GLOBAL SURVEYORS

Total Station Levelling Trick

noreply@blogger.com (Global Surveyor) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 02:11:00 +0000

Connect AutoCAD to Google Earth!

noreply@blogger.com (Global Surveyor) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:29:00 +0000

With Plex.Earth tools for AutoCAD you can connect your project with Google Earth
allowing you to:

- Import GEOREFERENCED aerial imagery right into your project, at any level of detail you need
- Easily import terrain data and create Contours
- Publish your project directly to Google Earth for great presentations
- Calculate volumes between surfaces

and much more...

Our software supports almost every coordinate system available!

To find out more visit our website at:

http://www.plexscape.com/plexearth.aspx?ptnsrc=bavas

Convert AutoCAD drawings to Picture Files!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Global Surveyor) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 21:13:00 +0000

Here's a handy little program if you want to send a client an image file of your survey, without creating a PDF or sending the DWG!

AutoDWG DWG2Image is a batch converter which converts DWG or DXF files to BMP, JPG, TIF, GIF, PNG without need of AutoCAD,Support AutoCAD 2011 now.

With AutoDWG DWG2Image Converter you can generate qualified bitmaps for:

1. Publishing your drawings to the Internet;
2. CD-ROM to store and manage your drawings.
3. Desktop publishing software;

Conversion options:
DWG to JPG (JPEG)
DWG to TIF (TIFF)
DWG to GIF (recommended)
DWG to PNG
DWG to BMP

An ActiveX Control named DWG2ImageX aslo available now let you convert dwg to jpg, dwg to tif, bmp, gif, etc. by programming.

Grab your copy today. I just did and its great!

Co-ordinate calculator - a very useful tool!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Global Surveyor) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:49:00 +0000

This Coordinate Calculator can calculate Lat/Lon coordinates to/from coordinates in different projection, local datums (264 datums) and on different spheroids(33 spheroids).

It differs from previous version with new copy protection system - you can use all functions and expanded list of spheroids during evaluation period (reduced set of spheroids in previous version).

Grab your copy now!!!

CADopia 11 - The alternative to AutoCAD?

noreply@blogger.com (Global Surveyor) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:31:00 +0000

CADopia 11 Standard Edition, is an ideal tool for engineers, architects, and others who need comprehensive drafting features, but do not need advanced features; such as photo realistic rendering, solid modelling, and programming features.

Written for the Microsoft Windows environment, the Standard Edition is well-suited for working in conjunction with other Windows applications.

Grab your copy now

The major features supported in CADopia 11Standard Edition are:

Powerful CAD functionality:

AutoCAD 2.5-2012 DWG Support.
Export Adobe Acrobat (PDF) files from your drawings
Comprehensive suite of drafting, design and detailing tools.
Print Style Tables.
Save and restore drawing environment variables.
Import/export files to DWF for viewing on the Internet
Import Shape Files in .SHP format.
Template files.
Supports standard CAD commands.
Supports standard menu (.MNU) and script (.SCR) files.
TrueType Fonts.
True color support.
3D surface commands.
Group command.
Fly over snapping.
Polar tracking.
Reference file support.
Clipping support for references, images and viewports.
Complex linetype support.
Integrated Flexible License Managment tool including optional support for floating network licenses.
The digital User Guide is included in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.

Productivity Tools:
Tabs for paper-space layouts.
Drawing Recovery and Error Checking support.
Property sheets for easier editing.
Entity Lineweight Support.
User Profiles Manager.
Fly-over snapping.
ActiveX support.
Real time pan and zoom.
Copy with base point.
Paste as block.
Advanced Layer Management tools.
Script recorder.
Add/edit voice notes.
Property Painter support for easier formatting.

