Eric D. Colburn, PLS

Professional Land Surveyor News

Ashtech® has introduced a new GNSS firmware upgrade for the entire ProFlex™ line of products, including the ProFlex 500, ProFlex 500 Marine, ProFlex 500 CORS, ProFlex Lite and ProFlex Lite Duo.

The new firmware features as standard:

Hot Stand-By RTK: Doubles the assurance that an RTK position is always available and robust.

Advanced Raw Data Quality: Multi-criterion internal observation masks optimize raw data depending on reception parameters and the dynamics of the receiver.

Ashtech Optimized Messaging (ATOM) format: Freedom from radio link throughput issues using the new compact and ultra compact scenario of ATOM format.

RTC Bridge for ProFlex 500 only: Extends the number of users working in a given area by allowing one of them to forward its corrections, received through GPRS, to others through a radio link, thus saving money on mobile communication fees.

Legacy DBEN Base format support for ProFlex Lite only: Transit smoothly from legacy Ashtech sensors generation to the newest generation.

Read the rest of this entry →

Professional Land Surveyor News

Professional Land Surveyor News: NOAA Releases Real-Time RTK Guidelines

This is a press release published by NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey (NGS) with important information for professional land surveyors who are using Real-Time GNSS positioning.

NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey (NGS) recently announced the approval and release of a document titled “National Geodetic Survey User Guidelines for Single Base Real-Time GNSS Positioning.” The guidelines provide definitive criteria to achieve various specific tiers of precision, with high confidence, using global navigation satellite systems (GNSS). Due to the plethora of variables associated with Real-Time GNSS positioning (RT), a consistent Read the rest of this entry →

New England Section ACSM - To promote geomatics education and to advocate for the advancement of surveying and mapping in New England.

GNSS Positioning Short Course Sponsored by New England Section ACSM and CALS

The New England Section ACSM and CALS are proud to present a GNSS Positioning Short Course offered on five consecutive Saturdays this summer starting on July 10, 2010 and ending on August 7, 2010. Each Saturday class begins at 8 am and ends at noon, and will be held at the University of Connecticut located in Storrs, Connecticut.

Summary:

This course will present the foundation information needed for a GNSS positioning professional to understand how their equipment works, with guidance to its proper usage. It is not a course on GNSS processing software or GNSS orthometric heighting.

Preparation:

Attendees are expected to be familiar with the operation of GNSS positioning equipment and to be proficient in surveying and mapping. Although the course will start with the basics of GNSS technologies, some prior knowledge of GNSS technology is assumed because of the speed of the presentation.

Read the rest of this entry →

Professional Land Surveyor News

Professional Land Surveyor News: Topcon DL-500 Digital Level Series With First ‘Wave-and-Read’ Technology

Topcon Positioning Systems (TPS) announced this week that they’ve released their new DL-500 digital levels series, which uses digital ‘Wave-and-Read’ Technology for the very first time. Of course we’ve had optical ‘Wave-and-Read’ technology for eons – it’s called an instrument person looking through the level while reading the rod and having the rod person “rock” the rod slowly towards and then away from the instrument to obtain the lowest, and accurate, reading. Much along these same time-honored lines, where the rod reading becomes the minimum value when vertically, the DL-500 tracks the waved rod and automatically reads the least value.

Read the rest of this entry →

Professional Land Surveyor News

National web mapping for the higher and further education sector

Inspiring learning – Cadcorp software enables greater sharing of map data to UK education sector

Digital mapping and geographic information systems (GIS) software developer Cadcorp and the EDINA National Data Centre have announced that the latest version of the EDINA Digimap service has gone live.

Launched in 2000, the EDINA Digimap service specialises in the delivery of a number of geographical data resources over the internet to over 150 academic institutions.  National digital map data ranging from Ordnance Survey® (OS) products to geology, marine and historical maps can be accessed by staff and students free at point of use. Based on Cadcorp’s web mapping software GeognoSIS, the service also utilises a number of licences of Map Modeller, Cadcorp’s high-end desktop GIS system.

Read the rest of this entry →

DUBUQUE, Iowa, April 20, 2010 – Eagle Point Software Corporation today announced it will offer compatible solutions to Autodesk’s AutoCAD Civil 3D 2011 software for the building design, infrastructure, and construction industries.

“We are excited to be able to quickly support the AutoCAD Civil 3D 2011 release in our portfolio of add-on products that include Pinnacle Series, Data Reduction, and Surveyors’ Companion,” explains Steve Biver, Civil Product Line Manager at Eagle Point. “These products take advantage of the new features of AutoCAD Civil 3D 2011, such as 64-bit support. Our add-on products help ensure successful implementations and better use of Autodesk’s software, while giving our clients a competitive advantage.”

The Eagle Point Pinnacle Series^® add-on technology dramatically improves an organization’s ability to implement AutoCAD Civil 3D and adopt new Building Information Modeling (BIM) workflows. Using links to execute the right commands, the surveying, grading, roadway design, pipe layout, and plan set preparation workflows guide users to complete work faster while consistently following the organization’s standards and best practices.

Data Reduction^™ utilizes direct links with several supported data collectors and data collector formats to download raw instrument and coordinate data. Whether the user is downloading directly from a collector or importing a file from a PC, Data Reduction places AutoCAD Civil 3D COGO points and automated linework into the drawing.

A set of tools that streamline the survey workflow, Surveyors’ Companion^™ leverages proven surveying technology to enable organizations to comfortably and productively move to AutoCAD Civil 3D software. Surveyors’ Companion interacts with native point, parcel, surface, alignment, and profile data.

Read the rest of this entry →

Professional Land Surveyor News

Trimble to Offer More Acres of Sub-Inch Accuracy with VRS Now Ag Service

SUNNYVALE, Calif., March 24, 2010 — Trimble (NASDAQ: TRMB) announced today the launch of Trimble® VRS Now™ Ag service for farmers in nine U.S. states—Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi and Nebraska. Additionally, European growers can receive correction services in Great Britain, Ireland, Germany, Czech Republic and Estonia. As with corrections supplied by conventional Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) radio towers, Trimble VRS™ network corrections provide sub-inch repeatable Global Positioning System (GPS) accuracy for precision farming operations such as tillage, planting, spraying and field preparation.

Read the rest of this entry →

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.

Read the rest of this entry →

Professional Land Surveyor News

Garmin Licenses Intermap’s High Quality 3D Terrain Models

Monday, March 15, 2010

Intermap Technologies, a worldwide 3D digital mapping and geospatial solutions company, today announced it has signed an agreement with Garmin Ltd., a global leader in satellite navigation. Under the terms of the three-year agreement, Intermap will furnish accurate 3D elevation data for the United States and Western Europe derived from its NEXTMap countrywide digital map database. Initial Garmin products utilizing NEXTMap data are expected to reach the consumer market beginning in the first half of 2010.

Read the rest of this entry →

Professional Land Surveyor News

Topcon names Smith director of GNSS product management

LIVERMORE, Calif. – March 4, 2010 – Fraser Smith, a geomatics engineer with extensive experience in GNSS product research and development (R&D), has been named director of GNSS product management for Topcon Positioning Systems (TPS).

Smith, former R&D manager for Point, Inc., will report to Mark Hornstra, senior vice president, marketing and product management.

About Smith’s appointment, Hornstra said he “will take the leadership role in defining the product line strategies for GNSS products for Topcon and Sokkia.”

Read the rest of this entry →