Category Archives: Surveying
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...
The Evolution of Using Lidar
Above: Gary Rust (left) and Anthony Whitlock from Springs Utilities pose with their LiDAR USA HiWay Mapper HD. The history of a Colorado utility systematically deploying lidar technology reveals lidar’s journey as an asset. Located at the base of Pikes Peak on the front range of the Colorado Rockies, Colorado Springs Utilities is a city-owned...
2019 Geospatial Summit
You Can’t Beat the Price of Admission As the march towards the new reference frame and datum rolls on approaching 2022, the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) continues to ramp up its outreach efforts to get us users prepared with the 2019 Geospatial Summit. They have hosted prior geospatial summits in 2010, 2015, and 2017, all...
Ocean Business 2019
With preliminary surveys already starting around the coast of the UK for another round of wind farms being built, the offshore industry descended on the National Oceanographic Centre in Southampton, UK for the bi-annual event, Ocean Business, centered around the offshore survey industry. Luckily, my home is a walk away from the event, so I was more than happy...
Field to Finish – The Career Continuum
First, I would like to thank Anthony Whitlock for his excellent contribution to Field Notes last month. It was thought-provoking and stimulated much conversation. It even motivated me to start doing research, specifically on the impacts, or perceived impacts, of the implementation of degree requirements (which are complex in many cases) to sit for state-specific...
Surveyors: Loyalties and Points in Between
Above image: Sarah Glaves (1980-2016) runs differential levels at Takatz Lake on Baranof Island, SE Alaska, to support lakebed mapping and water depth/volume calculations for a possible hydroelectric power plant. Credit: Karl D. Woods, RPLS, Terrasond – Alaska. I faked the need for a bathroom break just to walk through the casino with my chaining...
