Queensland Main Roads, Surveying Section, Takes Out Government Technology Productivity Award In Which Australian Software Plays A Vital Role
SYDNEY, NSW – April 18, 2000 – Australian developed civil and surveying software, 4D Model, has received public acclamation as a pivotal component in the Queensland Department of Main Roads (Commercial Operations Division) winning a 2000 Government Technology Productivity Award. The Award, presented on March 21, was won by the Survey Section for its electronic field book development , the Fieldbook 2000, in which 4D Model played an integral role. Fieldbook 2000 uses 4D Model and 4D model user menus and macros written by Main Roads’ staff members Wayne Hansen and Tony Kirchner, both of whom were in Canberra with Ray Breust, General Manager, Commercial Operations, to accept the Award.
The Awards are judged by the Technology in Government Committee and form part of the National Technology in Government Conference held in Canberra, March 21 – 22, 2000. They are signed by the Governor General and presented to federal, state and local government departments which demonstrate improved productivity and better service through the use of technology.
This year’s Awards were presented at a gala, black tie ceremony held at Parliament House in Canberra. Principals of 4D Solutions, developers of 4D Model, Dr Lee Gregory and Alan Gray, attended the ceremony.
Commenting on 4D Solutions’ role in Queensland Main Roads’ success, 4D Managing Director, Dr Gregory, said he was honoured that 4D Model played such an integral role in what was a truly innovative application. It demonstrated QDMR’s ongoing commitment to excellence and productivity practices in its surveying applications, he said
“4D Solutions enjoys a long and fruitful relationship with Queensland Department of Main Roads – which now holds 112 licences of 4D Model – and we are pleased to see its pioneering survey work, such as Fieldbook 2000, receiving such quality recognition as these Awards represent.”
The award-winning Fieldbook 2000 was initially used in Brisbane’s South East transit project which involved the construction of a dedicated bus corridor for South Brisbane. It has been used on a number of other projects since and within South East Queensland, has become Queensland Main Roads’ preferred system of entering surveyed data into a computer model on a PC, digesting, coding, plotting and checking it. Commenting on Fieldbook 2000 Consulting Design Draftsman, Robert Parisi said his time has been decreased “by up to 50 percent compared with previous surveys I have dealt with” in performing these functions. He said the main factor is “the compatibility of what the surveyors provide to what I need for civil design and drafting.”
In an appraisal of Fieldbook 2000 submitted to the Technology In Government judging committee, he commented that the replacement of non-scale hand drawn sketches done by surveyors, with computer drawn plans, is a huge leap forward. “The surveyors obviously knew what they were drawing, but for a draftsperson to decipher and research various notations and codes, then correlate this information to what was given in the computer data was all too time consuming. The colour, clear, precise, and most importantly, to scale, plots provided in Field Book 2000 are invaluable.”
He said that before using Fieldbook 2000, the codes and symbols used by the survey team usually did not mach the standard library codes used by the design office. “This always caused great time wastage. Fieldbook 2000 has consolidated on a standard in this area that remains uniform and constant from one survey to the next, as well as matching the design office standard.”
Mr Parisi said another “giant step forward” comes from the provision of computer files containing separate groups of data that can be used in different stages of design, for example, a DTM file.
“Previously the task of researching the entire survey model to determine which survey strings and points were going to be included in the creation of a triangulation file used in long/cross sectioning, contouring and general day to day design was arduous and usually created discrepancies and uncertainties,” he explained.
“The clear and concise setout of categories within the Fieldbook pertaining to survey station control, printouts, plots, and computer disk (all packed in a neat, bound booklet) decreases any verification need to almost nil, leaving the end user with a high level of confidence in the survey model.”
In conclusion Mr Parisi summarised: “Hours and hours of researching backwards and forwards between hand drawn field notes, separate sketches, bits of printout and computer data, rectifying errors and discrepancies, re-coding and re-organising incompatible survey data has virtually been eliminated.”
About 4D Solutions
4D Model was developed by Australian specialist software house 4D Solutions Pty Ltd. It is currently in use at organisations in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, the United Kingdom, Canada and the USA.
4D Solutions Pty Ltd is a privately owned Australian company established in 1988. Based in Sydney, the company sells and supports 4D Model direct and through distributors.
