Loggerhead Navigation, a company known for rentals, sales, and support of mapping solutions, recently undertook a new kind of project for Del Cerro Heights Homeowners Association (HOA). This was a first for Loggerhead – a hybrid of product demonstration and data collection for an inventory of the HOA’s existing irrigation system. To make the project a success, Brian Mickel, the owner of Loggerhead Navigation, subcontracted Peter Leftwich from ITWiz1, a computer consultant, to showcase Juniper Systems’ Geode™ GNSS Receiver, Uinta™ Mapping and Data Collection Software, and the Cedar™ CT8X2 Tablet . This project was an exciting venture for Loggerhead as it allowed them to not only show off the powerful capabilities of Juniper Systems’ products but also perform hands-on tasks for their client.
Showcasing & Data Collection
The primary goal of the project was to demonstrate how the Geode, Uinta, and Cedar CT8X2 tablet could help Del Cerro Heights with marking the locations of their irrigation systems. Peter explained, “We were demonstrating the tablet, the Uinta software, the Geode, and the surveying pole as a solution in case they wanted to do data collection themselves.” While Loggerhead Navigation isn’t typically hired to act as data collectors, they performed a significant amount of data collection as part of the demonstration.
The Del Cerro Heights project focused on mapping the community’s irrigation infrastructure, including sprinkler heads, control boxes, valve boxes, property boundaries, and water lines. The project provided a better understanding of Del Cerro Heights’ water usage, helping them manage their irrigation system and ensure that resources weren’t being wasted on private property outside the common grounds. “They wanted to make sure irrigation wasn’t occurring on private property… They wanted to know where everything was,” Peter recalled.
During the project, Tori, a former Treasurer and Board Member for the HOA, shared a significant discovery: “The HOA was wanting to re-do their irrigation and they discovered that half of the properties within the HOA had been getting free irrigation water for nearly 30 years.” This information heightened the urgency for accurate mapping and better water management.
Challenges and Learning Curve
One of the key aspects of the project was utilizing the Cedar CT8X2 tablet, the Geode, and Uinta software to collect and manage data. Peter, who was relatively new to GNSS technology, found that the Geode and the CT8X2 tablet were easy to learn: “Using the tablet’s interface was pretty easy and simple to learn. It didn’t take much time figuring out how it worked.” However, Uinta required more time to fully master. “Uinta took a little bit more time to learn how to use, but after using it for a little bit, I got the hang of it,” Peter said.
One of the most useful features of Uinta was its ability to drop a pin at a user’s current location and drag it to the desired spot – especially helpful when terrain or obstacles made it difficult to reach certain points. “If the point I needed to mark was across a highway or something like that, I could drop the mark at my location and just drag it to where I needed it to be,” Peter explained. This feature proved invaluable when plotting points in the hilly and steep terrain of Del Cerro Heights, especially with the ability of Uinta to load background images from Google, making the tasks for the project more feasible and logical to use.
Tori, who worked closely with Peter during the mapping process, noted the value of the collaboration: “I was out with Peter every day he was here, and while he did the mapping portion, I was tracking all of the water on people’s properties. It was great working with him, and the mapping is very helpful. I’ve used it to create the scope of work to do our irrigation infrastructure and repairs needed.”
Deliverables and Results
The project took just over two months, during which Peter visited the site approximately 25 to 30 times. On each visit, Peter would map additional points across the property, with deliverables provided to Del Cerro throughout the process. “We had a deliverable, you know, kind of like halfway or maybe twice where we said, OK, here’s a spreadsheet of what we have so far or counts of this or that,” Peter noted.
In addition to spreadsheets, Loggerhead Navigation provided the HOA with KML files, which were particularly impressive when overlaid on Google Earth. This allowed the HOA to visually see their irrigation system in relation to property boundaries. “We showed them on maybe a phone or the tablet [CT8X2] itself… This is what you could do in a boardroom or for some presentation,” Peter explained. The ability to zoom in on specific areas and showcase individual sprinkler heads made the data more accessible and presentable.
Tori also praised the final results: “With the map, I was able to determine where water needed to be turned off and where it didn’t. Peter and Brian were great to work with; they did an excellent job.” Although Del Cerro Heights did not purchase any equipment from Loggerhead after the project, Tori expressed her support for Loggerhead’s services: “If I was still on the board, I would push for the HOA to go through Loggerhead Navigation again for more infrastructure mapping.”
Loggerhead’s New Service Offering
For Loggerhead Navigation, this project marked an exciting new chapter. As Peter mentioned, “This was their [Loggerhead Navigation’s] first kind of trial project doing something like this.” Loggerhead typically focuses on rentals and sales of mapping solutions, but this project served as a “proof of concept” that they could expand into providing services like this on a regular basis. Moving forward, Brian Mickel is actively planning to offer similar services to other clients, potentially targeting irrigation-based services for golf courses and other large properties with similar projects. “It definitely has the potential to be a business service or even a demoing and sales opportunity for [Loggerhead Navigation],” Peter said.
Building on this momentum, Loggerhead will be expanding this type of service by adding new tools, including Juniper Systems’ hardware and software, along with exploring advanced technologies like drone imagery, panoramic photos, and 3D scanners. Loggerhead Navigation plan to market this as an “Enhanced Demonstration, Training, and Support of Data Collection Methods,” focusing on CAD and GIS users. Brian’s past experiences with CAD and GIS with performing data collection throughout the US and the Caribbean, as well as his involvement at Disney Anaheim properties, proved vital for understanding set-up and management of equipment for getting the best results with the HOA project.
Building on Success
The Del Cerro Heights project was a significant learning experience for both Brian at Loggerhead Navigation and Peter at ITWiz1. It demonstrated the capabilities of Juniper Systems’ products in a real-world scenario and showcased Loggerhead’s potential to expand its offerings beyond equipment sales and rentals. This project served as a valuable proof of concept, illustrating how Loggerhead can effectively deliver enhanced data collection, training, and support services. Although Del Cerro Heights did not purchase any equipment from Loggerhead after the project, the experience highlighted the growing demand for specialized support in data collection methods.
With this project under their belt, Loggerhead Navigation is well-positioned to take on more complex jobs in the future, leveraging new tools such as drone imagery, panoramic photos, and 3D scanners. By expanding their service offerings, Loggerhead is not just meeting current market needs but also setting the stage for broader applications in diverse industries. The lessons learned from this project will undoubtedly guide them as they continue to refine and promote their new services, further solidifying their role as an innovative leader in the field – much like the dependable, forward-thinking approach of Juniper Systems.