How Fulton Hogan Streamlined Survey Data Transfers and Collaboration on the Sydney B-Line Project

The Challenge

The Sydney B-Line project was a rapid double-decker bus network connecting Mona Vale on Sydney’s Northern Beaches to the Sydney CBD. Awarded to Fulton Hogan by Transport for NSW in 2016, the $234 million project included on-road and off-road infrastructure improvements such as six commuter carparks, 18 bus stops, new bus bays, minor lane widening and new traffic signals.

For Fulton Hogan’s surveying team, the challenge was not just the scale of the project, but the shape and pace of it. The team was working across a long, narrow 30km corridor, managing geospatial data from 10 precincts while operating around the clock. Utility congestion, field conditions and constant movement between site and office made manual data transfers slow and inefficient. Michael Connor, Survey Manager at Fulton Hogan, described the issue plainly: with teams spread across 30km and working 24/7, getting data in and out quickly became “a nightmare.”

The team also needed stronger version control, better data integrity and a more reliable way to collaborate between field and office. Their existing systems could not adequately support remote access or real-time updates.

The Solutions

Fulton Hogan implemented 12d Synergy to give its surveyors remote connectivity, flexible working capability and a centralized environment for managing project data. Michael Connor championed the rollout internally and noted that, once buy-in was secured, the migration was very simple, with most of it completed within a day.

12d Synergy enabled the team to move data quickly between field and office without relying on portable hard drives or repeated travel. Permission controls helped restrict who could view, edit or manipulate project data, while version control and rollback gave the team stronger governance and the ability to recover from errors without going through IT. Michael also noted that 12d Synergy gave the survey team direct ownership of its data and day-to-day administration.

The Result

• Remote access and flexible working were enabled across the survey team.
• Data could be transferred more efficiently across the 30km project corridor.
• Collaboration on geospatial data improved between field and office teams.
• A central data environment created a stronger single source of truth.
• Version control and rollback reduced the risk of outdated or incorrect data.

A large infrastructure program demanded faster data flow

For Fulton Hogan, Sydney B-Line was a strong example of how project complexity can expose the limits of manual data handling. With survey teams collecting and updating information across 10 precincts and a 30km corridor, delays in moving files between field and office had a direct impact on delivery. Michael Connor noted that when you are working across such a large area, around the clock, and need to update models quickly, even small delays in travel and file handling become a major operational problem.

This made the project an ideal spotlight for a more connected approach to surveying workflows. Rather than treating data transfer as an admin task, Fulton Hogan needed it to become a streamlined part of project delivery.

Spotlight Project: Sydney B-Line

The Sydney B-Line project involved a broad mix of transport infrastructure works across one of Sydney’s busiest corridors. That included six commuter carparks, 18 bus stops, new bus bays, lane widening and signal upgrades, all delivered within a live and highly constrained environment.

Because the project stretched from Mona Vale to the CBD, survey information had to move quickly and reliably between people working in different locations and at different times. 12d Synergy helped Fulton Hogan create a more responsive workflow, allowing field data to be checked in from site and made available to office teams without the delays of manual transfer.

Improving control, collaboration and day-to-day surveying workflows

12d Synergy improved more than just remote access. Its permission controls helped Fulton Hogan manage who could view and edit data, including giving read-only access where needed for junior staff. This reduced risk while keeping the team productive. Rollback also proved valuable by allowing errors to be traced and corrected without depending on IT support.

The platform also improved collaboration by creating a remotely accessible central data environment. With check-in/check-out in place, updates were handled automatically, teams could see who had what open, and models were protected from conflicting edits. As Michael Connor put it, “Through that increased collaboration the data flow is so much more streamlined,” with efficiencies appearing across the project and commercial savings emerging as a result.