Point of Beginning articles from April 2004

Point of Beginning archives from April 2004

New stuff!(Editor's Note)(Editorial)
April 1, 2004... I have to admit that I'm pretty excited about this issue. A great deal of effort goes into each and every issue of POB. The selection of feature articles. In-depth coverage of industry news. The latest product and personnel announcements....

Editor's note: December 2003.(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2004... When I first heard of U.S. Surveyor's "How to Survey Your Own Property" video, I too felt anger about another perceived assault on the profession. Upon reading in your editorial that "it shows the property element of taking a metal detector,...

Viewpoint: December 2003.(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2004... As a professional engineer and licensed land surveyor in Connecticut, I have been forever mystified by the lack of a written standard for the determination of an actual boundary. In Connecticut we are required to attain a positional accuracy of...

Editor's note: January 2004.(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2004... I am a "sirvayur" in Orange County, California. My mother-in-law sent out one of those lengthy letters that accompany Christmas cards and tell of all that's going on with the sender's family. She mentioned in the letter that Joe, (that's me)...

Building the National Map.(The Latest News)
April 1, 2004... The U.S. Geological Survey announced its plan for the National Map in the spring of 2001. The proposal included the mission for the map to be a continuously maintained database of geographic information for the entire country, available to the...

Shoreline success: pilot tests on a North Carolina coastline prove that RTK GPS is a sound method for coastal monitoring surveys.(Real-Time Kinematic Global Positioning System)
April 1, 2004... Each year, wind and waves carry tons of sand from one shoreline and deposit them along another. These processes of erosion and accretion can dramatically affect coastal resources, businesses and residences. If not carefully monitored, the beach...

Eye of the firestorm: emergency efforts meld surveying, mapping and GIS in response to Southern California fires.(Geograhic Information System)
April 1, 2004... It was about 8 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2003. The first chore of the day was to set all of my clocks back to standard time. I was falling back myself--on a patio chair sipping coffee and fine-tuning my digital watches with the aid of my old...

Integrated concepts: a new philosophy coupled with a new product launch drives Leica Geosystems into the future.
April 1, 2004... "Working Together" is a phrase that Leica Geosystems plans to make more than just a tagline. The introduction of the phrase partners its recent product launch, the Leica System 1200, but is intended to be a long-term vision. [ILLUSTRATION...

Conserving surveying: tour a one-of-a-kind museum and learn how to help it grow.(Museum of Surveying, Lansing, Michigan)
April 1, 2004... Come with me on a field trip. A trip to a unique museum in Lansing, Michigan, the state's capital city. In the Lansing Museum Complex, a quaint area of the city where several museums of varying subject share land and sidewalks to invite...

Laser rangefinder product survey.(Illustration)
April 1, 2004... This inaugural survey of laser rangefinders is a reflection of the importance of this tool for geomatics professionals. While laser rangefinders have been available for well over a decade, their capabilities as well as their portability have...

The North American Datum of 1983 outside of North America: Part 1 of 2.(The GPS Observer)
April 1, 2004... Most surveyors in the United States and Canada are only concerned about surveying in their respective states or provinces, but the territories under U.S. jurisdiction extend far west into the Pacific and south into the Caribbean. The North...

An exercise with Autodesk Map.(Surveying GIS)
April 1, 2004... The seamless marriage of CAD and GIS has been referred to as the "Holy Grail." Last December my personal "Quest for the Grail" led me to an unlikely place, geographically speaking: Las Vegas. It was there that Autodesk University was once again...

GPS and the GCDB for corner reconnaissance.(The Academic Angle)(Geographic Coordinate Data Base)(Global Positioning System)
April 1, 2004... I didn't grow up thinking I wanted to be a surveyor. Not many of us did I don't think. Not unless it was the family business. I did know I wanted to work outside and wanted to do something that would be interesting and challenging, something...

Leica Geosystems GIS & Mapping.(New & Notable)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Leica Geosystems GIS & Mapping improved the ALS50 Airborne Laser Scanner to allow data capture at pulse rates up to 83 kHz. The latest release phase of the ALS50 features other improvements, including: four range returns, including last,...

Leica Geosystems.(New & Notable)(DISTO Plus)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Also, Leica Geosystems released the DISTO Plus. Key features include Bluetooth wireless technology and free copies of PlusDraw and PlusXL software for Bluetooth compatible pocket PCs. Users can now reduce data transferring errors by measuring...

Topcon.(New & Notable)(HiPer Lite+)(cable-free RTK GPS+ system)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Topcon introduced HiPer Lite+, a completely cable-free RTK GPS+ system. GPS+ is Topcon's advanced dual-constellation satellite tracking--GPS plus GLONASS--currently providing almost 50 percent more satellites than GPS alone. HiPer Lite+...

Riegl USA.(New & Notable)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Riegl USA introduced a high-resolution digital camera applied to 3D scan data for true photogrammetric registration of 6 megapixel photo information with 3D point cloud data. The integrated digital camera meshes high resolution photo pixel...

XYZworks.(New & Notable)(new data collection system on a rugged field handheld PC)(Fieldbook)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... XYZworks introduced the XYZworks Fieldbook, a new data collection system on a rugged field handheld PC. The Fieldbook features a color touchscreen viewable in bright sunlight, a full-size sealed 45-key key-board, standard CF card slot, 64Mb of...

