GPS, GIS, 3-D laser scanning, and remote sensing technologies have forever changed how surveyors and civil engineers—and their clients—see, measure, and plan projects. The following information about geomatics products, provided in response to a request from CE News, illustrates how seamless integration of data from space, from the field, and from design and analysis software is being achieved.

A-Prime Software says its CrossView Earth Surfaces wizard-based platform for ESRI ArcGIS users creates cross-section presentations in minutes, not hours. According to the company, the key to CrossView is its seamless integration with the entire ArcGIS workflow. The program uses spatial information resident within a user’s existing geo-database—raster, point, line, or polygon data—to provide simple presentation perspectives through mapping profiles or cross sections.
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CG, a division of Carlson Software, Inc., offers CG-Survey 9 and CG-Survey 18, which the company says interface to virtually any data collector on the market today. AutoCAD version CG-Survey 18 and CG-Survey 9, with AutoCAD on board, are VISTA and AutoCAD 2008 compatible and feature a deed reader, point manager, all new lot labeling routines, shrinkwrap, enhanced CG symbol editor, and new polyline tools. In addition, users can create 3-D face from TIN, edit coordinates in spreadsheet format, and create a Carlson grid file. CG-Survey 9 and CG-Survey 18 also feature Network Least Squares Adjustment to adjust a network of interconnected traverses simultaneously with any amount of redundancy. The raw data can contain any combination of traverse (angle and distance), triangulation (angle only), trilateration (distance only), and GPS vectors. It also can calculate and adjust resections, any combination of distance, and angles.
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DeLorme recently announced that it has sold more than 10,000 licenses of its XMap GIS Enterprise software into the oil and gas, electric, solar, and wind energy markets. Along with DeLorme’s topographic and street base-map, XMap provides mobile access to enterprise GIS data sources in a number of data formats; support for a wide variety of data formats including ESRI Shapefile, MapInfo, and AutoCAD; support for ESRI ArcSDE; MrSID and GeoTIFF imagery support; access to corporate libraries of aerial photographs while in the field; extensive GPS navigation and routing tools; pipeline stationing visualization and querying; and GIS database management, synchronization, and redlining. XMap provides field technicians with easy access to corporate infrastructure and asset data overlaid on aerial and topographic maps, plus DeLorme’s Earthmate GPS PN-20 for mobile access to enterprise data.
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All Eagle Point SMI Flex GPS receivers use NavCom’s NCT-2100D GPS engine, which incorporates NavCom’s patented interference suppression and multi-path mitigation. Both RT and SF models feature "all-in-view" tracking on 26 channels, L1 and L2 full-wavelength carrier phase tracking, field configurable tripod-mounted base station or pole-mounted rover, 64 MB internal memory for static data recording, two dedicated WAAS/EGNOS channels with uncorrected enhanced position accuracy of less than 50 cm horizontal and 70 cm vertical, and an optional TruBlu module that provides compatibility with Bluetooth wireless technology (up to 100 meters). According to Eagle Point, receiver time to first fix for cold start satellite acquisition is typically less than 60 seconds; time for satellite reacquisition and communications restoration is less than 1 second.
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ESRI released ArcGIS Data Appliance, which gives ArcGIS Server users a new way to quickly access terabytes of prerendered, precached nationwide and worldwide data. This data, which had previously only been accessible via the ESRI-hosted ArcGIS Online, is now available within a user’s internal network. The data includes satellite and aerial imagery, street and transportation data, place-names, administrative boundaries, topographic maps, shaded relief imagery, and elevation data. ArcGIS Data Appliance combines data and hardware that, according to ESRI, easily connects to an organization’s existing IT infrastructure. Multiple divisions, departments, and client applications are able to share a common information architecture and set of mapping and visualization services and combine those with a user’s own data. Organizations can choose from four data collections: World Collection, USA Prime Imagery Collection, USA Imagery Collection, and USA Street Map Collection.
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GKS Inspection Services, a global provider of dimensional inspection, 3-D laser scanning, and terrestrial scanning services, signed a representation agreement with the Buff Group. The Buff Group will promote GKS’ services, including terrestrial laser scanning technology, to architectural, engineering, and construction firms.
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According to Laser Technology, Inc. (LTI), its TruPulse 360 reflectorless laser rangefinder combines an integrated compass, inclinometer, and distance laser that delivers mapping-grade accuracy and the ability to shoot from any angle. The TruPulse 360’s internal circuitry provides three-axis monitoring of the earth’s magnetic field and uses LTI’s proprietary TruVector compass technology and calibration algorithms to produce the best possible azimuth accuracy, regardless of the instrument’s orientation in physical space. The TruPulse 360 can be tilted, rolled, or even used upside down, and, LTI says, it will still measure the correct azimuth in the direction that the user is viewing.
