stake-less systems – I’ve 

seen it at EastLink [compare Reporter 57] and was 

impressed with it and thought we would give it a go 

here. Now I wouldn’t do it any other way.” 


Stefana Vella is Business Development Consultant and 

Marketing Manager for Machine Control at C.R. Kennedy 

& Company Pty. Ltd., Leica Geosystems Dealer 

in Australia. 


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 


Laser Land Levelling 

by Raymond Chia 

The economical benefits of perfectly levelled 

fields are enormous, especially in India. For 

instance, a levelled field results in substantial 

watersavings and an increase in yield and product 

quality. Rotating lasers have become essential 

tools for agricultural applications. They make 

faster work of many jobs, while eliminating costly 

errors for precise levelling. Once considered “nice 

to have,” today they are a competitive “must have” 

to get the job done efficiently and precisely. 

Uneven soil surface has a major impact on the germination, 

stand, and yield of crops due to inhomogeneous 

water distribution and soil moisture. Therefore, 

land levelling is a precursor to good agronomic, 

soil, and crop management practices. Furthermore, 

resource conservation technologies perform better 

on well-levelled and laid-out fields. 

Benefits of land levelling 

Effective land levelling optimises water-use, improves 

crop establishment, reduces the irrigation time and 

the effort required to manage the crop. It reduces 

the work in crop establishment and crop management, 

and increases the yield and product quality. 

Research has shown an increase in rice yield of up to 

24 percent due to good field levelling. A large part of 

this increase is realized due to improved weed control. 

Therefore, with the improved water coverage, 

resulting from proper levelling, the weeds can be 

reduced by up to 40 percent. In addition, land levelling 

frees up land for cultivation, resulting in larger 

fields and larger farming areas, which improves the 

operational efficiency. Furthermore, levelling reduces 

the time needed for planting and transplanting. 

It even gives a greater opportunity to use the much 

faster, direct seeding process. 

Efficiency of water use 

The average difference in height between the highest 

and lowest portions of rice fields in Asia is 160 mm. 

This means that in an unlevelled field an extra 80 mm 

to 100 mm of water must be stored in the field to 

give complete water coverage. This is nearly an extra 

10 percent of the total water requirement to grow 

the crop. Land levelling effectively terraces fields, 

allowing water in the higher fields to be used in the 

lower fields for land preparation, plant establishment, 

and irrigation. 

Economics of land levelling 

The initial cost of land levelling using contractor sand 

machinery is high. This cost varies with the volume 

of soil to be moved and the soil type. However, using 


Principle of Laser Land Levelling 

Leica Rugby 100LR 

transmits the laser beam 

Leica MLS700 Sensor 

detects the laser beam 

Leica MCP700 Control Panel helps 

control the level of the machine 

Levelled land 

Land to be levelled 

more sophisticated equipment increases the area 

that can be levelled each day and several examples 

show that the initial costs are paid back within 1 or 2 

years due to the improved yield. 

Farmers recognize this and therefore devote considerable 

attention and resources to levelling their 

fields properly. However, traditional methods of levelling 

land are not only more cumbersome and timeconsuming, 

but more expensive as well. For instance, 

rice farmers level their fields very often under ponded 

water conditions. Others dry level their fields 

and check the level by ponding water. With these 

methods a considerable amount of water is wasted. 

Laser land levelling 

– the cost-effective solution 

Laser levelling systems are commonly used in agricultural 

applications in Australia, Japan, and the United 

States. Increasingly, laser-guided systems are being 

used in less developed country as well. The advantages 

are obvious: 

No waste of water to check the field level 

Reduced operating time 

Increased productivity 

Precisely levelled and smooth soil surface 

Before the levelling process can start, the fields must 

be to be plowed and a topographic survey undertaken, 

in most situations. Depending on the amount 

of soil that must be cut, it may be necessary to plow 

during and after the levelling operation, as well. 

