Point of Beginning articles from April 2003

Point of Beginning archives from April 2003

How to make money, part 1. (Editor's Note).
April 1, 2003... A common goal among many Americans is to obtain a decent amount of money. A common complaint among surveyors is the frustration of mediocre earnings, especially in comparison to other similar (and even dissimilar) occupations. It is all too...

From the field. (Letters to the Editor).(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2003... November 2002 Sometimes I think we forget what it is that we are all about. Fortunately, there is a crew in the great northwest that didn't one day. A Coos County, Oregon crew found a bearing tree with not one but two scribings--that of...

Editor's note. (Letters to the Editor).(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2003... January 2003 I have for many years observed the "lack of public awareness" in the surveying profession. Perhaps surveyors should be an integral part of the engineering profession and be titled professional engineer (global and land...

Mapping out professional maintenance. (Letters to the Editor).(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2003... January 2003 I am strongly in favor of everyone getting all the education they can stand, but I remain opposed to a college degree being required as a condition for being granted a license to practice. There are other means of gaining...

A kind thank you and note about the basics. (Letters to the Editor).(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2003... After browsing (quickly) through the POB site, I am glad to see several educational articles there. I retired from land surveying about five years ago after about 30 years as a party chief. I wrote a letter to the editor back in '97 or '98...

More to offer: FieldWorks' strategic repositioning creates new company and resurrects another.
April 1, 2003... Shortly after celebrating a one-year anniversary, nationwide dealer entity FieldWorks, the company that purchased the 10 former Sokkia Measuring Systems retail stores last April, has taken another step to strengthen its offerings to patrons of...

Understanding ExpressMap. (The Latest News).(new service from First American Title Insurance Co.)
April 1, 2003... A new service offered by First American Title Insurance Company of Santa Ana, Calif., called ExpressMap promises its clients an alternative way to insure title to land "free and clear of survey matters," eliminating the need for an ALTA/ACSM...

African school named for surveyor. (The Latest News).(Amayi (Mama) Debi Naybor's House)
April 1, 2003... In January of 2003, the first-ever secondary school in a small village near Dumasi, Malawi, in central Africa opened its doors. The school is called "Amayi (Mama) Debi Naybor's House" in thanks for fund raising by New York land surveyor Deborah...

Lewis and Clark: A 3D perspective. (The Latest News).(from Cartography Associates)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... A new suite of gaming and simulation techniques available at www.davidrumsey.com/gis/3d.htm gives Web-based GIS and map enthusiasts the unique opportunity to fly-through and interact with late 1800s maps of some of the western United States'...

Antarctic mountain reaches new height. (The Latest News).(Mount Shinn, Antarctica)
April 1, 2003... The correct height of Mount Shinn, the third highest mountain in Antarctica, has finally been accurately measured for the first time. Australian mountaineer and author, Damien Gildea, and his Chilean climbing partner, Rodrigo Fica, measured the...

High output planning: how surveyors at an Indiana firm decide which tool to use for each job.
April 1, 2003... Across the nation and throughout the world, surveyors--from individuals to large companies--are seeking ways to increase productivity and profitability in today's challenging market. How do they attain these goals with the myriad choices...

Building a better handheld: a behind the scenes look at the making of the TDS Recon.
April 1, 2003... Although the rumors as to the demise of the HP48 handheld so beloved by surveyors have neither been confirmed nor denied, those rumors may be essentially irrelevant with the launch of the new TDS Recon handheld data collector by Tripod Data...

Three points to one: resurveying the highest and hardest to reach Initial Point in the country.
April 1, 2003... On Nov. 7, 1852, Colonel Henry Washington, deputy surveyor under contract with the United States Surveyor General of California, completed a four-day hike with 12 men to a point he designated and monumented to be the Initial Point for all...

Collect, work with and protect your survey data with rugged hardware and easy-to-use software.(Tripod Data Systems' complete data collection system)
April 1, 2003... Only Tripod Data Systems (TDS) offers a complete data collection system--integrated hardware and software designed to work together. And each product is developed specifically for the demanding work environments and job functions of the...

