Network corrected real-time is a technological approach to high precision GPS/ GNSS positioning that has been theorized about, studied, experimented with, and implemented in various academic, scientific, and commercial forms for nearly a decade.
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It's that time of year again when temperatures drop and calendars load up. Those of you in the cooler latitudes are already watching the leaves turn and reaching for heavier coats, a reminder that the holidays will be here before we know it.
Speaking of holidays, we've got lots of handsome high-quality map reproductions that make terrific gifts. There are more than a hundred maps in our website "store," and many yet to be posted. If you don't see what you like, e-mail us from the website with specific requests. Most orders are filled within 24-hours. Visit www.theamericansurveyor.com.
On the Go! Speaking of calendars, our own travel calendar remains busy. Coast to coast and around the world, a lot is happening in our industry. We recently had a chance to visit with Fons de Wolf, owner of Pythagoras Software (pictured below), and David Atkinson, owner of Western Latitudes, the new U.S. distributor for both Pythagoras software and Pentax instruments in Denver. The latest Pentax instrument interacts with the software and provides improved two-way communication. Western Latitudes provides turn-key sales and support for a variety of solutions for surveyors and mappers.
The "People" Side
We always like to share the "people" side of a company story with our readers. Back in Belgium in 1991, Fons de Wolf left a career in electronics to pursue his dream of owning a software company. The 59-year-old de Wolf, with an EE degree and a Masters in electronics had been involved with computers since 1972. His most recent engagement had been a four-year stint with the European Space Lab. His brother-in-law is a surveyor, and together, they discussed the need for a better software package. It took two programmers one year to create the first product. The company has been profitable since 1993, and currently has seven software developers in the Ukraine, and three full-time and one part-time developer in Belgium.
Seventeen Languages
The company now has nearly 5,000 users worldwide, with software available in 17 languages, (four in Mac format). Up to 32 DTMs and 34,000 raster images can be incorporated and imported into a single drawing. The user can clip, add vectors and do heads-up digitizing. Horizontal and vertical alignments can be easily imported. The current version is 10, but version 11 will be out shortly, and will use ODBC to add GIS functionality, including thematic maps and notification letters.
The extension language is Visual Basic, and thirty macros are available so far, with more to come. COM objects include DTMs, spirals, curves and more. Moving maps are included and real-time cuts and fills are possible. For those wishing to really dive in, the source code is available. Pythagoras VBA is a subset of Microsoft VBA and is 95% compatible. de Wolf noted that 5 percent of his sales go toward the license from Microsoft to use VBA. For more information on the new Pentax R-300X instrument and Pythagoras software, see Joe Bell's column in this issue.
Editorial: Machine Control Redux
I have received a fair amount of response to my July editorial about machine control. Responses included those who agree with me as to the inevitable impact it will have on the future of surveying and those who accuse me of selling out. Notwithstanding those states such as California that require a .... Read the Article
Point to Point: The Pincushion Dilemma
Pincushion corners result when two or more markers exist identifying the same property corner. If set by surveyors, they are invariably the result of different interpretations of evidence, whether justified or not. The measurati have almost universally denounced them as further evidence of rank-and.... Read the Article
The WowFactor: OfficeSync
Drastic changes in the U.S. economy, including the recent runup in the price of gasoline, have had a direct effect on how firms use technology to remain competitive. Civil engineering and land surveying firms have had to make serious decisions, and time management is ... Read the Article
In Search of Monhegan's Letters
Monhegan Plantation is an island ten miles off the coast in the Gulf of Maine. An artists' haven with a rich history in fishing, the island's average population of 75 residents explodes each summer with the opening of ... Read the Article
Towers of Power - Surveyors Locate Next Generation Transmission Lines
As originally planned, the Eastern Plains Transmission Project, one of the country's largest power expansion projects in progress, is expected to ultimately deliver about 1,000 miles of .... Read the Article
A Visit to the South Carolina Geodetic Survey
One of the hold-ups in the implementation of Real Time Networks (RTNs) for machine control has been the vertical accuracies. That being the case, when one of our writers, Joe Betit, told me that he had heard that the South Carolina .... Read the Article
In Memoriam: John E. Chance, 1924-2008
A legend within surveying circles along the Gulf of Mexico and in the petroleum and pipeline industries worldwide, John Chance died May 1, 2008 at his home in Lafayette, Louisiana. "Mr. John," as he was affectionately known by his friends, was born John Edward Chance on ... Read the Article
FeedBack
More on the Schuylkill Center Wendy Lathrop's valuable article "Where There's a Will... " [Sept. 2007] couples the Orphans' Court activities of the Barnes Foundation and the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education (SCEE). From a legal point of view the breaking of ... Read the Article
Software Review: General CADD
Backward compatibility has always been one of the things that make a good solid product. General CADD started out as an inexpensive CADD program working in DOS. Generic CADD was the name and it made it possible for surveyors who could not afford the very... Read the Article
Survey Reports: Preparing a Survey Report - Part 4: FAQ
This is the fourth article in a series of articles suggesting formats and contents of a survey report. Previous articles dealt with opinions on the location of corners and boundaries [Feb. 2008]; encroachments, gaps and overlaps [Mar. 2008]; and limitations of of the surveying ... Read the Article
Vantage Point: Water Over the Dam and Down the River
What's old is new, and it's all wet. It may seem to be a "modern" approach to look beyond our own municipal boundaries to see what is happening on the other side of an invisible jurisdictional line that will affect flooding and stormwater on our side of that line. But awareness of ... Read the Article
• 15th Annual GeoTech - October 7-8, 2008, NOAA’s Auditorium and Science Center in Silver Spring, MD. Hosted by Potomac Region of the American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing and co-hosted by the NGS, 1 day of Workshops taught by experts, and 1 day of Technical sessions.,
• GITA's First Annual GIS for Oil & Gas Conference - Calgary - Nov. 6-7, 2008, Calgary Marriott Hotel, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The GIS for Oil & Gas Calgary Conference will build on the momentum from GITA’s GIS for Oil & Gas Conference held in Houston, Texas, every September.
• GITA's “How to Financially Justify Your Geospatial Projects” Two-day Workshop - Nov. 13-14, 2008 in Denver, Dec. 11-12, 2008 in Tampa. All types of organizations now have a unique opportunity to learn from GITA’s landmark research project, “Building a Business Case for Geospatial Information Technology: A Practitioner’s Guide to Financial and Strategic Analysis.”
• Geography in Las Vegas - March 22–27, 2009. Join 8,000 geographers, GIS specialists, and environmental scientists from around the world in Las Vegas for the very latest in research, policy, and applications in geography, sustainability, and GIScience, during the annual conference of the Association of American Geographers.
• California Land Surveyors Association 2009 Conference - March 28-April 1, 2009, Hilton San Diego Resort (Mission Bay).
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, (707) 578-6016.
• SPAR 2009 - March 30- April 1, 2009, Hyatt Regency Hotel, Denver, Colorado. SPAR 2009 will focus on best practices for using 3D imaging technologies to design and deliver capital projects as well as operate, modify and maintain production, manufacturing and infrastructure assets.
Reach our audience of Professional land surveyors and Geo-Technology professionals with your career ad. Feel free to contact us if you need additional information.
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