MLS700 Laser Sensor and the Leica MCP700 Control 

Panel. The Leica Rugby 100LR is mounted on a tripod 

and placed in a central point of the field. This allows 

the laser beam to sweep unobstructed above the 

tractor. As the Leica Rugby 100LR has an operating 

range of 1’500 m in diameter, several tractors can 

work with the “plane of light above the field” coming 

from one device. The laser beam of the Leica Rugby 

100LR is detected by the Leica MLS700 Laser Sensor, 

which is mounted on the mast attached to the drag 

bucket. It transmits the signals to the Leica MCP700 

Control Panel, which controls the level of the machine 

and operates the hydraulic valves. With the hydraulic 

valves the levelling bucket can be raised and lowered. 

The desired rate at which the bucket has to be raised 

and lowered depends on the operating speed. The 

faster the ground speed, the faster the bucket will 

need to be adjusted. 

Once a field has been levelled, plowing techniques 

must be changed to keep it level. Farmers are encouraged 

to plow from the center of the field out rather 

than continuing to use the traditional technique of 

plowing from the outside of the field into the centre. 

If appropriate plowing techniques are used, re-levelling 

the whole field should not be necessary for at 

least eight to ten years. 


Raymond Chia works as regional marketing manager 

in Asia Pacific for the Leica Geosystems Precision 

Tools Division. 

An optimal combination of instruments for laser land 

levelling exists with the Leica Rugby 100LR, the Leica 


Refined 

Dimensions 

by Seth Goucher and Brayden L. Sheive 

Today's modern oil refinery is a huge, efficient 

industrial facility that takes crude petroleum 

pumped from deep within the earth and turns 

it into useful products such as gasoline, aviation 

fuel, lubricating oil, home heating oil, and 

more. Motiva Enterprises LLC, a joint-venture 

owned by affiliates of Shell and Saudi Aramco, 

is building an epic expansion at its refinery in 

Port Arthur, Texas. This project is vital to providing 

additional transportation fuels for the 

American consumer. 

When completed in 2010, the Motiva Port Arthur 

Refinery Expansion Project will create a 325’000 

barrel-per-day (b/d) capacity expansion at the Port 

Arthur refinery, increasing its crude oil throughput 

capacity to 600’000 b/d. The expansion will make the 

refinery the largest in the U.S., and among the top 10 

in the world. The project is equivalent to building a 

major new refinery. The last new refinery in the U.S. 

was built more than 30 years ago. 

tolerance, and are designed to fit one another while 

matching up correctly with the remaining sections 

of the unit that are built onsite. All the modules will 

arrive at the Port Arthur dock on barges, to be offloaded 

onto a large multiple-wheel transport vehicle 

which takes the modules directly to their final positions 

within each unit. 

Four fabrication contractors located in Maine, South 

Carolina, Texas, and Mexico were selected from more 

than 120 companies worldwide. Located in Brewer, 

Maine, Cianbro Constructors, LLC is fabricating 53 

of these geometrically complex modules. Each module 

weighs up to 650 tons, with an average size of 

40 ft x 50 ft x 120 ft (12 m x 15 m x 36.5 m), and every 

module must be constructed to within one-eighth 

of an inch (3 mm) tolerance at pipe connections. It's 

a complex surveying task that normally is accomplished 

by using conventional total stations, tapes 

and automatic levels. Today, Cianbro surveyors and 

engineers look to the latest high-definition surveying 

and reflectorless total station technology for 

improved speed, accuracy and reliability. 

To accommodate a project of this magnitude, the construction 

plans include offsite fabrication of modular 

units. The modules that are being fabricated are pipe 

racks and large sections of the process units. These 

modular sections of the plant are built to a tight 

From paper to oil 

Modern refineries are made up of heat exchangers, 

reactors, separators, compressors and other oil processing 

equipment. These components are linked by 

an intricate network of pipes designed to convert 


crude oil into a useful petroleum product, efficiently 

and with environmental care. A critical phase of this 

conversion is called hydrotreating and/or hydrocracking, 

the process that removes sulfur and other contaminants 

from refinery products. 

