Take the next leap in semi-automated monitoring with the Leica TS20

Authors: Dr Lidija Špiranec, Megan Hansen

Semi-automated monitoring is today’s standard for managing campaign (periodic) monitoring projects. It’s an approach that blends manual expertise with automation in key stages to enhance accuracy and save valuable time and resources – critical aspects for surveying engineers offering deformation monitoring services.

Leica Geosystems monitoring solutions empower semi-automated workflows that easily incorporate with the robotic total stations surveyors are already using. Pairing Leica Captivate, which automates measurements, with GeoMoS Now! Survey Edition for automatic analyses creates a connected workflow that enhances accuracy and efficiency.

With the release of the Leica TS20 total station, the semi-automated workflow gets another significant upgrade through AI-powered automation, integrated mobile data connectivity, and more. But why are these features so significant for monitoring?

In this article, we explore how the TS20 improves semi-automated monitoring, helping survey engineers take on campaign projects with fewer resources while delivering comprehensive, accurate data.  

The semi-automated monitoring workflow 

In manual campaign monitoring projects, surveyors visit sites repeatedly to take measurements, process data, and manually generate reports. However, this approach can be time-consuming, prone to mistakes, and resource-intensive, especially when measurement frequency or scope increases.

A semi-automated workflow simplifies campaign deformation monitoring by automating parts of the process. Using the Captivate TPS monitoring app, surveyors can automate total station measurement setups, data collection, and even displacement calculations. This ensures consistent, repeatable measurements without requiring a constant on-site presence.

Captured data is automatically transferred to GeoMoS Now! Survey Edition, an online platform where measurements are visualised, analysed, and reported in real time. This connected workflow eliminates the inefficiencies of manual monitoring while retaining the precision and expertise that surveyors bring to the table.

For example, the Oosterweel Link, a €4 billion roadway infrastructure project in Antwerp, Belgium, utilised Leica Geosystems’ semi-automated solution to measure 1,200 prisms across urban zones, mitigating risks to nearby historic monuments, bridges, and tunnels during excavation. A similar solution was deployed in Brazil, where monitoring teams used automation to help measure points on dams, dikes, pits, and cliffs at defined intervals, enhancing the safety of tailings dams – critical for mining operations – by enabling mine management to mitigate risks with timely responses.

The TS20 integrates into this existing semi-automated workflow while offering significant improvements in performance and data connectivity that enhance efficiency and accuracy at every stage, from setup to measurements and data transfer. 

Meet the TS20: Redefining semi-automated monitoring with cutting-edge features

The Leica TS20 total station introduces AI-powered features that improve productivity, accuracy, and the overall user experience, making it a significant leap forward in the field of surveying, particularly for campaign monitoring. These innovations enable TS20 users to push the boundaries of semi-automated monitoring, providing a level of confidence in data quality that was previously associated only with fully automated monitoring installations.

Key new features of the Leica TS20 that enhance semi-automated monitoring:

• AI-powered automation and fast, low-maintenance motors ensure high productivity by minimising errors and enhancing performance, particularly in challenging conditions.
• IP66 dust and water protection enables continuous and efficient measurements, even in adverse weather conditions such as mist, rain, or harsh construction site environments.
• Integrated mobile data connectivity with eSIM and cloud services facilitates real-time data syncing and secure storage while improving security by making the TS20 tamper-proof.

AI at the core: Smarter, faster, and error-free monitoring

Integrating AI-powered automation into semi-automated monitoring workflows with the TS20 allows for more reliable, consistent, and comprehensive data collection. One of the TS20’s most transformative AI-powered features for monitoring is AI-Detect, which automatically identifies the type of prism being measured.

This functionality ensures that the prism type selected in the Leica Captivate software matches the one installed in the field. If there is a mismatch, the system alerts the surveyor, so they can immediately correct the error. AI-Detect supports accurate configurations of monitoring projects, preventing target type errors during setup to eliminate the need for corrections that could introduce artificial jumps in the timeline series.

