Reporter No.44 by Antonis An

REPORTER

The Magazine of Leica Geosystems MADE TO MEASURE

Leica Geosystems is able to look back on 1999 with pride. It was a successful year, in which our turnover exceeded 500 million Swiss francs. Now 2000 has started off very well, and we are indeed optimistic. You, our customers, have made a substantial contribution to this situation. Thanks for your trust in Leica Geosystems. During 1999, some of you also scaled fresh summits. For example, our new GPS500 was used to re-survey Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak, and the Matterhorn, Switzerland’s most famous one. The difference? Kilimanjaro is taller than we thought, but the top of the Matterhorn is still where it was, at 4478 metres above sea level. Other Leica customers have used their instruments throughout the construction of impressive structures in China, Saudi Arabia, Berlin and elsewhere. There have also been important projects involving the measurement of deformations – at the Yang-Pu bridge in Shanghai, for example; or in connection with the relocation of the Hatteras lighthouse on the Atlantic coast of the United States. Great progress has been made in the creation of multifunctional land registers, as evidenced by the REPORTER article from Budapest, the Hungarian capital. “Success for our customers“ Leica Geosystems now aspires to making you, our customer and business partner, even more successful during the year 2000. During recent months, we have shown you several new products that we have developed. These include the TCRA, our flagship among the total stations and which offers pretty well everything you could wish for, and of course the new TPS700 series. Then there is the new DISTO classic3, even handier than its predecessor and at the same time yet more attractively priced. It rates as being an intelligent electronic measuring tape that upgrades the productivity of its user, particularly in the building trade. We have a global network of centres for distribution, servicing and customer support. With it, we aim to be geographically close to our customers so that we can provide you with the ultimate in support and get to know your wishes and requirements. Personal contact is the easiest and quickest way. Also, we depend on your experience and your suggestions when it comes to developing products and finding new solutions. Today’s media, and particularly the Internet, enable us to keep you constantly up-dated about our organization, our latest products and their applications, and the solutions that are available to your problems. Have a look at our re-designed web site “www.leicageosystems.com“. With our products, services and information, the personnel within Leica Geosystems will do their utmost to help you to success in the new millennium. Sincerely

Editorial

Summary of contents

Dear Reader, The Dutch Connection

Page

The Netherlands, where reclaiming land from the sea is an engineering art-form, makes an apt venue for an international congress of remote survey experts, photogrammetrists and GIS map designers. As at other professional events all over the world, Leica Geosystems will be present in the exhibition hall at the ISPRS congress, right next to our partner companies LH Systems and ESRI. Here you will find worldclass solutions from three leading specialists in their respective fields of surveying instruments and systems, comprehensive GIS products, and photogrammetric recording and analysis technologies. See them side by side and discover just how easy it is to interchange data among these methods and technologies for the best of all worlds. We trust that you will be able to visit us at ISPRS stand 624. Come along, and you might even leave Amsterdam with the DISTO classic3 we’ll be giving away in our special competition.

Modern cadastral system in Budapest

Lighthouse relocation

IMAGE BANK FOTO WORLD

Success – thanks to our customers

20 Re-measurement of Kilimandjaro

16 Bridge monitoring in Shanghai

18 Reconstruction of the interior of an aircraft

I wish you good luck! Hans Hess, President & CEO, Leica Geosystems Waltraud Strobl

IMPRINT Published by: Leica Geosystems AG, CH-9435 Heerbrugg President & CEO: Hans Hess Editorial office: Leica Geosystems AG, CH-9435 Heerbrugg, Switzerland, Fax: +41 71 727 46 89 – Internet: Waltraud.Strobl@leica-geosystems.com Editor: Waltraud Strobl, Fritz Staudacher (Stf) Layout and production: Niklaus Frei Translation: Dogrel AG, St. Margrethen

Highest building of Saudi Arabia

Publication details: The Reporter is published in English, German, French, Spanish and Japanese three times a year. Reprints and translations, including excerpts, are subject to the Editor’s prior permission in writing. The Reporter is printed on chlorine-free paper made by environmentally compatible processes. © Leica Geosystems AG, Heerbrugg, April 2000, Printed in Switzerland Editorial deadline for next issue: May 17, 2000

23 From Geodesy to Physiology

Cover: Berlin’s renaissance 3

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Relocation One Man, Two Robotic System Make History

A Leica TCA1103 monitors the settlement as the lighthouse is pushed off the original wooden timbers by five hydraulic jacks.

stepped in to save it. They called on surveyors, engineers and a construction team to move the landmark 2,900 feet from its original location and 1,600 feet from the sea.

It’s not really the application developers had in mind when they introduced the powerful, speedy and accurate Leica one-man robotic survey system – nor did they envision that one man might have reason to operate two at the same time. But that’s exactly what happened during three surprising weeks this summer on the North Carolina shores during the historic Cape Hatteras Lighthouse relocation. A customer of Earl Dudley Associates, Leica’s local dealer in North Carolina, called and said he wanted to try a Leica Robotic on a series of lot surveys. The survey specialists at Earl Dudley Associates sent a Leica TCA1103 with RCS1100 to the client. After receiving the unit, the customer called and mentioned that he was at a lighthouse and he needed a little help!

A Leica TCA1103 was used to align the r“ ails“. C “ enterline“ was held with 0.01 ft for all seven rails.

