Point of Beginning articles from June 2004

Point of Beginning archives from June 2004

Advancing toward death?(Editor's Note)(usage of technology by surveyors)(Editorial)
June 1, 2004... Last month I presented the topic of technological evolution and how some advancements in equipment and software have the potential to displace a percentage of surveyors in the profession. My advice was (and is) to apply oneself in the...

Surveying GIS.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2004... April 2004 [I] found Mr. Binge's smiling face next to a well-written article [titled] "An exercise with Autodesk Map." Thanks, Michael, for taking the time to discuss how to import ESRI shape files (including attributes) into Autodesk Map....

Offsets.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2004... March 2004 I believe a number of statements Mr. Mouland represented as facts in his column are quite misleading. Mr. Mouland implied that all state specific exams are two hours long when he stated that "a state board member recently said...

Remembering ACSM 2004: a few snippets from the annual conference and technology exhibition in Nashville.(American Congress on Surveying and Mapping)
June 1, 2004... More than 1,450 attendees kicked up their heels in the spirited city of Nashville, Tenn., from April 16-21 for the 2004 American Congress on Surveying and Mapping Conference and Technology Exhibition co-hosted by the Tennessee Association of...

Grandfathering for licenses ends June 30 in South Carolina.(The Latest News)
June 1, 2004... The grandfathering period in South Carolina for licensing geodetic surveyors, photogrammetric surveyors, remote sensing surveyors and GIS mappers ends this month on June 30, 2004. Those who wish to be considered for licensure under the...

Rhode Island drafts two-year degree proposal.(The Latest News)(Society of Professional Land Surveyors, state's board of registration)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The Rhode Island Society of Professional Land Surveyors (RISPLS) and the state's board of registration have drafted a plan to offer a two-year degree in land surveying technology at the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI). The society...

USGS unveils new online Map Locator.(The Latest News)(U.S. Geologic Survey)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... For surveyors who depend on topographic maps from the U.S. Geologic Survey (USGS) to determine the "lay of the land" and to plan their work, the USGS online store's new Map Locator offers an easy way to find and order a map. Visitors to...

USGS Coalition seeks increased funding.(The Latest News)(United States. Geological Survey)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The USGS Coalition is a cooperative group of 57 organizations that includes the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM), American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) and American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)....

Sharing the wealth: Illinois city shares GPS data with neighboring cities for GIS program.(global positioning system, global information system Rock Island and Moline, Illinois, Davenport, Iowa)
June 1, 2004... Installing a GPS reference station can be an expensive proposition for a small city with a limited budget. And it's often not easy to demonstrate the potential return on investment necessary to persuade city councils to make capital...

Happy trails in San Diego: how a progressive trails program promises to put San Diego County on the map.(San Diego County Departments of Parks and Recreation, Planning and Land Use)
June 1, 2004... Imagine strolling through an entire county completely on beautiful nature trails. Now imagine that all of these trails are mapped out and compiled into a comprehensive trails atlas. These are but two parts of a master trails plan being...

How GPS is influencing Environmental Impact Studies (EIS) work.(Technology Profile)(Global Positioning System)
June 1, 2004... Protecting the environment is a critical part of any project. And for major projects where federal funds are used, an Environmental Impact Study (EIS) is generally required. An EIS documents the physical, socio-economic, natural resource and...

A legal look: whose documents are they, anyway?(Intellectual property rights of surveyors)
June 1, 2004... "Whose documents are they, anyway?" is a question that surveyors, engineers and architects often ask--those of us who provide a professional service that includes the production of maps, plats, plans and reports. Some of our work borders on...

The lone surveyor: safety tips for one-person crews.(Occupational safety aspects of sole surveying teams)
June 1, 2004... During one of my safety seminars a few years back, I was confronted with a question about the ethics and even sanity (his words, not mine) of putting someone out in the field alone. Over the past several years the topic has come up during a...

Web files.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Get all the information you need about manufacturers and dealers by visiting the websites listed here. Find out about products, services, projects, specials, news and events. Get contact information or learn about job opportunities. Simply...

Mobile GIS.(Surveying GIS)(Geographical Information Systems, ArcPad, IMap)
June 1, 2004... Without geography, you're history.--Anonymous The newest trend and current buzzword in Geographical Information Systems is "mobile GIS." For surveyors mobile GIS is anything but a new trend. We have been using it for years, perhaps without...

2004 GIS software survey.(Illustration)
June 1, 2004... 2004 GIS Software Survey Program Name Autodesk Raster Autodesk Design 2005 Survey 2005 Manufacturer/Distributor Autodesk Inc. Autodesk Inc....

When surveying was fun.(On The Level)
June 1, 2004... In a surveying magazine ad, a software vendor asks the question, "Remember when surveying was fun? Almost like playing..." This ad got me thinking back to my early years (circa 1960) when, as a rookie civil engineer, I began my career with a...

Berntsen International.(New & Notable)
June 1, 2004... 401 Berntsen International introduced the Atlas Copco gasoline-powered Cobra Combi breaker/drill. The Cobra Combi meets U.S. EPA Phase I emission regulations by being equipped with a catalytic converter and carburetor. New...

Tadpole-Cartesia Inc.(New & Notable)
June 1, 2004... 402 Tadpole-Cartesia Inc. announced an agreement to integrate its GO! Sync software for ESRI ArcPad with Trimble mapping and GIS products, including the GeoExplorer GPS handheld receivers, the Recon handheld data collectors and GPS...

SECO Manufacturing Company Inc.(New & Notable)
June 1, 2004... 404 SECO Manufacturing Company Inc. released the Mini Stakeout Prism Kit. The kit form allows the surveyor to handle topos, stakeout and construction handheld applications. The white site cones on the X- and Y-axis help improve instrument...

ESRI announced ArcWeb Services additions.(New & Notable)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... 405 ESRI announced ArcWeb Services additions. Batch geocoding is offered to ArcWeb Services subscribers through the new Address Manager service. With this service, users can upload to ESRI a custom set of addresses, which are then returned...

Strata launched a range of PenmapGPS tablet PCs.(New & Notable)
June 1, 2004... 406 Strata launched a range of PenmapGPS tablet PCs. PenmapGPS contains an integrated RTK GPS receiver that can deliver accuracies of 5 mm. It provides a rugged Pentium platform with full SVGA graphics and pen interface, giving the user a...

Surveying solutions.
June 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...

This month's candidate: David A. King, PE, LS.(Meet Sam the Surveyor)(Interview)
June 1, 2004... Name: David A. King, PE, LS Owner, A-2 Maps and Surveys, Oakdale, Conn. Registered/licensed in: Connecticut (PE & LS), New York (LS) Year started in profession: 1962 How you started in the profession: "My dad's chosen...