Precision kinematic measurement

Geneva has a new public beach, welcoming thousands of bathers every summer.

On this occasion, the existing landing stage at Eaux-Vives was lengthened, made up of impact piles deforming when receiving boats.

In order to issue operating authorizations, the Federal Transport Office has imposed restrictive regulatory requirements, requiring the quantification of the maximum deformation of the piles when docking the heaviest boats.

The mandate was entrusted to Haller Wasser + partner SA, which called on SPATIAL SA to develop the measurement methodology :

• Trace the trajectory of the 2 CGN test boats (the heaviest) with an accuracy of ± 2 cm,
• Measure the deformation of piles upon docking impacts with millimeter precision.

The technology chosen is a mix of DGPS antennas in kinematic, camera and laser mode.

For tests in real conditions, CGN used :

• the Vevey, paddlewheel ship, classified as a historic monument,
• the Lausanne, which is the largest boat sailing on Lake Geneva.