Field Trip to Tunnel Construction Site

Right at the end of the summer the bachelor students of geodesy had the chance to visit one of the tunnel construction sites of the high-performance train line Koralmbahn. Thanks a lot to Oebb and the measurement and monitoring experts from Permann & Schmaldienst and ACI-Monitoring for the insights of the cut and cover construction process of the 3.3 km long tunnel section.

Geoday 2023

More than 300 pupils attended the Geoday 2023 and experienced all different aspects of geodesy at 20 interactive stations. IGMS showcased a virtual tour of a stalactite cave, highlighted structural health monitoring and performed a fictional crime scene survey with the school kids.

Loading Test of Highway Bridge

IGMS successfully completed measurements of a loading test of a steel concrete composite bridge on the Austrian A13 Brenner highway. We want to thank the Highway Agency ASFINAG and the police for the great collaboration and also our colleagues from FH Mainz, TU Darmstadt and ACI-Monitoring for their support. Currently, the data of 7 total stations, 3 laser scanners, several accelerometers, tilt sensors, camera systems, GNSS sensors and static and dynamic fiber optic interrogators are being analyzed. The results will be used to calibrate the numerical model of the bridge.

UEFA Qualifying at Football Stadium with IGMS Sensing Technology

The Austrian national football team played against Azerbaijan and Estonia at the new Raiffeisen Arena in the current qualification round for the European football championship. To ensure stable ground foundations for the stadium, pile loading tests were performed during the construction phase and monitored in detail by IGMS with distributed fibre optic sensing (DFOS) techniques which is now commercialized by the TUG Spin off company ACI Monitoring. More information on the application of DFOS in pile testing can be found in the open access article here.

IGMS showcases bridge monitoring at Ball der Technik

IGMS demonstrates current research in bridge monitoring and virtual reality at Ball der Technik. Ball der Technik has a history of more than 160 years and is one of the most elegant dancing balls in Austria. The importance of condition based maintenance was highlighted in interviews, live demonstrations with fibre optic sensors and immersive virtual reality tours.

Slaven Kalenjuk receives Karl Rinner Award 2021

Slaven Kalenjuk received the Karl Rinner Award 2021 for his research in Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of retaining walls with mobile mapping systems. The Karl Rinner Award is given by the Austrian Geodetic Commission for outstanding work of young scientists. View the award ceremony and the scientific presentation at YouTube.

Students experience tunnel construction live

TU Graz students visit the tunnel construction sites Gloggnitz and Goestritz of the Semmering Base Tunnel. At Goestritz the tunnel tubes can only be accessed via a 285 m deep shaft. In front of the tunnel face students get informed about the challenges of geotechnical monitoring and the importance of geodetic measurements.

Rigorosum Christoph Monsberger

Dipl.-Ing. Christoph Monsberger successfully defended his PhD Thesis with the title “Distributed Fiber Optic Shape Sensing in Structural and Geotechnical Engineering - Principles & Applications”. This thesis will be available soon at the Shaker Verlag. The examiners Prof. Branko Glisic from the Structural Health Monitoring Lab of Princeton University and Prof. Werner Lienhart from TU Graz congratulate Dr. Monsberger on his doctor title.

Scanning Expedition to Nepal

IGMS started a joint TU Graz expedition in cooperation with the Institute of Architectural Theory, History of Art and Cultural Studies into the Upper Dolpo region in Nepal’s Himalaya. The fieldwork is part of the ongoing FWF project P 35897: "Buddhist Architecture in the Western Himalayas”. The aim of this interdisciplinary work is to explore significant Buddhist temple sites in this remote area and to document them with modern 3D scanning technology for the very first time.

Virtual Reality as a Planning Tool for Geodetic Network Measurements

Virtual Reality (VR) has evolved from gaming applications to become a valuable tool for geodetic network planing. Take a look at our recent open access publication in the Journal of Applied Geodesy to see how geodetic monitoring can benefit from VR to identify line of sight obstructions, to investigate prism orientations and to select the right type of instrument in underground scenarios with multiple prisms. Access the paper here

External Examiner at Johannes Kepler University Linz

Prof. Werner Lienhart acts as external examiner at the PhD defending of Thomas Bergmayr. The PhD thesis “Health monitoring of lightweight structures on the example of a civil aircraft spoiler” investigates innovative SHM measurement methods and machine learning approaches for the integrity assessment of aircraft structures. Mr. Bergmayr developed these methods at the Institute of Structural Lightweight Design of Johannes Kepler University Linz and we congratulate Thomas Bergmayr for achieving the doctoral degree with distinction.