Within several hours, Earl Dudley Associates’ Tom Dudley found himself standing next to the historic 129-year old Cape Hatteras Lighthouse on the shores of North Carolina’s barrier islands near Buxton. Cape Hatteras is the tallest brick lighthouse in the world standing 208 feet tall and weighing 4,800 tons. Over the years, the sea eroded the surrounding sand and pressed to within 160 feet of the lighthouse foundation. The U.S. National Park Service

In summary, this required construction crews to cut the lighthouse from its foundation, raise it six feet, insert a steel support system and then hydraulically move the lighthouse along steel tracks to a new foundation. Pretty straightforward, at least in theory.

Monitoring Tilt: Robotics System #1 Clearly, a key concern throughout this process would be the lighthouse’s stability. Modeling systems demonstrated that the 208foot tall lighthouse could tip in any one direction no more than 6.5 degrees before it was in danger of serious damage or falling. Operating as a back-up resource, one surveyor from a local survey firm moved on-site to perform necessary analysis during the lighthouse move. It was his job to closely monitor this tilt from the time the foundation was cut until the lighthouse moved onto its new foundation 2,900 feet away. As he was usually working alone, robotics offered the only viable, effective solution. New to the application of the powerful technology, he called on Earl Dudley Associates to support the on-site efforts. Earl Dudley Associates arrived with two of Leica’s TCA 1103 robotic systems with coaxial Automatic Target Recognition.

After several hours of training, the real work began.

It turns out the engineering system was malfunctioning, giving engineers exact opposite information as to the tilt. Within an hour, Leica’s robotic system became the primary lighthouse watchdog.

The riggers attached two prisms to the main shaft of the lighthouse structure: one near the bottom and one attached near the top. The riggers then cut the granite substructure and began transferring load to 100 hydraulic shoring jacks (each capable of lifting 100 tons). Once the shoring jacks were in place, the steel beams and lifting jacks would be inserted to lift the lighthouse an additional six feet. Prior to the move, one of the engineering firms had also installed a $250,000 electronic system designed to monitor tilt and tip of the lighthouse during the move. Its system gauges recorded inside wall temperatures and outside wall temperatures on the black and white stripes. Some strain gauges were set inside to measure changes in shape and roundness. In addition, gauges were attached to a number of the existing cracks to see if they widened or closed. Finally, two tilt sensors were mounted on the inside walls at the top and bottom. Unfortunately, electrical storms, power outages and damp weather plagued the sophisticated system. The system malfunctioned and occasionally failed. Thus the survey system was to be used as a backup mechanism in case the engineering system failed. During this transfer, the surveyor used the TCA1103 to monitor the lighthouse movement in two directions: the tilt and distance differential. Operating in a stakeout mode, the robotic equipment continuously recorded cut-fill quantities and

Sitting side-by-side, the engineers controlling the lifting jacks watched the robotic LCD readout for slight changes. When the lighthouse tilted slightly, they would pressurize the appropriate jack to rebalance the lighthouse to vertical. Throughout this sixfoot lift, the robotic system did not monitor more than a 0.3° movement at the top prism.

The Hatteras lighthouse on its steel base and seven track rails as its nears the new location.

distance as the lighthouse inched higher. If the lighthouse tilted, the robotic readout would display a come-and-go, similar to a traditional stakeout operation. About two weeks into the move, near disaster shifted the robotic responsibilities dramatically. On this day, computer readouts suggested the lighthouse was leaning slightly to the left. Engineers adjusted the jacks to compensate. A few minutes later, the computer readout suggested the lighthouse was leaning a little further to the left. Engineers compensated again. The surveyor using the robotic system recorded data reporting the exact opposite conditions!

Once lifted, the construction crews installed the steel rail track beneath the lighthouse foundation, shifted the structure to the track and prepared for the horizontal move. Once again, the robotic system was used to monitor tilt. Engineers moved the lighthouse just 4 inches along the steel track on the first try. They then went forward with two full strokes, totaling 10 feet the first day.

Steel Track Alignment: Robotics #2 Besides the lighthouse monitoring, the surveyors needed to track the alignment of the roll beams attached to the steel rail track from the center point to the new location. On any given day, the lighthouse moved along this rail from 10 feet to 355 feet. In the meantime, while one robotic system continued to monitor the lighthouse throughout the move, the survey firm was also required to monitor the elevation and alignment of the roll beams or the steel

track roadbed. Now very comfortable with the robotic system, he borrowed the second Leica TCA1103 system, locked onto a Leica 360° prism and began recording data. The surveyor was operating two TCA1103’s at the same time! It took 23 days to move the lighthouse 2,900' to its new home on a 60’ x 60’ x 4’ concrete and steel slab, designed so the leading edge would take the entire weight of the lighthouse as it rolled into position. Engineers were concerned about the back of the slab tipping up as a result of the weight. By now, the surveyor’s job was to monitor the movement of the slab – not the lighthouse. He propped a free-floating, 360°-prism pole on the slab so it could move up and down. Once again, locked the robotic station on to the prism, set it in stakeout mode and measured cut-and-fill quantities during the entire process. According to the surveyors, the slab never deflected more than 0.025 feet. Today, the lighthouse stands a safe 1,600 feet from the sea, well away from the dangerous erosion. For Earl Dudley and the lighthouse survey team, the monument represents an historic event of their own – the successful operation of dual one man survey systems.

