SOUTH EGS01 Intelligent 3D Excavator Guidance System

Real-time 3D guidance for excavator operators

The SOUTH EGS01 Intelligent 3D Excavator Guidance System is designed to help excavator operators complete earthmoving work directly from digital design information. The system continuously calculates the excavator’s position and movement, then shows the bucket tip in relation to the required elevation, slope or 3D design surface on an in-cab display.

Instead of relying only on stakes, string lines or frequent measurements from a surveyor, the operator receives immediate guidance while digging. The display indicates how far the bucket is from the target surface, helping the operator decide where additional material must be removed and where the correct level has already been reached.

GNSS and IMU sensor fusion

The EGS01 combines high-precision GNSS positioning with four IMU sensors mounted on the excavator. GNSS determines the machine’s position within the project coordinate system, while the IMU sensors measure the movement and orientation of the boom, stick, bucket and machine body.

By combining these measurements with the excavator’s calibrated dimensions, the guidance software calculates the position of the bucket tip in real time. SOUTH specifies horizontal and elevation guidance accuracy of up to ±3 cm under suitable operating and correction conditions.

In practical fieldwork, this allows operators to work closer to the finished design level without repeatedly leaving the cab or waiting for a separate grade check. The final construction tolerance will also depend on the GNSS correction quality, machine condition, calibration, bucket wear, operating technique and site conditions.

Reduce over-excavation and unnecessary rework

Excavating beyond the required design level can lead to additional material, compaction and labour costs. Stopping too high may require another machine pass or further manual checks. The EGS01 provides continuous feedback so the operator can approach the required surface more consistently.

For trenching, the system can help maintain the specified depth, direction and slope along the excavation. During grading or foundation preparation, the operator can monitor the bucket relative to the required level across the working area. For slope construction, the guidance display helps the operator follow the intended inclination without depending on visual estimation alone.

Standard sloping, trenching and grading functions

The Standard 3D version includes common earthwork functions for sloping, trenching and grading. Operators can enter the required parameters and use the live bucket guidance to construct the selected profile.

These functions are suitable for straightforward projects where the required geometry can be defined directly in the system. Typical examples include drainage trenches, pipeline excavations, foundation pads, simple road sections, embankments, ditches and small-scale grading work.

Advanced model-based excavation

The Premium version supports the import of DXF and LandXML design data. This allows contractors to use detailed surface and line models prepared by surveyors, civil engineers or design teams.

Once a design has been loaded, the operator can work directly against the model. The system can display elevation deviation, horizontal distance deviation and cross-slope angle deviation. Layers and design objects can be shown or hidden, selected for vertical or horizontal guidance and adjusted using offsets when required.

This model-based workflow is valuable on projects containing changing levels, curved alignments or complex surfaces that would be difficult to reproduce with basic entered slopes. Roads, commercial foundations, large drainage works, dredging and infrastructure projects can therefore be completed with closer alignment between the excavator’s work and the engineering design.

Support for 2D to 3D project workflows

Projects that still use conventional 2D drawings can be prepared for machine guidance by converting centreline and design information into a usable 3D model. This allows contractors to introduce digital guidance without requiring every original project file to have been created as a complete 3D surface.

This approach is especially useful for roads, slopes and dredging work, where alignments, elevations and cross-sections can be developed into a model that the excavator operator can follow in the field.

Fast installation without welding

The EGS01 uses magnetic mounting for its machine sensors, avoiding the need to weld brackets permanently onto the excavator. SOUTH states that installation and calibration can be completed in under one hour when carried out by an experienced installer under suitable conditions.

Guided calibration records the excavator’s dimensions, sensor positions and attachment geometry. Machine profiles can be exported and imported, allowing saved configurations to be reused. This is useful for contractors who operate several excavators or regularly change between compatible attachments.

Compatible with different machines and attachments

The system supports a range of excavator arrangements, including mono boom, dual boom and swing boom machines. Compatible attachment configurations include standard buckets, blade buckets, tilt buckets, breakers, triangle buckets and U-shaped buckets. It also supports tilt, rotor and tiltrotator arrangements where the appropriate configuration is available.

This flexibility makes the EGS01 suitable for general contractors, specialist excavation companies, road builders, utility contractors, dredging teams and mining operators using different machine types across multiple projects.

Multi-constellation GNSS positioning

The guidance system can use signals from GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou satellites. Access to several satellite constellations improves the number and geometry of available satellites, which can help maintain stable positioning across open construction sites.

Centimetre-level guidance requires suitable differential corrections. The EGS01 supports compatible CORS and network RTK services as well as compatible GNSS base-station corrections. The best correction method depends on local network coverage, project location, required working range and the contractor’s existing survey equipment.

Coordinate systems and project compatibility

The software includes more than 2,000 coordinate-system templates, including commonly used systems such as WGS 84 and UTM. It also supports the import of relevant calibration and coordinate files, including DC, CAL and LandXML formats.

Using the correct project coordinate system is essential because the excavator guidance must align with the survey control and design data used on the construction site. Surveyors or site engineers can prepare the required coordinate information before transferring it to the machine.

Cloud-based project collaboration

Cloud functionality allows design models and coordinate-system information to be delivered remotely to supported machines. Updated files can be shared across several excavators, helping the project team keep machines working from the same current design.

This can reduce manual file transfer and improve coordination between the office, survey team and operators. When an engineering model changes, the revised information can be prepared and distributed without rebuilding the complete machine configuration from the beginning.

Applications across construction and earthmoving

The SOUTH EGS01 can be used for highway and road construction, municipal infrastructure, residential and commercial foundations, long-distance pipeline trenches, drainage work, grading, slope construction, dredging, mining and pit excavation.

Road contractors can use the system to prepare formation levels, drainage features and embankment slopes. Utility contractors can follow the intended depth and grade of pipe or cable trenches. Foundation teams can excavate pads and footings closer to the required design elevation, while mining and quarry operators can use digital guidance for pit, bench and material-removal work.

Designed for operators, surveyors and project teams

The main user is the excavator operator, who receives continuous visual guidance in the cab. Surveyors and site engineers remain important for establishing control, checking the coordinate system, preparing design models and verifying the completed work.

For contractors, the system can reduce interruptions caused by routine level checks and help experienced operators transfer the engineering design into the ground more consistently. It does not replace project control or quality assurance, but it can make the excavation workflow more direct and less dependent on repeated manual marking.

Configuration and support from Global GPS Systems

Global GPS Systems can help configure the SOUTH EGS01 for the machine, attachment, GNSS correction source and project workflow in which it will be used. Correct installation, calibration and design-data preparation are essential for reliable guidance results.

Support can also cover coordinate-system setup, base-station or CORS connectivity, machine profiles and the transfer of DXF or LandXML project data. This gives contractors a complete guidance workflow rather than a collection of separate machine sensors and positioning components.