Point of Beginning articles from November 2005

Point of Beginning archives from November 2005

Introducing the next-generation Ranger: more power, new wireless capabilities, tougher than ever.(TDS Ranger[TM])(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... How do you improve surveyors' favorite data collector? Keep the features they depend on, like field-ready ruggedness, 30-hour battery and easy-to-use keypad. Then add functions surveyors have been asking for. That's what we did with the...

Step up for safety!(editor'spoints)(Editorial)
November 1, 2005... Driving up 1-75 on my return trip from Florida last month, I slowed my pace as I entered a construction area. Drivers behind me were less than thrilled, but I knew I was not only obeying the law but helping to protect workers from possible...

Letters: August 2005.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2005... In response to Thomas Sage, I have to say: Michigan is a great place to be from. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I grew up and began my career in Michigan. It's a beautiful state but I had a hard time making a decent living there, so I moved,...

ACSM opens 2006 Student Competition.(American Congress on Surveying and Mapping)
November 1, 2005... The American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM) released the guidelines for its 2006 Student Competition, which will be sponsored by the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] One team from any...

NGS enhances OPUS.(National Geodetic Survey)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... The National Geodetic Survey (NGS) enhanced its Online Positioning User Service (OPUS) to facilitate the work of U.S. surveyors. OPUS allows users to submit their GPS data files to NGS, which processes the data with respect to three...

India becomes Galileo partner with European Union.(Galileo, Europe's Global Navigation Satellite System)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... On Sept. 7, 2005, India signed an agreement to become a partner with the European Union (EU) for Galileo, Europe's Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) scheduled to become operational in 2008. India is the fourth non-EU country to join the...

Colorado celebrates GIS Week.(newsline)
November 1, 2005... Governor Bill Owens of Colorado proclaimed September 19-23, 2005, as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Week for his state. The official proclamation of GIS week recognized the major contributions of GIS to the citizens of the United States...

Calendar of events.(calendar)(Calendar)
November 1, 2005... NOVEMBER 4 CALS Annual Convention Connecticut Association of Land Surveyors Wallingford, Conn. 860/563-1990 www.ctsurveyor.com 12 NHLSA Workshop: GPS Made Simple New Hampshire Land...

Exhibiting an influential profession: ACSM partners with the Library of Congress Geography and Map Division to create the promotional exhibit "Maps in our Lives.".
November 1, 2005... On an almost disturbingly hot sunny day in mid-September I navigated through Washington, D.C., using what I hoped would prove to be a trusty map. The PocketGuide to Washington, D.C., vol. 23 no. 3 told me I had a short walk--less than two...

A degree of difference: an inside look at the Wide Area Augmentation System.
November 1, 2005... From a GIS mapping perspective, the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) commissioned by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been quickly emerging as a significant source of accurate GPS data. The system began initial broadcasting in...

Safe and sound: keeping surveyors safe in the field.(Cover Story)
November 1, 2005... Last year George Armstrong learned that one of the co-op students in his civil engineering technology program at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College climbed almost 50 feet up on a steel beam while working on a building project--and...

Mapping with ease: how mapping software has served as a beneficial research and reconnaissance tool for a small firm in California.
November 1, 2005... I started surveying for the state of California in 1968, just one month after graduating from high school. I was assigned to one of the approximately 25 four-man survey crews. A typical crew consisted of a party chief, an instrument man and two...

Helping to develop other professionals. It's hard for many of us to tell when we've got "it." Usually someone else points out to us that we've changed significantly.(The Business of Surveying)
November 1, 2005... Those of us who've gotten "it" have worked for months or even years to develop into a professional, setting aside time each day to listen to audio materials or read periodicals on the traits of a professional. We've found a mentor who has aided...

Safety equipment.(productfocus)
November 1, 2005... Information for POB's special product focus on safety equipment has been provided by the respective manufacturers. For more specifications, visit the websites listed under each entry. CST/berger CST/berger puts safety first with...

Tool tips.(giaamailbag)
November 1, 2005... Q I have called instrument manufacturers and asked my local supply guys about "horizontal compensators," but I am still unclear about proper field procedures for using total stations with these devices. How do I get optimal results using an...

Disaster geomatics.(professionaltopography)
November 1, 2005... The destruction and carnage caused by Hurricane Katrina, and the resulting tears, chaos, squalor and terror--especially in New Orleans--will not be forgotten for a long time. Many of Katrina's effects, such as fluctuations in the price of...

Boundary by agreement.(traversingthelaw)
November 1, 2005... I'd like to address a few concerns regarding unwritten rights that arose in response to my three-part series "Property Rights and the Land Surveyor" that ran in May, June and July. First and foremost, let me note that adverse possession is...

2005 data collector/controller software survey--optical surveying.(Illustration)
November 1, 2005... 2005 Data Collector/Controller Software Survey--Optical Surveying MANUFACTURER/DISTRIBUTOR Carlson Software Carlson Software MANUFACTURER (ENTER SAME UNLESS Same Same ABOVE IS A DISTRIBUTOR) PRODUCT...

