Automation of traditional geotechnical instrumentation

The rapid growth in automation of traditional Geotechnical Instrumentation is causing new technologies to be used in conjunction with standard traditional applications. Instant access to information about a particular monitored site makes automation an attractive proposition.

In order to understand the developments of instrument automation, the paper will discuss automation generically and then focus on how existing probe extensometers were automated to a user’s specifications. The development of Geotechnical Systems Australia Pty. Ltd.’s AMEC (Automatic Magnetic Extensometer Controller) system illustrates a working example of a traditional instrument, in this case a probe extensometer, undergoing the metamorphosis of automation.