Point of Beginning articles from February 2005

Point of Beginning archives from February 2005

Celebrating what works.(editor'spoints)
February 1, 2005... 1975. The Vietnam War finally ended, to the relief of all. Jimmy Hoffa came up missing. Pol Pot took over Cambodia, creating a new definition for the word "appalling." Steven Spielberg released "JAWS," establishing a legacy in the entertainment...

Editor's note.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2005... November 2004 I read the referenced article with interest, as I am one of the many "twilight year surveyors" who often takes our profession for granted. Having been raised in a family business that dealt with engineering, surveying and...

Savvy solutions.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2005... November 2004 In the article "Savvy Solutions" in the November 2004 issue of POB, it is stated that a device dubbed V.depth "eliminates all the problems from the previous measure-down methods of entering confined spaces and utilizing the...

On licensure.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2005... October 2004 I just finished reading the article by NCEES President-Elect Peterson, and I have a response. I recently received my LSIT [status] in the state of California and took the exam this past April. I believe that the majority of...

The end of an era.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2005... October 2004 Your article [on the HP48] was astounding, poignant and very moving. [It] is the best article I [have] ever read on HP calculators. I too have loved HP calculators since 1970 when I persuaded my company to buy me an HP-9100A...

Erratum.(Correction Notice)
February 1, 2005... In the January 2005 issue article "On the Level," it is noted that Edward Kennedy is a former senator. In fact, Mr. Kennedy is currently active in the position as a Massachusetts senator. The author, Bob Foster, and the editors apologize for...

New U.S. Office of Geospatial Management created.(newsline)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... The National Intelligence Reform Act of 2004 signed into law on Dec. 17, 2004 includes a provision to create a new geospatial management office within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This geospatial provision was introduced by...

President Bush signs new GPS policy.(newsline)(Global Positioning System)(George Bush W.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... On Dec. 15, 2004, President George W. Bush signed a new Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) Policy to direct the country's management and development of the Global Positioning System (GPS). The new policy replaces the former presidential...

SBA to review definition of small business in mapping.(newsline)(Small Business Administration)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Per the request of the Management Association of Private Photogrammetric Surveyors (MAPPS) Board of Directors, the Small Business Administration (SBA) is reviewing the "size standard" or definition of a small business. Currently, SBA combines...

NRC reports on licensing geographic data and services.(newsline)(National Research Council)
February 1, 2005... In November 2004, The National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academies sponsored a symposium on licensing geographic data and services. At the conference, the NRC's Mapping Science Committee explained the business model for licensing...

USGS Rolla, Mo. sales counter closes.(newsline)(United States. Earth Resources Observation Systems Data Center)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Over-the-counter sales activity at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Earth Science Information Center (ESIC), part of the Rolla Mid-Continent Mapping Center (MCMC) ceased as of Dec. 1, 2004. The termination of over-the-counter sales such as map...

Calendar of events.(Calendar)
February 1, 2005... FEBRUARY 2005 2-4 NJSPLS Annual Conference New Jersey Society of Professional Land Surveyors Atlantic City, N.J. 800/856-5263 www.njspls.org 3-5 NCSS Annual Meeting North Carolina Society...

AU at 12: a look at Autodesk University 2004.(Autodesk University)
February 1, 2005... "Autodesk is a company that listens," said Autodesk Vice President Chris Bradshaw at the 12th annual Autodesk University event. And it seems that others are listening to Autodesk as well. Autodesk University 2004, held November 30 to December 3...

30 years in the industry: a review of the profession in celebration of POB's thirtieth anniversary.(Point of Beginning)(Cover Story)
February 1, 2005... An editor works stealthily from her home office just outside Detroit, planning and coordinating the monthly magazine's content. Another editor, now familiar in her 13-month-old space in the Troy, Mich. office, feverishly types on her keyboard...

Automated attributes: why digital levels are being recognized by more surveyors and contractors.
February 1, 2005... When Bryant Associates of Boston, Mass., was tasked with taking elevations on more than one million points for a busy tunnel site that would serve about 50,000 commuters each day, Managing Surveyor Gary Hamilton knew his crews couldn't afford...

Digital levels.(productfocus)(Leica Geosystems DNA10 and DNA03 digital levels)(The Sokkia SDL30m )
February 1, 2005... In response to a growing interest in digital levels for POB readers, POB has worked with the prominent industry manufacturers to provide you more information. For more specifications, visit the websites listed under each entry. Leica...

TDS Locator: an effective tool to aid surveyors in navigating to the approximate location of a monument.(Tripod Data Systems)
February 1, 2005... Some of the developments that have had a major impact on the ways surveyors work include logarithms in the 1600s (1); the first mechanical calculator capable of adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing in the early 1800s (2); the first...

No longer divided.(surveying)
February 1, 2005... Ever since GPS was introduced and implemented into the world of surveying, experts have predicted the blending of conventional survey instruments with satellite positioning technology. They imagined that GPS would eventually function within...

Mistakes and errors from the field. Two years ago when I was working on the third edition of my book Construction Surveying and Layout, I sent questionnaires to many people who were performing construction layout.(backtobasics)(Column)
February 1, 2005... I wanted to confirm my field experience and observations to be sure the material I was presenting in the book was up-to-date. The questionnaire asked a variety of questions about layout methods, equipment, etc., but the majority of the...

What's new in ArcGIS 9? "The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time." ~ Abraham Lincoln.(surveyinggis)
February 1, 2005... So far, the new millennium has brought with it more new ideas, more new technology and even more of the requisite challenges associated with keeping pace with such rapid development. The "technology roller coaster" continues to provide a...