System Requirements (Windows ®)

Microsoft Windows 8, 7, 2008 server, Vista, 2003 server (32 bit and 64 bit).
Intel Pentium processor (minimum) or greater (recommended).
1 GB of RAM, 2 GB or higher recommended.
2 GB of free hard-disk space for installation.
High Color (16 bit) graphics card (3D graphics accelerator card recommended).
1024 x 768 screen resolution.
High speed Internet access for product downloads and technical support.

Grab your copy now

GCI Expansion: Cambodia

noreply@blogger.com (Global Surveyor) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 01:49:00 +0000

After 15 years of survey and mapping operations in Indochina from our base in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Vietnam, Geomatic Consulting International is expanding west into Cambodia through the establishment of our office in Phnom Penh.

With this new facility we intend to better serve our existing clients and add new ones to our customer base. Our services (and experience) includes:
- Land surveying: Cadastral boundary surveying and topographic mapping (golf courses, resorts, urban developments, site investigations and power stations)
- Engineering Surveying: Civil engineering and construction, (cable-stayed bridges, power stations, highways and
- Control Networks: Conventional and virtual, (GNSS networks, CORS, site control)
- Remote sensing services: Satellite imagery, aerial photography, LiDAR (resource management, feasibility studies, forestry inventory)
- Road design: Access and haul roads, provincial roads (Rural roads, access roads)
- Terrain Modelling & Volume Calculations: Earthworks, stockpiles, timber volumes (golf courses, road construction, mining)

GCI is managed by three internationally qualified survey engineers with a collective Indochina experience of over 25 years. This core management group is supported by local surveyors, technicians, remote sensing and CAD technicians, totally over 25 people.

For more information, please contact Dave Mitchell at davem@gci-int.com or call +84 913 808 160.
Thank you.

IP-S2 makes short work of QLD flood mapping

noreply@blogger.com (Global Surveyor) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:39:00 +0000

Global Infrastructure Surveys (GIS), in conjunction with Rapid Survey Solutions (RSS), used Topcon's IP-S2 to map flood-affected areas in Central Queensland for risk assessment.
Central Highlands Regional Council (CHRC) is based around the town of Emerald, located in central Queensland's coal-rich Bowen Basin – and one of the regions particularly badly affected by the floods. Mining in the region has still not completely recovered.
The council contracted GIS and RSS to map Emerald so it could extract floor levels for every house for future flood management measures, which involved surveying a total street length of around 450 km.
It is primarily using the data captured by the IP-S2 for risk assessment purposes, allowing it to know where existing house floor levels are for future flood management, as well as planning of new buildings and the floor levels the council would require to minimise the chances of flood damage.
Topcon's IP-S2 – which is sold and supported in Australia through Topcon's distributor Position Partners – allows users to map, log and locate all objects along any roadway, rail reserve or construction right-of-way, with accuracies of 30-50 mm, at distances of up to 50 m – all within posted on-road speeds.

The IP-S2, which is vehicle-mounted and works off a standard 12-volt power connection, combines dual-frequency GNSS signal tracking and positioning and inertial measurement to integrate laser scanning and high-resolution digital imaging.
Using laser scanners and cameras, the data collected is integrated and time-stamped, allowing accurate combination of LIDAR point cloud information and digital imaging data, to build 3D models of the areas covered.

In mapping Emerald, the IP-S2 vehicle, driven by RSS co-director Nick Nolan, was able to cover every street in the council's prescribed area over a very short period, giving the council the ability to capture data on the floor levels of a most houses in the town.

