| description abstract | The consortium for advanced positioning system (CAPS) was formed in December 1992. The purpose of CAPS is to assist the Civil Engineering Research Foundation (CERF) with a Cooperative Research & Development Agreement (CRDA). CAPS will field and test a new real-time laser-based technology, real-time differential global positioning systems (DGPS), and total stations to determine areas of functionality and how to best integrate these measurement devices to improve the work process and as-building capabilities. The founding members of CAPS are Spatial Positioning Systems, Inc., Blacksburg, Virginia; Jacobus Technology, Inc., Gaithersburg, Maryland; Bechtel Corporation, San Francisco, California; and CERF, Washington, D.C. Integraph Corporation Huntsville, Alabama, joined CAPS in May 1993. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is participating in CAPS through a CRDA with CERF. The objective of the CRDA is to create and field-test a system that improves quality, speed, and accuracy of construction layout and generates real-time as-builts. This effort encompasses the integration of the aforementioned new laser-based positioning system, total stations, and DGPS with computer-aided design (CAD)/ systems to form a real-time construction layout and as-built development system (RtCLADS). This paper presents three positioning technologies, their capabilities, their limitations, and the protocol needed to support the objectives of the CRDA. | |
