Newswise — The nation’s top lobbyist remarked recently that America’s infrastructure is “running out of capacity,” and that it is time to boost public investment in highway, bridge, electrical grid and other projects to help catapult the country out of the worst recession in 70 years. US Chamber of Commerce president Thomas J. Donohue, speaking at the Chamber’s annual “State of American Business” meeting in Washington on Jan. 12, said greater investment in infrastructure projects could literally pave the way for a sustained economic rebound as the country seeks to compete in the global economy.
His sentiments were mirrored by Bruce Josten, executive VP for government affairs at the US Chamber, who said increased spending on infrastructure reduces costs, accelerates supply chain management, helps Just-in-Time delivery systems and modernizes the American transportation network.
“As Mr. Donohue and Mr. Josten observe, rebuilding the US infrastructure and its economy go hand in hand,” says Mark A. Smith, CEO of Geospatial Holdings, Inc., which owns Geospatial Corporation. “Rebuilding the nation’s extensive underground network is a daunting and expensive task. The construction and utility companies who would help rebuild the US infrastructure face a costly hurdle: the accurate mapping of underground pipelines. Everything from fiber optic cables to electric cables to water pipes run underground.”
Smith noted that those companies who wish to upgrade existing lines in need of repair must have a precise map of where they run before they can begin excavation, while newly installed lines need to be accurately mapped so their owners can upgrade them easily when necessary.
“It would be ironic if a major fix for America’s economic woes were stalled because construction and utility companies themselves couldn’t afford to undertake the work that would jump-start the economy,” notes Smith.
Of the mapping technologies currently available, including sonar, only Geospatial Corporation’s Smart Probe™ can map the world beneath our feet in 3D and at a fraction of the cost. The Smart Probe is an autonomous pipeline mapping system that can accurately determine, in three dimensions, the location of any and all utility pipes with internal diameters ranging from 1.5 to 60 inches. The Smart Probe™ travels through a pipeline at up to six feet per second; as it does so, it records 800 angular and linear velocity changes per second along the x, y and z axes.
The data acquired by the probe can be stored on a laptop PC or immediately viewed and evaluated in the field. Alternatively, the data can be transferred via the Internet for evaluation by anyone, or stored and entered into a GIS/CAD database for future reference.
“If we know where the failing pipes are, we will know where to prioritize the work and the finances. That is a smarter solution,” says Smith.
For more information, log on to www.geospatialcorporation.com.
RSS