Leica prisms were mounted on the top and the base of the lighthouse and checked every day. The black box is the housing for the Internet site camera.

The Leica TCA 1103 was also used to monitor the settlement as the lighthouse was pushed o“ ff“, and the settlement of the new foundation as the lighthouse was pushed o“ n“ (0.1 ft on the old wood timbers and 0.02 ft on the new concrete foundation).

Earl Dudley Associates gives special thanks to Greg Wagstaff and Mike Carlyle from the Leica Product Support Group (Norcross, GA) for their on-site help in evaluating the situation and supporting this historic use of robotic technology. Vicki Speed 5

Modern Cadastral System in Budapest Successful implementation of Leica’s cadastre system at the District Land Office in Budapest, Hungary.

Cadastre systems will grow towards multipurpose cadastre systems and share their information with traditionally GIS applications to mutual benefit.

Objectives of the Project

The land registration sector is a key component of our free market economy. We recognize the variety in land administrations all over the world but one thing is common, the need of a modern, well functioning land administration system which is one of the essential pillars of the free market economy and the land market. The demands for land registration activities and data is increasing year by year and a growth towards related applications like Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is one of the most important changes over the last few years. The Central- and Eastern European countries in the former communist block have very different historical political background and very different situation in cadastral and land registration system concerning the stage of development during the socialist period. Before World War II, in Hungary there existed a political democracy and market economy. Although it was set to a low level of importance, a traditional legal registry and cadastre could even be maintained during the socialism period. 6

After the fall of the wall, as one of the first countries, Hungary realized the importance of a cadastral system and re-introduced in 1993 the land and property sector. The transition process had introduced mass privatization, increased individual home ownership and placed severe increases on the demands for land registration information and data. In Hungary, where a fully operational land registry on paper base exists, the task was to computerize and improve all of the technical conditions in the land administration sector and modernizing the organizational structure of it. This document describes the success story of the modernization of the unified Real Estate Cadastral system at the District Land Office in Budapest, Hungary. The document describes the project in respect to technology, training, technical assistance and know-how transfer. Future aspects in GIS and LIS are part of this document. It describes the fusion of LIS and GIS and the need to integrate survey related functionality into the new GIS standard. Real Estate

A project financed by the Swiss government assists the Hungarian authorities in the setting up of a Real Estate Cadastre in Budapest, and helps them in the “Reform of the Cadastral Survey“ as part of the National Cadastral Program. The scope of the project was to provide to the District Land Office in Budapest LIS technology, existing of Hardware, standardized LIS software and localized application software. It also includes the supply of services like training, HW and SW Maintenance and on-site technical support.

The Hungarian Cadastral Mapping and Land Registration System The Hungarian Land Registry is a multipurpose land registration system under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Agriculture. The department of Lands and Mapping started the initiative for a multi-phased computerization of the land registration activities throughout Hungary in 1994. This document, however, describes the computerization of the land registration and cadastral mapping of the municipality of Budapest, a city with over two million inhabitants. The city is divided into 23 districts for administrative purposes; these contain approximately 240’000 parcels, amounting to 425’000 property items to be registered when flats are taken into consideration.

A basic element of the transfer from a command driven to a free market economy is free movement of land and property ownership. This reform is currently in progress in Hungary. A privatization process has ensured that a considerable part of the State owned property is being transferred to local governments and private purchasers. With this increased ownership of land and property comes an increase in the demand for land registration and cadastral information, together with the need to reduce the time taken to complete these transactions, one of the important aspects in this project. The Hungarian Land registry provides an official right to property and ownership, guaranteed by the State. The information registered defines the legal status of the property. The Land registration and cadastral mapping form the fundamental basis for present and future activities in Hungary.

Introducing the System Due to different financing the development of the unified system at the District Land Office in Budapest started in separate projects. The legal register (Property

Sheet Management) started under responsibility of the EU Phare where the Cadastral Map Management system (LIS) was a Swiss mixed credits funding. Nevertheless it was stated from the beginning to connect both systems as soon as they were established. An Application Registration System (ARS) should control and manage both systems. The Cadastral Map Management sub-system processes all changes of the parcel geometry and maintains the cadastral base map, while the Property Sheet Management sub-system processes all changes to the Property Sheets like ownership etc. In 1996 the Cadastral map project started with the installation of hardware. The system was built in so-called client server architecture. On the server a relational database was established which stores data and guarantees the integrity of data. In a first draw the system exists of one server with 5 clients all working with the same database. After installation of the hardware and relational database the standard LIS software was installed and trained in different phases. The customization and localization of

LIS and GIS ready for the future Land Information Systems (LIS) traditionally exist in the world of large scale applications, like survey. Cadastre and AM/FM becomes more and more an integrated product of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). GIS used in a wide range of different applications, offers functionality originally applied by LIS. New products like ESRI’s ArcInfo 8, offer not only their traditional GIS functionality but also contains sophisticated tools necessary for survey and cadastral applications. Due to the concept of the new software, it was possible to implement this functionality, developed by Leica Geosystems, traditionally strong in the field of survey and cadastre.

the software started and special requirements for the Budapest system where implemented. In total approximately 10% of the project volume was spent on customization and localization. Local staff in Budapest did several customization tasks. During the implementation of the system the customer was able to bring up new requirements, which came out during the implementation phase of the project. Enough financial space was reserved to apply to these requirements. During the 3 years of the implementation, a local staff supplies first level support and maintains the system in conjunction with District Land Office staff. In 1999 the system was extended with another 3 clients and a new more powerful server. The aim was to load 4 of the 23 Districts of Budapest in a pilot phase of the project. Meanwhile 7 districts are loaded and in daily operation. More than 1000 property sheet maps were sold and the accessibility via Internet has been established. The creation of a Management Information system is in progress as well as other Internet applications for accessing cadastral or surveying information. Many companies have showed their interest in the data for usage in the fields of utilities and environment.