New Video of Bachelor Program Geodesy at TU Graz

TU Graz released a new video of the Geodesy Bachelor program on the TU Graz YouTube channel. Learn more about our courses and see how you can shape the future as a geodesist.

Prof. Fritz Brunner passed away

We have to make the sad announcement that the former Head of the Institute Prof. Fritz Brunner passed away on June 19th. Fritz was a remarkable researcher and university teacher. He introduced fibre optic sensing in the field of engineering geodesy and was a recognized expert in geodetic refraction. We will miss Fritz as a scientist, colleague, mentor, lecturer and friend.

IGMS Article selected as an "Editor's Choice Article"

The IGMS Article on the "Accuracy Investigation of the Pose Determination of a VR System" has been selected by the Editor-in-Chief of Sensors as an "Editor's Choice Article". Follow this link to see how the HTC Vive Pro system has performed in the IGMS measurement laboratory.

Research visitor from the Faroer Island

Irena Aarberg from the Land and Navigation Department of the Environment Agency of the Faroer Islands stays at IGMS for a one week research visit. The scientific exchange focuses on fibre optic sensing, specifically on applications and data analysis of Fibre Bragg Gratings (FBGs). We welcome Irena at IGMS and are looking forward to the collaboration.

talto talk about working at IGMS

The career platform for students, talto, interviewed Slaven Kalenjuk about his job as university assistant at IGMS. Slaven provided insights into day-to-day work, challenges and opportunities of working as a researcher at a university. Follow this link to read the graduate story and to watch the complete talto talk.

Seamless Integration of Fibre Optic and Geodetic Monitoring Data

An early detection of deformations is crucial to assess the integrity of tunnel linings. We discuss the benefits of a seamless integration of fibre optic and geodetic monitoring data and the interaction with the results in a VR environment in our latest open-access paper published in the Journal of Civil Structural Health Monitoring. Access the paper here

Open Access Paper on Quality Control and Enhancement of Mobile Laser Scanning Data Published

Mobile Mapping Systems (MMS) are standard data acquisition tools for high detailed maps. If such systems are also used for applications with high accuracy demands like structural health monitoring, quality control and mitigation of systematic effects are crucial. Follow this link to our open-access paper published in Remote Sensing that addresses this challenge and introduces an innovative appraoch to detect and correct high-frequency errors.

Peter Bauer receives Heinrich Wild Award 2021

Peter Bauer received the Heinrich Wild Award 2021 for his work in using VR in the field of Engineering Geodesy. The award ceremony was part of the HxGN LIVE LEICA TOUR DACH 2022 where more than 1200 participants followed the live stream of Peter's talk on geodetic network planing in VR and the use of VR gear as measurement device.

TUG Spin-Off ACI Monitoring founded

IGMS is active in fiber optic sensing since more than 20 years. Based on the many successfully completed projects the spin-off company ACI Monitoring GmbH has been founded. ACI develops, installs and operates structural health monitoring systems of civil infrastructure objects using geotechnical and geodetic sensors with special focus on distributed fiber optic sensing. Feel free to contact ACI for your monitoring question or IGMS for research in fiber optic sensing.

Open Access Paper on Distributed Fiber Optic Shape Sensing of Concrete Structures

Distributed Fiber Optic Sensing (DFOS) enables the strain measurement along the entire length of an optical fiber. The recent IGMS open access paper in the journal Sensors explains how these data can be used for shape sensing of concrete structures. Follow this link to learn more about the right cable selection, the impact of different gauge lengths and the achievable accuracy of the shape calculation.

Werner Lienhart elected as FIG Commission 6 Chair

The General Assembly of the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) elected Werner Lienhart as the Chair Elect of Commission 6 - Engineering Surveys. The elected Chair Elect term as the Chair of the Commission will be initiated at the FIG Congress 2022 for the period 2023-2026.

Successful rowing competition on IGMS track

18 rowing clubs took part at the first international rowing competition at the river Mur. Winners at the sprint track that was staked out by IGMS were LIA Wien (Male 8+) and RV Wiking Linz / Regensburg RC (Female 8+).

IGMS stakes out race track at the river Mur

IGMS supports the dragon boot and rowing sprint races of the Grazer River Days. The team of IGMS determined a digital twin of the river section with laser scanning and used this data to calculate the coordinates of the race tracks. These were staked out with buoys together with the fire brigade of Graz.

Best Paper Award at SHMII-10 Conference

IGMS receives the best paper award at the 10th International Conference on Structural Health Monitoring (SHMII) for the article: Autonomous Integrity Monitoring of Shotcrete Tunnel Linings using Distributed Fiber Optic Sensing.

