LAND SURVEYING
SERVICES
Coffman Land offers a comprehensive list of land surveying services including:
• Boundary Surveys
• Conventional & Aerial Topographic Surveys
• LiDAR Data Acquisition
• Precise Geodetic Control
• Engineering Support
• Easement & Right-of-Way Acquisition and Mapping
• Underground Utilities Mapping
• Construction Support and Layout
• Environmental Mapping
• Professional Consulting Services for Litigation and Private Property Land Rights
Global Positioning System (GPS) Land Surveying Services
Coffman Land has highly trained personnel in static, fast static, kinematic and real time kinematic surveys for establishing control from first order to third order. We have the following options for this type of work:
• Static for highly precise locations 1st, 2nd & 3rd order surveys (densification)
• Fast static for highly precise locations
• Real time kinematic using Coffman Land base stations
• Real time kinematic using differentials from CORS stations
• Post processed kinematic
• Airborne GPS for large area or route/alignment surveys
Our Trimble R10 GNSS receivers are among the latest in GPS technology. These receivers can tie in monuments and features hundreds of miles apart with centimeter accuracy. The R10 GNSS receivers allow Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) operation providing one-person operation. Coffman Land uses RTK whenever practical for construction staking, topographic mapping, cadastral and boundary surveys and corner searching. This technology has progressed to the point that conventional static GPS is now relegated primarily to large-scale control networks where extremely high accuracy is required.
Total Station and Reflectorless Measurements
Coffman Land uses Trimble S7 & SX10 robotic total stations that provide the highest level of accuracy commercially available. They come equipped with a full suite of on-board software. Running this software on-board allows for faster operation and tighter integration than traditional hand-held data collection. This variety of programs allows our field crews to pick the right tool for each job which increases productivity. We can also save time by performing calculations and double-checking our work while still in the field. Our use of robotic technology allows our field survey crews to run field traverses, virtually eliminating the possibility of human error while providing precise horizontal and vertical closures.
By using this technology for line staking, profiling, and road stakeout it allows for much higher speeds than conventional methods. It allows us to fully utilize the speed of our robotic total stations. The Trimble fully robotic instruments provide highly accurate and extremely fast measurements updating several times per second. The robotics provides us with the opportunity to run one-person field crews and more than double our two-person surveying production over a two-person crew utilizing conventional methodology. At the end of the day, an electronic pre-formatted survey report can be provided. The instrument can also be programmed to turn angles or monitor points by itself while the field crew is occupied with other tasks, which lends nicely for deformation monitoring tasks.
Reflectorless measurement is a reliable method of measuring an object without the need to be right next to it. It allows for safer data collection in times of higher risk. With this technology, our crews can measure distances to small or inaccessible objects without the need for a prism. This type of surveying allows one-man survey operations for building construction or areas where conventional access may be dangerous or impossible.
Electronic Digital Levels
Coffman Land operates Trimble electronic levels which provide unparalleled vertical accuracy,
with readings accurate to 0.4mm (0.001 feet). The digital reading of the level prevents user reading or note keeping errors and provides nearly perfect closures on even the longest level runs. Coupled with invar rods, the levels are capable of running 2nd or 1st order levels. The technology also allows for accurate readings on unstable setups such as bridges and overpasses where conventional readings are not possible.
Terrestrial LiDAR / 3D Scanning
Coffman Land currently utilizes the High-Definition Surveying (HDS) Laser Scanners for numerous surveying applications. HDS is a valuable tool with applications for a variety of engineering, architectural and planning disciplines. HDS assists Coffman Land’s surveyors in high-definition field data capture, providing clients with access to field project information in a true 3D model environment. High-Definition Surveying not only offers many benefits to the measurement professional, but to the recipients and users of accurate spatial data sets.
The mobile scanning survey solution is designed for collecting engineering/survey grade LiDAR data over large areas that would be impractical with static LiDAR sensors, but require an accuracy and resolution that exceed airborne technologies. With system accuracy better than 5 cm and a resolution of up to 1 cm, our methodology offers unprecedented 3D detail.
Utility Mapping & Records Research
Here at Coffman Land, we take pride in our ability to retrieve the geographic location, material and associated utility information related to each and every portion of the overhead & underground infrastructure of a project site. We have found that it involves an array of information sources to properly retrace the location and metadata that goes along with an existing installed utility. With the growing need to include Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) into all aspects of engineering projects, we have found that not all local surveyors can rely on one source for this crucial step in engineering design. To facilitate the utility markout process and assistance with delineating the location of underground utilities, we have contracted with several utility locating companies to aid in a timely response for the survey and fulfill the request.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Data Collection
Coffman Land utilizes commercial-grade UAV’s to capture data as an optional and safe method for capturing topographic and utility markout data. We have found that one of the largest benefits is the safe and timely acquisition of utility paint mark out and surface visible utility features. We have found this approach to also be useful in remote and challenging to access locations found in the backcountry and urban canyons. Although, this new technology is simply another tool in the surveyor’s tool box and with any tool, they all have their appropriate applications.
The use of the UAV can be applied to a variety of projects to facilitate a wide range of needs, while providing a safe working situation away from potential unsafe circumstances. The use of a high resolution camera and proper pre-flight planning can allow us to achieve unsurpassed results for a reliable dataset. We employ licensed & experienced pilots to carry out these missions who have now logged more than 1000 UAV flight hours. All flight operations are done under a FAA Part 107 certification with a robust safety management system. This new technology allows Coffman Land to gather data and provide results in a fraction of the time as conventional survey equipment. In addition, minimal logistics and mobilization is required as compared to the traditional airborne LiDAR or photogrammetric methods.
