CPR Can Save O&M Time

When you hear the term “CPR,” you probably think of “Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation” and wonder why a Virtual Building Group might be interested in it.  While we don’t want to take away from the importance of that kind of CPR, there is another kind as well:

Construction Progress Records

CPR refers to a very in-depth as-built-ing process. The decrease in the cost of laser scanning and some new simplified tools to view that data has allowed the CPR process to move from 2D to 3D through multiple scans at the same point in space but different points in time. For those familiar with MultiVista or other similar photography based services, CPR is basically the same thing but in 3D.

Imagine a process that allows an owner to take a measurable, interactive snapshot of a project at different stages during construction. The only limitation to that documentation solution is that the data is two dimensional (2D) and can only be used as a visual record. CPR overcomes that limitation by allowing the user to interact with the captured data as if it were a three dimensional (3D) model. This kind of CPR data capture has become possible through the use of laser scanners.

Laser scanning hardware has advanced dramatically. Some scanners can now capture up to a million points per second. At this speed, approximately 60 million points can be captured in less than a minute. Each measurement recorded is extremely accurate. Laser scanners are built using the same measurement tolerance requirements as laser survey equipment, so you cannot get more accurate measurements using any traditional building or site surveying equipment than what is achievable with laser scanners.

While the size of the full 3D data files from these scans can overwhelm even high-end workstations, there are a number of processes that allow for compression of these scans into “2. 5D” images. The result is a fully measurable panoramic image that can be viewed over a light-weight web browser. The deliverable for this type of service is a set of HTML data files and images.

Each scan location has its own “bubble view” generated from the scan data by decimating it into pixelated images. A cube with each side composed of 4,194,304 pixels is published, generating the panoramic view. Approximately 25 million recorded points are mapped to the cube’s pixels. Each pixel knows its relative position to a user defined coordinate system, such as a state plane coordinate system. All this data is accessed through internet browsers with very easy to use interfaces that allow the user to interact with the data instead of just looking at it.

The main benefit over the traditional photo documentation is the ability to take accurate coordinate and point-to point measurements using the plugin. Each measurement is accurate to the same survey grade measurement standards the original data is captured in. In addition, these viewers provide text and markup capabilities, and collaboration with other team members via saving and sharing views with those measurements and markups. You can also incorporate asset maintenance and warranty information into the views for the visible equipment and devices.

Combined with the measuring capability only available from a scan-based CPR service, this provides a comprehensive maintenance tool that can save client’s operations and maintenance staff time and trips while working on their building.