• 1. Get Notified

    At the first sign of ground movement from our SMART testers, A notification will be sent to you and the structural engineer will be contacted to report to the site for testing.

  • 2. Get Tested

    The Structural Engineer will test the site extensively for safety and structural soundness.

  • 3. Get Solutions

    With real data in hand, the Engineer will advise on what should be the next steps and how to proceed with safety and solutions in mind.

GET SMART

GET SMART AND SAVE LIVES

The collapse of the Champlain Towers South Condos in Surfside, FL will bring about dramatic changes to recertifications and the liabilities associated with older, mid-rise and multi-story condominiums in Florida. This is especially true for structural evaluations performed on these older buildings without adequate knowledge of foundation systems.

With over 100,000 condos in the state of Florida, many of which have the potential to be impacted by ground movement, there is a dire need for assistance in the prevention of more building collapse. 

There are two types of failure modes that lead to building collapse. The building itself and the ground. In Florida, ground subsidence is a major concern with over 30,000 reported sinkholes affecting structures and subsidence of coastal properties due to the rise in sea level. 

While structures can be inspected by observation, what is below the ground cannot be seen typically until it's too late.  That’s where we come in. 

The standard approach to the potential of subsidence has been to perform geophysics, imaging techniques and soil testing. However, geophysical surveys have strict limitations on the depth and soil testing just be performed in a specific location. These types of investigations are specific to the day they are performed and cannot be used to monitor long term protection of the structure.  This is where we come in.

The team at Geo Equipment Technologies have come together with our decades long experience to create the Structural Monitoring And Reporting Technology (SMART).  The SMART technology is a state of the art monitoring program that uses instrumentation designed to give early warning of potential building collapse due to ground movement.

Much like a burglar alarm, the SMART program supplies the build owner a level of assurance of 24/7 monitoring.  SMART is an evolution of technologies designed to monitor ground movement that have been used by department of transportations (DOT) around the United States to monitor landslides, sinkholes, and potential road failures. 

SMART monitors for ground movement using implants that are preloaded sensors in the ground. Up to 12 sensors can surround the perimeter or be placed at strategic locations determined by a structural engineer. When ground movement is detected, the SMART system will call and send notifications to engineers and property owners alerting them that ground movement has occurred.

It’s no longer the time to hope.  It’s time to KNOW.  GET SMART!

Structural Engineer Incentive Program

In order to make this program work, we have built it with Structural Engineers in mind.  We’ve created an incentive program to work for you.


What is the role of Structural Engineer SMART Program? 

The success of the SMART program and its technology relies heavily on the cooperation of the Structural Engineer.  Because of that, when Structural Engineers refer property owners who sign on to use the SMART program, the engineer will receive a $5,000 retainer for the following:  


• Evaluated the potential locations of SMART implants

• Within a few hours of ground movement alert from SMART the engineer will be on-site  to perform an inspection of the building and its condition and determine if the building is currently safe and a course of action.

• The structural engineer will Agree to negotiated rates after the $5,000 retainer

How much does SMART program cost? 

The SMART instrumentation is installed at reasonable cost based on building size and a monthly monitoring fee is applied.  This fee is typically paid as condo association maintenance fees. The monthly fee can be as little as $10 per condo unit based on number units. 

What happens if the alarm goes off? 

All parties will receive a notification via text, phone call and email. A structural engineer will immediately be called on-site to carry out an initial inspection. An engineer or technician will then arrive on-site to test the SMART system. If ground movement is suspected to be unstable, a geotechnical/geologist with the help of the structural engineer will develop a plan of action and related costs. 

What if the engineer recommends more work?

With the SMART Technology program, a professional will have negotiated rates for structural and geotechnical work through the life of the contract.