We’re high up in the hills above Ōwhiro Bay in Wellington with the Envelope survey team as they work with Zipline Technologies to help deliver a project that will result in four ziplines and extensive walking tracks throughout the regenerated native bush.

As part of this project, the Envelope survey team are tasked with capturing the topography and structures of the site one of those being the VHF radio station. The access to this structure is difficult with locked security fencing, adding another layer of complexity to the logistics of the job.

“With the Leica GS18I we don’t have to wait for access to the tower, we can capture all the points we need without actually entering the fence. The beauty of the imagery on the GS18I is that we can capture all the points we need to within about 30 seconds, without having to take the total station out” – Erin Cameron, Director – Envelope

Once the Envelope survey team are back in the office, the imagery is used to create any points that might have been missed in the field or were inaccessible due to the security fence, without the need to return to site.

“We bring the field data into Leica Infinity software, process the points that we were unable to access and we can quickly and easily create 3D points that we can integrate in with the rest of the data set. – Emma Cook, Young Surveyor of the year 2021 – Envelope

The exciting thing about new technology, like the combination of GNSS and Imagery that the GS18I delivers, is that it changes the way you approach a project, changes the thinking of what is possible. The technology available now informs the approach to the job.

“It makes you start to think of projects in a different way, can I measure those hard to access points with the use of imagery? And the answer is normally yes. Myself and the wider geomatics team are here as a technology partner for our customers supporting them and assisting them to get the most out of the latest technology” – Mark Green, Survey Sales Consultant – Global Survey

Since they started out, the Envelope survey team made a conscious decision to embrace the latest technology to help attract young surveyors and innovative thinkers as their team grows. “Technology is always evolving and we’re happy to evolve with it”.

The unique combination of GNSS and imagery with the Leica GS18i delivers efficiencies on multiple levels; capturing a complete dataset in one site visit saves time, not having to always use the total station saves time, training staff on simpler workflows saves time. For survey firms the time savings of using technology like the Leica GS18I delivers efficiencies for their clients, not just costs savings, but also less delays to projects.

Erin told us “This project is going to result in an amazing immersive zipline experience for visitors and an opportunity to get up close to the native flaura, fauna and wildlife in this area with views out across Wellington and the cook strait. Once it’s completed, we’re definitely going to take the Envelope survey team there!”

Visit the Envelope website to find out more about their services.

To find out more about the Leica GS18I’s capabilities, contact our team on 0800 453 422 or info@globalsurvey.co.nz