Category Archives: GNSS/Location Tech
Dr. Gladys West
The quiet dedication of a hidden hero who made satellite geodesy and global positioning possible. As early as high school, the focused determination of Dr. Gladys West would see her rise to make key contributions to one of the most impactful scientific endeavors of our age. In our recent interview with xyHt magazine, West gave...
Esri UK Conference 2019 Recap
Every year towards the end of May, Esri UK, the UK distributer for Esri software, holds a user conference across the road from Westminster, the home of the UK parliament (when I was there I even got to see Jacob Reese Mogg). It’s held at the QE2 centre, and there are amazing views from the fifth floor which allow...
Understanding GNSS Pt. 2
Vertical Datums Part 1 covers ellipsoids, datums, and realizations and is in the April print issue. This final part covers vertical datums. From my previous article: One of the most important things to understand when it comes to using survey-grade GPS systems is the difference among the many datums, reference ellipsoids, and coordinate systems that...
ArcGIS Indoors
What is it, and how will it work? Mapping has traditionally been the task of visually charting big outdoor spaces with pretty hills that look great with a few contours around them. Throw in a bit of hillshade, and you have a cartophile’s dream. The location intelligence company Esri, that has driven the market to...
The Bullet
Looking past an unfamiliar form factor reveals hidden strengths of a unique and capable high-precision GNSS field system. I’ll cut straight to the punchline: this little unit performed as well as many of the high-end (and pricier) GNSS rovers I’ve tried, both as a base-rover pair and as a network rover. And I had way...
Understanding GNSS Pt 1
Image above: The author performs deformation monitoring on a Colorado reservoir with a Leica TS15. Pt. 1: Ellipsoids, Datums, and Realizations Land surveying is one of the oldest professions to exist throughout the world. Evidence of its use can be found dating as far back as 2700 BC when the Great Pyramid of Giza was...
