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Services / Monitoring

 

Structural and movement monitoring surveys

When construction takes place near existing structures, or an asset is showing signs of movement, you need reliable data. MatMap provides precise monitoring surveys that measure 3D movement and deflection over time, to millimetre level where needed. Our monitoring helps engineers, asset owners and contractors manage risk, prove compliance and act early if trigger levels are approached.

What we monitor

  • Retaining walls, embankments and cuttings
  • Bridges, culverts and highway structures
  • Railway track and adjacent infrastructure
  • Party walls and neighbouring buildings during excavation or piling
  • Basements, temporary works and sheet piling
  • Settlement of slabs, foundations and tanks
  • Historic structures vulnerable to vibration or ground movement

Monitoring methods

Monitoring starts with stable reference points, located well outside the zone of influence and set up as part of a rigorous control network. We then take repeated precision observations to targets on the structure using high-accuracy total stations and precise digital levels. Where a full-surface comparison is more useful than individual points, we use 3D laser scanning.

Every epoch is processed, quality-checked and compared with baseline readings and your agreed trigger levels: green, amber and red. If movement approaches a threshold, we tell you straight away.

Monitoring reports

  • Baseline and periodic monitoring reports
  • Movement tables and time-displacement graphs for every target
  • Trigger level (green, amber, red) alerts
  • Plans showing target locations and movement vectors
  • Data in formats to suit your engineer’s analysis

Sectors we support

Our monitoring surveys support infrastructure owners, construction contractors, heritage property managers and public sector estates.

Frequently asked questions

Frequency depends on the risk and the stage of work. It can be daily during critical excavation and piling, then weekly or monthly as conditions stabilise. We’ll agree a schedule with your engineer.

With precise instruments, forced-centring and repeated observations, we typically detect movements of a few millimetres or less, depending on site conditions and sight lines.

Trigger levels are agreed movement thresholds, usually green, amber and red, set by your engineer. Each set of readings is compared against them, and we notify you immediately if an amber or red level is approached or exceeded.

A baseline survey should be carried out before any works start that could affect a structure. It records the original position of every target so that later movement can be measured accurately and objectively.

Yes. We install targets on neighbouring buildings and monitor them before, during and after excavation or piling, giving party wall surveyors and owners clear evidence of any movement.

After each visit we issue a concise report with movement tables, time-displacement graphs and target plans. Data can also be supplied in spreadsheet formats for your engineer’s own analysis.