Cianbro's job is to fabricate Motiva's advanced 

hydrotreater and hydrocracker units, along with other 

modules for the expansion project. This task creates 

approximately 500 local, quality jobs and contributes 

significantly to Maine's economy. 

As a start, Cianbro converted its 39-acre (150 m²) 

Eastern Manufacturing Facility located along the 

Penobscot River in Brewer from an idle paper mill 

into a state-of-the-art modular fabrication yard. 

The jobsite includes a sprawling crushed rock yard, 

sidewalk-grade concrete slabs and giant hydraulic 

cranes designed to lift the steel beams and columns 

that eventually frame each modular section. A 500- 

square-foot (46.5 m²) module fabrication pad is able 

to accommodate up to 20 modules simultaneously. 

The administration building encloses 12’000 square 

feet (111.5 m²), and a heavy haul road leads to the 

barge bulkhead. 

Tight tolerances 

Each refinery module is a prefabricated, self-standing 

steel structure approximately four stories tall. 

It is constructed of steel beams that create the 

frame upon which pipes, valves, pumps and wiring 

are pieced together to form a catalytic-cracker-feed 

hydrotreater, and hydrocracker units. 

Before the fabrication begins, a team of work package 

engineers at Cianbro's Eastern Manufacturing 

Facility dissects detailed 3D diagrams of the refinery 

units, drawings that are provided by the owner. The 

team builds work packages for each module, using 

3-D Construct Sim software. The work packages consist 

of isometric drawings that detail weld types, pipe 

specifications, and 3D spatial data. Once a module's 

work package is complete, fabrication begins. 

At each module staging pad, construction crews 

position transport beams and vertical column base 

plates that form the foundation of a unique module. 

The horizontal transport beams are positioned four 

to five feet above the ground so that the hauling 

trailers can slide under the module, lift it and carry it 

to the shipping dock upon completion. 

Cianbro's field engineers use two Leica TCRA705 

reflectorless total stations tied to the Maine state 

plane coordinate system to monitor every module 

fabrication pad continuously. Once the beams and 

columns are in place, engineers are able to verify 

that the structural steel tolerances of 3/8 " (9.5 mm) 

>> 


on location, 5/8 " (16 mm) per 50 vertical feet (15 m) 

plumb and 1/8 " (3.2 mm) on elevation are met. 

The two Leica TCRA705 total stations continue to 

monitor for settlement and/or column movement 

throughout the module construction, since such 

movements might cause the structural steel to be out 

of tolerance. Engineers check the tolerances every 

morning, and prescribe the proper adjustments so as 

not to hold up production. 

Scanned alternatives 

Once a module's beam and plate foundation is in 

place, structural crews begin to piece the components 

together at the module's lowest level, based 

upon the specifications contained in the work package. 

Every work package includes pre-defined pipes 

and other components. 

When a module level is complete, Cianbro surveyors 

verify the positional location and accuracy of each 

This information is then compared to the design values 

acquired from the owner's pre-determined theoretical 

design. If the engineers find a variance out 

of tolerance, they note the pipe end or structural 

steel values and relay the information to the Quality 

Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) team. The approcomponent 

per the owner's specifications. In previous 

situations that required field verifications such 

as these, Cianbro relied on conventional tapes, automatic 

levels and total stations to gather the necessary 

spatial data. It's typically a long and tedious 

process which would prove detrimental to the tight 

timelines defined by the client for construction of 

the refinery's modules. 

Instead, Cianbro turned to high definition scanning, 

a relatively new technology that allows surveyors to 

create highly accurate, measurable 3D digital images 

of a structure or scene, quickly and easily. Studies 

conducted by Cianbro indicated that scanning a module 

would cut the position verification process from 

days to just hours, while providing improved accuracy 

and data consistency. In early 2008, the manufacturer 

purchased its first Leica ScanStation 2 scanner 

able to provide full 360 ° x 270 ° field of view from 

a single scan and long range accuracy to six millimeters, 

with 300-meter maximum range. The Leica 

ScanStation 2 fires at 50’000 points per second. 