Unified Land Registration System

Legal Register System

Application Registration System

Cadastral Mapping System

Concept of an Unified Land registration System

Gergely Szilvay, head of the Cadastre Department

Finally, after the integration of the legal register (Property Sheet Management) and Cadastral Map Management system, approximately 3000 changes to the cadastral maps have to be handled annually. Parcel modifications are surveyed and calculated by licensed surveyors and submitted to the Budapest District Land Office for approval. With the help of the Cadastral Map 7

IMAGE BANK: MARVIN E. NEWMAN

Benefits

The Parliament Building

Specific information can be selected from different levels

Toni Pálfi (Local Staff) and Gergely Szilvay (Head of Cadastre Department) discussing new developed requirements 8

Management system, the Budapest District Land Office checks their work and provisionally registers the modification. After the modification is registered on the property sheet the status of the parcel modification is changed from provisional to legally valid in the Cadastral Map Management System. The Land Information System provides functionality to produce cadastral paper maps and map extracts. There is a need to produce approximately 1000 plots per year.

Since both parts of the cadastral system, the legal register and cadastral mapping, are brought together into a unified land registry system, the data integrity and consistency improved and are well maintained in the two separate systems. It avoids parallel updating and registration and decreases the number of staff and costs. A unified cadastral system is a basis for tax regulations, on the other hand if not available the introduction of tax on property is a new opportunity for financial income for state, community or other public organizations. The Hungarian system provides a large-scale basis for the collection and recording of other landrelated data like land use and classification as well as land protection and these form a multipurpose land registration. The multipurpose nature of the land registration systems forms a potentially valuable state asset. The computerized cadastral system improves the quality of data in general and offers possible usage of data for multipurpose cadastre such as utility management and form the basis for several information systems in the field of environment, transportation etc. As the Internet becomes more and more important and accessible to a wide range of users, it also becomes useful with a unified registry system. Combined with a paying system, cadastral information can be accessed through the Internet. This makes the use of information even more flexible and a real public issue.

How unknowns become acquaintances

Total solution supplied by competent partners Leica Geosystems AG had the unique opportunity to supply a total solution meeting the requirements of the Budapest District Land Office. The organization and definition of the different processes in the establishment of the Budapest Land Registration System as well as the technological concepts and implementation of technical solutions where important aspects in the realization of this ambitious project. Technology and Software functionality are not the only aspects in a successful introduction of a modern cadastral system. The transfer of know-how in respect to management as well as to organizational and economical aspects, is a critical issue for success. ITV Geomatik AG, Leica’s partner in this project, carried out a knowhow transfer program which included several workshops and seminars, study tours in which managers and decision-makers became familiar with the Swiss cadastral organization and received necessary information and practical tips in order to manage and embed Land Register Systems into their daily business. An in-depth pilot project to redesign the planning and controlling process in the Hungarian cadastral organization concluded the know-how transfer. Also the introduction of related systems like Management Information Systems (MIS), Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is very useful to create a wider perspective in the usage of a Land Information System. Eric Straalman

The profile of a road. The position of a tree. All connections of an utility

will become good friends. For the photogrammtry, surveying

network. But also: The value class of a property. The amount of

and GIS world, ISPRS Amsterdam 2000 will again bring

soil fertility. Even the automated guidance of road construction

increasingly efficient and accurate procedures in surveying,

trucks: Leica Geosystems offers new possibilities for defining

mapping and in the integration of qualitative data. Come and

and transforming our living environment into living data.

see us from 17-21 July in Amsterdam at our ISPRS exhibition

L ” eica Geosystems for all” will become reality. Take advantage

booth No. 624. Geoinformation for YOU!

of the lead, and apply dynamic, reliable and flexible solutions to your task. With Leica Geosystems, unknown points will soon become new acquaintances, and partners from different areas Leica Geosystems AG, Switzerland, Phone +41 62 737 67 51, www.leica-geosystems.com

MADE TO MEASURE

Unsurpassed possibilities in combination with the world’s most powerful and most efficient GIS/LIS and photogrammetry products. ESRI application software and Leica instruments and software work extremely closely together. In 1997, ESRI and Leica Geosystems announced a co-operation agreement for software development activities. Using ESRI's technology, Leica Geosystems developed integrated classical surveying applications inside the world's most powerful GIS that will support Leica Geosystems customers in their everyday work. The Leica MeasurementEngine, as an integrated part of ESRI Technology Partner ESRI’s ArcInfo 8 software, combines the worlds of

survey and GIS/LIS. It guarantees a continuous, logical, watertight dataflow between field and office, all the way to publication of finished plans and special reports. To record and use data obtained from the air or from space, Leica Geosystems cooperates with LH Systems to provide state-of-the-art solutions for acquiring, processing and maintaining precise image information.