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Leica Geosystems, Inc., recently released Leica Cyclone II TOPO, a new generation of laser scanning software designed to take complexity out of creating highly accurate topographic maps from laser scan data. With a simplified CAD-like interface and familiar office automation displays, Leica says that Cyclone II TOPO features a map-like, top-down user interface that lets users easily view, extract, and create topographic maps, as well as associated cross-section and isometric views. Leica Cyclone II TOPO features include an interface that allows all views to be arrayed simultaneously on a single display. Additionally, each Intelligent-2D-Section View automatically shows the area of greatest topographic interest and the best section view orientation. Together, these automated views let CAD techs quickly navigate point cloud data to accurately locate topographic features. New SmartPick tools let users automatically extract specific, desired scan points from clusters of laser scan data with a single click. Users can now quickly and accurately select "highest," "lowest," "closest to," "edge," "flow line," "line stripe," or "ground" points. Leica Cyclone II TOPO applies standard methods for survey coding and for line and arc creation from high-definition survey scan data.
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Maptech’s Terrain Navigator Pro (TNP) 8.0 features 1-meter color aerial photos (Digital Ortho Quarter Quads) from the National Agriculture Imagery Program—2003-2007 data—and high-quality U.S. Geological Survey topographic maps at 1:24,000 and 1:100,000 map scales. Topographic maps can be several years old; however, TNP 8.0 allows users to update and create revised maps by comparing them with the 1-meter aerial photos. An optional U.S. Streets Module overlays streets on both topographic maps and aerial photos. Additionally, TNP 8.0 users can customize a topographic map, click a Google icon and automatically see the exact location displayed on a Google Earth image. Added routes, tracks, and marks in TNP appear on the Google image. ESRI ArcGIS users can use the Maptech map formats natively.
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Merrick & Company’s Merrick Advanced Remote Sensing (MARS) software is a production-quality Windows application designed for processing, analyzing, and managing terrain data. Data analysis capabilities include feature extraction, viewshed calculations, site selection analysis, and planar analysis. MARS derivative products include digital elevation models (DEM), digital surface models (DEM with vegetation, buildings, and objects), digital terrain models, and triangulated irregular networks, as well as contour lines, hillshades, and volume calculations.
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Optech Incorporated’s LYNX Mobile Mapper system features a new lidar sensor head—iFLEX—to collect survey-grade lidar data at more than 100,000 measurements per second with a 360-degree field of view, while maintaining a Class 1 eye safety rating. The LYNX Mobile Mapper, which can accommodate as many as four lidar sensor heads, fuses the lidar data with an on-board passive imaging system, the Trimble/Applanix POS LV system, and an operational software platform to produce survey grade, 3-D data from a mobile vehicular platform. According to Optech, mobile lidar mapping previously has been executed with home-grown systems using lidar sensors that were not specifically designed for mobile applications. The LYNX Mobile Mapper uses the latest lidar technology, task specific for conducting 3-D surveys from a mobile vehicular platform.
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Topcon Positioning Systems’ mobile GIS field software program, TopPAD 7.0.1, allows users to take GIS layers into the field for verification and update. When installed on Topcon’s hand-held GMS-2 or a Topcon field controller, TopPAD can collect and update position and attribute information using customized forms. The program is based on ESRI’s ArcPad with added functionality for Topcon GPS hardware. New features available with TopPAD 7.0.1 include support for Topcon receivers (GMS-2 internal and external receivers) from within ArcPad version 7.0 or higher using Topcon protocol; high accuracy position solution using RTK survey configurations; additional information about GPS and GLONASS satellites such as PDOP, position type, SNR graph, and graphical skyplots; image capture using internal GMS-2 camera in BMP or JPEG format for line and polygon features; and an internal compass to store azimuth values with images.
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The Trimble VX Spatial Station is an advanced positioning system that uses leading optical and scanning technologies to measure in 3-D for production of 2-D and 3-D deliverables. By combining rich 3-D scanning data and VISION technology, the Trimble VX Spatial Station produces data that can be used to generate high-quality visual deliverables. According to the company, data recipients—whether colleagues or clients—can easily see what a job’s measurement data represents. Review and approval of projects and decision making can be streamlined. Data, which can be communicated in a Google Earth format, allows users to see immediately what points have been measured, and to interact with the data without losing time trying to orient themselves in the results.
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