WorldWide Drilling Resource

49 DECEMBER 2022 WorldWide Drilling Resource® Are You Ready for DIGGS? Adapted from Information by Allen Cadden, Schnabel Engineering Data Interchange for Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Specialists (DIGGS) is a data transfer structure which has been under development for more than 15 years. Development began as a means for transferring geotechnical exploration data easily in a common format among owners, consultants, and third parties. However, it truly is a means to enter data once and electronically process and exchange it, potentially with many users and for various purposes, throughout a project’s life cycle. With DIGGS, site characterization information can be entered by multiple parties and digitally transferred to and from the office, lab, drilling contractor, and other project participants. Location data can be sent to the field; field data can be captured and electronically transferred to engineers who can then transfer data to the lab or into analysis, design, and visualization tools. Pieces of data can be entered once and passed along, never touching the original entries again - so redundant data entry, and more importantly, the risk of error in reentering data is eliminated. The Geo-Institute of ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) has been hosting this open format XML (extensible markup language) data structure for about eight years and hosts regular information exchanges and development efforts to enhance DIGGS. Most recently, data structures for grouting, MWD (measurement while drilling), geophysics, deep foundations, and instrumentation are in the development pipeline. Each of these involve drilling. Given the emergence of automated data collection tools on drill rigs, the goals of engineers and owners will be to capture this data and transfer it along with soil and rock classification to provide better design and construction quality control. This, in turn, will provide improved information for contractors for estimating, bidding, and scheduling. There is great interest from transportation departments and other large agencies such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to collect drill rig performance data as direct measurements of depth, torque, flushing, grout injection, and other operations used as a direct record of as-built conditions. Measurements can also be combined through calculations to create meaningful parameters such as specific energy with depth. These calculated values can supplement standard penetration tests and rock core retrieval, and then allow comparison of preliminary exploration data with construction production quality control data. As the awareness of and need for data transfer continues to evolve, in a construction world rapidly moving toward 3D design as the standard of practice, drill rigs and testing equipment will be expected to produce digital data associated with their operations. Having the ability to transfer this data in an industry-recognized common format like DIGGS will be expected, and in some cases, required. Currently, AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials), the code body for the transportation industry has a provisional standard requiring delivery of test results including geotechnical exploration in DIGGS format. As State Departments of Transportation recognize the value of digital geotechnical data as a component of 3D design, digital twins, and electronic project delivery, there are tremendous opportunities for early adopters. Visit http://www.diggsml.org for more information. C&G Shotgun Start - Come early for the , February 8, a e ournament - Mojave Golf T W dnesday t 12:30pm Golf Resort Raffle! TV Annual A Second

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