Discover Why Even Garver Aviation Invests in Plex-Earth's Aerial Imagery…

Since its 1919 inception by Neal Garver, Garver USA has earned its status as a growing civil engineering giant, with the keyword of ‘investment’.

Today, they invest in over 1200 employees in more than 30 offices, and literally offer financial analysis as well as covering every construction sector imaginable - including aviation.

It was the Aviation Division that joined the Plex-Earth Accelerator Program, enjoying hands-on guided demos by the Plex-Earth support team.

High Stakes and Low Expectations…

Aviation construction is pretty demanding, from the large scales involved (some runways can be over 2 miles long), to the fact visitors will gain a critical bird’s eye view of your design!

Would Garver Aviation be impressed by – and would they invest in - Plex-Earth’s aerial imagery?

It was high stakes for them, because covering such vast areas with premium imagery can get expensive, so they were naturally skeptical…

We were clearly in the running though, so we laid out the benefits and how Plex-Earth offers a straightforward process and transparency in cost management.

Straightforward transparency is a real rarity when purchasing aerial imagery!

When you use the Plex-Earth platform you gain all the benefits, but can simply side-step the excessive time and wasteful expense of negotiating long-term contracts with every different supplier.

With Plex-Earth it’s cost-effective and easy, because you simply order what you need, when you need it; you know exactly how much that will cost, plus you can preview the imagery first!

Another big benefit is that our imagery is frequently updated, typically 1-3 times a year. This is important for any project, but the larger-scale and the typical locations of aviation construction made this feature extra critical, in fact it’s exactly what they needed!

Seeing was Believing

Garver is an employee-owned company and having invested in the best people, it then takes those peoples’ viewpoints very seriously.

Plex-Earth makes everything easy, practical and user-friendly – but would our imagery impress the all-important end-user, the engineers, and the external project managers that they in turn need to impress?

As they went from demos to actually using our imagery for a real airfield project, doubtful faces turned into delighted smiles – and some proud grins from us!

“We partnered with Plex-Earth to try using their premium imagery provider, Nearmap, and the results were exactly what we were looking for!”

— Benjamin Baird - Garver Aviation

We’ll let them explain in their own words:

“In aviation engineering, it is common for several projects at a single airport to be underway at the same time.  This creates a challenge when producing aerial imagery, as it forces us to rely on updated imagery to show progress between projects.  One such project was at Bentonville Municipal Airport (VBT) in Bentonville, Arkansas.

In this project, we worked with VBT to extend their eastern taxiway so that it connected with the end of Runway 36.  During Phase 2 of this project, we needed to produce an aerial image that showed this connection as already being constructed.  Unfortunately, we were not able to access any imagery that had been updated that recently.

We partnered with Plex-Earth to try using their premium imagery provider, Nearmap, and the results were exactly what we were looking for!  You can see the difference between the Google and Nearmap images below. 

Google Maps can be great, but  here Nearmap is clearly greater!

“The partnership with Plex-Earth allowed us to deliver a quality product that met the high standards our clients have come to expect from Garver. We have since structured our aerial imagery process around the use of Plex-Earth’s technology, and our results have never been better!”

Both engineers and project managers loved the updated, ultra-high resolution (sub 3” per pixel) that Nearmap offers, discerning details usually invisible on lesser imagery. On this occasion, the updated difference included an entire runway!

Their return on investment is gaining site insights, spotting creative opportunities, easily side-stepping any mistakes - and those priceless smiles from clients!

As they saw how easy, practical and yet powerful the Plex-Earth platform is, many more questions were asked, were answered and then their own smiles just grew bigger!

End result?

The Clear(er) Winner - Plex-Earth!

Garver have invested in the Plex-Earth service, and we’re proud to take that as a very big compliment, and a token of trust.

You can easily join them, just download and install a 7 day free trial to see for yourself how the plug-in platform of Plex-Earth gives you the details, the insights and then the confidence to take on the biggest of clients - and their biggest projects!

Whether you're a new client or already a power user of Plex-Earth, get in touch and we'll gladly arrange a similar hands-on demo, for just you, or for a big team, to try out Nearmap and more.

We’re here for you.