When a total station measures for hours and days without human intervention, the success of measurements depends on its ability to adapt to changing weather and environmental conditions. AI-powered ATR and PowerSearch enable automatic target search and recognition across a wider range of conditions. The TS20 is trained to identify and measure prisms in adverse conditions, even if the targets are partially covered. This capability improves data completeness, supporting more robust movement analyses.

Complementing the AI-powered features, the TS20 is equipped with faster and more responsive motors. Faster rotations enable quicker measurements, which translates to more data in continuous mode. For monitoring, this results in higher data reliability and greater confidence in decisions that mitigate risks.

Streamlined monitoring workflows: Captivate TPS monitoring app and data integration

The TS20 is equipped with the latest version of the Captivate TPS monitoring app, which integrates directly with Leica GeoMoS Now! or GeoCloud Drive, offering two primary pathways for managing and delivering monitoring data:

1. View and share semi-automated projects with visualisations and reports. Integrating data with GeoMoS Now! Survey Edition completes the semi-automated monitoring workflow by providing secure access to monitoring results via a web platform. Stakeholders can visualise and analyse results in real time and schedule customisable reports to be sent via email. 
2. Combine periodic measurements with automated monitoring projects. The TS20 is integrated with GeoCloud Drive, a cloud-based transfer and storage service.The Captivate TPS monitoring app can send results and reports to Drive, and from there, GeoMoS Monitor can easily access the data and import it into automated monitoring projects. This capability enhances geodetic data coverage by enabling seamless integration of Captivate TPS monitoring app data into larger, more complex monitoring schemes. In this scenario, the data from multiple sensors is combined in the full edition of GeoMoS Now! for analysis, visualisations, and reporting.
   
    

With streamlined data integration and delivery, the Captivate TPS monitoring app, combined with GeoCloud Drive or Leica GeoMoS Now! Survey Edition, ensures that the TS20 supports both semi-automated workflows and serves as a supplementary data source in fully automated setups, providing greater connectivity and adaptability to meet diverse project requirements.

Autonomous monitoring with the TS20: mobile network connectivity, IP66 durability, and GeoCloud Protect

In semi-automated workflows with the TS20, extensive automation, connectivity, and durability mean the interaction between surveyors and the instrument can be minimal, allowing professionals to focus on other essential tasks in their daily work. 

Three key features enable reliable data delivery in semi-automated monitoring setups: 

• No more hotspot. Mobile network connectivity, enabled by a customisable eSIM profile (feature available in 2026), allows users to configure their own SIM card to transmit monitoring data to GeoMoS Now! or GeoCloud Drive. This eliminates the need for external hotspots, providing autonomy and stability in monitoring communication and enabling continuous operation without manual intervention.
• IP66-rated durability. While most total stations perform well in ideal conditions, the TS20 is engineered to withstand harsh environments. Its IP66 rating ensures reliable performance in dust-heavy areas, as well as in rainy and wet conditions, making it a dependable choice for semi-automated monitoring in challenging settings. 
• GeoCloud Protect. This advanced locating and theft deterrence service provides real-time TS20 tracking on a map. If the TS20 is moved without authorisation or stolen, owners can remotely lock the instrument, making it unusable. Built-in security ensures the TS20 automatically locks down if tampered with, adding another layer of autonomous protection. Location updates, available indoors and outdoors, can be shared with law enforcement, increasing the chances of an expedited recovery to minimise monitoring disruptions. 
  
   

Grow with monitoring: The TS20 simplifies the move from surveying to monitoring 

The TS20 is not just a total station - it’s an instrument for growth. By combining advanced automation, robust connectivity, and intuitive workflows, it enables surveyors to expand their expertise into monitoring with ease. Leveraging familiar Leica Captivate tools, even surveyors with limited monitoring experience can confidently take on deformation monitoring tasks, knowing the TS20 is built to perform reliably in diverse and even adverse site conditions.

For existing monitoring service providers, the TS20 enhances semi-automated projects and complements automated systems by seamlessly integrating campaign monitoring data. Its AI-powered features, connectivity, and resilience to environmental change make it the ideal solution for expanding your capabilities and taking monitoring to the next level.