Collecting clouds 

As structural crews complete a module level, Cianbro 

surveyors set up the HDS ScanStation 2 on a tripod 

and begin scanning. A scan typically covers about 

one-quarter of a module depending on the module's 

size. That process takes about 15 to 30 minutes to 

complete and will record some 1.5 million points. The 

field engineering crew then moves to the next position 

to scan another portion of the module. The full 

verification scan takes about two hours as the scanner 

is moved four to six times to ensure complete 

coverage of the module. The crew uses a traverse 

method to collect, constrain, and register a 3D point 

cloud of the entire module. The data is then tied 

directly to the site's local coordinate system. 

Once the 3D scan data is collected, the ScanStation 2 

technicians map the information into a single file. 

They verify that the collected data is precise and 

highly accurate by using Leica Cyclone 6.0 and Leica 

Cloudworx 4.0 software. The database created within 

the team's laptop in the field is then transferred 

to the Dell XPS desktop, which is also equipped with 

the proper Cyclone software for the final rendering 

and geospatial referencing of the structural steel and 

pipe end locations. 


priate crew then receives the required re-alignment 

procedures from QA/QC. 

The laser scan verification is repeated at each module's 

construction hold point, typically at the completion 

of a defined level. Follow-up scans at the 

second, third and fourth levels of a module provide 

further verification that variances found during previous 

scans have been corrected. The final report is 

then placed within the deliverables to the client. 

Less risk, speedy support 

Typically, the structural crews can erect an averagesize 

module in a little over a week. The combination 

of high definition scanning and reflectorless total 

stations has allowed Cianbro to minimize its field 

engineering crew to four team members, who support 

more than 450 craftspeople in the construction 

of all 53 modules. The scanning technology has also 

helped minimize the risk to field engineers on the 

busy fabrication site by eliminating the need to climb 

modules to gather position data. With the high definition 

laser scanner, they can collect all necessary 

data from the ground. Not only is the risk eliminated, 

but the time to collect the data is only a fraction of 

the traditional collection methods that are carried 

out by much larger field crews. By reducing the time 

needed to collect data, the field engineering crew is 

less apt to impact the production yield of the associated 

crafts who erect the modules. 

By the end of 2009, all 53 modules will be completed 

and shipped to Port Arthur. 

About the authors: 

Seth Goucher is a chief field engineer for Cianbro 

Corporation and a third generation Cianbro employee 

residing in Maine. He holds a Bachelor of Science 

degree with an emphasis in forestry from Unity College. 

Goucher is credited with introducing Cianbro to 

the spatial data collection capabilities of HDS technology. 

Brayden Sheive is a field engineer and HDS 

technician with Cianbro Constructors. He recently 

graduated from the University of Maine with a Bachelor 

of Science in Construction Management Technology 

Engineering with minors in Survey Engineering 

Technology and Business Administration. 

This article is a reprint of “The American Surveyor”, 

March 2009. 


“Landcover” 

“Habitat” 

Landcover refers to the physical cover on the Earth’s 

surface, be it a simple subdivision of vegetated and 

non-vegetated land or all the way down to vegetation 

species. Landuse on the other hand is the 

human modification of the natural environment and 

includes classes such as cultivated land, residential 

and industrial. 

A habitat is a place or set of natural conditions where 

a plant or animal lives such as a hedgerow or heath 

land. Landuse and habitat maps are inherently difficult 

to generate because they may include several 

different landcover types or require a contextual 

interpretation. For example, a grassy landcover could 

be either a pasture or used for recreation, amongst 

other uses. 

A new Level 

of Precision 

by Andrew Tewkesbury and Anthony Denniss 

Infoterra, a leader in the provision of geospatial 

products and services, originally purchased 

a Leica ADS40 Airborne Digital Sensor, like most 

other operators, in order to replace a conventional 

9 inch film survey camera. However, the 

“satellite” sensor qualities of the camera have 

meant that Infoterra has been able to exploit 

the acquired imagery far more than expected. 

