Tracking and quantifying the progress of construction at each phase of a project's lifecycle is critical for maintaining the operating budget and for meeting target deadlines. The Aether platform allows users to manage data representing a worksite's final target design for easy and accurate comparative analysis against field surveys that are performed during active construction.

The tooling and workflow items discussed in this article are important for multiple stakeholders including site supervisors, operators, technicians, engineers, project managers, and more. For this workflow, we'll perform a sitewide comparitive analysis between the latest survey and the final design surface as well as perform targeted measurements in high priority zones.

The As-Built vs. Design workflow for earthworks on the Aether platform is optimized for the integration of industry standard third party tooling directly into the process. This article discusses the required inputs and specific tools that can be leveraged to complete the workflow and the integration of results into your existing software ecosystem. Technical guidance for the operation and customization of each tool is linked throughout. 

1. Convert Design to Surface

Design files should be converted to a Geotiff surface for an optimized comparison against existing as-built data.

• Export your design file from your design software in a supported surface file type
  OR
• After uploading (step 2), convert vector design files to surface files with the Dedicated Analytic 

2. Upload Design Surface

Select your existing Aether project containing your target As-Built survey. Add your earthwork’s final design file directly to the platform as a separate survey using the built in File Uploader

3. Verify Calibration

To follow best practices, it is recommend to verify the spatial data calibration of your design file to ensure you have alignment between the field survey and the design file.

• In an area that complies with the final design or on a survey monument/target, use the Measure > Point tool set to compare mode and ensure you have vertical alignment.

*In the instance that you experience a vertical or horizontal misalignment, you should verify that all datasets uploaded and/or processed in the equivalent CRS.

4. Surface to Surface Comparison

Launch the Change Map analytic to automatically detect volumetric differences between your surface files, accurately indicating deviations between your as-built field survey and your final design file

5. Material Distribution Review

Data exploration features such as the Differential Volume tool allow for measurement and granular analysis of any measurable differences between your field survey and your target final design in high priority areas.

6. Share/Collaborate

Invite key stakeholders to interact, measure, and review your As-Built vs. Design results with the Admin and User Management functions. Collaborative tools allow for synchronized work in the same project space.

For example, tag a key stakeholder and leave a comment to bring their attention directly to a critical measurement.

7. Export and Integrate Results

As-Built vs. Design analysis completed. All sitewide analytic results and manual computations are safely stored on the platform for future reference. Additionally, various exports are available for easy integration into external software ecosystems or for integration into your company’s standard reporting format.

Common options include:

• Exporting change map results in a vector format for integration into GIS or CAD solutions
• Exporting individual analyses for highly precise change detection in priority zones
• Exporting repeat analysis in CSV format for integration long range projection workflows

For this project, the change map results will be exported in a tabular CSV format and integrated into a proprietary reporting and inventory tracking tool that is used to track costs through all phases of construction. Key metrics will be quickly shared with the Project Manager for review to ensure the project remains on time and on budget. 

8. Repeat Analysis

The beginning steps of this workflow can be easily repeated as additional field surveys are performed and all data can be leveraged for long range trend tracking.