OHM Advisors Receives the 2018 Surveying Eminent Conceptor Award – Highest Honor from ACEC Michigan
One of two winning Michigan projects for OHM Advisors, the Midland County Emergency UAS/GIS Assessment takes prestigious survey award for innovative approach to flood assessment.
On March 10, 2018, at the 53rd Annual ACEC Michigan Engineering & Surveying Awards Gala, OHM Advisors received the highest honor for surveying of the evening, the 2018 Surveying Eminent Conceptor Award, for the Midland County Emergency UAS/GIS Assessment.
The statewide competition, hosted annually by the Michigan Chapter of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), identifies engineering and surveying achievements that demonstrate the highest degree of client satisfaction through innovative, cost-effective solutions.
As the consultant for the Midland County Road Commission (MCRC), OHM Advisors provided an emergency infrastructure assessment after historic flooding caused $7 million damage to the county’s roads and bridges in June 2017. OHM Advisors’ method of gathering and presenting the collected data utilized two technologies not commonly used together—unmanned aircraft system (UAS) technology (commonly known as drone technology) and GIS software.
The approach proved to be quicker and more comprehensive than traditional survey methods, cutting completion time nearly in half and allowing OHM Advisors to pass critical, highly detailed information to the design team assigned to repairs three weeks earlier than expected. The extra time and enhanced detail provided by this approach allowed the design team to make more informed, more efficient decisions about infrastructure restoration, while the County was able to inform the public and the conditions and status of repairs.
ACEC Michigan also recognized the OHM Advisors/ MCRC Team with a 2018 Engineering Honorable Conceptor Award for the Midland County GRS-IBS Bridge Program. The implementation of this flexible, cost-effective solution to replace aging single-span bridges throughout Midland County provided significant benefit in just two years—saving more than a million dollars in construction costs and outperforming similar-sized bridges during 2017 flooding. The Honorable Conceptor Award is the second highest accolade given by ACEC.
About OHM Advisors:
OHM Advisors is the community advancement firm. Founded in 1962, we deliver award-winning work across the architecture, engineering, and planning spheres. With more than 500 employees in offices throughout Ohio, Michigan, and Tennessee, our team partners with leaders at all levels of government, school districts, developers, universities, and private companies to create great places.