PCI Geomatics.(New & Notable)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... PCI Geomatics released Geomatica 9 Version 9.1 software, featuring processing performance enhancements, stronger spatial overlay capabilities and additions to the online help. Rigorous photogrammetry model support is included for the Advanced...

Tripod Data Systems (TDS).(New & Notable)(Tripod Data Systems offers an extended warranty on TDS Ranger and TDS Recon handheld computers)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Tripod Data Systems (TDS), offers an extended warranty option for the TDS Ranger and TDS Recon handheld computers, and new Nikon total stations. The option for the Ranger and Recon can extend the standard TDS product warranty for up to two...

Best-Fit Computing Inc.(New & Notable)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Best-Fit Computing Inc. released COLUMBUS Network Adjustment Software Version 3.5, which features a significant improvement of supported network size during adjustment (fully tested on simulated networks with up to 45,000 stations). Expanded...

Ruell Stanley Trent.(Turning Points)(Obituary)
April 1, 2004... Ruell Stanley Trent (1941-2004) passed away on Feb. 22, 2004, leaving behind his wife of 37 years and his mother, siblings, 11 children, seven grandchildren, and hundreds of friends and relatives. In 1983, Trent formed software company...

Fred E. Myers.(Turning Points)(Obituary)
April 1, 2004... Fred E. Myers (1944-2003) passed away on Dec. 1, 2003. He is survived by his wife Helen, son Kirk and daughter Kim. He left behind a loving family, many friends, colleagues and customers for whom he cared very much. When it came to supporting...

Leica Geosystems GIS & Mapping, LLC.(Turning Points)(Wendy Watson)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Leica Geosystems GIS & Mapping, LLC, Atlanta, Ga., appointed Wendy Watson as its new vice president of product management and marketing. Watson has more than 15 years of experience in GPS/GIS product development and management. She takes over...

The Pennsylvania Society of Land Surveyors (PSLS) elected Donald E. Rife, PLS, as president for 2004.(Turning Points)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... The Pennsylvania Society of Land Surveyors (PSLS) elected Donald E. Rife, PLS, as president for 2004. Rife has been a member of PSLS for more than 25 years and has served as a chapter and state officer. Rife currently works for Pickering, Corts...

KAPPA Mapping Inc. (KMI).(Turning Points)(KAPPA Mapping Inc. opens headquarters in Bangor, Maine)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... KAPPA Mapping Inc. (KMI) opened its headquarters at 6 State Street, Suite 100, Bangor, Maine. KMI provides photogrammetric mapping services for all stages of mapping projects to clients throughout the country. KMI was founded by Claire...

Surveying solutions.(Turning Points)
April 1, 2004... 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...

Editor's note.
April 1, 2004... Greetings! On behalf of the entire Site Prep magazine team, may I welcome you to what's sure to be a great new resource about construction site preparation! In this inaugural issue, we introduce ourselves to you, the "second life" if you will,...

The scoop on earthmoving technology: a look into some of the newer technology available for construction jobs, how it works and its impact.
April 1, 2004... Construction is probably one of the oldest activities of humankind (think of building shelter), perhaps only coming after the acquisition of food. Today, construction is one of the largest areas of economic activity. And with more projects,...

Seeing the future: stakeless?! As GPS machine control makes its way onto more surveying and construction sites, the question begs to be asked: who will provide the data--and how?(Global Positioning System)
April 1, 2004... It's almost as if Keith Rochester, RLS, PLS, can see the future. In 1983 he was one of the first to use an innovative 3D data design package now used for machine control. In 1986 he saw that the advancement of positioning technology,...

Prepping for take off! Innovation and advanced technology aid runway development project at the nation's busiest airport.
April 1, 2004... The William B. Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport in Georgia has held a lot of records since its opening, including being dubbed the World's Busiest Airport in terms of passenger traffic, landings and takeoffs. The facility also carries...

Allen Precision Equipment.(Product & Literature Showcase)
April 1, 2004... At Allen Precision Equipment, the relationship with our customers never ends with the sale. Our comprehensive training program for robotic and GPS equipment is offered at your choice of location and includes direct access to our technical...

Leica System 1200: GPS1200.(Product & Literature Showcase)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Leica Geosystems introduces a world's first in surveying--the bringing together of two technologies, GPS and TPS, into a single surveying system. The GPS component of System 1200 utilizes a high-precision GPS measurement engine with fast...

Riegl USA Inc.(Product & Literature Showcase)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Riegl USA Inc. features its most popular members of the 3D Laser Scanning Systems. Riegl is the innovation leader for the 3D scanning market. The broad range of instruments allows you to easily match your requirements. Riegl instruments...

InSIte.(Product & Literature Showcase)
April 1, 2004... InSite SiteWork Earthwork and Utility Estimating Software calculates cuts and fills, stripping, strata quantities, subgrade materials, topsoil respread, areas, lengths, trench excavation and backfill. Print 3Ds, X-sections and scaled plans....

Rapid Surveying & Machine Control.(Product & Literature Showcase)
April 1, 2004... Geologic Computer Systems. Go stakeless! Control your jobsite with automated topo, staking and 3D machine control. Turn-key packages. Best prices. Will beat any dealer's price on all in-stock units. MDOT approved. Limited supply. Buy now for...

Take-off Professionals.(Product & Literature Showcase)
April 1, 2004... Take-off Professionals is the nation's leading data only company. We produce 3D data for any brand of rover or handheld. We provide training and support for clients who prep their own data. Quick turnaround, fair pricing and vast experience...