The journey begins: a dedication at Monticello honors Thomas Jefferson for his visionary role in conceiving and initiating the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
April 1, 2003... Atop a mountain in Virginia sits an historic mansion--Monticello, former home of Thomas Jefferson, now in the care of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation (TJF). Amid the sweeping views of the Blue Ridge mountains, stunning even on a gloomy day in...

The quintessential surveyor: students examine the work of Henry David Thoreau, writer and surveyor.
April 1, 2003... Surveyors are often found tucked away in the quiet corners of history. Many figures that loom larger than life today once claimed surveying as a profession. The art of measurement, when practiced correctly, is as much philosophy as science in...

On the "old" vs. "new" ACSM. (Viewpoint).
April 1, 2003... As a participant in the April 2002 retreat that purportedly "done in" the "old ACSM" in favor of the new version, I corn mend POB for sharing the communication between Gary Kent and Bob Foster on the issue (POB, January 2003). Both men argue...

Surveying solutions.
April 1, 2003... Each month we present a surveying problem from the second edition of 1001 Solved Surveying Fundamentals Problems by Jan Van Sickle, PLS. As in the following example, the answer will appear beside the problem, in a shaded box. We hope you enjoy...

A great opportunity. (On the Level).(Working Party on Land Administration part of the Economic Commission for Europe Committee on Human Settlements)
April 1, 2003... The subjects of GPS, GIS, mapping and advanced technologies are all of prime importance and great interest to surveyors; after all, ours is a technology-centered profession. But the institutional issues are important, too, and from time to time...

What is a geodatabase? (Surveying GIS).
April 1, 2003... In the preceding "chapter" (March), 1 presented a brief examination of some of the differences between CAD and GIS environments. And then we traced the history of a few key products. Of course we must understand that the fundamental difference...

On being professional. (Professional Topography).(knowing your instruments)
April 1, 2003... Having worked for a couple of manufacturers of surveying equipment, 1 can tell you that internal discussions about characteristics of new instruments being planned are often quite passionate. Features such as onboard software routines on a...

The 2003 ASPRS Fellow Award winners. (Turning Points).(American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The 2003 ASPRS Fellow Award winners are Daniel L. Civco and David F. Maune. Civco is an associate professor of geospatial science and applications in the department of natural resources management and engineering at the University of...

Leica Geosystems. (Turning Points).(distribution agreement with Loyola Enterprises)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Leica Geosystems, Atlanta, Ga., and Loyola Enterprises, Virginia Beach, Va., announced a distribution agreement for the sale and service of Leica Geosystems' GPS/GIS and GPS Reference Station products in Virginia. Loyola Enterprises has...

Precision Products. (Turning Points).(products and appointments)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Precision Products, Nashville, Tenn., now offers the latest Trimble surveying products, machine control systems, and Spectra Precision Laser brand in Tennessee through their Advance Precision Products locations in Nashville, Knoxville and...

Sanborn. (Turning Points).(appointments)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Sanborn, Colorado Springs, Colo., appointed Mary Wild as chief financial officer and Joan Powers as controller. As CFO, Wild is responsible for managing finance functions for Sanborn's multiple locations both in the United States and abroad. As...

Charlevoix Abstract and Engineering Company. (Turning Points).(Dr. Mary C. Feindt passes away)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
April 1, 2003... Dr. Mary C. Feindt, PLS, passed away on Jan. 29, 2003. Born in Chicago in 1916, Feindt is most likely the first woman to become registered as a land surveyor in Michigan. Until her recent illness Feindt had continued to work full time at her...

PENTAX Corporation. (Turning Points).(David W. Scott passes away)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
April 1, 2003... David W. Scott, PLS, passed away on Feb. 28, 2003. Scott served as product and marketing specialist for PENTAX Corporation, Englewood, Colo., He had been with the company since 1989. Scott received BS and MS degrees from the University of...

MicroSurvey FieldGenius. (Turning Points).(distributed by Leica Canada)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Leica Canada, Willowdale, Ontario, Canada, now distributes MicroSurvey FieldGenius data collection software.