LH Systems

At your fingertips: Leica Geosystems freedom of choice

Leica Geosystems offers new possibilities for defining and transforming our living environment into living data. Better procedures improve the documentation and conservation of our environment and simplify the creation of new infrastructures and communications networks. Leica Geosystems has developed the technologies needed and has incorporated them into trend-setting instruments and systems, creating bi-directional data flows and multipurpose applications. Customers have at their fingertips the most efficient solutions for comprehensive tasks and the power of three leading companies in geodesy, Leica Geosystems AG, Switzerland, Phone +41 62 737 67 51, www.leica-geosystems.com

photogrammetry and GIS. The result – higher efficiency and new possibilities for surveyors, photogrammetrists and LIS/GIS specialists and their customers. G ” eoinformation for all” will become reality. Take advantage of the Leica lead, and apply dynamic, reliable and flexible solutions to your task. Come and see us from 17-21 July in Amsterdam at our ISPRS exhibition booth. Geoinformation for YOU!

MADE TO MEASURE

The new TPS700 Performance Series

Rapid measurement, with and without reflector The TCR models of the TPS700 Performance Series have not only a conventional infrared distancer, but also one which uses a red laser beam to measure without using a reflector. The visible laser enables points that are accessible only with difficulty or not at all, to be measured very quickly and conveniently. It also permits surveys of structures and frontages, and the staking-out of tunnel profiles. The tightlybundled laser beam is ideally suited to measuring very fine structures and elements. The infrared distancer is for measuring to prisms or reflective tapes, in the conventional manner.

Reflector-free measurement with the Leica TCR702. The visible laser dot enables the target to be accurately sighted without the user having to look through the telescope. Work becomes quick and convenient. 12

then to record it along with the code block, you just need to enter the code number. This speeds up the work process considerably, particularly when large numbers of points with frequent coding have to be recorded.

Leica TPS700 Performance Series. Light and compact total stations for rapid, efficient and comfortable surveying.

Easy operation The alphanumeric keyboard of the TPS700 instruments is a masterpiece of ergonomics. To the right of the display is a keyboard on which digits, letters and symbols can be entered in any combination, quickly and directly. There are cursor keys for navigation within the display. Functions that are often needed are activated through permanentlyassigned keys. The large eight-line display provides the user with all required information at a glance. The “Quick Coding“ mode is for rapid coding. To trigger a measurement and

Leica TCRA – the new star among total stations Leica Geosystems’ latest total station in the TPS1100 Professional Series, the TCRA, is a “jack-of-alltrades“. It brings together all of the survey options needed to carry out a wide range of very diverse tasks. The TCRA total station is available in four classes of accuracy ranging from 1.5"to 5“.

On-board programs and flexible data formats To take account of the most frequently required applications, the TPS700 instruments are routinely supplied with the following applications programs: Surveying, Stakeout, Free-Station Survey, Tie Distance, Remote Height, Area Computation, Target Point Offset, and Height Transfer. The program package “LEICA SurveyOffice“, supplied along with the instrument, allows the stored measurements to be transferred in various data formats to your personal computer or to a GIS system. You can also use it to generate your own data formats, and to create fixed-point files and code lists that you can then transfer to the total station.

Please detach the card on the opposite, fill in your name and bring it to our exhibition booth No. 624 at the ISPRS Congress in Amsterdam. Every day at 5 pm the winning number is randomly selected and the winner of a DISTO classic3 will be announced at the booth. If you are not able to visit as at the ISPRS, please go to the Leica Geosystems Website (www.leica-geosystems.com). Thank you . . . and good luck!

Only the TCRA can do all of this It automatically targets and tracks prisms, measures without reflectors, and can also be operated from the target area by remote control. So the all-in-one technology makes the TCRA from Leica Geosystems into a very versatile and efficient total station that takes high precision and user friendliness for granted. The secret of this versatility is to be found in the telescope. In addition to providing automatic targeting, the TCRA combines two coaxial distancers. One of them is of the conventional type, an infrared distancer that measures to prisms and to reflector tapes. The other provides a visible beam for measuring without a reflector. You switch between them at the touch of a key.

Judical proceedings against Leica Geosystems AG pursuant to this prize draw are expressly excluded. Leica Geosystems employees are not allowed to participate in this prize draw.

Reflectorless measurement across obstacles - the Leica TCRA does the job quickly, conveniently and precisely.

IMAGE BANK FRANS LEMMENS

Just right for everyday survey work The new TPS700 total stations make everyday surveying easier in a lot of ways; for example by virtue of their large clear display, their alphanumeric keyboards in both faces, their integrated applications programs and their simple and logical data management, not forgetting their unique facility of being able to measure without using a reflector. On top of all this, their speed is impressive and they provide the proverbial Leica accuracy. The TPS700 Performance Series includes instruments with angular accuracies of 2“, 3“ and 5“.

