User's Manual

Manual MN71-082 Rev - 5
Chapter 1: Introduction
Terravision II is GSSI’s first truly One-Pass 3D system. This affords faster and more accurate
data collection and target identification than has ever been available before. The design goal has
been to assist you in detecting the location, depth and angle of pipes --- automatically.
The Terravision II let’s you collect a six-foot wide ribbon of data at a range of speeds and
resolutions that adapt to your application. It is designed to collect 1200 feet of data at three to
four miles per hour. This will deliver the full resolution of one scan per inch. At this resolution,
even rebar mesh is detectable. Going faster is no problem. As your speed increases, the
Terravision II automatically drops resolution and correctly smoothes the data to accommodate. At
the far extreme for example, if you wish to map soil layering, roadbed or geologic structure,
speeds up to fifteen mph will still provide smoothed yet accurate results thanks of its built-in
positioning system. The internal survey wheel will track your position, while the fixed relative
position of the 14 internal antennas guarantees a six-foot swath of correctly spaced 3D data.
At typical speeds for locating pipes (3 to 5 mph) you can collect over a 1500-foot line in under
five minutes. Anyone with experience collecting 3D data will recognize not only what a
generational advance in technology this represents but also what a huge dataset you have just
collected! With this is mind, the second important technology advance with this system lies in the
way it helps you analyze your data.
Once the dataset is collected, it is transferred to our RADAN processing software for analysis.
This can be done immediately after data collection, without leaving your ATV. Our new Auto
Target Locator takes the 3D dataset and looks for hyperbolic patterns in all 14 transects. While
some of these targets might be individual rocks or buried trash, pipes should get detected in each
of the 14 transects. The 14 targets will be found to be linear and then automatically highlighted in
the data. The result is a simple means of searching through an enormous amount of 3D data very
quickly.
The results of your analysis are presented, edited and saved in an easy to use 3D interface that can
be outputted to a CAD file. Whether you want to locate pipes to within a few inches, or map soil
stratigraphy in 3D, Terravision II offers a simple and efficient means of getting answers fast. This
manual is written to help you get the most out of your new system, to highlight its strengths and
understand its limitations. Please read it through carefully to avoid confusion.
Overview of this Manual
Chapter 2 – Details the components and requirements of the hardware and setup
Chapter 3 – Steps through the procedure for acquiring data.
Chapter 4 – Explains what needs to be done to interpret your data.
Appendix A – FAQ.