On delivery, the Leica ADS40 was put into immediate 

operation acquiring data in the UK suitable for 

producing a colour RGB ground-orthophoto at 25 cm 

resolution. This was no small task because Infoterra, 

and its joint-venture partner, was in the process of 

flying the whole of England, an area of approximately 

130’000 km², to build a seamless orthophoto mosaic. 

This is an even more daunting task when you consider 

the UK weather, which at best is unpredictable, 

even during the so-called summer months. When the 

sun does shine the Leica ADS40 certainly proves its 

worth by allowing more data to be captured during 

each flying day than was possible with the previous 

film camera technology. 

Once captured, the data was very impressive, not 

only in terms of resolution but also in terms of image 

consistency and radiometric performance. The CCD 

array, capturing multiple datasets, has allowed Infoterra 

to expand its standard product portfolio beyond 

traditional natural colour imagery. A complete data 

stack is now available including colour infra-red (CIR), 

digital surface model (DSM), and digital terrain model 

(DTM). This data stack offers a wealth of information 

such as landcover, feature height, and slope information, 

which can help studies as diverse as habitat 

analysis and soil erosion estimation. 


As the world becomes more ‘spatially aware’ there is 

an ever increasing demand to measure and monitor 

our environment, be it for climate change, biodiversity, 

or urban development. Such activities heighten 

the need for value-added products, beyond just 

imagery, to quantify key features present in geographic 

data. The depth and quality of information 

captured using the Leica ADS40 takes us a giant leap 

towards providing the required measurements. 

Landcover 

Landcover information is a crucial first step requirement 

as it can be used as a quantitative descriptor of 

the landscape, as well as a base to derive other information 

such as habitat maps and landuse. Traditionally, 

landcover information is extracted in two different 

ways: either automatically by classifying the 

“color” of a satellite image into its most appropriate 

class or manually by interpreting aerial photography 

based on color and contextual information. 

The satellite method usually gives a spatially coarse 

measurement but has the potential to identify quite 

specific classes quickly. The aerial photo method can 

create highly detailed mapping but is very labour 

intensive. Infoterra, using the ADS40 and the latest 

image classification technology, has moved towards 

a best-of-both-worlds solution using the “color” or 

“spectral” descriptor of the 4 channels, the high resolution, 

and height information for context. 

Object-based image classification is used to semiautomate 

this process whereby the imagery is segmented 

(separated into meaningful chunks) into 

areas of consistent color and texture. Each of these 

objects can then be assigned specifics such as color, 

texture and height, but also contextual information 

such as the difference to surrounding objects. 

Combining this technology along with the wide area 

coverage and radiometric consistency of the Leica 

ADS40 allows Infoterra to tackle large areas and provide 

a National product. 

The specification of this classification was developed 

after reviewing numerous existing schemes both UK 

and European in origin (such as LCM2007, NLUD & 

CORINE), assessing market needs and iteratively trialling 

the classification technology to see what was 

possible and robust. A generic, thematic approach 

was taken while retaining the high spatial resolution 

of the original data. The prime reason this approach 

was taken is that it allows a high resolution measure 

of the basic landcover make-up, while being suitable 

for bespoke thematic upgrades to specific client 

requirements. The resultant product from Infoterra 

is LandBase. 

LandBase provides three Level 1 classes and ten Level 

2 classes captured to a MMU (Minimum Mapping 

Unit) of 50 m² allowing analysis down to individual 

building and tree level. Level 2 classes include: sea 

>> 


LandBase Level 2 classification over Derby City 

Center utilising LIDAR height information to further 

improve classification accuracy. 

LandBase Level 2 classification over Ladybower 

Reservoir, Peak District, UK. 

& estuary, inland water, artificial surface, buildings, 

bare ground, herbaceous vegetation, sub-shrubs, 

shrubs, tall shrubs/small trees, and trees. 

