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Writer's pictureNick Cruden, PE

Using the Latest Reality Capture Technology to Examine Historic Fire Towers


This drone image shows an aerial view looking down on Jackie Jones fire tower located in Harriman State Park, New York.
Aerial view of JackieJones fire tower

Over the last few years, it has become evident that advances in reality capture technology are completely transforming the way we do structural condition assessments. A great example of this is a recent project where we were tasked with assessing the current condition and providing conceptual recommendations for repairs to the Jackie Jones and Sterling Forest fire towers in New York’s Sterling Forest and Harriman State Park.

 

The fire towers were reportedly constructed in the 1920’s. As-built record drawings were not available and our visual inspection indicated that the towers did not exactly match the typical record drawings. The towers each exceed 60 feet above the mountain. The narrow stairs allow limited access to the exterior framing members. Safely conducting a visual assessment on foot to verify both member condition and size was not achievable.

 

Our team used static and mobile LiDAR, along with UAV technology to create a digital twin of the fire towers. Using this array of reality capture technology, we were able to field verify accurate size and layout of the framing that would have been otherwise inaccessible to us. Without this technology, we would have been hanging out in the wind – literally. The only other way to get that information would have been to climb the tower from the outside, a dangerous proposition given the then unknown condition of the framing.

 

The point-cloud data, along with the UAV imagery was extracted into MJ’s digital twin interface, MJ4D. Within the digital twin, our team could verify the condition of the structure from all angles. We can zoom into different areas, take measurements, and manipulate the point of view to see how exactly how the connections are oriented.


Our team utilized the point-cloud data to develop 3D BIM models with detailed steel framing information. Our structural engineers then imported the modeled steel framing into our structural analysis software. The ability to take real life scan data seamlessly into the analysis software is hugely beneficial to our process.


We presented the final program report to our client, the NYS Office of Park Recreation & Historic Preservation, along with access to MJ4D. They can now explore a real-world digital twin which will be valuable for future renovation efforts.

 

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