Trimble. (Turning Points).(hires Pierre Desjardins)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Trimble, Sunnyvale, Calif., hired Pierre Desjardins as director of survey and infrastructure sales. He is responsible for land, marine, infrastructure and scanning survey products in North and South America. Trimble also hired John Stenmark as...

MENSI. (New & Notable).
April 1, 2003... MENSI released 3Dipsos 2.5. 3Dipsos is used to reconstruct 3D models from large sets of point cloud data captured by a 3D laser scanner such as the MENSI 510, S25 or GS100. The software can be used to construct triangulated meshes directly from...

Laser-Scan. (New & Notable).
April 1, 2003... Laser-Scan released a Linux version of its Gothic object-oriented database technology. Gothic products are used throughout the world by regional and national mapping organizations to maintain large and complex geospatial data investments....

Blue Marble Geographics. (New & Notable).
April 1, 2003... Blue Marble Geographics announced a maintenance update to their GeoObjects software development kit, CeoObjects Version 3.1. Version 3.1 comes with enhanced support for ECW, BSB, CADRG and BIL file formats. Previous support for custom labels,...

Applanix. (New & Notable).
April 1, 2003... Applanix announced that its POS LV line of products now features inertially-aided RTK positioning technology. By using raw satellite data (rather than receiver-computed position) to aid the inertial sensor, Applanix's POS LV products now...

SECO Manufacturing Company Inc. (New & Notable).
April 1, 2003... SECO Manufacturing Company Inc. introduced an all-fiberglass instrument tripod. The tripod uses proven design concepts such as metal twist clamps, 25 mm dowels and flat legs of fiberglass, and metal (not plastic) quick clamps. Because it's...

SECO Thumb Release bipods. (New & Notable).
April 1, 2003... Also, SECO introduced a new solution for stabilizing and creating freestanding leveling rods. The two new bipods--the 5217-20, which fits larger Invar-style rods and the 5217-21, which fits standard leveling rods-feature open-clamp heads. SECO...

SECO dealers. (New & Notable).
April 1, 2003... Also, SECO updated its website. The site, www.surveying.com, now features a database of over 350 SECO products, schematics and technical tips. More products are added each month. The new scalable design of the site will easily allow the...

Leica Geosystems. (New & Notable).
April 1, 2003... Leica Geosystems reached an agreement with Mapping Science Inc. to build a support solution for JPEG2000 data within ERDAS IMAGINE's image processing and photogrammetry product lines. The end result will be an integrated solution that allows...

Rugby 100 construction lasers. (New & Notable).
April 1, 2003... Leica Geosystems now offers automatic height alert as a standard feature on all Rugby 100 construction lasers. The height alert function is fully automatic. If the laser is disturbed for any reason during operation, it triggers an alert...

Tripod Data Systems. (New & Notable).
April 1, 2003... Tripod Data Systems (TDS) announced Survey Pro version 3.7. This version supports the new TDS Recon rugged handheld data collector. Version 3.7 also includes online help, improvements to point editing functions and improvements to support for...

Intergraph Mapping and Geospatial Solutions. (New & Notable).
April 1, 2003... Intergraph Mapping and Geospatial Solutions announced Version 5.1 of the GeoMedia product suite. GeoMedia Version 5.1 speeds the collection, manipulation and presentation of geospatial data, resulting in time savings for professionals...

MicroSurvey. (New & Notable).
April 1, 2003... MicroSurvey announced Version 2.0 of Windows CE-based data collection. Based on the FieldGenius XG product announced in December 2002, Version 2.0 features Xtreme Graphics with 3D perspective views; direct support for LandXML files with...

Cyra Technologies Inc. (New & Notable).
April 1, 2003... Cyra Technologies Inc. released Cyclone CloudWorx v2.0 for AutoCAD in two versions: "Basic" and "Pro." CloudWorx Pro v2.0 enables users to automatically create accurate piping drawings and models directly in AutoCAD from point clouds captured...

Sokkia. (New & Notable).
April 1, 2003... Sokkia introduced LP31A and LP30A Leveling Lasers. The LP30A offers a range up to 600 m (2,000 ft) in diameter with an accuracy of 7 arc seconds (1 mm/30 m). The LP31A matches the LP30A feature for feature, differing only in the horizontal...