Urban and rural settings 

In an urban setting landcover mapping can give useful 

insights into the make up of a city, such as sealed 

surfaces (surfaces sealed with concrete or paving for 

example) and urban density. The vegetation types 

identified as part of LandBase are suitable to accurately 

define the green space within a city which 

can be used for historical tracking, environmental 

assessments, and flood modelling. As much of the 

Leica ADS40 data stack as possible is included in the 

LandBase product to provide height information and 

local cover statistics. This information can be used 

for volumetric analysis and measures of building/tree 

density. Such information is routinely used for telecommunications 

network planning but may also be 

linked into diverse applications such as air quality 

models and human geography. 

For urban areas, Infoterra has also enhanced the 

LandBase classification by incorporating Lidar height 

information, where available. This not only improves 

the height precision it also helps to better define 

buildings into regular shaped objects. 

Classifying rural regions in this way opens up many 

new possibilities, for example woodland extent is 

captured in such precise detail to include individual 

and small groups of trees. Typically, existing woodland 

mapping by photo-interpretation only captures 

extents greater than 5’000 m². Identification of 

shrubs gives the possibility of hedgerow extraction 

and in turn an estimate of a crucial habitat. Seminatural 

environments, such as upland heath, have 

traditionally been mapped as either heather or grass 

dominant parcels, but can now be broken down in 

detail to grass, heather and bare earth components, 

allowing more precise extent monitoring. 

Using LandBase it is possible to fulfil some very 

specific classification goals. For example, if a local 

authority or council was introducing a household 

composting scheme or monitoring the current collection 

volumes, then extracting garden area would 

be useful information. By using growing routines 

within a spatially aware ruleset, garden extents have 

been extracted automatically for a 25 km² test site in 

Leicestershire. The routine includes grasses, shrubs, 

and trees of small extent close to buildings, while 

excluding woodland, recreational, and common land. 

A step beyond Landcover 

By using a similar approach of applying logical rules, 

a more detailed 16 class habitat map of the same 

study area was generated automatically to include 

classes such as reed bed, improved amenity grassland, 

and scattered scrub. Such mapping is used by 

local authorities for monitoring purposes but this 

same approach could be applied to add higher levels 

of landcover complexity or for detailed landuse 

mapping. 


Garden extents extracted automatically using Land- 

Base and CIR imagery over Leicestershire, UK. 

In capturing a “snapshot in time” LandBase has been 

proven to aid change detection when used with historical 

data. Semi-automatic mapping has been carried 

out over Leicester and Maidstone to identify 

areas which have recently been built up; from new 

housing estates down to the level of newly tarmaced 

driveways. This was made possible by comparing 

the latest Leica ADS40 imagery and historical 

imagery within LandBase. Areas which have changed 

from vegetation to artificial surface or buildings are 

automatically highlighted by a classification routine. 

Such a method has proven even more effective than 

manual interpretation because of the difficulties of 

a seemingly easy game of spot-the-difference – we 

all know is never as easy as you expect. The image 

resolution has allowed the identification of changes 

to existing properties, for example building extensions, 

as well as new developments to be detected, 

and the wide area coverage has added large sample 

sizes giving greater statistical validity when doing 

cross analysis. 

About the Authors: 

Andrew Tewkesbury is Technical Development Manager 

at Infoterra Ltd. His focus is developing new 

image processing techniques and utilizing new satellite 

and airborne sensors. Dr Anthony Denniss, COO 

for Infoterra Ltd., is responsible for delivering operational 

efficiencies across the entire business on a dayto-day 

basis. Anthony’s academic background is in 

cartography and geological remote sensing. 

The Future 

The quality and depth of data available from the 

Leica ADS40 has significantly helped Infoterra meet 

its goal of being able to quantify and monitor the 

environment/surroundings in acute detail. Also the 

wide area collection of the sensor gives more scope 

for consistent data and regular updates. Statistics at a 

level not previously available can allow more informed 

decision making for a range of areas – urban planning, 

environmental management, and flood modelling. 

As the above example shows, the real power 

of the Leica ADS40 and successive camera’s such as 

the Leica ADS80, might be in providing a time series 

of consistent imagery, from which detailed change 

detection can be undertaken – allowing a new level 

of precision for monitoring what is really happening 

to our urban and rural landscapes. 

