Tag Archives: surveying
Accuracy With Small UAS Mapping
Two recent advances in heretofore unrelated technologies are giving birth to a new way to perform local-area metric mapping. The first is the development of small, unmanned aerial systems (sUAS), spurred on primarily by the miniaturization of autopilot components. The second is the development of novel algorithms for creating digital surface models from collections of...
The Lot Corner
A large survey-engineering firm had developed a subdivision, bounded by a section line on the north side and a 1950 subdivision and 1/16 line on the east side. By doing so they had exposed a five-foot overlap between the section line as run with GPS and the 1950 subdivision. They sought advice from the county...
Critical Issues for GIS/Survey Cooperation
State Plane Coordinates in Legal Descriptions The time is now to have State Plane Coordinates (SPC) attached to key monuments that should be part of just about any legal description, in the proper context.* This has been discussed since the early 1980s and has been accomplished only on a piecemeal basis. With coordinate inclusion, a...
Heads-up Hard Hats
A new smart helmet brings VR to the workplace. Virtual Reality (VR) and “wearables” are all the rage now, but we expect the hype to subside at some point, and then we’ll start seeing products suitable for real-world applications. Sure, there is Glass and Oculus, but how can such devices move beyond gaming, marketing, (and...
Bilby Tower Dedication Honoring Jasper Sherman Bilby
June 14, 2014 was a perfect sunny Saturday in Osgood, Indiana, where many people gathered to dedicate the last known complete survey tower and honor Jasper Bilby, the USC&GS reconnaissance man who had designed it. They included surveyors from more than a dozen states, current and retired employees of the United States Coast and Geodetic...
Kennemerland: Repositioning a Dutch East Indiaman
The Kennemerland is now designated as a Historic Marine Protected Area on account of the national importance of the wreck. Recently I was part of a team of archaeological divers sent to Out Skerries by Cotswold Archaeology on behalf of Historic Scotland. We were tasked with checking, updating, and geo-referencing the existing plans of the...