Once the data has been completely processed and analysed, the council will know the floor level of each house within the surveyed area – for example, whether it is a "Queenslander" style house with a raised living area above the surrounding ground, or a more modern design with a concrete slab on the ground, or anything in between.
In addition, CHRC purchased a copy of Topcon's Spatial Factory, which allows viewing, analysing, and extracting features from processed IP-S2 datasets.
Shortly after the devastating floods hit Queensland, Lyle Harman, the CHRC's recovery co-ordinator, contacted Les Whalley, managing director of GIS.
"The council was interested in obtaining the floor level of the houses in the affected areas of town primarily to allow better flood management and assessments on how future floods would impact various parts of the town," said Les.
"The council needed a rapid solution; we'd previously worked in conjunction with RSS and we knew the capabilities of the IP-S2 technology – and so we recommended this system to CHRC.
"Not only was the IP-S2 exactly what they were after, it also saved considerable time and money," he said.
RSS co-owner Brad Chambers said that CHRC saw potential in the IP-S2 captured data, not only for meeting its immediate needs in post-flood studies of floor levels, but also for the data-mining of information captured for other purposes.
"One of the big benefits that they could see out of this system over any other, was that it was able to generate photographic images as well as three-dimensional survey detail and because the information captured was quite rich, they could data-mine additional information later on – and that was really the key to their deciding to go ahead with it," said Brad.
"Basically, we left Melbourne on the Friday night, drove up the centre of the country and landed there on Sunday in time to do a reconnaissance mission around the town to work out the best way to attack it.
"We had a base station set up so that we split the town into six areas, of fairly equal size and bounded by a major road, giving us some overlap with the LIDAR data.
"For each one of those areas, we had a base station and recorded all the positions of the survey marks in the area," he said.
"This involved placing numerous ground control points – something which was far more time consuming than the actual IP-S2 Survey, and which needs to be taken into account on any project requiring tight positional tolerances.
"Each one of those was recorded by GPS base and rover, then later on was imported into Spatial Factory so that we could register all that control in the IP-S2 run; that ensured that we got the accuracy that the council required for level control and position," Brad said.
For the short period of time the RSS team was in Emerald it collected imagery and LIDAR data for around 450 km of streets. The remainder of data was processed on its return to Melbourne.
According to Brad, one challenge the team faced was situations where houses were behind high fences or trees.
"The problem is that if you can't see the house, you can't see the floor level.
"However, we were recording images every 3 metres, which was a lot more than we normally would and that gave us the chance to see up driveways and down in between houses.
"So, if we can actually see the house and the scanners can get some points on the building, we can then interpolate off the points and off the images as to where the floor level would be," he said.
Once the data had been captured and processed, the council used Topcon's Spatial Factory to analyse it.

By going through each image and clicking on the floor, its survey team can create points for CHRC's GIS system.
"Each point has an X, Y, Z position, which effectively gives the council an address for each of those houses; then, once it is in the GIS, it can run a report function on any of the attributes collected," said Brad.
"That has allowed the council to take the data that we and RSS supplied to them and then process and analyse everything themselves without us having to extract it for them."
According to Les, the capabilities of the IP-S2 allowed the council to capture far more data, at a far lower cost, than it had originally planned.
"Initially for this project, the council wanted to just map flood-affected areas, but due to the cost-effectiveness of the IP-S2 and its speed of operation, the council was able to map the entire town, capturing data for a wide range of purposes that it can use for many years to come," he said.
Further information, Global Infrastructure Surveys: Ph 07 5520 3304 enquiries@globalsurveys.com.au

Note:This article was recently published on Position Partners website -
http://www.positionpartners.com.au/survey-newsletters/survey-spatial-e-news-november-2011/ip-s2-makes-short-work-of-qld-flood-mapping/
and has been published here on Global Surveyors with their permission

Email received 100 years later - Douglas Mawson - Explorer.

noreply@blogger.com (Global Surveyor) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:23:00 +0000

We received an email from a gentlemen requiring information about an
old theodolite.
Ironically, we received this email on the day being the 100th year
anniversary of the explorer Sir Douglas Mawson in Antartica.
Can you help!

"Dear Global Surveyors,

I have a Brush & Mac Donnell (Melbourne) theodolite in its original
leather covered carry box, lightweight tripod, Günter's chain, Ice
stand and Plumb bob.
I believe it was used by Sir Douglas Mawson at the South pole on one
of his expeditions.
It was acquired some 35 years ago from an Adelaide based institution
that Mawson was associated with.
How can I find out some more information regarding this interesting
piece of equipment?
I would be very interested in its value, both economically and historically.

