FCG Surveys choose Trimble GPS for Galileo Project
Wed 2nd Dec 2009
KOREC is delighted to announce that County Kildare based FCG Surveys has chosen to use Trimble's R7 GNSS on the European Union and The European Space Agency (ESA) €3.4 billion Galileo project.
They will be using the Trimble R7 to carry out GPS surveys at 42 ground stations, worldwide, as part of a parcel of work awarded by the ESA to Sogeti Ireland who tendered with FCG Surveys. Phase 1 sees FCG visit 18 stations from Troll in Antarctica to Svalbard in Norway. Phase 2 will take in a further 24 worldwide locations.
Established in 1997 by directors Aidan Gleeson and Ray Henry, FCG Surveys was an early adopter of Trimble GPS technology and the company's twelve years of GPS expertise and experience were key to this contract award.
In a project where logistics feature so strongly and with no opportunity for rework, FCG selected the R7 GNSS over other systems for a number of reasons. Extremely rugged, the R7 is a modular system designed for harsh conditions and has the advantage of recording data directly to a memory card for easy transfer and back up. When the card is full, it can simply be changed for a new one with no need to move the receiver. Additionally the R7 GNSS uses the Zephyr Geodetic Antenna with a stealth undercoating to minimise signal multipath and provide the "cleanest" data possible.
Surveys at 5 locations have already been carried out and Aidan Gleeson reports that the Trimble R7 is performing well under extreme conditions that have seen temperatures dropping as low as -20 celsius in Norway. "We selected the R7 for this high profile project because reliability really is key to this job and there is no room for error," explains Aidan. "At each station we are carrying out a static GPS survey of a fixed point by tying it to ITRF (International Terrestrial Reference Frame) reference stations. We do two 24 hour static sessions and process them both separately before we leave site to ensure that we have reliable results. We then create 3 back up copies of the data and send one to the office by post. This processed data will be used to provide an accurate relative location for equipment to be installed in the ground base stations network worldwide. Our previous experience with Trimble GPS and KOREC's back up and support means that we can be confident that the R7 GNSS will deliver the accuracy we demand whilst withstanding the harsh conditions and extensive travel that this project entails."
ENDS
Image 1: Extreme Surveying - Troll in Antarctica
