Jan 25, 2018
When installing monitoring instrumentation in the field, cost, safety, and time are usually prioritized. Detailed record keeping about the installation might not be at the front of mind, but that is something Measurand’s Christiane Levesque, senior support manager, wants to change. Good documentation practice can actually help make installation go more smoothly, in addition to creating records, says Levesque, which is why all ShapeArrays are shipped with a waterproof installation log for customers to fill out in the field.
“The biggest benefit to the client is that the installation log has all the key reminders of things they have to think of when they’re doing their installation,” Levesque says. “Thankfully it gives them a chance to remember everything they need to know when they are doing an installation. And potentially, even planning. They’ll think, ‘Oh shoot. I should have a camera. I should have these tools.”
Prior to the installation log, it was up to those performing the installation to keep track of the details on their own. The installation log eliminates the guesswork and creates a solid record to draw on.
“Anytime geotechnical consultants do a geotechnical report, they have to hand in drawings and logs,” Levesque says. “This helps them organize the information so that it is easier for them to build those logs for when the ShapeArray was installed. So they’ll have it in their files and if they want to they can present it to clients.”
Installation logs are also a valuable resource when bridging the information gap during the potentially long period of time between installation and data review or technical support.
“We can ask them for the installation log and they can go back and look at one that has been submitted and understand how the installation was done… This gives them the one place where they can gather all of the critical information,” Levesque says.