Editor's View: Have You Heard of AMG?
by Kimberly J. Schwartz
January 1, 2010
Although
I first heard the term “AMG” a couple of years ago, we’ve never used it in the
pages of Site Prep before this issue. AMG stands for automated machine
guidance; we’ve always referred to this technology as “machine
control.”
Yet when I was gathering articles for this issue, I ran into the term AMG more
than once. Based on what I heard from the people who are using this term, AMG
encompasses all the types of positioning equipment that are used to guide any
machine on a jobsite.
One of the people I talked to was Lou Barrett, the manager for computer-aided
engineering services at the Minnesota DOT. She’s also the chair of a committee
dedicated to promoting AMG that is sponsored by the American Association of
State Highway and Transportation Officials.
Barrett makes a distinction between AMG and machine control. “Out in the
industry, most people just call it machine control,” she acknowledged. But, she
continued, “AMG covers a wider expanse of equipment.” Barrett explained that
she uses the term machine control to refer to when the movement of a grader
blade is controlled by a computer. Conversely, the term AMG “can refer to a
variety of equipment; it can be dozers, excavators—all sorts of things. And in
this case, the computer is guiding [the operator] but is not actually
controlling [the blade].”
In Site Prep we have used machine control more broadly to refer to a range of
technology and equipment. Columnist Harry Ward has long used machine control in
his writing but has also recently started to use AMG. Ward said, “AMG covers
the whole genre of equipment. It covers lasers, GPS, total stations, and
sensing versus indicate versus robotic.” He added that he believes that the
term AMG is becoming more prevalent.
In my opinion, AMG appears to be more readily used by government agencies than
the private sector. But since government-related work may be the best bet for
many contractors this year, I think it makes sense to become more familiar with
the term. (Turn to Ron Riecks’ “Looking Into the Crystal Ball for 2010” on page
26 for a forecast on construction opportunities.)
We’re not going to switch over completely to AMG, but we will start using the
term in addition to machine control. Send me an e-mail and let me know if
you’ve heard of AMG and if you agree that it’s time for us—and the industry—to
start using the term.
Kimberly J. Schwartz
schwartzk@bnpmedia.com
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