Keisoku Research Consultant Co. (1/2)
The Keisoku Research Consultant Co was established in 1972, as a consultant company on the field of civil engineering and construction. Today, its main activities include observation methods in the aforementioned domain, the surveying and deterioration diagnosis of building structures, the development and sales of measurement techniques and systems, the development and sales of technical software related to the digital representation of building structures, the production of computer graphics, as well as the observation and assessment of the environment.
One of the Keisoku Research Consultant’s projects is the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima. The company’s role in this specific project was to first create 2D plans of the building and provide the contractor responsible for the reconstruction of the building, with advice. Every three years, the company surveys the building and keeps a digital archive of it in order to identify areas of deterioration and find solutions to prevent it. At this point, it is interesting to note that until recently the Keisoku Research Consultants used scaffoldings in order to collect images and to scan the building; in the future, however, they are planning to perform those activities with a drone. The reason behind this decision is that the new method is not only less expensive and more accurate, but also safer for both the surveyors and the structure of the building.
Other projects of the company are the surveying of the Gunkanjima Island, an abandoned island-mine, and the Tujun bridge, a stone bridge built in 1854 (Edo period). In the first case, the Keisoku Research Consultants are responsible for documenting the site and updating a digital archive. The site is a UNESCO World Heritage Monument and thus it is important to save a digital copy of it since the building structures are old and in the process of collapsing. As a result, the company has generated a 3D model and 3D walk-through of the Gunkanjima Island, able to provide individuals with the opportunity to experience the monument without visiting it. In the second case, due to an earthquake, and later heavy precipitation, the bridge has been damaged. To assess the damage and come up with appropriate restoration measures, the company generated a 3D model of the bridge and compared it with one representing it in its prior condition.
In sum, the Keisoku Research Consultants apply many different methods in order to generate the 3D model of a physical object. Some of them are: collecting orthoimages, using a mobile 3D scanner attached, 3D scanning using a parachute, and applying UAV laser scanning by utilizing a drone. By generating the 3D model, it is possible to document and archive historical sites and monuments as a mean to preserve their memory for the future generations in case they collapse or become severely damaged. In addition, the 3D archive can be used in order to perform monitoring and compare the current condition of a structure with its previous one to identify changes and fatigued/damaged elements. This could be an efficient and cost-effective method to perform monitoring activities on bridges and other types of assets.