Mid Summer Brings Surveying Challenges

Mid-summer can be a challenging time for Storm’s surveying teams as vegetation reaches it’s peak. Extra planning of time allocation and summer PPE and tools are resourced prior to mobilisation of teams to site.

Surveyors undertook a channel survey of an un-named tributary located in Sandown, Isle of Wight. Lead by Surveyor Josh Humphriss, the team found the terrain challenging with elevated levels, vegetation to navigate and the tributary deep with silt even though two metres wide in most places. Despite the vegetation surveyors still managed to record all the data required by the client to undertake a flood risk assessment. Using a Trimble R12 receiver and a T5 total station the team completed and delivered within the deadlines set. Ensuring surveyors have access to survey kit in full working order and fit for purpose keeps projects on track during the high vegetation season.

The mighty Geoswath survey vessel was back in action in late June as skipper Alex Lyall and his team undertook a bathymetric survey of the Great Ouse and 100ft Drain using a single beam echo sounder. Executing 62km of river in two site days the Geoswath’s agility to launch and recover down vegetated banks is exactly the right vessel for this project. Taking a central channel level at one metre intervals, this survey is conducted every three months to monitor silt movement and assist the Environment Agency in assessing the flood risk to the area. By analysing this data, dredging activity can then be planned in the most advantageous locations.

Fresh from the Isle of Wight project Josh Humphriss joined his final study block session for this academic year at Dudley College of Technology where he is Studying for the Level 3 Geospatial Apprenticeship. During this block Josh explained “My college course has been about Maths related to surveying this block, such as trigonometry. Furthermore, we also did a practical exercise of a traverse survey. As well as learning this latest information we had to hand in our assignment on ‘GIS’ from the previous block, where we look at different geographical information systems and how to use them to interpret data into different formats”. Storm is keen to keep the supply chain of new talent in the surveying profession and will certainly be encouraging more apprentices to come on board in the future.

Towards the end of June Storm welcomed new colleague Ross Day who becomes Survey Manager at Storm HQ in Warwickshire. Ross will play a pivotal role in leading Storm operational staff and being the first point of contact with clients at project inception. To discover more about Ross do follow our LinkedIn page @stormgeomatics or better still why not LinkedIn with Ross? @Ross Day

Don’t forget – All the wet and wild adventures from Storm can be viewed via our LinkedIn page @Storm Geomatics Limited and our other social media channels. Twitter @stormgeomatics Instagram @stormgeomatics1

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