Hero Image
Featured case study

Hobart Water Works & Fulcrum: Capturing large dams in Tasmania

Mike Larkin is the Managing Director of Fulcrum, one of Australia’s leading robotics service providers, based out of Tasmania and working internationally.

Teaming up with Trendspek, Fulcrum delivers clients with rapid asset capture, and 3D models with an unprecedented level of detail. Already an innovator, Mike hopes to see this more advanced and accurate form of inspection become business-as-usual for asset owners around the country and the world.

About the project

Why did Fulcrum decide to use Trendspek’s software and 3D models?

The reason we’re using Trendspek, is because the quality of the data output is very high when compared to other systems. Other systems are good, but they are focused on mapping and produce lower quality 3D models. The client looks at those models and thinks they’re nice and that’s about it.

We do a lot of asset and environmental work, so we need to be able to sit down and show clients what the issues are. They need to be able to interrogate the models, and those issues, to form an opinion that has an engineering aspect to it and produce a clear and confident outcome.

Our clients like to do things the old way, so we were looking for a software solution that had that granularity in terms of data quality, and that focus on risk mitigation.

Services

Precision Reality Twins (PRT), Data Acquisition, Reporting and Project Management

Project in numbers

Under 1 day

Capture time

Versus the traditional capture time of 1 week

24 hours

Model output

Versus the traditional output of 7 to 10 days

60 million

Data points

Versus the traditional data points of only up to 50

High fidelity

3D interactive model output

Versus the traditional output of 2D PDF of images

50%+

Cost saving

Versus the traditional manual inspection costs

Low risk

Safety Risk

Versus the traditional high risk manual rope inspection

Background Background

“We have another client that uses Trendspek and refers back to their models often, increasing the value of that original expenditure and process.”

How did Trendspek provide a more accurate solution for the Water Works in Hobart?

Typically, we’re engaged to bring information on an asset to a customer that may be related to a very specific issue. For example, using Trendspek, we developed photogrammetry and thermal models for local storages in and around Hobart, including older dams because they typically want to know if there is any horizontal or vertical cracking occurring in a specific locations on a dam wall.

This is a highly political and social issue, the failure consequence rating for many dams around the greater Hobart area is typically quite high. We were confident the old software wouldn’t give us the level of clarity our clients needed to make the required decisions.

In many situations, our client needs to understand the state of any defects, cracks or other deformation, so engineers can form an opinion on whether they would take the asset out of service– very big, important and costly decisions.

Because of the nature of the assets, it’s also very useful for the client to be able to refer back to the model on an issue in the future.

How did Trendspek reduce costs and increase safety?

Large dams can be really dangerous if they aren’t managed well.

The models we provide are so detailed and so accurate that a client doesn’t need to engage a lot of roped contractors to undertake a detailed inspection of the asset. The model was able to show us and the client where the issues were, and they were then able to target physical inspections, if required.

Large dams can consume multiple man days of rope work, Fulcrum was able to cut down to just one day of capture with drones, and a highly detailed 3D model produced in 24 hours. There’s a cost saving and a move towards much safer practices.

How does Trendspek compare to traditional models?

I’ve got two models for a large irrigation dam, one in Trendspek and one on another platform. For Trendspek, the pixel resolution is down at 2cm or below.

Using the other platform, I can’t see anything, I can’t see the texture of the concrete or cracking in the concrete. When I use the model in Trendspek, the texture and any defects are obvious.

That level of forensic clarity is what leads to an outcome, it leads to that image being sent to the engineer to get advice or form a decision with confidence.

case-study-fulcrum-dams-2

case-study-fulcrum-dams-1

case-study-fulcrum-dams-3

Background Background

“With the old software, you can’t see texture or cracking in the concrete, with Trendspek, defects are obvious.”

Trendspek

Better. From every angle.

At Trendspek, we understand the importance of assets, because to us, our clients are our most valuable assets. We have worked in
close partnership with some of the world’s biggest asset management companies, delivering our service, their way.

Get in touch

theme://images/prt-block-bg.png
theme://images/ferndale-tank.jpg

What is a Precision Reality Twin?

Read more

Case studies with our customers

Read more

Propel your asset management with Trendspek.

We've worked in close partnership with some of the world’s biggest asset management companies, delivering our service, their way.

Read our case studies to see how we're driving progress and optimised inspections.

trendspek-property-partners

 

Speak with us to get started