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Light at the end of the tunnel

Published Date

Data Collection Limited (DCL), a New Zealand-based company and Moog Inc. subsidiary, has long been a leader in data collection on road and airport surfaces. Its cost-effective Road Measurement Data Acquisition System (ROMDAS) technology is used in more than 60 countries to enhance road and runway safety. When their client, Gulf Business Development Group (GBDG), needed to map road assets inside long tunnels, they turned to DCL, who knew just who to call for help.

DCL survey vehicle equipped with the Trimble Applanix POS LV-220® to ensure centimeter-level accuracy for road asset mapping, even during GNSS signal loss inside long tunnels.

For most road surveying projects, a standard GNSS unit is all that's needed to maintain a continuous, precise position. However, these units rely on a consistent connection to satellites. Inside a long tunnel, that connection is lost – and with it goes the ability to reference data accurately. DCL's challenge was to find a solution that could bridge the gap and provide a dependable data stream throughout the entire length of the tunnel.

Beacon of hope

DCL, with its long-standing partnership with Trimble, reached out to the Trimble Applanix team. They recommended the Trimble Applanix POS LV-220® unit, a high-performance inertial navigation system that excels in environments where satellite signals are a challenge. 

The POS LV-220 unit's ability to combine GNSS with powerful inertial sensors was the key to maintaining data continuity. It bridged GNSS outages, ensuring that DCL could collect accurate geospatial data inside the tunnels without interruption.

Visualizing the solution: The POS LV-220 unit ensures data continuity, capturing the vehicle's trajectory (red line on map) and video feed right up to and inside the tunnel entrance.

Clear path forward

The integration of the POS LV-220 unit allowed GBDG to confidently map road assets with unwavering positional accuracy – a task that would have been difficult with standard GNSS-only units. The success of the project underscores the benefits of DCL's partnership with Trimble and the reliability, seamless integration and strong technical support provided by Trimble’s products.

"We’ve been long-time partners with Trimble Applanix and have always been happy with the performance and reliability of their products," said.Ben Clotworthy, the managing director of ROMDAS at DCL. "The LV-220 has been a valuable upgrade for one of our clients and we hope to extend that for other relevant projects, especially those involving long tunnels where maintaining accurate geo-location data is critical. Trimble technology integrates seamlessly with ROMDAS and delivers dependable results in the field."

Nitin Ghuliani, the general manager of Gulf Business Development Group, agreed. “We have identified the Trimble Applanix POS LV as the best fit for our specific requirements,” he said.  “Its rugged and compact design ensures reliable performance, while the system’s unmatched GNSS+INS accuracy – particularly in tunnels and densely built urban environments – guarantees precise and consistent data, resulting in high-quality deliverables.”

The success of the project has DCL foreseeing future applications for the POS LV-220 unit in other high-demand environments, such as airport runway surveying, where a continuous and accurate data stream is critical for safety and maintenance.