FOSA Webinar on Monitoring of Large Concrete Structures

The Technical Committee of the Fiber Optic Sensing Association (FOSA) held a webinar on Fiber Optic Monitoring of Large Concrete Structures. The webinar was presented by Werner Lienhart and is available on the FOSA YouTube channel.

IGMS instruments ground anchors with DFOS

The IGMS team instrumented two ground anchors with distributed fiber optic sensing (DFOS) cables. Each anchor is 50 m long and used for a retaining wall at Bratislava Castle, Slovakia. Distributed fiber optic strain sensing (DSS) is used to investigate the anchor’s performance under these special geologic conditions. This project is a follow up project to the research project LiNaFoS (FFG #871536) in collaboration with Keller, specialised geotechnical contractor.

External Examiner at Universite de Strasbourg

Prof. Werner Lienhart acts as jury president and external examiner at the defending of the PhD Thesis “Distributed Fiber Optic Sensor for Vibration Measurement based on Coherent Backscattering” at the Photonics Group of Universite de Strasbourg. Congratulations to Alireza Morsali for achieving the doctoral degree.

Virtual Open Door Day at TU Graz

TU Graz presented its bachelor's and master's degree programmes at the virtual open door day 2021. Prospective students had the opportunity to learn more about the Geodesy study programmes in interviews, image movies and live discussions

IGMS features in Art Exhibition

The world exhibition in the Modern Art museum Forum Stadtpark included a thought experiment. What if the museum building lifts off the ground for one second while the earth continues to rotate below? Find out where the building touches the ground again

Open Access Paper on Processing Mobile Laser Scanning Data for Deformation Monitoring of Retaining Structures Published

Maintenance of tens of thousands of retaining structures in the Alpine area is challenging. Follow this link to our open-access paper that addresses this challenge with rapid deformation monitoring using mobile mapping systems and automated point cloud processing algorithms.

Open Access Paper on the Accuracy of the Pose Determination of VR Devices Published

The usage of VR gear in mixed reality applications demands a high position and orientation accuracy of all devices. Follow this link to the open access paper published in Sensors to see how the HTC Vive Pro system has performed in the IGMS measurement laboratory.

Dr. sc. ETH Zurich M.S. Miah joins IGMS Team

Dr. M.S. Miah, expert in the analysis of dynamic data and vibration based Structural Health Monitoring (SHM), starts his research work at IGMS. We welcome Dr. Miah in our team and are looking forward to extend IGMS's capabilites in SHM.

01.02.2021

Open Access Paper on Connection between Geodetic and Fibre Optic Sensors Published

Structural health monitoring (SHM) is currently mainly based on conventional geotechnical and geodetic sensors. With the rise of fibre optic sensors, continuous measurements without interruption of construction of civil engineering structures becomes possible. Follow this link to the open access paper to see how distributed fibre optic sensors (DFOS) complement geodetic measurements.

18.01.2021

Ball der Technik of TUG

Although the Ball der Technik was shifted to 2022 due to Covid19, preparation work already started. Ball der Technik is one of the most beautiful social and dancing events and will be organized next year by the faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Geodesy. Watch the Teaser Video here.

26.11.2020

Tunnel Monitoring Paper Published

An extended version of the award winning paper of the wide range of fibre optic sensing applications at a tunnel construction site has been published in the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE). Follow this link to the open access paper.

11.11.2020

New Video of Studying Geodesy at TU Graz

TU Graz released a new image video of the Geodesy degree program on the TU Graz YouTube channel. Learn how geodesy impacts our daily life and how you can shape the future as a geodesist.

08.09.2020

External Examiner at Leibniz University Hannover

Prof. Werner Lienhart acts as external examiner at the Geodetic Institute of Leibniz University Hannover and takes also part at the defence of the PhD thesis “Robust Deformation Monitoring of Bridge Structures Using MEMS Accelerometers and Image-Assisted Total Stations”. Congratulations to Mohammad Omidalizarandi for achieving the doctoral degree.

06.03.2020

19^th International Course on Engineering Geodesy

IGMS jointly organized together with TU Munich and ETH Zurich the 19^th International Course on Engineering Geodesy. The conference was held at TU Munich where more than 160 experts attended the tutorials and presentations. IGMS demonstrated the benefits of image based monitoring for bridge in live demonstrations and date processing sessions.

03.03.2020

IGMS starts permanent crack monitoring in the Tauern Tunnel

Within the publically funded FFG project RIBET IGMS starts permanent crack monitoring of the tunnel lining of the Tauern Tunnel. The Tauern Tunnel is one of the main highway crossing of the Alps. It consists of two tubes with a length of about 6.5 km each. IGMS installed a fibre optic based crack monitoring system in the summer of 2019. After the successful evaluation stage the permanent high resolution monitoring started in March 2019.

