Point of Beginning articles from June 2002

Point of Beginning archives from June 2002

Name calling. (Editor's Note).(importance of using people's real names, International Federation of Surveyors' Congress)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
June 1, 2002... It's not nice to call people names. Didn't you hear that from your mother as a kid? But most, if not everyone has had a nickname at some time. They are personal, and oftentimes, kinda neat to have. I have had, and continue to have, several...

NAD 83 coordinates of CORS sites upgraded. (The Latest News).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The advancement of GPS technology and methodologies has reached the point that, without much effort, relative positioning of points with respect to the National CORS sites can be accomplished with subcentimeter-level accuracies. Accordingly,...

New Radionavigation Plan focuses on GPS as primary means of navigation. (The Latest News).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... In March, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta and U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld announced the release of the 2001 Federal Radionavigation Plan (FRP), which continues to strengthen the U.S. commitment to the Global...

Brooks Act amendments submitted. (The Latest News).(includes broader definition of mapping and surveying)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... HB 3832, a bill containing provisions for amending the Brooks Act, was submitted by Congressman Tom Davis (RVA) on March 4. The bill proposes a more expansive definition of surveying and mapping, and extends the Brooks Act to prime and...

ASPRS presents its International Literature Award in mapping sciences. (The Latest News).(American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The University of Witwatersrand's School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies in Johannesburg, South Africa, is the recipient of the 2002 American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) International Education...

Yearlong celebrations commemorate the Great Arc. (The Latest News).
June 1, 2002... The Great Arc, a grand expedition conceived by Colonel William Lambton on April 10, 1802, was the longest measurement of the earth's surface ever to have been attempted. Also known as the Great Trigonometric Survey, this 2,400 km survey took...

NACE holds annual conference. (The Latest News).
June 1, 2002... The National Association of County Engineers (NACE), an affiliate of the National Association of Counties (NACE), held its 2002 Annual Management and Technical Conference in San Diego, Calif., in March. The NACE has approximately 1,900 members...

FIG Congress show recap: news from the largest presentation by the industry ever held on American soil.
June 1, 2002... The U.S. Capitol city, Washington, D.C., set the stage for surveyors, mappers and other geomaticians in April for the XXII FIG International Congress and ACSM-ASPRS Conference and Technology Exhibition 2002. More than 3,000 attendees from 84...

Along the water's edge: how robotic technology sped up a beach profile survey.(Conrad Blucher Institute for Surveying)
June 1, 2002... Better and faster--qualities most all of us want in our work activities and the instruments used to complete them. Technology often makes this possible. Robotic total stations, or RTS, offer a solution for better, faster surveying and data...

We solemnly pledge.(advertisement)
June 1, 2002... A new experience. At last! The selection, service and support you've always wanted is here. FieldWorks[TM] is open for business and ready to make your life a lot easier. Formerly Sokkia Measuring Systems, FieldWorks is now a completely...

Locating the bluegrass via satellite: surveying aids in unifying a network of control for the Derby City.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Survey stakes popped up like wildflowers recently across the softly rolling glades of the city of Louisville in Jefferson County, Kentucky, home of the Kentucky Derby. Famous for thoroughbred racing, basketball and a mix of urban areas and...

Upgrade: OSHA version 2K2; a look at OSHA regulations from 2002.
June 1, 2002... For three years, officials from the USDOT's Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) have joined representatives from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the American Traffic Safety Services Association...

The big and small of title registration. (A Legal Look).
June 1, 2002... A handful of states have a system of title registration sometimes referred to as the "Torrens System" or the "Land Court". (1) Title registration differs from the common recording system in many important respects. In a recording system, a...

Marketing. (The Business of Surveying).
June 1, 2002... Part 1 Several years ago, I took an introductory course on marketing. This course was an eye-opener to say the least. Up to that point I had assumed that marketing meant advertising. In reality, advertising is only one of the many complex...

Product survey preview: a look at GIS Software.
June 1, 2002... This hear it is my distinct pleasure to write the fist even Introduction to POB's GIS Software Survey. When I first saw this survey I was impressed by the amount of technical detail it contained. I even had to check out "Vector Spaghetti" to...

Who do we think we are fooling? (The Business Side).(surveyor's personal experience)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Recently I did something I don't do very often--I took a few days off work to visit old friends. This visit resulted in one of the most eye-opening experiences I have had in a long time. While I went to get away from everything...

If only it ended with pin cushions. (Professional Topography).(surveyors' calculations)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Now and then surveyors get into a discussion about corners monumented with so many rods and pipes that it looks like a pin cushion or porcupine. The discussion usually focuses on what the surveyor's actions should be, and what his or her...

Surveyors, accountants and attorneys. (What do they have in common?). (On the Level).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Imagine, if you can, that you are a principal in the world's fifth largest surveying engineering corporation. Your company is known throughout the United States as a leader in every aspect of business, technology and ethics. Your command of top...

MicroImages. (New & Notable).(advertisement)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... MicroImages released V6.60 of the TNT geospatial analysis products for Mac OS X. These products can provide Mac OS X users with a single, integrated system for GIS, image analysis, CAD, desktop cartography, relational databases, surface...

Avenza Systems Inc. (New & Notable).(advertisement)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Avenza Systems Inc. and eXQte collaborated to produce the MAPublisher Knowledge Base. This online searchable archive provides a valuable resource for MAPublisher users as a central archive of information including news group items, specific...

NavCom Technology Inc. (New & Notable).(advertisement)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... NavCom Technology Inc. added three new Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) products to its product line of high-quality, high-accuracy, high-performance GPS instruments: the RT-3010S, the RT3020S and the RT-3020M. The RT3010S is a full survey quality RTK...