Measuring without a reflector The reflectorless measurement of distance with the laser of the TCRA is a real advance, particularly for measuring to objects that are accessible only with difficulty or not at all. The red laser beam makes it very easy to measure across gorges or rivers, to record frontages, or to inspect buildings or cooling towers. The bright dot produced by the extremely narrow laser bundle ensures high accuracy and is also useful for marking the target indoors or in tunnels. Automatic targeting User convenience has top priority in the TCRA, and that is why the instrument takes over the job of fine pointing. In ATR (automatic target recognition) mode, it is enough just to target the prism approximately using the optical sight. There is not even any need to focus the telescope, and so the entire measurement procedure goes ahead faster and more productively, and with an accuracy that cannot be beaten by manual techniques. In Lock mode, the TCRA total station can even track moving prisms automatically in combination with a 360° reflector. Masspoint surveys can therefore be carried out much more rapidly and conveniently. Measuring from the target area With RCS1100, the optional remote-control facility for the TCRA, it is just as easy to measure from the target area as from the total station. Codes and other information can be captured where they arise: directly at the point of measurement. The display, the keyboard and the functions of the RCS1100 controller are the

same as on the total station itself, making on-site operation easier. The RCS1100 remote-control system also offers advantages during stakeout, because differences are displayed directly on the controller. Small survey tasks can even be carried out solo. Numerous applications programs When used with a reflector, the TCRA can capture and track targets or alternatively data can be gathered directly from the target area by using the RCS1100 remote control system. In addition,

the TCRA offers numerous applications programs, PCMCIA memory cards for the efficient capture and exchange of data, a laser plummet for easy centring of the instrument over the ground point, and the many other features which make the instruments of the TPS1100 Professional Series so outstanding. Existing owners of TCRM or TCA total stations from the TPS1100 Professional Series can upgrade these to the versatile TCRA instruments.

Discover the Leica TCRA total station

Surveying a library with the Leica TCRA. The reflectorless measuring technique with a visible laser dot offers obvious advantages and increases productivity.

LH Systems Meeting Points Succesfull Editors Forum in Switzerland

Modernized Geographic Center inaugurated in Amman The Royal Jordanian Geographic Centre (RJGC), Jordan’s national mapping agency, was founded in 1975 by the late King Hussein. Recently it has undergone a major modernization, the culmination of a procurement which it began to plan in 1997. The acquisitions include GPS receivers, total stations and digital levels from Leica Geosystems and a DSW300 scanner, seven SOCET SET workstations, a BC2 Aviolyt upgrade and additional software packages from LH Systems. The modernization was funded by the Swiss Federal Office for Foreign Economic Affairs (BAWI). Although the first delivery of equipment was as early as spring 1998, there have been extensive periods of training and technical assistance, by Leica Geosystems, LH Systems and the leading Swiss geomatics service company Swissphoto. The new equipment is all now in production, as RJGC generates mapping both alongside the Dead Sea and in the Jordan valley. Photogrammetric operations include aerial photography, scanning, triangulation, digital terrain models, orthophotos and feature collection. The orthophoto program includes ambitious plans for nationwide coverage at appropriate scales. 14

RJGC organized a formal inauguration ceremony and celebration at the beginning of November 1999, attended by dignitaries including a representative of the Chief of Staff of the Jordanian Army, the Director of RJGC, the Director of Land Surveys, the Ambassador of Switzerland, and the President and CEO of LH Systems. After the ceremony, several scientific papers were given in a technical seminar, including one from Swiss consultant Prof. Dr. Otto Kölbl.

In October, LH Systems held its second Editors Forum, an event begun in 1998. Editors of geomatics journals are invited to a customer site at which LH Systems products are showcased, but at the same time participate in a wide ranging roundtable discussion. The 1999 Editors Forum took place near Zurich, co-hosted by Swissphoto group, the leading Swiss geomatics service company, highly reputed internationally. The event began with a tour of the Photogrammetry Department of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), hosted by Prof. Dr. Armin Grün and Dr. Emmanuel Baltsavias. The technical program included presentations from several Swissphoto speakers, including CEO Thomas Grünenfelder. Dick Kirwan,

Director of Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSi), co-host of the 1998 event, gave an update on his organization’s extensive digital photogrammetry operation. Tours of Swissphoto’s modern RegensdorfWatt headquarters were followed by the discussion, which covered topics such as automation in photogrammetry and its effect on employment, worldwide shortages of qualified staff, IKONOS-2, LH Systems’ forthcoming airborne digital sensor, and selling and distributing geographic data. On the final day, the group traveled to Heerbrugg, where they enjoyed presentations on Leica Geosystems and its products from Hans Hess, Erwin Frei and leading specialists, followed by a factory tour and product demonstrations. The 2000 Editors Forum will be in Calgary, co-hosted by North West Geomatics and the Orthoshop. Editors Forum group visting Leica Geosystems Heerbrugg

Visit LH Systems on ISPRS Amsterdam Work is in full swing at LH Systems on the company’s new airborne digital sensor, to be launched at the ISPRS Congress in Amsterdam in July. Created in partnership with Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR, or German Aerospace Centre), the new sensor’s design concept consists of three linear CCD arrays on the focal plane that capture panchromatic data by looking forwards, downwards and backwards from the aircraft. The system includes a high performance airborne GPS/ IMU unit: the measurements from this sub-system, together with sophisticated photogrammetric software processing, will enable orthophotos, feature data and other photogrammetric products to be generated from the imagery, which can have a ground resolution of 10 cm or smaller.

and false color (or color infrared). Moreover, the arrival of an airborne digital sensor marks no less than a “paradigm shift“ in the profession. On the one hand it does away with chemical processing and image scanning, creating an endto-end digital workflow; on the other, it gives a new importance to archiving, as there will no longer be a can of film as last resort if digital files are lost or corrupted!