If you thought the Leica ADS40 only delivers good 

quality imagery, then think again about the wealth of 

information that imagery actually contains. 

More information: 

http://www.infoterra.co.uk/data_landbase.php 


Leica TS30 

Pride in 

Accuracy 

It all started more than 75 years ago with the 

Wild T3 precision theodolite that stunned the 

surveying community with highly accurate measurements. 

Now, four generations later, Leica 

Geosystems continues to build on the values 

of accuracy and quality. The latest generation 

of Champions, the Leica TS30 total station, has 

reached the pinnacle of accuracy. 

Highly precise and accurate surveying has always 

been an important aspect in challenging surveying 

and engineering projects all over the world. Beside 

the optimum measurement network configuration 

and the appropriate operation of the survey equipment 

by survey engineers, the survey instruments 

are the most important factor in the success of any 

challenging project. Leica Geosystems has always 

provided engineers with the latest, revolutionary and 

most accurate technologies and solutions, achieving 

the highest possible accuracies. 

The new Leica TS30 total station redefines precise 

surveying by offering unmatched accuracy and quality, 

delivering impressive performance in individual 

disciplines. It perfectly combines angle measurement, 

distance measurement, automatic target recognition 

and motorization. To achieve maximum acceleration 

and speed whilst maintaining optimal accuracy 

under the most demanding dynamic conditions, new 

direct drives using Piezo technology were developed 

for the Leica TS30. Piezo direct drives enable high 

speed motorization and acceleration capabilities 

with low power consumption. The long service interval 

and low maintenance costs ensure maximum productivity. 

The Leica TS30 is the result of a long tradition and 

constant innovations based on intensive research. It 

is in a league of its own, a true companion for surveyors 

who take great pride in accuracy. 

Technical data Leica TS30 

Angle Measurement 

Accuracy (horizontal, vertical) 0.5 " (0.15 mgon) 

Display resolution 

0.01 " (0.01 mgon) 

Method 

Absolute, continuous, quadruple 

Distance Measurement 

Accuracy to prism 

0.6 mm + 1 ppm 

Accuracy to natural surfaces 2 mm + 2 ppm 

Method 

System analyzer based on 

phase shift measurement 

(coaxial, visible red laser) 

Motorization 

Maximum acceleration 400 gon (360 °) / s² 

Maximum speed 

200 gon (180 °) / s 

Method 

Direct drives based 

on Piezo technology 


NRS TruStory – First Prize goes to Latvia 

“Background information why, where, and how our 

customers apply our products and solutions to the 

benefit of their projects is very interesting to us 

and to other customers. Therefore we have initiated 

the ‘GNSS Networks & Reference Stations TruStory’ 

(NRS TruStory) program, which offers our customers 

the opportunity to provide relevant information on 

their project(s) in a compact, efficient, and attractive 

way,” says Frank Pache, Product Manager at Leica 

Geosystems. 

station network in Latvia (http://latpos.lgia.gov.lv). 

The NRS TruStories can be read online on our website 

at www.leica-geosystems.com/nrs. 

If you would like to submit an NRS TruStory, please 

contact us via nrs.trustory@leica-geosystems.com. 

Detailed information and a template document are 

provided with every Leica GNSS Spider installation 

media. 

Janis Zvirgzds, Manager at Latvia Geospatial Information 

Agency, was the first Leica Geosystems 

GNSS Networks & Reference Stations customer to 

win a prize for his NRS TruStory. The prize, a Leica 

DISTO A2 handheld laser distance meter, was 

handed over by Andris Cinis, member of the Board at 

GPS Partners, Ltd., Leica Geosystems’ distributor in 

Latvia. In his NRS TruStory, Janis Zvirgzds described 

the establishment of LatPos, the first GPS base 

Leica Geosystems Technologies 

achieves Singapore Quality Class Certification 

Leica Geosystems Technologies (LGT) Singapore 

has been certified with the Singapore Quality Class 

award. This award is part of the “Business Excellence” 

framework that helps organisations strengthen 

their business management capabilities to drive 

productivity and performance improvements. 

of the certification”, says Josef Strasser. “A study 

from the National University of Singapore shows that 

enterprises certified to the Singapore Quality Class 

have consistently outperformed their counterparts 

in the industry by an average of 50 percent in terms 

of sales growth over a five year period.” 

