Ever wondered how big the MCG really is?

Thanks to laser scanning technology and a group of surveyors, we now know just how many swimming pools it would take to fill Melbourne’s most iconic stadium. The answer is 630, in case you were wondering.

The precise volume of the MCG is 1,574,000 cubic metres, or 1.574 gigalitres.

This figure was measured by a laser scanner capable of recording one million data points per second, enabling surveyors to obtain a pinpoint accurate measurement of the inside of the stadium. They scanned the building at various angles from the centre and then converted this data into a 3D model, accurate to 10 millimetres.

How big is the MCG?
• It would take 630 Olympic swimming pools to fill the MCG
• It would take 9,840 London buses to fill the MCG
• Melbourne’s daily water use is roughly 68 per cent of one MCG
• Rio Tinto mined 37 MCGs’ worth of iron ore in 2014
• It would take 317 MCGs to fill Sydney Harbour

Aside from satisfying the public’s curiosity, the measurements will be a useful tool for determining the future of the MCG.

Braith McClure from AAM Surveys said the laser technology enables them to measure different parts of the structure as well as the entire capacity, enabling them to make upgrades such as “fit[ting] new cables, they might want to plan new camera locations for capturing footage, and optimise the location of those cameras.”

Exercises like this show how vital and interesting a surveyor’s work can be. “There’s just not enough people considering the spatial sciences as a career alternative and we’d really like to dispel that myth because it’s fun,” said Mr. McClure.

Source: ‘How big is the MCG? Surveyors find exact measurements of Melbourne Cricket Ground’, ABC News