How Did Storm Geomatics Tackle a Tidal River Challenge?

The logistics of the survey posed several challenges. The Arun is a tidal river, with water levels fluctuating as much as 6 meters due to tidal movements. This meant careful planning was required to ensure that the correct structures were surveyed at the right times, avoiding the risk of getting grounded or carried out to sea.

The river’s depth and swift current presented further difficulties when surveying both soft and hard river bed levels. In areas where manual poling was unsafe, a single-beam echosounder was deployed to gather data, offering an effective alternative.

Storm surveyors were also tested by the scale of the structures that appeared on the river. Large bridges, in particular, required careful planning to ensure every angle was surveyed. With such large-scale structures, the potential for missing key details was high. Each Total Station setup had to be planned meticulously to gather as much data as possible.

Project Lead Surveyor, Tom Isaac commented “It can be very easy for something to slip your mind when surveying such a large bridge as it can take so long but it helps having your survey team with you who are also thinking about what needs to be surveyed and can give you a nudge in the right direction if you end up side-tracked on something else.”