Another ironic thing is that the instrument was stored in an old shed
in the Adelaide hills for over 25 years.
The road name which the shed was located on is the same as Sir
Douglas's surname. Mawson Rd. Adelaide Hills"

Regards, Dave E -
Adelaide.

Please respond in the comments section below.

Troughton and Simms Circa 1880

noreply@blogger.com (Global Surveyor) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:31:00 +0000

Office decorating TIPS

noreply@blogger.com (Global Surveyor) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:29:00 +0000

Vision Board your way to happiness, health and wealth in 2012.

noreply@blogger.com (Global Surveyor) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 07:05:00 +0000

Watch the video here

Click here for more information about creating a Vision Board!

The NEW Global Surveyors YOUTUBE Channel has been launched!!

noreply@blogger.com (Global Surveyor) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 02:17:00 +0000

Happy new year Global Surveyors.

We have changed our youtube channel and are in the process or adding the old videos and new ones.

Its now called "theglobalsurveyor"

Check out http://www.youtube.com/theglobalsurveyor

Please subscribe to our videos, especially if you belong to the old channel.

The old channel will be deleted within the next few days.

Thanks for supporting Global Surveyors.

Stay tuned for some exciting videos.

If you have a product that you want to launch, or would like us to check out or help promote, email us and we will help promote your business to the world!!

Reflective Surveying Target TDR360

noreply@blogger.com (Global Surveyor) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 01:54:00 +0000

What a fantastic idea!

Best Surveying Book for 2012 - A GREAT NEW YEARS GIFT.

noreply@blogger.com (Global Surveyor) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 06:05:00 +0000

Get the new year off to a great start with this great reading material.

Relax and read our, Ebook - How to create your very own GPS Basestation at Home.

Global Surveyors conducted a research project into development and testing of a single frequency GPS.

By simply broadcasting the corrections over the internet, instead of using the UHF radios, we were able to extend the working capability of the GPS up to 17km!! For a single frequency machine thats fantastic.

We have 105 pages of useful information, experiments and results that we're sure you'll find extremely useful.

Buy the ebook now.

Please note:

We will email you the file upon purchase or within 12 hrs.

Surveyors, Windsor, Kellyville, Rouse Hill, Kalina Estate, Kellyville Ridge, The Ponds.

noreply@blogger.com (Global Surveyor) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 22:33:00 +0000

Buying a block of land?

Are you building a new home?

If you are planning on making the move to the Kellyville, Rouse Hill, Ponds or Kalina Estate in

Sydneys North West, contact RW Martin & Associates, Land and Engineering Surveyors.

If you've just bought a block of land and would like to know where the boundary pegs are,

or if you plan to erect and new fence, we can help you.

If you plan to build your dream home, we can help by making sure its build within the

boundaries and provide survey reports for all stages of the development.

If you plan to design a home, we can survey the height of the land and current services so that

the Architect or Draftsman has a clear picture of how your land looks.

If you plan to buy a home already built or perhaps a home just a few years old or more,

we can provide a survey report to ensure that the building complies with all the current regulations.

Finally if you a Builder who is looking for a Surveyor, need to get the building setout, need some levels or a Bench Mark, we can help.

We are local within the Windsor, Kellyville, Rouse Hill, Kalina Estate, Kellyville Ridge, The Ponds areas and would love to help you.

If you are looking for a Surveyor, contact RW Martin & Associates, Land and Engineering Surveyors on 0245 736697

or visit our website.

GNSS - Global Navigation Satellite Systems: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and More

noreply@blogger.com (Global Surveyor) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 23:11:00 +0000

FREE Topo Maps

noreply@blogger.com (Global Surveyor) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 01:49:00 +0000

The two best services for viewing and printing free online topo maps are MapTech and TopoZone - for American based surveyors.

