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May/June 2026 | Muedanyi Ramantswana

Working with large guidance and prescription maps in forestry - Hexagon

Digital Technology

General

The challenge
In large-scale forestry operations, productivity is influenced not only by machine performance but also by how quickly digital job data can be loaded and used in the cab. For fleets working across extensive areas, guidance and prescription maps can become very large, especially when operations are spread across multiple blocks, tasks, and treatment plans. 

The solution 
Indexing software on the computer for pre-processing guidance maps enables loading dozens of times faster on the display. The practical value is simple: less waiting and more working. Instead of tractors standing still while large files are opened, operators can move between jobs more quickly and load the required maps with far less delay. With the map preprocessing software, large guidance line map importing is more than 10 times faster for large maps.  

Benefits of the faster map import speed 
For forestry enterprises, this matters because machine utilisation is critical. When a fleet is operating over large areas, every unnecessary stop reduces daily output. Faster loading of guidance and prescription data helps 
• crews maintain momentum in the field, 
• respond faster to task changes, 
• reduce downtime associated with digital workflow bottlenecks

For more information, visit: hexagon.com 

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