Garmin International Inc. (New & Notable).
April 1, 2003... Garmin International Inc. unveiled a new line of lightweight, easy-to-use GPS products that are both colorful and affordable. The Geko 101 (yellow) is a low-cost device for navigational novices. It has 250-waypoint storage capacity with graphic...

Thales Navigation. (New & Notable).
April 1, 2003... Thales Navigation released the Z-Max modular GPS survey solution. The Z-Max eliminates the hassle of cables by employing Blue-tooth technology for data transfer between the receiver and the handheld controller. Its modular design makes Z-Max a...

Maptech. (New & Notable).
April 1, 2003... Maptech released Terrain Navigator Pro with more than 30 new features. Users can instantly navigate from a USGS topographic map to an aerial photo. Topo maps can be viewed side by side with an aerial photo in 2D or 3D, topos and aerial photos...

I-SiTE. (New & Notable).
April 1, 2003... I-SiTE released Voidworks, offering CMS (Cavity Monitoring Systems) users a more rapid and reliable method for calculating volumes. Voidworks allows a CMS user to import, filter and model CMS point cloud data. The final result is a solid volume...

ESRI. (New & Notable).
April 1, 2003... ESRI released ArcView 8.3, with new features, new extensions and enhancements in overall performance, quality and documentation, as well as an updated ESRI Data & Maps 2003. ArcPad integration tools for ArcView 8.3 extract and convert data from...

Autodesk Inc. (New & Notable).
April 1, 2003... Autodesk Inc. released AutoCAD 2004 and a new family of AutoCAD-based products. The product family includes: AutoCAD 2004, AutoCAD LT 2004, Autodesk Architectural Desktop 2004, Autodesk Building Systems 2004, AutoCAD Mechanical 2004, Autodesk...

Trimble. (New & Notable).
April 1, 2003... Trimble introduced the high-precision Trimble 5601 DR total station and the Trimble 5601 IR total station using an infrared EDM. The Trimble 5601 DR total station option delivers an accuracy of [+ or -] (1mm + 1ppm) to a single prism up to...

Tripod data systems: Foresight DXM file transfer, conversion and editing tools help surveyors prepare and review field work. (Product of the Month).
April 1, 2003... Tripod Data Systems' new ForeSight DXM (Data exchange Manager) bridges the gap between field data collection and computer-aided design (CAD) software. ForeSight DXM makes it easy to transfer data between a data collector and a laptop or PC....

RPLS.com connection: here are a few posts from a thread called "mentors"?
April 1, 2003... Posted By Greg Siwults RPLS on 2/12/2003 at 10:50 PM Who was your mentor? Was he a party chief or a PLS? Do you find yourself doing things the way you do because Mentor X did it that way? Do you do it the way you do because you learned from...

A look at the benefits of LandXML: an open data exchange for the land development and transportation industries.
April 1, 2003... What is LandXML? The ambition to exchange data throughout a civil engineering/surveying project has long been on the mind of surveying technicians, engineering draftsmen and women and project engineers--often while working with the myriad...

The surveyor's new field vest: how LandXML is advancing the work of the surveyor and civil engineer.
April 1, 2003... Once crammed with flagging, plumb bobs, an HP48, PK nails, blueline prints and a yellow field book with a mechanical pencil as its bookmark, a surveyor's field vest could be considered the Swiss army knife of the surveying profession. Contained...

A new life for digital data: LandXML offers an effective communication vehicle to the civil engineering, construction and surveying industries.
April 1, 2003... The LandXML concept is a new and valuable resource to the civil engineering and surveying industry. All components of our industry should take note of this tool because it affects each player. Surveyors can access data and retain the...

Ease of exchange: how LandXML is changing the way highway projects are developed.(engineering software)
April 1, 2003... State level highway engineering projects are large, complex endeavors that involve many public and private agencies operating over a period of several years. To get from initial planning to completed construction, the project must undergo...

2003 total station survey.(Illustration)
April 1, 2003... 2003 TOTAL STATION SURVEY MANUFACTURER/DISTRIBUTOR Laser Technology Inc. PHONE NUMBER 303/705-0045 MODEL/family/series (see note 1) ...