Three cameras in one

175 years of Ordnance Survey Ireland LH Systems President and CEO, Bruce Wald, in discussion with Ireland’s Tsaoeach (Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern and Director of Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSi) Dick Kirwan. The three were attending a reception in Dublin last November, the high-light of the 175th

anniversary celebrations of OSi, LH Systems’ premier customer in digital photogrammetry. In addition to providing material for a public exhibition about OSi, LH Systems made a special presentation. Shortly after these events, Prime Minister Ahern commended OSi during a cabinet briefing for their successful adoption of new technology.

Thus the new sensor will be complementary with LH Systems’ market-leading RC30 film camera, which is capable of resolutions of 1-2 cm at minimum flying heights, and will meet the large market demand for sensing between this highest resolution film imagery and the newly available satellite imagery at one meter resolution. In addition, the new sensor will have further linear arrays on the focal plane to capture multispectral data, thereby meeting the needs of customers in remote sensing and thematic mapping who want color products or wish to perform image classifications. Truly, the new sensor will be three cameras in one – black and white, true color

On-line interface to ESRI’s SDE™ LH Systems will also exhibit a new release of its photogrammetric software, SOCET SET® v4.3. In addition to all the new functionality to handle imagery from LH Systems’ new airborne digital sensor, innovations in v4.3 will include more batch processing, new formats such as MrSID and IKONOS, a map sheet “tile cutter“ in the mosaic module, and an on-line interface to ESRI’s SDE™ (Spatial Database Engine™). This last feature acknowledges the increasing closeness of photogrammetry and GIS, for which an online link with Laser-Scan’s LAMPS2 software was introduced in 1999 and LH Systems PRO600 software

was extended to exploit Bentley Systems’ Geo Graphics® toolkit for MicroStation® . SOCET SET v4.3 will be accompanied by new releases of LH Systems ORIMA and PRO600 products.

The TopoMouse® Another exciting arrival is LH Systems’ new hand controller or “3D mouse“. Called TopoMouse® , this visually appealing device is designed by the team that created the DSW300 and DSW500 scanners. It is an acknowledgement that in the absence of dramatic progress on automated feature extraction in photogrammetry, improvements in feature collection and editing – the staple of day-to-day photogrammetric work – must accrue from more ergonomic workstations together with workflow software. TopoMouse can increase the system user’s comfort and

productivity through not only the physical design and the support provided for the hands and fingers, but also intelligent mapping of the buttons on the device to SOCET SET and PRO600, so that the feature collection process goes with the minimum of effort. Further considerations driving the design effort were reliability and price, to which enormous attention was paid during a meticulous design process. In addition to the exhibition, LH Systems will be active in the Congress with several technical papers, some of them joint with DLR coauthors, two Exhibitor Showcase sessions and a panel discussion on the topic of training and retaining qualified staff, organized by LH Systems to explore ways of ameliorating the worldwide shortage of trained operators for today’s sophisticated photogrammetric systems. Dr. Stewart Walker

LH Systems 15

Monitoring Shanghais’ busiest bridge With a span of 620m, Yang-Pu bridge is not only one of the longest suspension bridges in the world, but also one of the busiest. Stability and reliability of such a bridge is very important, and regular checks are necessary to provide the highest security. Surveying technology has evolved during the last few years to introduce new systems to improve the accuracy of measurements and greatly reduce the time needed to perform such tasks. By using automated Leica total stations, able to find the targets automatically, combined with deformation measurement software, results can be viewed directly on site.

Simply the best!

At its first Leica Day in Bejing the "Leica Chengcai Award” has been awarded to the best students by Leica Geosystems Hans Hess (President), George Kiu (VP Leica China), and John Wood (VP Leica Asia).

East of Shanghai the 1172m long Yang-Pu Bridge has a span of 620m across the Huang-Pu River. Being the busiest bridge in Shanghai, its traffic rate outnumbers 5000 vehicles per hour in the rush hours. Since it opened to public in 1993, leveling as well as geo-technical equipments (e.g. stress sensor) have been applied in checking the various aspects of the bridge. However, these did not give a complete picture of the bridge deformation. The Shanghai Huang-Pu River Tunnel and Bridges Development Co., Ltd., who is in charge of the management of the bridge, had decided to adapt a new methodology. They co-operated with Leica China and came up with a scheme in which a monitoring system consisting of two sets of automated total stations Leica TCA2003, each of them controlled by a PC with APSWin software installed, and of 24 prisms. 22 circular prisms were distributed evenly across the bridge and 2 circular prisms installed in the beam of the bridge as reference points.

it deflects upwards 10 centimetres (z direction) in the middle, and elongates by 6 centimetres.

The first survey took part on 5 August 1999 at 2:00 p.m. and ended at next day 2:30 pm. Totally, 148 cycles of measurements were recorded. The 67th and 68th cycles, recorded at midnight when the bridge was

without loading and under homogeneous atmospheric conditions, were taken as reference. Interpretation of the measurements shows that during day-time under sun-radiation, the bridge deforms in such a way that

The result was confirmed by the Yang-Pu Bridge Authority to be valid and consistent with results from other systems. It was the successful implementation of the first automatic bridge monitoring system in China

and it delivered the proof that large engineering constructions can be checked with such systems more accurately and faster.