13.02.2020

Energienetze Steiermark sponsors GPS reference station equipment

Energienetze Steiermark GmbH supports IGMS by providing 4 Trimble NetRS GPS receivers and Zephyr antennas. This hardware will be used in the practical exercises of the Master Course Geodesy to demonstrate and train students on GPS reference station networks. Furthermore, the equipment complements IGMS’s existing GNSS hardware for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) using Global Navigation Satellite Systems.

30.01.2020

Excursion to the Semmering Base Tunnel (SBT)

Students of the course Engineering Geodesy visit the tunnel construction sites of the Semmering Base Tunnel (SBT). The students examine the intermediate construction sites Sommerau and Göstritz above ground and go also underground using one of the two 100 m deep shafts at Sommerau to access the two tunnel tubes which are currently being built using the New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM). In course of the excursions the students experience live several monitoring installations using total stations and fibre optic sensors.

22.01.2020

Slaven Kalenjuk receives Heinrich Wild Award

Slaven Kalenjuk received the prestigious Heinrich Wild Award 2019. The Heinrich Wild Award recognizes outstanding young researches in the field of Engineering Geodesy. This prize is awarded by Leica Geosystems AG and Slaven Kalenjuk was selected as winner for the development of innovative solutions for monitoring of retaining structures using mobile mapping systems (MMS).

Nov. 2019

New TUG Image Film

TUG releases its new image film “What’s your Story”. Learn more about the TU Graz, studying at TU Graz and Graz in general and watch the YouTube video.

18.11.2019

Mr. Ehrhart wins 2nd Place at TUEV Award

Dr. Matthias Ehrhart  reaches 2nd place at the “TUEV Wissenschaftspreis” for his PhD thesis on using image assisted total stations for static and dynamic monitoring of bridges. Watch a YouTube video of Mr. Ehrhart’s work.

11.11.2019

IGMS honored at Inventors' Gala

IGMS has been recognized for its patent activities at the inventors’ gala held in the historic city centre of Graz. Within the last years, the IGMS team has filed three patents in the field of fibre optic sensing. The patent AT516158B1 for the monitoring of tunnel lining segments has already been granted. Two other patents are pending.

31.10.2019

External Examiner at Queen's University Belfast

Prof. Werner Lienhart acts as external examiner for a PhD thesis at the Queen's University Belfast and takes also part at the viva voce examination. Congratulations to Darragh Lydon to pass the PhD examination.

17.-19.10.2019

IGMS exhibits at BeSt3

IGMS presents the Bachelor and Master Courses “Geodesy” at the work and study fair BeSt3. BeSt3 is the largest fair for education programs in Austria and is visited by up to 30 000 pupils and teachers. IGMS demonstrates live how geodesy digitizes the world with laser scanning and fiber optic sensing.

30.09.2019

Highway Agencies visit IGMS

The Austrian Highway Agency ASFINAG and representatives from the Japanese Express Way company NEXCO and the Metropolitan Express Company Shutoko visit IGMS to exchange the current state of the art of assessing the integrity of infrastructure objects like bridges, tunnels and retaining walls. This includes the efficient data acquisition with mobile mapping systems, the uses of distributed fibre optic sensing as well as image based measurements.

27.09.2019

MA 41 visits ZaB

The surveying department of council of Vienna (MA 41) visits the fibre optic tunnel monitoring installation at the Zentrum am Berg (ZaB). ZaB is one of the largest tunnel research centres in Europe. At ZaB experiments can be made at a 1:1 scale. Prof. Galler of MUL and Prof. Lienhart of TUG give a detailed tour of the facilities of ZaB.

05.-06.09.2019

IGMS hosts ISO Meeting

IGMS hosts the 23rd plenary meeting and two working group meetings of ISO TC172/SC06 Geodetic and Surveying Instruments. Within the two-day meeting representatives from Austria, Germany, Japan, Switzerland and Slovakia revise current standards and discus new standards in the field of geodetic instrumentation. The current list of standards under the responsibility of this committee can be found here

08.07.2019

IGMS receives Best Paper Award at ICSIC conference

IGMS has been awarded with the Best Paper Award at the International Conference on Smart Infrastructure and Construction (ICSIC) for the paper entitled Distributed fiber optic sensing on a large tunnel construction site: Increased safety, more efficient construction and basis for condition based maintenance. The paper covers several distributed fibre optic installations at the Semmering Base Tunnel for the monitoring of tunnel linings, shafts, pipelines and reinforced earth structures. The full paper is open access and can be downloaded here

13.06.2019

Technical University Munich visits IGMS monitoring installations at SBT

The research group of Engineering Geodesy of the Technical University of Munich visits the IGMS monitoring at the Semmering Base Tunnel. Special focus was placed on the monitoring of the reinforced earth structure at the disposal site Longsgraben.