The advantage to MapTech is it shows coordinates wherever you move the cursor on the map. MapTech also displays nautical and aeronautical maps. The disadvantage is an occasional ad popping up on the map.

The advantages to TopoZone http://www.topozone.com/ are; 1) maps can be viewed and printed at three different sizes; and 2) viewing and print quality is slightly better than MapTech.

Check them out!

POSITION OPEN: EXPERIENCED LAND SURVEYOR

noreply@blogger.com (Global Surveyor) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 22:46:00 +0000

UNIVERSITY IN HAITI is establishing a class in LAND SURVEYING and need two instructors.

FRENCH is a must.

We can pay a sign up bonus, car, living allowance, transportation and plenty of excitement.

We need people who can sign up for one year.

You may write lloyd@winburn.org or call the US 1 919 741 5113

Thanks

Lloyd Winburn

United States

Surveyor

lloyd@winburn.org

How to set up a GPS Base station at Home!

noreply@blogger.com (Global Surveyor) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 01:43:00 +0000

Do you own a GPS System or more commonly referred to these days as a GNSS?

Do you have access to a CORS ( Continuously Operating Reference Station ) run by a government department,
but wished that the closest station to home, could be closer?

Are you worried about the costs involved to access the government run CORS?

Are you worried about leaving a GPS basestation un-manned, in a remote location, whilst working miles away?

Well I have solution.

Before I tell you more about that, we decided to create our own base station at the office.

We were unsure how to build an antenna mount and therefore we decided to mount an old prism pole to the side of the office roof.

We bought 10m of antenna cable and ran it down the side of the office and in through the window on the ground floor.

We connected the GPS to computer and started broadcasting our GNSS corrections over the Internet.

We were able to eliminate the use of the UHF radios and increased our working range.

We created our very own Base station that we can run whenever we want to.

Now we don't have to rely on the Government run base and the best thing is that we can also take it with us as a Portable system.

Would you like to know how to do that?

Have you ever wanted to have your very own GPS base station?

Why not watch the video of how we tested a single frequency GPS and got a fixed solution at 17km.

We have created an ebook for sale for a low price and package it with our Level Reduction Spreadsheet, great for reducing levels quickly.

Visit the site now or click here to buy.

Upon purchase we will email you the ebook and level spreadsheet.

In the ebook we discuss the pros and cons about the system, run a rigorous testing regime over large baselines and compare the fixed office based system with our portable system.

If you have ever wanted to set up your own base station with some GPS gear, then here's your chance.

Its almost like becoming your own boss and being in control.

See what all the fuss is about!

PRECISE SURVEY CONSULTANTS TANZANIA LTD

noreply@blogger.com (Global Surveyor) — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 12:13:00 +0000

Precise survey consultants LTD is a Tanzanian based consultant Company
dealing with any kind of surveying work from, Land related surveying
works eg.Topographical survey,Cadastral surveying,General engineering
survey.

For more information contact,

NICKSON HAULE
Surveyor
Tanzania
nixlado@yahoo.com

Dangerous side of Surveying

noreply@blogger.com (Global Surveyor) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 07:13:00 +0000

If you love surveying, just be careful that you don't love it too much
to risk your life or risk hurting yourself as seen in the following
photo.
If you have a photo you'd like to share, why not contact us and email
your photo.

FACT or MYTH?

noreply@blogger.com (Global Surveyor) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 07:03:00 +0000

Does a rotating laser level affect a total station infra red or
reflectorless measurement capability?

We'd love to know your thoughts?

Tips and Trick - Surveyors love playing with a frisbee!

noreply@blogger.com (Global Surveyor) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 06:52:00 +0000

Have you ever played frisbee as a kid?
What is a frisbee?
Its a flying disc shaped glider that is generally plastic and roughly
20 to 25 cm (7.9 to 9.8 in) in diameter, with a lip.
The shape of the disc, an airfoil in cross-section, allows it to fly
by generating lift as it moves through the air while rotating.
Frisbee's can come in all colours and types of material these days.
Plastic, Cardboard and light cloth as seen in the following picture.
As well as being fun, a frisbee is a useful surveying tool.

