Eric D. Colburn, PLS

Professional Land Surveyor News

Professional Land Surveyor News: Carlson EMEA BV Opens in the Netherlands to Serve Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) Markets

THE NETHERLANDS – Carlson Software, U.S.-based developer of technically advanced design software for land surveying, civil engineering, construction and mining industries, established a wholly owned subsidiary, Carlson EMEA BV, this June in the Netherlands to support and expand the Carlson business in  Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Joining Jan Bech in the United Kingdom and Jesus Latova in Spain to make up the Carlson EMEA team are four industry experts who formerly worked for the European Topcon Sokkia group. Bech has been handling Carlson’s European and Canadian sales for the past four years and is a specialist in Carlson desktop solutions and Latova is the director of Data Collection Product Design for Carlson.

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Professional Land Surveyor News

Professional Land Surveyor News: Carlson Software & Transtronic AB Reach Mutual Development & Distribution Agreement for 3D GNSS Drilling Solutions

Here’s an interesting press release that I originally found interesting, but thought at the time that it was  not overly relevant to professional land surveyors. Since then, however, with the catastrophic BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion, fire, and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico this may now be very topical and newsworthy.

I don’t know if the 3D GNSS drilling solutions detailed below are even applicable to the type of deep water drilling being used to drill the two relief wells adjacent to the former location of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig? If anyone knows, please give us an update below in this posts comments section. Either way, the technology detailed below, and I’m sure the technology being used to drill the two BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig relief wells, is very impressive and shows again how integrated GPS is becoming in all aspects of our lives and businesses. I think this also another example of how machine control is changing our industry and is here to stay.

MAYSVILLE, Ky., U.S.A., & KÖPING, Sweden – Carlson Software Inc. and Transtronic AB recently reached an agreement for international distribution of Carlson’s Drill Grade 4.0 software with Transtronic’s hardware and sensor technology.

Working together, Carlson’s Drill Grade software and Transtronic AB hardware, which includes sensors for length, angle and azimuth measurement, provide a complete 3D Drill solution for all types of drill rigs for OEM considerations or retrofit.

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Professional Land Surveyor News

Professional Land Surveyor News: Carlson’s New SurvPC Data Collection Software Provides SurvCE Power on a Windows® PC

If you currently use a Windows PC, such as a ruggedized laptop and Carlson SurvCE, or are considering switching to or adding either to your surveyor’s toolbox, here’s a good piece of news: Carlson has just released Carlson SurvPC, a full-screen version of Carlson’s popular data collection software, Carlson SurvCE. Carlson says that SurvPC can be used on any standard Windows PC computers, including ruggedized laptops. Carlson SurvPC is a new release following their recent release of SurvCE, version 2.5, which is a free upgrade for those utilizing version 2.0 and forward.

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Here is a nice video showing how to perform a survey resection in Carlson SurvCE. This video, prepared by Carlson Desktop Solutions, walks you through the process of performing a survey resection and the options available to you. What’s nice about doing a survey resection using Carlson SurvCE software is that you can use multiple points to enhance your precision and accuracy of the resected point.

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Professional Land Surveyor News

Carlson SurvCE 2.5 Data Collection Software Just Released

MAYSVILLE, Ky. — The newest version of Carlson Software’s popular data collection software – Carlson SurvCE 2.5 – has just been released. Two years in production, with incremental updates along the way, Carlson SurvCE 2.5 is a free upgrade for Carlson customers already using SurvCE 2.0 and newer.

Featuring hundreds of additions and improvements, Carlson SurvCE 2.5 works with more brands of Total Stations and GPS receivers than any other data collection software on the market. New instrument drivers added for Total Stations and GPS receivers include: CST Berger, Foif, GeoMax, Hemisphere Crescent and Eclipse, Javad receivers, Leica Flexline, NavCom 2110, Ashtech ProMark 500 and ProFlex 500, Sokkia GRX1 and Stonex S9 GNSS and Orion.

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Summer is finally here and after a long, dark and rainy spring in New England. The economy has also remained dark and turbulent.

I had some hope that in late March and early April business would pick up a little. And, that’s just what business did – It picked up a little, very little.

Life and business has as its ups and its downs, like the weather and the tides. I am still hopeful that the economy will be improving soon. It’s only a matter of time, but the 64,000 dollar question is who will be left standing when the relentless tide of this recession recedes?

