Instrumentation, Monitoring, and Surveying

Comprehensive Surveying Services Available In-House and On-Site

Hillis-Carnes provides full-service instrumentation and monitoring services from planning and installation through data collection and evaluation.  With our in-house drilling and specialty construction capabilities, we can self-perform installation of above and below-grade devices to better serve project and client needs.  In addition, our wide range of professional capabilities enables Hillis-Carnes to provide discipline-specific expertise for monitoring programs.  Our team of Geotechnical Engineers, Structural Engineers, and Professional Land Surveyors brings a unique level of knowledge, experience, and qualifications to instrumentation and monitoring services.  Through this combination of field and professional capabilities, Hillis-Carnes provides timely, accurate, and dependable data for more informed project decisions during construction activities.

Hillis-Carnes combines the unique skills of our Engineers, Surveyors, and Drillers to provide a specialized package of instrumentation and monitoring services developed to meet the specific needs of each project site.

Grant K. Autry, PE, PLS, LEED AP, Assoc. DBIA,
Vice President/Operations Director

Instrumentation and Monitoring Plans
A successful instrumentation and monitoring program starts with understanding project objectives, construction means and methods, the nature of potential risks to on-site and off-site features, the sensitivity or critical nature of features to be monitored, and the requirements of impacted agencies and government entities.  Hillis-Carnes works with the project team to develop an Instrumentation and Monitoring Plan that is both comprehensive and efficient.  Each plan is specific to project conditions and presents the location and types of proposed devices, monitoring frequency and duration, applicable threshold values, and contingency plans.

Support of Excavation Systems
Proper movement monitoring of support of excavation (SOE) systems is critical for worker safety, protection of the public, and determining potential impacts to adjacent structures.  The Hillis-Carnes team of Geotechnical Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors provides 3D movement monitoring of system components and supported structures, as well as settlement monitoring of the ground surface and surface features adjacent to the excavation.  Hillis-Carnes can establish local benchmarks and a reference coordinate system that specifically addresses project geometry to make data reported in tables and graphs easy to interpret with respect to established threshold values.

Protection of Existing Structures
When work is performed in areas near existing structures or site improvements, it is important to monitor the potential impact of construction activities.  Hillis-Carnes can plan, install, and monitor a wide range of devices to measure, and report impacts to adjacent improvements, including:

–  3D movement monitoring of structures and surface features
–  Movement monitoring of tunnels, utilities and subsurface features
–  Crack monitoring
–  Condition documentation surveys
–  Remote and on-site mobile vibration monitoring
–  Noise monitoring
–  Dust monitoring

Ground Monitoring
The Hillis-Carnes team of Geotechnical Engineers, Professional Land Surveyors, Drillers, and Specialty Construction personnel can provide ground movement monitoring utilizing a variety of instrumentation and techniques.  Devices such as slope inclinometers, piezometers and settlement plates can provide a complete picture of ground reactions due to fill sections, surcharge operations, cut and fill slopes, groundwater levels and fluctuation, subgrade improvement operations, and general construction activities.

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