Sparking Empowerment: Plex-Earth and Excellec S.A

Plex-Earth empowers engineering companies across the globe, and our customer Excellec S.A is in turn empowering their customers - with electricity!

However, their ongoing journey to success in South Africa is not without its challenges…

Excellec  S.A is a leading company in constructing medium and low voltage electrical distribution networks for villages, and sometimes urban peripheries, in South Africa.

Let that sink in for a moment. They’re the ones bringing electricity, meaning that when they arrive there isn’t any. No refrigeration or air conditioning, not even a fan and equipment can only be charged by powerbanks!

Operating in such a harsh environment presented numerous difficulties for the company, making their achievements even more commendable, yet Excellec S.A’s only concern is doing the job right:

“For this we obviously need studies (Calculation Notes, georeferenced plans and slips) before realizations. It is in this area, that is to say études, that we use our fabulous Plex-Earth application” Seydou Cisse, Excellec  S.A, Senegal

In this mini-case study, we highlight how our geospatial solution drastically enhanced his company’s  workflow, saving time and money, while improving the precision of designing and installing electrical networks.

In Seydou’s own words, Plex-Earth allowed them to:

1. “To have georeferenced plans of the village and the Medium Voltage route using the images that Plex Earth imports to us via image providers (Google Earth, Google Maps Maxar, Airbus and others) and thanks to Autocad we draw the outlines on the images to have the details and a base plan thus making it possible to represent the Low voltage and medium voltage networks.”

2. “To have X, Y and Z topographic surveys by importing the land that covers the Medium Voltage line to be able to make the mechanical calculations of the line.”

“Thus, we save time and energy because everything I have just mentioned should be done in the field with a Topographer or surveyor to survey the perimeters of the house and the MV line and can take a lot of time.”

Seydou Cisse, Excellec   S.A, Senegal

Let’s break that down in terms of the features in Plex-Earth:

1. Georeferenced Plans: Plex-Earth integrates with AutoCAD, easily creating a perfectly-aligned and georeferenced background image for you, using renowned providers of satellite and aerial imagery Google Maps, Maxar, Airbus, Hexagon, Nearmap, Bing Maps or Airbus. You can even select an area and order your own custom drone flights!

Exellec S.A can draw outlines on these imported images, see the intricate details and create a comprehensive base plan directly onto an accurate representation of the real world, with the crucial feature of not having to frequently visit areas without electricity!

This streamlined process allows their engineers to accurately represent both low voltage and medium voltage networks, providing a clear visualization of the entire project area.

If the project area is for long transmission-line routes it’s still no problem, as Plex-Earth can seamlessly stitch multiple images together, maintaining geospatial accuracy – for miles!

2. Topographic Surveys: Traditionally, obtaining X, Y, and Z topographic data required on-site visits by topographers or surveyors. Given the challenging environments involved, this posed significant challenges and consumed a lot of time and resources for Excellec S.A. However Plex-Earth's abilities have transformed this process as the application enables the direct importing of 3D terrain data, which can be viewed and understood at a glance.

By avoiding  (or effectively automating) these previously time-consuming field surveys, Excellec S.A saves valuable resources, performing all calculations for the lines easily and efficiently, which translates into faster project completion. This streamlined workflow was a game-changer for Excellec S.A, helping them overcome the logistical and resource-related hurdles they faced.

3. Precision and Accuracy: The integration of Plex-Earth into the study process has elevated the precision and accuracy of electrical network designs for Excellec  S.A. With precise georeferenced plans and topographic data readily available, engineers can make informed decisions based on real-world context, while avoiding human error.

This level of accuracy ensures that networks are meticulously planned, optimized, and aligned with project requirements. By delivering precise and reliable networks, Plex-Earth empowers Excellec S.A to meet the specific needs of the customers they serve, literally empowering entire communities.

Designing onto the real-world as the background

At Plexscape we’re dedicated to transforming the engineering landscape with our geospatial solution, Plex-Earth. In receiving such a strong endorsement and case study from Excellec S.A, we feel as energized as their customers!

Excellec S.A's success is a testament to their resilience in overcoming the unique challenges they face in their location and industry, and we’re proud to be part of that!

Join Seydou Cisse and others around the globe, as Plex-Earth empowers engineering companies with the visual data they need, as a direct part of their CAD workflow.

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