Locate and Create New Site Information
Meet Alex, a Geotechnical engineer working on a critical infrastructure project in a rapidly developing urban area. The local government has approved new construction, but there are concerns about the environmental impact, soil conditions, and the stability of the land. Alex has been tasked with conducting a comprehensive Geotechnical investigation to assess the area and gather data for the project. However, the challenge isn’t just in gathering the data—it’s in organizing and visualizing it all.
With numerous sites to assess and limited resources, Alex knows that efficiently locating sites and organizing the Geotechnical information is crucial. That’s when Alex discovers Fuse.Earth—a platform designed to make the process of locating sites and entering new site information easier and more streamlined.
In this tutorial, Alex will walk you through the steps of using Fuse.Earth to locate a site and input essential site information for an environmental Geotechnical investigation. With this tool, Alex can quickly create an organized database of site-specific data, saving time and ensuring accuracy for the project’s next steps.
Steps:
- Log into Fuse.Earth Platform
Open the Fuse.Earth platform in your browser and log in with your credentials. If you don’t have an account, create one to gain access.
To begin using Fuse.Earth, you need to have an active account. This platform provides access to a variety of Geospatial tools and environmental data, which are critical for site assessment and Geotechnical investigations.
- Search and Locate the Site of Interest
Use the search function in the Geobar (located at the top center of the window) to enter the site’s address, or manually zoom in to the desired region using the interactive map to precisely locate the site.
Fuse.Earth provides robust geospatial capabilities that allow you to search by address, coordinates, or area.
Adjust the zoom level and map orientation to fine-tune your site location.
- Select the Area for Site Entry
To change the basemap, access Geosole at the bottom of the screen and select Satellite Imagery (Bing) from the available options.
Click the Geopad button located in the Geotray (bottom-right corner of the screen) to activate the Geopad.
Once you’ve located the site, click to define its boundary.
Use the marker tools in the top-right corner of the Geopad to create points, lines, or polygons as necessary.
For polygon boundaries, ensure you close the shape by bringing the cursor back to the starting point. Be sure to capture the full extent of the project area.
Switching to Satellite Imagery (Bing) provides a high-resolution aerial view of the site, offering a more detailed and accurate representation of the terrain. This is particularly useful for understanding the site’s topography and surrounding environment, which are critical for Geotechnical assessments.
Defining the site boundary accurately is crucial for aligning all Geotechnical data to the correct geographic location. This process ensures precise correlation with site-specific factors such as soil profiles, groundwater conditions, and environmental considerations. The Geopad tool is designed to help you create and store detailed site information for further analysis.
3. Enter Site Information
Click the Add New Site button and input the following details:
Site Name: Assign a unique identifier for the site.
Site Description: Provide key information such as land use, previous assessments, or any historical data relevant to the site.
Coordinates: Ensure accurate latitude and longitude for spatial precision.
Site Type: Specify the land use type (e.g., commercial, industrial, residential) based on the project needs.
Geotechnical Considerations: Document any known Geotechnical or environmental factors, such as soil type, groundwater levels, contamination risks, or seismic activity.
Entering this data systematically ensures consistency and allows for seamless data integration later in your Geotechnical analysis and reporting phases.
4. Review Site Data
Cross-check the entered site details for accuracy, particularly the geographic coordinates, site type, and environmental considerations.
This step is critical to ensure the integrity of the site data. Errors in coordinates or site type can lead to misalignment with Geotechnical findings or cause issues in project planning and execution.
5. Save and Store Site Information
Once all the site details have been verified, click Save to commit the new site data to Fuse.Earth
Saving the site ensures it is stored in the system, allowing you to reference or modify the data at any point throughout the project lifecycle. The site entry is now available for use in Geotechnical analyses, reports, and further planning.
By following these steps, Alex, our Geotechnical engineer, has successfully located a site and created detailed site information on Fuse.Earth, streamlining the process of gathering and organizing essential data. For Alex, this new workflow allows for quicker access to reliable geospatial information, critical for ongoing environmental and Geotechnical assessments.
With Fuse.Earth, Alex can now manage site data more efficiently, improving coordination with the project team and enhancing the accuracy of Geotechnical analyses. This seamless integration of site-specific details into the project ensures that all stakeholders have the necessary insights for informed decision-making and smooth project execution.
As Alex continues to use the platform, the ability to quickly and accurately create and manage site data will not only save time but also increase the precision and reliability of future assessments and reports, ultimately contributing to the success of the project.
After defining site boundaries and setting up foundational data, Alex’s focus shifts to managing the ever-growing collection of site-specific details—soil samples, borehole data, photos, and field notes. These types of data are critical for accurate Geotechnical analysis. Soil samples help determine the load-bearing capacity and soil composition, borehole data reveals subsurface conditions and groundwater levels, and field notes provide context and observations from site visits. To streamline collaboration and ensure no data gets lost, Alex continues to use Fuse.Earth’s centralized cloud storage. This step is crucial for maintaining project accuracy and efficiency, especially in large-scale Geotechnical projects.
In this next few steps, we’ll walk through how Alex organizes, secures, and shares site data using Fuse.Earth’s centralized storage and Geopad tools.
6. Upload Geotechnical Data
To organize and store Geotechnical data in Fuse.Earth, click Images at the middle left of GeoPad and then use the Upload file button to add your images.
You can also upload other file types such as soil logs, borehole data, videos, and documents (e.g., PDFs, spreadsheets) through the Upload file button in the Fuse.Earth workspace.
Select Video button and click the Add link button to add your video files.
You can add elaborate journal items (textual descriptions) about a site in the journal tab.
Be sure to tag each file with relevant metadata, including site location, date, and data type, to keep all observations and descriptors well-organized for easy access and future analysis. Tagging helps Alex quickly locate specific data points and cross-reference them with site maps, ensuring accuracy in his reports and analysis. For example, soil samples help determine soil type and strength, borehole data reveals underground conditions, and field notes provide crucial insights into on-site conditions.
7. Add Observations via Geopad
Click on specific points within the site boundary. Attach notes, photos, or videos directly to the geotagged locations.
Geopad enables Alex to link observations directly to spatial data, providing context and enhancing collaboration with team members who can easily visualize site conditions. This tool is particularly useful for attaching visual data to specific locations, such as documenting borehole positions and soil characteristics on the map.
Click the Savesite button (bottom right corner) to save the site with all content you just added or edited.
Close the site information by clicking the Close button at the top right corner.
8. Enable Secure Data Sharing
Share the workspace with team members or stakeholders by assigning user roles (view-only or edit permissions) through the Permissions tab.
Secure sharing ensures that only authorized personnel can access or modify sensitive project data, maintaining data integrity while promoting collaboration.
By leveraging Fuse.Earth’s centralized storage and Geopad’s capabilities, Alex successfully organizes his Geotechnical data into a secure, accessible cloud environment. This step not only improves collaboration across his team but also ensures that critical project information is always at hand.
Centralized data management is the backbone of efficient Geotechnical workflows, making it easier for engineers like Alex to deliver precise, well-documented analyses for stakeholders.
In this tutorial, we followed Alex, a Geotechnical engineer, through the process of leveraging Fuse.Earth to streamline his site location and data entry workflow. By utilizing GeoPad and Fuse.Earth’s cloud storage, Alex efficiently defined site boundaries, added key site details, and organized critical Geotechnical data, such as soil samples, borehole data, and photos. Through secure data sharing, version control, and centralized management, Alex ensured that his project team had easy access to accurate, up-to-date information. This approach improves collaboration, boosts efficiency, and enhances the overall precision of Geotechnical assessments.
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