We use it as a sun shade.
It stops that sun from getting in your eyes and also helps block the sun from coming into the front lens of the theodolite.
A folding cloth frisbee fits quite neatly in our theodolite case.
It takes up little room and highly recommend getting one.

AutoCAD on your mobile phone!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Global Surveyor) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 07:01:00 +0000

AutoCAD on your mobile phone.
Our AutoCAD WS Mac iOS and Android apps let you take your AutoCAD©
designs with you wherever you go.
On the job site, in a meeting or on the road the AutoCAD WS mobile
apps give you everything you need to view, edit and share DWG files on
your Smartphone or tablet.

http://www.autocadws.com/blog/autocad-ws-mobile-update-august-2011-available-now/

Achieve Your Dreams: Six Steps to Accomplish Your Goals and Resolutions

noreply@blogger.com (Global Surveyor) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 02:21:00 +0000

Don't let your goals and resolutions fall by the wayside. Chances are that to achieve your dreams and live a life you love, those goals and resolutions are crucial.
Goal setting and goal achievement are easier if you follow these six steps for effective and successful goal setting and resolution accomplishment.

You need to deeply desire the goal or resolution. Napoleon Hill, in his landmark book,Think and Grow Rich, had it right.

"The starting point of all achievement is desire. Keep this constantly in mind. Weak desires bring weak results, just as a small amount of fire makes a small amount of heat." So, your first step in goal setting and achieving your dreams is that you've got to really, really want to achieve the goal.

Visualize yourself achieving the goal. Lee Iacocca said, "The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind." What will your achievement feel like? How will your life unfold differently as a result? If the goal is a thing, some gurus of goal setting recommend that you keep a picture of the item where you see and are reminded of it every day. If you can't picture yourself achieving the goal, chances are – you won't.

Make a plan for the path you need to follow to accomplish the goal. Create action steps to follow. Identify a critical path. The critical path defines the key accomplish-ments along the way, the most important steps that must happen for the goal to become a reality. Stephen Covey said, "All things are created twice. There's a mental or first creation, and a physical or second creation of all things. You have to make sure that the blueprint, the first creation, is really what you want, that you've thought everything through. Then you put it into bricks and mortar. Each day you go to the construction shed and pull out the blueprint to get marching orders for the day. You begin with the end in mind." He's right.

Commit to achieving the goal by writing down the goal. Lee Iacocca said, "The discipline of writing something down is the first step toward making it happen." I agree completely. Write down the plan, the action steps and the critical path. Somehow, writing down the goal, the plan and a timeline sets events in motion that may not have happened otherwise. In my own life, it is as if I am making a deeper commitment to goal accomplishment. I can't fool myself later. The written objective really was the goal.

Establish times for checking your progress in your calendar system, whatever it is: a day planner, a PDA, a PDA phone or a hand written list. If you're not making progress or feel stymied, don't let your optimism keep you from accomplishing your goals. No matter how positively you are thinking, you need to assess your lack of progress. Adopt a pessimist's viewpoint; something will and probably is, going to go wrong. Take a look at all of the factors that are keeping you from accomplishing your goal and develop a plan to overcome them. Add these plan steps to your calendar system as part of your goal achievement plan.

Review your overall progress regularly. Make sure you are making progress. If you are not making progress, hire a coach, tap into the support of loved ones, analyze why the goal is not being met. Don't allow the goal to just fade away. Figure out what you need to do to accomplish it. Check the prior five steps starting with an assessment of how deeply you actually want to achieve the goal.

This six step goal setting and achieving system seems simple, but it is the most powerful system you will ever find for achieving your goals and living your resolutions. You just need to do it. Best wishes and good luck.

If this works for you or you business, please let us know so we can share your achievements with all our readers.