Cable harvesting software update appropriate for NZ terrain
SOFTREE TECHNICAL SYSTEMS, HAS RELEASED AN UPDATED version of RoadEng, Version 9, offering a variety of new features for planning cable harvesting operations, ideally suited to NZ’s steep terrain.
Cable harvest planning and analysis using RoadEng 9 can help determine landing locations and road infrastructure. Working from a high-resolution digital terrain model (such as LiDAR), users can simultaneously explore multiple areas for deflection for cable harvesting suitability and conduct payload analysis. Harvest planners can review the potential locations in plan, profile, and in data views, allowing them to better determine optimum locations.
“We are seeing a huge increase in investments in LiDAR data across our forestry industry customers,” says Erin Wasney, Business Development Manager at Softree. “Version 9 has some key improvements to enhance LiDAR-based planning of cable harvesting operations. You can now plan your roads and cable locations in conjunction with each other.”
New Zealand is the company’s third largest market, thanks to our steep terrain. “Our forest road design software is currently used by dozens of companies in NZ and we are seeing a large increase in the number of customers asking about our new cable harvesting capabilities, as CHPS is no longer being supported,” says Ms Wasney.
She adds that with the the National Environmental Standards (NES) putting a lot of emphasis on road engineering now, in what are classified as red zoned areas (steep and erodible soils) there are “interesting developments” in NZ at the moment.
“With our improved cable analysis package in RoadEng version 9, some NZ industry folks are wondering if it could be the standard for road planning and cable harvesting analysis,” she says. Improved Cable Harvesting Planning Capabilities include:
• Creation of very large digital terrain models from LiDAR.
• Cable Analysis ‘Explore-Mode’ with colour-coded display of areas of deflection. Simultaneously explore multiple areas for deflection/cable harvesting suitability.
• Calculation and display of loggable area polygons.
• Automatic calculation of tail station location.
• Enhanced profile display for cable setups.
• Improved field usage with GPS Integration.
RoadEng 9 runs on a Windows tablet, which means users can bring the full engineering programme with them to the field. The new version also includes an easier user interface and touch gestures, which makes working with RoadEng on a tablet easier than in previous versions. Furthermore, GPS integration means users can track their location in the field while visualising their LiDAR data and planned cable harvesting locations. This makes visualisation and field verification easier than ever before.
NZL