Category Archives: Surveying
One Center ¼
Igor Kidinsky, known as Eager (the Kid), was breathing hard after such a rough hike, and he wondered how Glenny Dale, or Glutton (the Old Man), would make it back to the truck, because the return hike would be uphill. Fall had turned the Quaking Aspen into a shimmering yellow that seemed to flood the...
Survey. Dredge. Repeat: Keeping the Columbia River Navigable
As the skipper of Galileo 3, a 30-foot sailboat on the Columbia River, I tell my crew that I am comfortable with 15 feet of water under the keel, get nervous when it drops below 10 feet, and take immediate action if it drops below 6 feet. That’s because I cannot constantly monitor my chart...
CGVD2013, Part 2
Above picture: This color contour map shows the difference between CGVD2013 and NAVD 88, especially of interest to those who work on projects along the U.S./Canada border. In part 1 of this series in xyHt’s October issue, Canada’s new vertical datum is introduced—CGVD2013— with an overview of past Canadian datums, directions during the current transition...
Transformation of Observations Part 2
In my previous article in the September issue, I demonstrate one method of taking conventional/optical observations and converting them into GNSS baseline vectors. Here I demonstrate how to create a map projection system that is near the ground, and thus on the surface we survey. These map projections are commonly referred to as low-distortion projections;...
The Hayden Example
Igor Kidinsky—known on this survey crew as Eager (The Kid)—carried the shovel and pick. Glenny Dale—known as Glutton (The Old Man)—carried the plans and metal detector. They had been looking for block corners and had found a mixture of old and new pins. Now they were looking for interior lot corners and came upon a...
A Re-imagined “24 Miles Round London”
Kristjana Williams, an Icelandic artist who lives and works in London, is fascinated by maps, mythical creatures, and Victorian engravings. She brings historical works of cartography back to life using vibrant, digital collages. Pictured here is her interpretation of Daniel Paterson’s “24 Miles Round London” map, originally published in 1791. Paterson’s map presents London’s surrounding...
