January 2014 Archives
Feature: Can You Hear the Shape of a Room?
Researchers at a school in Switzerland are working to solve a scientific conundrum that could lead to “sound” surveying and BIM solutions. There is a sort of scientific “sweet spot,” a window of discovery. It occurs when science turns a question into a potential solution to practical problems, even to problems that had been long […]
Software Review: Topcon MAGNET v2.0
Topcon Positioning Group has recently released version 2.0 of its MAGNET system. For those readers who are not yet versed in the field-to-finish approach that is MAGNET, prepare to be excited. If the word “cloud” scares you, don’t worry: there is a vast misconception surrounding what the cloud really is, and I will explain some […]
Hardware Review: V10, R10, RTX et al.
I was wondering when someone was going to do this: No base, no RTN, no cell, no bubble? No worries. Then throw in photogrammetry on the rod. There were many noteworthy surveying technology announcements in the past year; several in particular spurred me into the mode of, “Okay, I gotta try that.” Trimble announced two […]
History Corner: John Wasson: Surveyor General in Apache Land, Part 1
Arizona was made a separate surveying district on July 11, 1870. It was a momentous occasion for the young territory. Governor Anson P. K. Safford, newly appointed after his stint as surveyor general of Nevada, recommended his Nevada friend, newspaperman John Wasson, for the new position. At his side in the recommendation of Wasson […]
Arctic Quests
Multiple agencies and technologies merge to map a historic region of the Canadian Arctic. Adapted from the academic paper, “Arctic Charting and Mapping Pilot Project 2: Sharing Modern Technologies and Resources towards a Common Goal”, by Andrew Leyzack and summarized by Steven Keesee, with a history sidebar by Jeff Salmon.In April 2011, multiple organizations in […]
Editor’s Desk: Lobby Day
This past November, Thursday the 21st, was the annual Lobby Day for the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS). Held in conjunction with the semi-annual meetings of NSPS’s Board of Governors and Board of Directors, this is an opportunity for representatives of the surveying community to meet with their state’s members of Congress and their […]