Issue link: https://geospatial.trimble.com/en/resources/i/1396972
overview Location PUERTO RICO TRANSFORMING THE WAY THE WORLD WORKS TRANSFORMING THE WAY THE WORLD WORKS The effort to restore the flow of gasoline, diesel and other fuels to Puerto Rican residents and businesses hinged on getting the terminals and tank farms at Yabucoa back into operation. While major damage including collapsed roofs could be easily assessed, subtle issues such as small deformations in a tank could have consequences when the tank was refilled. The tanks would need detailed inspection and there was no time to spare. Tank farm operators contacted Carlos Fournier, president of Mforce Surveying to collect data on tanks up to 250 feet in diameter. With a strong background in surveying, Fournier knew that laser scanning would be the best way to approach the work. "3D scanning is very valuable on sites like these," he said. "We can collect comprehensive data on complex structures. The fieldwork moves efficiently, and the comprehensive data eliminates the need to revisit the site." To handle the work at Yabucoa, Mforce selected the Trimble SX10 Scanning Total Station. ON-SITE EFFICIENCY The crews planned the work carefully. For each tank, they determined optimal locations for the SX10, selecting four or five intervisible setup points that provided a complete view of the tank. At every point they established georeferenced coordinates by using a Trimble R8 GNSS receiver in conjunction with Puerto Rico's VRS network. Then the crews set up the SX10 and used the surveying workflows in Trimble Access software to capture high- accuracy point clouds of the tank exterior. When surveying out-of-service tanks, the Mforce team could also work inside the tank by using the SX10 to capture data needed to examine the condition and flatness of the tank floor. The crews needed just five days to complete the work to establish control and scan five tanks. Fournier downloaded the field data from Trimble Access into Trimble Business Center Software (TBC). "With TBC When Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico it delivered a devastating blow to the island's energy infrastructure. Before critical fuel storage tanks could be reactivated to supply essential needs, the massive structures needed to be inspected to assess any damage caused by Maria. In order to quickly provide the required information, a leading surveying firm used laser scanning to capture comprehensive data on tank interior and exteriors. The results enabled tank operators to ensure safety and integrity in their work to recover from the crippling storm.