Pacific Crest Corporation. (New & Notable).(advertisement)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Pacific Crest Corporation released the Positioning Data Link Robotic Total Station (PDL RTS) wireless modem. The PDL RTS features a built-in UHF transceiver, Li-ion battery pack for 10 hrs of operation, and a multi-protocol modem with data...

MicroSurvey. (New & Notable).(advertisement)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... MicroSurvey now offers FieldGenius with the popular Panasonic Toughbook0l. The handheld device is offered in a package deal that includes the FieldGenius software, cradle assembly and total station cable. (MicroSurvey, Westbank, British...

Spicer Corporation. (New & Notable).(advertisement)
June 1, 2002... Spicer Corporation released Imagenation 7.0 3D + with new 3D CAD model viewing, markup and measurement capabilities for CATIA, Pro/Engineer, SAT, STEP and VDA-FS formats. Imagenation 7.0 also adds new large-format scanner drivers as well as...

ViewCafe 2.1. (New & Notable).(advertisement)
June 1, 2002... Also, Spicer Corporation releases ViewCafe 2.1 featuring new symbol and banner tools as well as an enhanced printing capability that accelerates Java-based printing performance by up to 85 percent for some files such as large format engineering...

TCI Software. (New & Notable).
June 1, 2002... TCI Software released MapTools Pro v5, a suite of over 100 automated mapping tools for use with the AutoCAD R14 -- 2002, including a new One-Pick Automation feature. MapTools encourages the use and reuse of automated operations by making their...

Hewlett-Packard HP-UX 11i. (New & Notable).
June 1, 2002... ESRI ported ArcIMS and ArcSDE for use with Oracle software to the Hewlett-Packard HP-UX 11i operating system. ESRI's ArcIMS provides the foundation for disseminating high-end GIS and mapping services via the Internet. ArcSDE is a GIS gateway...

ESRI Press. (New & Notable).
June 1, 2002... ESRI Press released Undersea with GIS, a collection of works from experts in marine biology, oceanography, aquatic resource management and other fields that charts the ways in which GIS is beginning to help improve our understanding of the...

SOCET SET V4.4.0 for Windows and Solaris. (New & Notable).
June 1, 2002... Leica Geosystems' GIS & Mapping Division released SOCET SET V4.4.0 for Windows and Solaris, as well as ORIMA V5.03 and PRO600 v4.4.0. Some of the key features for the new releases include new frame import, multiple image selection, the ability...

Leica Geosystems' GIS & Mapping Division. (New & Notable).
June 1, 2002... Also, Leica Geosystems' GIS & Mapping Division announced the availability of IMAGINE Geospatial Light Table (GLT) enhancement, a self-contained data viewing environment, designed to meet the needs of image interpreters and analysts working in...

EMERGE and Applanix. (New & Notable).
June 1, 2002... EMERGE and Applanix are selling a new digital remote sensing system. The EMERGE Digital Sensor System is a medium format (4092 x 4079) sensor with a choice of 35, 45 and 80 mm lenses to cover a wide range of project requirements. Shutter speed...

IntelliWhere. (New & Notable).
June 1, 2002... IntelliWhere, a division of Intergraph Mapping and GIS Solutions, announced IntelliWhere OnDemand, a new vector-based mapping software product for personal digital assistants (PDAs). IntelliWhere OnDemand features highly compact file formats...

Condor Earth Technologies Inc. (Turning Points).
June 1, 2002... Trimble, Sunnyvale, Calif., and Condor Earth Technologies Inc., Sonora, Calif., are exclusively working together to provide real-time GPS-based systems for monitoring large engineered structures and natural hazards.

NovaLIS Technologies. (Turning Points).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... NovaLIS Technologies, Charlotte, N.C., and CESI, Concord, N.C., announced a strategic business partnership to deliver comprehensive land information systems solutions to governmental agencies. The two firms will provide GIS software, standard...

Eric Gentry. (Turning Points).
June 1, 2002... Anderson & Associates, Blacksburg, Va., promoted Eric Gentry to survey manager of the firm's Blacksburg office. Gentry has been with Anderson & Associates for eight years.

Governor Jeb Bush. (Turning Points).
June 1, 2002... Governor Jeb Bush, Fla., appointed Paul Tomasino, P.E., to a three-year term on the Florida Board of Professional Engineers. Tomasino founded Tomasino & Associates Inc. in 1971 and continues to serve as its president.

Precise Positioning Products. (Turning Points).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Leica Geosystems, Norcross, Ga., appointed Precise Positioning Products, Harrisburg, Pa., as licensed dealer for surveying products and systems in Pennsylvania. It will provide a full range of Leica surveying supplies, accessories, training and...

Conestoga-Rovers & Associates Family of Companies (CRA). (Turning Points).(Leica Geosystems' GIS and Mapping Division expands agreement)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Also, Leica Geosystems' GIS & Mapping Division, Atlanta, Ga., expanded its relationship with Conestoga-Rovers & Associates Family of Companies (CRA), distributors of its GPS/GIS products in Ontario, Canada. CRA now also sells and supports the...

RPLS.com connection; here are a few messages from a thread called "geodetic surveying and GPS: does it really matter?".(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Posted By Jeremy Lipke on 3/31/2002 at 12:40 AM I am studying to become a land surveyor. My dad's a land surveyor and not involved in geodetic surveying, he has no idea what a Geoid 99 is, or for that matter, how survey level GPS works....