Leica Geosystems Partners with Infotech to Introduce Construction Inspection Solution, Increases Efficiency of Data Collection for Civil Infrastructure Projects

The FieldGenius for Construction Inspection solution is the first product of its kind to seamlessly integrate information and reduce the risk of human error from manual collection and input. Developed in partnership with Infotech, a leading provider of SaaS solutions for infrastructure construction, FieldGenius for Construction Inspection is designed to simplify and accelerate the construction inspection process by streamlining how survey data is collected and reported with Infotech’s Appia® construction management service.

Accelerating Inspection for Infrastructure Construction

The integrated solution eliminates office time spent entering data collected from the survey system and the need to annotate sketches for visual inspection support. FieldGenius also reduces the number of devices carried by the inspector in the field, as well as errors in transcription of disconnected data sets. The result: easily created digital as-builts for future infrastructure maintenance and construction.

“Until now, the construction inspection process – a necessary part of quality control validation and contract management – has been unwieldy,” said Troy Dahlin, vice president of heavy construction for US/Canada, Leica Geosystems. “Information was often hand-written on notepads, photos were snapped on cell phones, and data was manually entered into software. This new powerful solution is greatly needed by the industry, and we see a lot of potential in the use of digital as-builts in the construction inspection process to enhance safety, quality, and time/cost savings.”

With FieldGenius for Construction Inspection, field inspectors can now complete their daily work report (DWR) faster and more accurately in four simple steps: 1) Collect project data with any of the many compatible Leica GNSS rovers and data collector; 2) Record project data in the FieldGenius Construction Inspection app, which automatically associates project item information with survey data collected during inspection; 3) Export the inspection file from FieldGenius, and; 4) Upload into the Appia service.

Information is no longer left in silos but is integrated seamlessly, and the risk of human error present in manual collection/input is reduced.

“The days of having multiple inspection sources from multiple project stakeholders to inspect the jobsite are over,” commented Will McClave, President of Systems at Infotech. “In partnership with Leica Geosystems, we have automated what was once a manual, time-consuming process, streamlining together a solution to simplify construction inspection, as well as support the creation of a digital as-built to increase efficiency in ongoing maintenance.”

Field-tested and Ready

FieldGenius for Construction Inspection was field tested with inspection teams on a large highway project over a period of eight weeks in Spring 2021. Field inspectors validated significant improvements in their ability to record and deliver inspection reports in Appia, reducing preparation time and reporting errors. Additionally, they cited benefits in enabling stake-less job inspections as well as as-built verification for ongoing maintenance and design.

“The comments and reviews from our in-depth field testing illustrate that FieldGenius for Construction Inspection is already working, it’s already successful, it’s proven, and it’s already adding multiple efficiencies for inspectors in the field,” commented Dahlin.

Leica Geosystems’ solutions are part of the Hexagon Heavy Construction portfolio that delivers value to its customers in the construction industry through an innovative portfolio of technologies across the life cycle of infrastructure projects. FieldGenius for Construction Inspection is available through Leica Geosystems.

www.leica-geosystems.com