“This certification has clearly demonstrated our commitment 

and determination to continuously upgrade 

our business management capabilities for continued 

business growth. We strongly believe that having 

strong management capabilities means we can perform 

well, especially during economic downturns”, 

says managing director Josef Strasser. 

Leica Geosystems Technologies manufactures products 

and tools for applications such as surveying, 

machine control, heavy and light construction, interior 

construction, and agriculture. 

The “Business Excellence” framework is aligned to 

international business excellence frameworks. Certified 

organisations are provided with opportunities to 

learn from the best practices of leading organisations 

on the business excellence journey. After meeting 

the ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 14001:2004 standards 

two years ago, the Singapore Quality Class certification 

was a “logical step” for Leica Geosystems 

Technologies (LGT) Singapore. “We are very proud 

Prof Cham Tao Soon, Chairman, Singapore Quality 

Awards Governing Council, hands over the SQC 

Award to Mr. Josef Strasser. 


www.leica-geosystems.com 

Head Office 

Leica Geosystems AG 

Heerbrugg, Switzerland 

Phone +41 71 727 31 31 

Fax +41 71 727 46 74 

Australia 

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Melbourne 

Phone +61 3 9823 1555 

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Singapore 

Phone +65 6511 6511 

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Vienna 

Phone +43 1 981 22 0 

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France 

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Diegem 

Phone +32 2 2090700 

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Germany 

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Munich 

Phone + 49 89 14 98 10 0 

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Netherlands 

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Phone +31 88 001 80 00 

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Spain 

Leica Geosystems, S.L. 

Barcelona 

Phone +34 934 949 440 

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Brazil 

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Phone +55 11 3142 8866 

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Hungary 

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Norway 

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Canada 

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India 

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Phone +91 124 4122222 

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Poland 

Leica Geosystems Sp. Z o.o. 

Warsaw 

Phone +48 22 338 15 00 

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Switzerland 


Glattbrugg 

Phone +41 44 809 3311 

Fax +41 44 810 7937 

China P.R. 

Leica Geosystems AG, 

Representative Office Beijing 

Phone +86 10 8525 1838 

Fax +86 10 8525 1836 

Italy 

Leica Geosystems S.p.A. 

Cornegliano Laudense 

Phone + 39 0371 69731 

Fax + 39 0371 697333 

Portugal 

Leica Geosystems, Lda. 

Sao Domingos de Rana 

Phone +351 214 480 930 

Fax +351 214 480 931 

United Kingdom 

Leica Geosystems Ltd. 

Milton Keynes 

Phone +44 1908 256 500 

Fax +44 1908 246 259 

Denmark 

Leica Geosystems A/S 

Herlev 

Phone +45 44 54 02 02 

Fax +45 44 45 02 22 

Japan 

Leica Geosystems K.K. 

Tokyo 

Phone +81 3 5940 3011 

Fax +81 3 5940 3012 

Russia 

Leica Geosystems OOO 

Moscow 

Phone +7 95 234 5560 

Fax +7 95 234 2536 

USA 

Leica Geosystems Inc. 

Norcross 

Phone +1 770 326 9500 

Fax +1 770 447 0710 

Illustrations, descriptions, and technical data are not binding. All rights reserved. Printed in Switzerland. 

Copyright Leica Geosystems AG, Heerbrugg, Switzerland, 2009. 741803en – V.09 – RVA 


Heinrich-Wild-Strasse 

CH-9435 Heerbrugg 

Phone +41 71 727 31 31 

Fax +41 71 727 46 74 

www.leica-geosystems.com

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