28.05.2019

Master class on total station measurements at 6th IcGSM in Rome

Werner Lienhart held a master class on geodetic monitoring using total stations at the 6th International Course on Geotechnical and Structural Monitoring (IcGSM) in Rome. In this interactive tutorial potential error sources of total station based monitoring were discussed and the participants had the chance to experience the impact of wrong instrument settings or insufficient equipment.

17.05.2019

IGMS gives two presentations at the JISDM conference in Athens

lGMS gives two presentations about fibre optic sensing at the 4th Joint International Conference on Deformation Monitoring (JISDM) in Greece. Fabian Buchmayer presents new strain and temperature measurements in conventional tunnelling using distributed fibre sensors. Ferdinand Klug demonstrates together with the Nottingham University Ningbo and the University of the Faroe Islands a combined GNSS and FBG based approach to observe ship deformations in extreme weather conditions.

March 2019

External Examiner at TU Berlin and University College Dublin

Prof. Werner Lienhart acts as external examiner for two PhD thesis and takes also part at the viva voce examination. Congratulations to Fatemeh Hamid-Lakzaeian to pass the PhD examination at the University College Dublin and to Cheng-Chieh Wu to receive a PhD from TU Berlin.

14.01.2019

Excursion to the Semmering Base Tunnel

Students of the bachelor program Geodesy visit the intermediate access point Grautschenhof of the Semmering Base Tunnel (SBT). The students examine the construction site above ground and go also underground using one of the two 100 m deep shafts to access the two tunnel tubes which are currently being built using the New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM).

07.01.2019

National TV station reports about IGMS tunnel monitoring solution

The national Austrian TV station ORF reports about the installation and operation of the IGMS fibre optic monitoring system for the Semmering Base Tunnel. At Goestritz, IGMS monitors deformations of the concrete linings of the two 200 m deep shafts. Watch the video on the TU Graz YouTube channel

13.12.2018

Guest Lecture of Dr. Wolfgang Habel

Former ISHMII President and Secretary General Dr. Wolfgang Habel visits IGMS and gives an invited talk for students at Graz University of Technology. In his presentation, Dr. Habel demonstrates the benefits of fibre optic sensors for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM).

10.12.2018

Radio Interview with Prof. Lienhart

Werner Lienhart explains the benefits of the IGMS patented approach of structural monitoring of tunnel lining segments in a radio interview. The interview was broadcast on the web radio AirCampus of the universities of Graz and on Radio Soundportal. The audio stream of the interview can be found here

15.11.2018

Werner Lienhart receives Teaching Award of Excellence

Werner Lienhart was awarded with the Teaching Award of Excellence 2017/2018 for his outstanding teaching in the lecture Advanced Engineering Geodesy. The award was given by the TU Graz after an extensive selection procedure. First students, deans of studies and lecturers can themselves nominate courses. Next, nominees have to submit a description of the course and a concept with pedagogic and didactic backgrounds. The final decision about the prize winners is made by a selection committee chaired by the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs, consisting of representatives of the Students’ Union, University Council, curricular committees, the Senate and external experts on the topic of university teaching. More information can be found in TU Graz people

08.11.2018

IGMS honored at Staatspreis Patent Gala

IGMS has been honored as one of the top 4 innovators of Austria at the Staatspreis Patent (Austrian Patent Award) Gala. The Gala took place at the historic Sofiensäle in Vienna and the prices were presented by the Head of the Patent Office and the Austrian Minister of Traffic, Innovation and Technology. The video about the IGMS patent on tunnel lining segments can be seen on the TU Graz YouTube Channel

25.10.2018

Dr. Matthias Ehrhart receives Karl Rinner Award

Former IGMS member Dr. Matthias Ehrhart has been award the Karl Rinner Award for his work on Image Assisted Total Stations (IATS). The Karl Rinner Award is the most prestigious award for young researchers in Austria. It is given by the Austrian Geodetic Commission (ÖGK). The award ceremony took place at the Federal Office of Metrology and Surveying (BEV) in Vienna.

13.09.2018

IGMS nominated for patent of the year

14. - 17.05.2018

IGMS exhibits at the “Austrian Geodetic Day” in Steyr

07.05.2018

Students extend 3D Model of Stalactite Cave

03.05.2018

Invited talk at ETH Zurich

01.05.2018

Neues Masterstudium "Geodäsie" / New Master Course "Geodesy"