Managing the small surveying or engineering company. My first column this year will be dedicated to those of you running a small business (15 employees or less). I have been pulling together a cadre of ideas to help you make a profit and hopefully make your life more enjoyable! Here are some tips.(thebusinessside)
February 1, 2005... Long-term Planning I recommend that small business owners do a little planning. Write out a plan for what you want your company to look like in five years. Highlight items that will make you more successful--better-trained employees,...

Marketable record title act. There seems to be an ongoing debate in the surveying community over the amount and extent of the land surveyor's obligations related to title search.(traversingthelaw)(Marketable Record Title Act )
February 1, 2005... There are those who advocate that the surveyor is obligated to search title back to original patents to discover all possible junior/senior rights issues and to resolve those issues on each and every survey. This group of surveyors is clearly...

2005 laser survey.
February 1, 2005... 2005 Laser Survey Electronic Levels (beam coverage greater than 1,000 feet) Manufacturer AGL LASERSOURCE AGL LASERSOURCE Model EAGL 1000 EAGL 100 Date of introduction 1996...

Warren Grant Gardner.(turningpoints)(Obituary)
February 1, 2005... Warren Grant Gardner (1923-2004) died in his home in Chehalis. Wash., in December. After serving in the U.S. Navy, Gardner attended school in Portland to learn a new trade and became a land surveyor. In 1959 he moved to the Olympia area and...

SURV-KAP Inc.(turningpoints)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... SURV-KAP INC. Tucson, Ariz., named John Baffert as president. SURV-KAP provides surveying products including markers, caps, stakes, monuments and accessories made in a variety of materials including aluminum, brass and stainless steel. ...

Carter & Burgess.(turningpoints)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Barry Bruland, PLS, joined CARTER & BURGESS, Las Vegas, Nev., as the survey crew manager for the Las Vegas office. His responsibilities include: managing 12 two-person field crews, developing business in the construction and mining sectors, and...

Roland DGA Corporation.(turningpoints)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... ROLAND DGA CORPORATION, Irvine, Calif., added Glenn Kennedy as channel sales manager of 3D products. Kennedy manages Roland's 3D milling and scanning dealer network and helps expand industry partnerships throughout North America. Kennedy is an...

Trimble.(turningpoints)(Trimble Navigation Ltd)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... TRIMBLE, Sunnyvale, Calif., acquired PACIFIC CREST CORPORATION, Santa Clara, Calif., a supplier of wireless data communication systems for positioning and environmental monitoring applications. Pacific Crest operates as part of Trimble's...

Boss Engineering.(turningpoints)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... BOSS ENGINEERING, Howell, Mich., added John Fiero, PE, as a senior project coordinator. Fieros responsibilities include supervising the manufactured housing community and wastewater treatment/water system design services, as well as evaluating...

Earthdata.(turningpoints)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... EARTHDATA, Washington, D.C., appointed Martin Roche to head the organizations GIS operations in Orlando. Fla., and New York. N.Y. Roche, who has more than 16 years of experience in GIS, information technology and urban planning, develops...

American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing.(turningpoints)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Justin Carasick was the first GIS/LIS Technologist to complete the requirements for certification under the recently introduced AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR PHOTOGRAMMETRY AND REMOTE SENSING (ASPRS) certification program for technologists. He is an...

Point Inc.(new & notable)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... POINT INC. announced complete one-day training for its IMap software program. Sessions take place on the first Tuesday of each month and feature a combination of classroom study and hands-on field training conducted by experts from the POINT...

iQvolution AG.(new & notable)
February 1, 2005... iQVOLUTION AG introduced the iQsun 880 HE80 to its line of 3D laser scanners. The new model allows for clearer, more precise and accurate scanning up to 80 m away; additionally, the increased power of the sensor enhances outdoor scanning. The...

Leica Geosystems HDS LLC.(new & notable)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... LEICA GEOSYSTEMS HDS LLC announced a new series of seminars on the latest field and office procedures for conducting highly labor-efficient topographic, site and as-built surveys with laser scanning. Each seminar features the use of Leica's...

Avenza Systems Inc.(new & notable)
February 1, 2005... AVENZA SYSTEMS INC. released MAPublisher 6.1 for Adobe Illustrator, mapmaking software used to produce high quality maps from GIS data. Significant new functionality in MAPublisher 6.1 includes the abilities to join points based on attribute...

AnyDWG Software Inc.(new & notable)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... ANYDWG SOFTWARE INC. announced the availability of Any DWG to PDF Converter 2005 and Any DWG to Image Converter 2005. Any DWG to PDF Converter 2005 provides AutoCAD users with the tools to convert CAD drawings to PDF files; users can...

Intergraph Mapping and Geospatial Solutions.(new & notable)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... INTERGRAPH MAPPING AND GEOSPATIAL SOLUTIONS introduced the Z/I Mouse, a high-precision 3D mouse that simplifies digitizing data and capture of stereo data for input into photogrammetric processes. The new mouse ships with the company's...

Microsurvey Software Inc.(new & notable)
February 1, 2005... MICROSURVEY SOFTWARE INC. announced OfficeSync, a wireless service that uses the Internet and cellular networks to transfer files through a secure dedicated server. OfficeSync enables field crews to transmit survey data directly from their...

Surveying solutions.(funandgames)
February 1, 2005... 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 below the problem, in a shaded box. We hope you enjoy...

Comic corner.
February 1, 2005... Copyright[c] 1984, P.O.B. Publishing Co. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Daniel B. Wilson, Fredericksburg, VA