Several of Yaggy Colby Associates municipal clients have recently been able to take advantage of the newest tool in our surveying department. The new Trimble R8 GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) utilizes all available and imminent satellite signals to quickly obtain precise high accuracy position solutions for data collection. The system uses what is commonly referred to as GPS (Global Positioning System) to enable surveyors to quickly collect field data in areas that would be very difficult to work in with conventional survey equipment.

With changes being proposed to the FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) flood mapping elevations, several municipal clients needed to act quickly to see how they, and their residents would be affected. Utilizing the new system surveyors were able to rapidly collect position and elevation data for nearly 100 residences along the Bark River in the Village of Hartland. Elevation data was also collected on a new bridge that was not included in the calculations that FEMA used in their determination. The City of Delafield also was able to capitalize on the availability of the new equipment.  Again, the proposed changes to the FEMA mapping were a cause of concern for the City, as well as many of its residents. Detailed elevation information was obtained for several pertinent features in Delafield, including a survey of the inlet to Nagawicka Lake.  All of this data was then reviewed to see how the revised flood mapping elevations would affect existing the municipalities and property owners. Yaggy Colby Associates was then able to provide suggestions to their clients as to how to proceed with these issues.

Another municipal client was able to utilize this technology to quickly obtain topographic information on several roadways that were part of their paving project this year.  The Town of Oconomowoc required nearly 6,000 feet of roadway to be redesigned due to exacting drainage requirements and then repaved. Due to the location of these roads, using conventional surveying methods would have required many field days to obtain the information.  However, using the new GPS system, the information was able to be collected in one day.  This included the cross sectioning the existing roadway of the entire project, specific topographic surveying of several low areas, and the location of several benchmark elevations up to a mile away from the site.

The availability of this tool will allow Yaggy Colby Associates to efficiently serve all of our clients with difficult projects, either due to size of project, or location of project, in an extremely cost effective manner.