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If you’re a professional land surveyor, regardless of whether you own your own company or work for someone else, you must see this informative video of the presentation that Brent Jones of ESRI gave at the recent Carlson Users Conference 2009. It is a little long (all good), so grab a cup of coffee, sit back and learn how GIS needs professional land surveyors and how professional land surveyors need GIS, too.

I think that the ideas presented by Brent Jones are right on target and present a road map for professional land surveyors to incorporate GIS into their professional practices and survive and prosper in the post recession economy.

I know that a shiver runs up the back of many professional land surveyors at the sound of that word, GIS. But now is the time for us, with all of the talents and knowledge we posses as professional land surveyors, to help make GIS better and raise it to a level where GIS is survey grade in positional accuracy and quality!

Let’s start off with two sides of the value proposition, external and internal. External value is what you’re striving to provide your clients and the perceived value, in their minds, your clients receive from your services. Internal value is everything that improves and grows your professional land surveying company, which most of the time your client never sees and often doesn’t fully appreciate, but is extremely important nonetheless and is often ignored.

Your Clients Want it All!

Hey, your clients just want their survey done cheaper, better and faster: That’s not asking too much, is it?

The internal value of your professional land surveying practice needs to be cultivated and grown. I’m making the distinction, between internal and external value, but they’re tightly connected and while the internal value at first may not be all too important to your clients, I still recommend that you include the benefit of this value when marketing and promoting your business.

The real value in any professional land surveying business is often overlooked. Too often we equate the procedures employed, the equipment we use and the paid for outcomes to completely define our value.

Much of What We Do Has Remained Unchanged.

Much of the mathematical concepts we use is ancient and hasn’t changed in centuries. The equipment we use, while constantly being updated and improved upon, mostly reinvents solutions for largely unchanged tasks. The outcomes of our work or deliverables if you will, while having changed in format and medium are still, in the end, the expression and explanation of the professional land surveyor’s opinion and judgments.

It’s all important. You have to know the math, you will see improvements from using newer, more modern, equipment and using the latest and best CAD program to produce good looking quality work is very important. However, I believe that you need to look at your business from a different perspective that holds those core external values intact and transcends your current perception of your professional land surveying company’s value.

Your greatest value is in your processes and in your data. Simple.

5 Business Value Concepts for the Professional Land Surveyor:

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How cool is this, check out the Dimension 3D printers that build accurate models layer by layer using durable ABS plastic.With the Dimension 3D printers you can design 3D concepts and then make 3D prints for functionality, form and fit.

You can also check out the following links for more information about 3D Printers and other 3D sources:

• Design World
• TurboSquid
• Dimension Printing
• 3D printers lead growth of rapid prototyping.(Rapid Prototyping): An article from: Plastics Technology
• Konica Minolta MS-3D – Staples – 9000
• SolidWorks 2009 Bible
• AutoCAD 2009 & AutoCAD LT 2009 Bible (Bible (Wiley)
• AutoCAD LT 2009
• Turbocad Deluxe V14 Precision 2D Drafting 3D Modeling
• Mastering AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010
• Introducing AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010
• Autodesk Store has all of your 3D modeling software needs.
• Carlson Survey 2009 with Embedded Autocad

MAYSVILLE, Ky., U.S.A. (March 24, 2009) – At the Carlson “Break New Ground” User Conference in Lexington, Ky., April 5 through 7, David Palumbo of Dewberry will be presenting a case study on how the  2000-person professional services firm with more than 40 locations in 18 states recently chose the Carlson Civil Suite for its site-civil engineering needs.

“In April 2007, Dewberry’s site-civil market segment group embarked on a strategic initiative to unify and modernize site-civil work flow across two dozen offices that service this segment,” said Palumbo, PE, Technology Manager for Infrastructure Services at Dewberry. “Carlson Civil Suite was selected over two competing solutions as best aligning with Dewberry’s desired work flow and site-civil technical specifications.”

The Carlson Civil Suite includes Carlson Civil, Carlson Survey, Carlson Hydrology, and Carlson GIS. Together, these four products are a comprehensive set of design/drafting tools that automate all facets of the civil engineering project.

Palumbo, whose duties include facilitating technology solution acquisition and implementation for all of Dewberry’s infrastructure services, including site-civil, transportation, and telecommunications, will explain the intensive process Dewberry performed to choose Carlson. Then he will show how Dewberry, an Engineering News-Record “Top 50″ design firm, set about to most effectively implement Carlson throughout their extensive company.

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