One GIS guy - one Trimble device - new project - plausible?

[BradZedek]

There's a big water/sewer construction project starting in about a month or 2 in my area. I'm a one-man GIS dept. here and will be required to follow the crews around (at least 7 or 8 different contractors) for the next year everyday.

I'm new to GIS... what should I expect with this? Will my hours change, since contractors like to work early/late? Will I even get to see my office at all for the next year?

Another GIS colleague told me that its going to be about impossible for one man to do this... is she right?

What about my Trimble GeoXH device... is one machine even capable of this workload? I'm having trouble figuring out how to set up my ArcPad map to handle this load, as the files are too large and crashes ArcMap each time.

Thanks

[LastingerBrooks]

Hell yes it's possible. I'm doing a sign inventory for Johnson City TN, (about 70k population) and I have an intern to do all my fieldwork, but yes, you can absolutely do a hell of a lot with ArcPad and a GeoXH. We've completed about half the city (about 5285 signposts) at last count in 3 months.

What's your project about? (what are you trying to do?) And what kind of ArcGIS Desktop are you running? (ArcView, ArcEditor, ArcInfo?)

[BradZedek]

I'm running ArcInfo. I'm just not sure if I'll be able to handle the office and field work both. With these crews putting lines and equipment under the ground and burying them along as they go along, I need to be there, and here, and there, and they'll be doing the same thing over in this town, and over there in this little town, etc...

In opposition to your project that doesn't sound time-based (though I could be wrong?), this one is time-based,. If you're not there - you're screwed.

Just has me worried.

[LastingerBrooks]

Can you have guys put flags down for you when they bury their cables at the places they turn?

You only need to get the vertices of the lines, so if you ask them to put down flags at every joint after they bury them, you should be okay if you come after them. Just make sure you get out there as fast as you can to get the flags before kids snatch them up.

[RobertMcCann]

Depending on the length of pipelines to be mapped, you may want an additional person to pick you up at the end of a run.  When I was mapping underground pipelines throughout southern Colorado and northern New Mexico, myself and an additional field person were mapping 2-5 miles a day by "leap frogging" each other.  One person stayed with the truck, other person walked till they ran out of signal, then switch.  We also had to locate the pipelines as we went (using a radio frequency transmitter + locator).  I've found it was actually easier to do the office work when I was doing the field work as well.  You know what to capture and can make sure it's collected in a consistent and accurate manner.

On new construction, they generally have CAD drawings for the project.  I suggest you use them, it can save a LOT of time.  Often they are already geo-referenced if the engineering firm is worth anything.

An underground locating company that does "one call" locates can find pipelines after they're buried and place flags or paint on the ground for you.