00:01While we’re getting this going, I wanted to thank everybody that was involved with the technology that I started using 11 years ago.

00:07I cannot express the excitement I had the first time I met with one of the representatives...

00:13...and they showed me how to take my design and project it out on the ground.

00:17And we could take the team out there and evaluate it.

00:22And as it says right here, I’ve...I’ve been designing on several projects for 28 years...

00:28... and the last 11 years, I’ve used ArcPad as a tool to assist me in my design.

00:33And in this presentation, I’m going to relate my experience with those past 11 years.

00:40Why should you design live in the field?

00:43And, and how would you like to see live in the field?

00:47The process and what’s needed for GeoDesign as I’m live in the field...

00:53...and I’m going to give you an example of a recent project that I was working on.

00:59This process I call live field design has been developed based on needs that we had on projects.

01:08As develop...is developed to meet needs and fast-paced goals of projects.

01:14See, I work my...a lot of times for product developers, and their goal is time is money, and they...their product is what they sell...

01:23...so if you can enhance their product, it sells better and the whole process works better.

01:28So the...An added benefit, and what enhances the value of the product is to be able to be sensitive to environmental features...

01:37...and enhance them and as part of your design, while you’re live out in the field.

01:43So, why do you design live?

01:46One of the big reasons is it saves time.

01:50Surveying time, it probably cut it from 25 to 50 percent.

01:55And engineering time, it probably 25 to 50 percent also.

02:00It reduced the construction schedule and the field changes because we were live out in the field.

02:05We anticipated a lot of the features out there that sometimes cause interruptions in schedules and field changes.

02:14Because of the predesigns, it saved cost.

02:17It saved 10 to 25 percent of the design cost.

02:21It saved 5 to 10 percent of the construction cost, so we had a better design, and we eliminated changes.

02:27The project team could visualize the design during their entire process, and when I say project team...

02:35...on this example regis-...residential subdivision, we had the designer or designers out there, I was out there...

02:43...the developer, the owner; you had the operators...

02:48...the managers of the property, and you also had the salespeople, who are going to sell it to the end buyer.

02:54So you had a lot of input while you’re creating your design.

02:59Changes were made live in the field; we would sometimes get comments that’s very similar to the diversity of this group here from...

03:06...from people that were involved in the process that you didn’t anticipate or expect but improved your design...

03:13...so it was an excellent process.

03:15The live field design I say is...is a true site design, because you are placed out on your site.

03:23I’m going to show you how that process works.

03:26But I want to use a little analogy right here.

03:29In this application, I see the GPS on the site relating back to...the previous way of design is to cursor on the computer screen...

03:41...or the pencil on the paper.

03:43That GPS is positioning me out on the site and giving me the capability to know exactly where I’m at.

03:49And with this software, I can draw and insert and sketch and do all kind of things on the site that I could not do before.

03:56And here...here’s some quest-... How would you like to see your design projected out on the site one day after the concept’s drawn?

04:04Instant evaluation, almost.

04:08How would you like to have a on-site meeting with the design team and edit as you see it on the site?

04:14How would you like to avoid field issues that I...I mentioned earlier?

04:18Many times, projects were stopped because we just did not see those issues in the office, and they were...they occurred out in the field.

04:27How would you like to insert the building as you’re designing for out there and walk to where the future window’s going to be...

04:34...and look at your vehicle?

04:36It’s just...it’s just amazing tools to have your site projected out on the design.

04:41This is my diagram of...of how the processing went before I used ArcPad and projected my designs... My designs...

04:49The items in green, I controlled.

04:52Now, one issue when you’re working for a client is that he wants you to control the whole process.

04:57You’re responsible for it whether you have the ability to control it or not.

05:02So you went from...[inaudible]. You went down this process right here, which is normal process, the surveyor...

05:09And surveyor, you did not control, and he did not control the weather...

05:13...and there were a lot of factors that would increase the time and the design process.

05:20But he produced a CAD file drawing from you, and you took the CAD file drawing and you created a conceptual design.

05:26And then you got into what I’ve called as the cycle of design.

05:30And in that cycle, the...the surveyor staked your design out in the field, and...

05:35...and you had a meeting in the field with you and the owner and possibly some of the other people I talked about.

05:41And you made comments and changes; you went back to the office...

05:45...you revised your CAD drawing; you reissued it to the surveyor; he went back out again and he laid it...

05:51...and so on and so on, the cycle continued.

05:54And the problem was we could not predict the construction time.

05:59And that’s...that’s time and cost.

06:02So, with the ArcPad process, what I want to do is show a different layout.

06:08The owner retained the designer; the designer draws the project, projects it into the GIS, collects the GIS information...