2005 data collector/controller software survey--GPS mapping.(Global Positioning System)(Illustration)
November 1, 2005... 2005 Data Collector/Controller Software Survey--GPS Mapping MANUFACTURER/DISTRIBUTOR Carlson Software Carlson Software MANUFACTURER Same Same PRODUCT NAME OR MODEL NUMBER ...

Topcon.(Promotion of Mike Weir and Mark Contino)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... TOPCON, Livermore, Calif., welcomed Mike Weir to its corporate staff as worldwide GIS sales manager. Weir leads and promotes sales of Topcon's GIS products. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Also, TOPCON announced the promotion of Mark Contino...

Surveysa.(turningpoints)
November 1, 2005... SURVEYSA, San Antonio, Texas, moved to a new location. The new office is located at 119 E. Turbo, Ste. 100, San Antonio, TX 78216. Phone and fax numbers remain the same.

Leica Geosystems.(turningpoints)
November 1, 2005... LEICA GEOSYSTEMS, Atlanta, Ga., opened a new Center of Excellence for machine automation and construction products in Grand Rapids, Mich., and hosted an open house at the facility Aug. 17-18, 2005. The new 23,000 sq ft facility is staffed by...

Bowman Consulting.(turningpoints)
November 1, 2005... BOWMAN CONSULTING, Chantilly, Va. selected Jeff Blair, PE, to lead its Maryland operations. Blair has responsibility of Bowman Consulting's Rockville and Annapolis offices. He also leads the firm's strategic initiative to establish offices in...

Mckim & Creed.(turningpoints)
November 1, 2005... MCKIM & CREED, Wilmington, N.C., acquired THE ROSE GROUP, a Fayetteville, N.C.-based consulting firm specializing in water resources, site development, surveying and geographic information management.

Optech Incorporated and Codevintec SRL.(turningpoints)
November 1, 2005... OPTECH INCORPORATED, Toronto, Canada, and CODEVINTEC SRL. Milan, Italy, jointly established a European service and repair center for all ILRIS-3D and ILRIS-[3.sub.6]D three-dimensional laser scanner products.

Sokkia.(new & notable)
November 1, 2005... SOKKIA announced the cable-free GSR2700 IS Fully Integrated L1/L2 System. The system's survey-grade, dual-frequency GPS receiver, integrated data link, Bluetooth wireless technology, antenna, memory and batteries are enclosed in a compact,...

Trimble.(Trimble GX Scanner)(Trimble M3 Total Station)(Trimble R8 GNSS System)(Trimble R3 GPS System)(Trimble S6 Total Station)
November 1, 2005... TRIMBLE introduced five surveying products as part of its new Connected Survey Site model. The Trimble GX Scanner features include flexible power supply options, station setup and a surveying data collector. The scanner's surveying workflow...

Topcon.(Universal Signal Tracking)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... TOPCON announced G3 satellite receiver technology with a Universal Signal Tracking system capable of tracking all GPS, GLONASS and future Galileo signals. To process multiple signals from multiple satellite systems, Topcon engineered the...

Victor O. Schinnerer and Company.(resource guide)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... VICTOR O. SCHINNERER AND COMPANY released a resource guide for the clients of design professionals. "The Client's Resource: Intro to Professional Liability Insurance" explains commonly misunderstood facets of professional liability to combat...

DotSoft.(PointConvert 1.0)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... DOTSOFT announced PointConvert 1.0, a Windows standalone application that lets users convert survey point files between different formats in batch. Support is included for major formats from Tripod Data Systems (TDS), Autodesk, Carlson, C & G,...

Leica Geosystems Geospatial Imaging.(Leica Geosystems GIS and Mapping L.L.C. partnership with Visual Learning Systems Inc)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... LEICA GEOSYSTEMS GEOSPATIAL IMAGING announced a partnership with VISUAL LEARNING SYSTEMS INC. (VLS) to resell VLS Feature Analyst and LiDAR Analyst as add-on programs for ERDAS IMAGINE and ESRI ArcGIS. In addition, customers who purchase these...

Prosurv LLC.(PROSURV LLC)(Pocket Quads VGA)(topo map viewing software)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... PROSURV LLC released Pocket Quads VGA. Pocket Quads VGA is topo map viewing software for the pocket PC. Pocket Quads VGA offers four times the viewing area of a typical pocket PC, which displays images at 96 dpi on a 240 X 320 screen. Pocket...

Bentley Systems Incorporated.(new & notable)
November 1, 2005... BENTLEY SYSTEMS INCORPORATED announced that its BE Careers Network program offers free MicroStation PowerDraft CAD software to all students and instructors in the following nine languages: simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese, Czech,...

The new Trimble GX: finally, a 3D scanner that thinks like a surveyor.(productofthemonth)(Advertisement)
November 1, 2005... The new Trimble GX 3D scanner uses high-speed laser and video to capture vast numbers of coordinates and image data. Portable, versatile, user-friendly and robust, the Trimble GX thinks like a surveyor. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A...

Surveying solutions.(funandgames)(Brief Article)
November 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...

Vintage ads.(funandgames)
November 1, 2005... Courtesy of The Museum of Surveying. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]