06:20...creates a CAD drawing, creates a conceptual design, loads it into the ArcPad, goes out in the field with the entire team there to observe it...

06:30...revises and makes comments out in the field, revises that design, has another meeting out in the field...

06:37...projecting of the design, same team again, and gets revisions, and then the really useful tool of the design and the GPS...

06:48...it...it can be issued straight to the contractor.

06:50The contractor then takes the design, incorporates it in his layout, his construction process...

06:57...and actually running the location of his equipment.

07:01And, one ma-...benefit that happened here in this process is during construction, there’s always changes.

07:09Well, if the process is live and interactive, the changes can occur and decisions can be made in a short amount of time.

07:16One example I can give is there’s a nice tree, and if I split the lanes, I can save the tree.

07:22Well, I could not make that decision before when it was on paper, because I didn’t know how much it affected the surrounding properties.

07:29I may reduce a property before...below a minimum requirement or something like that.

07:34But with all the information available to me out in the field live, I can make those decisions.

07:40So this is what the process looks like; live field design is interaction, the designer with the site and the surrounding environment.

07:47So it really takes it beyond looking at the computer screen and maps and so forth.

07:51It ma-...it...it puts you out there interacting with the ground.

07:55This is one of the first units I used, it’s a Dell, and the...that’s a project that I’m going to get into right now that’s projected on the screen.

08:02That drawing was produced in CAD and exported to this unit connected with a GPS.

08:10So what you need to get this done...you need a trained geodesigner.

08:13I spent...That’s what I found out that term’s called; I been doing it for 11 years. But you...you need to understand the process...

08:21...and you need to make sure it works when you get out there on the site, because it has a lot of technology to it...

08:27...but it...it’s a really useful tool when it...when you get out there at the site.

08:30You need a scope of...for your project; these are normal items.

08:34You need to collect the best available data you can.

08:37A GIS map and data’s really useful.

08:41It’s updated continuously.

08:43I have some data that I get that changes so often throughout the year that I’m not sure I have the latest data...

08:48...so having live updated data is really beneficial in your design.

08:53You can supplement it with survey plats and more accurate information you need on the ground.

08:59And then you can input local design requirements.

09:03If you have buffers and setbacks, you’re able, this software now, to illustrate those in there and set up alerts when you enter those zones...

09:12...while you’re walking around on the site, so you can be aware of where you’re at.

09:16And have your...you...you export that either to ArcMap or ArcPad.

09:21Earlier I said that I used ArcPad, but lately I’ve been introduced to ArcMap and have a lot more capabilities with it.

09:28Both of them will take a GPS connection; I just take the different type of computer to carry out there in the field.

09:34And then...then you view it with this development team and...

09:37...and one thing you got to...you...you...you probably did in your office but you got to learn to do in the field...

09:42...is to direct the development team...

09:44...ask the questions and interview them to get the answers that you need to end up with a really accurate, useful design.

09:56Again, you...you can revise and check and create another design.

09:59This is the example right here of a recent design I did.

10:03It’s...it’s titled as an English Countryside Equestrian Community.

10:07It’s in Tryon, North Carolina.

10:09It’s a residential subdivision in an equestrian setting.

10:15These are the conceptual plans on this and they were illustrated; it’s a 33-acre lake in the middle.

10:21That’s one of the main features; the other main feature is there’s 160 miles of horse trails.

10:27So we went through this process that I described...

10:30...and one thing I want to point out that ended up kind of unique that you can do is this is...is more of a typical subdivision layout.

10:37And I’ll point out some...something else on that later, but this side over here is you notice the buildings are in a very random pattern.

10:46All right, and let me speed through that a little bit, but that...that was an interesting story how we came about those.

10:53I selected the...the information for the design and...and put it together and there’s the plat...

11:00...and there’s the information you all are used to seeing.

11:03That was the first conceptual design.

11:05And it had problems with the views of...of properties through to the lake.

11:16After we went through that process that I described earlier, it was revised and...

11:20...these are the conditions you’re seeing when you’re out on the site.

11:22You see and feel everything, but you...you...you also have an appreciation for the...the natural features that are out there.

11:31This is the result of rede-...redesigning that, and what you can see is houses’ locations were moved.

11:39They can see between each other.

11:41The-...By the way, in the sketching, these bubbles represent 100 feet in diameter...

11:46...so they’re both a placement and a spatial tool that you use when you’re out there on the site...

11:51...you can move them around and...and...and make sure you have adequate space.

11:55So, live design’s best suited for field locating the best site for buildings and infrastructure routes...

12:01...for positioning best views orientations, access, and protecting natural features...

12:07...and planning for green spaces and protecting environmental...

12:11Live field design helps each field designer see how the design fits in the field.

12:16And there’s a lot more to this; you can contact me later.