With a span of 620 m across Huang-Pu river, the 1172 metres long Yang-Pu bridge is the busiest in Shanghai. For the automated check 24 surveying prisms have been installed on the structure.

Two Leica TCA2003 high-precision total stations recognized the surveying prisms on the Yang-Pu bridge automatically and transferred the measurement values of angles and distances directly to the PC with Leica’s APSWin monitoring software. On the screen deflections in all directions were shown directly to the engineers of Shanghai Huang-Pu River Tunnel and Bridges Development Co. Ltd.

Cockpit elements measured reflectorless by laser Using terrestrial photogrammetry for creating a photorealistic CAD model of the aircraft's interior the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada contacted Leica Geosystems to check whether Leica's coaxial red laser EDM could serve as a part of a proof-of-concept on a MD-11 aircraft. Working with the new Leica TCRA1103 Total Station the team members were impressed by the ease and accuracy with which the data were measured, and agreed that the volume of data could have been collected no other way.

Leica TCRM1103 surveying the cockpit of a MD-11.

Customer’s specific problem: very short distances The TSB already owns a Leica T1010 theodolite and a DIOR3002 infrared reflectorless EDM, purchased originally for accident scene investigations. In that service, the combination works well. However, the restricted working space and the offset between the telescope of the theodolite and the EDM produced problems when the TSB tried to use it on a highly detailed, small-scale task, like the interior and fittings of an aircraft. Previously members of the TSB team had measured about 50 points on the flight crew seats. Due to the very short 18

measurement distances (0.5<x< 2m) many measurements were made with a tape because of the DIOR3002 EDM-telescope offset. As several hundred photo control points were planned inside the aircraft itself, something had to change! By introducing the reflectorless red laserequipped Leica TCRM1103 in the development of CAD models to “reverse engineer“ a MD-11 aircraft a faster and more accurate solution could be offered. Reconstruction of the interior of an aircraft The industry-unique coaxial red laser reflectorless EDM in the Leica TCRM1103 made child's play of the seat measurements. The survey was completed in much less than an hour, including time to compare with points pre-

viously measured. But the biggest part of the task, by far, still laid ahead: measure a cabin interior panel in sufficient detail to produce a “DTM“ to use in the CAD model, and establish coordinates on photo control targets throughout the forward aircraft interior. Sight distances are less than 3 meters, and often well under one meter. A constantly moving object Despite weighing more than 130,000kg, and being inside a hangar, the aircraft was constantly moving due to ongoing maintenance procedures. In the cockpit it was necessary to remove the observer's seat (behind and between the captain's and co-pilot's seats) to allow the team to move around the tripod. The Local Resection application was used to approximately orient the instrument into the coordinate system of the aircraft (from two screw heads known to be on centerline.) Some of the targets on the pilots' instrument panel were designated as “Primary Survey Control.“ They were used with the Free Station application for two succeeding setups in the cockpit, from which all points were located. In the cabin, points were marked on the deck, and measured to define their X/Y coordinates. The Orientation/Height Transfer application brought elevation control and horizontal circle orientation from the instrument panel into the cabin. From the first setup in the cabin, “secondary control points“ were established for the remaining setups. To locate points in other areas of the aircraft, considerable ingenuity was required. A working platform was constructed (with four short ladders and an aluminum plate) so the instrument

could “see“ target points between the ceiling and hull of the aircraft. Excellent results Small differences (usually <1cm) between plan details of small fittings and fixtures and their actual constructed location are normal and anticipated in the aircraft industry. When the measured coordinates of known points were compared to their plan locations, the differences were usually less than 2cm! The close fit is even more impressive because many of the target points were too close to the instrument to be focused in the telescope. Within the cockpit, especially, nearly half of the points were aimed using only the unique coaxial visible red laser beam. After seeing the consistently small residuals in the Free Station application, the convenience of measuring with the unique coaxial visible red laser beam was very much appreciated. Nearly 200 photo control points in the cockpit, and another 200 in the cabin, plus nearly 3,000 points for the DTM, and nearly 2,000 detail points were measured during four and a half days on two aircraft. All data (raw circles and slope distance, plus raw coordinates) were recorded on the total station’s PCMCIA card. Several files were created to simplify data organization, and they were transferred to the team member's computer as easily as plugging the card into the PC's PCMCIA slot. After the expected rotation and translation of the raw co-ordinates to fit them into the aircraft coordinate system, the accuracy of measurement data was also very impressive. Stf

Berlin’s millimetre-precise renaissance The former border between east and west is now the world’s largest urban construction site, with spectacular projects taking shape everywhere. Dense networks of underground road, rail and metro tunnels and a welter of high-rise developments present big challenges to survey and construction specialists. A local GPS network monitors the giant construction sites at the Potsdamer Platz, the government quarter, and the new main station at Spreebogen with millimetre accuracy. The survey network, covering 16 km2 of Berlin construction sites, was staked out in the early 1990s using Leica systems (see “Reporter“ issue no. 38). The Berlin-based Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Guske survey bureau performs regular checks using up to seven Leica Geosystems GPS 300 units: three fixed and four mobile.

Left: Siegfried Bindig and Sirko Klappstein from the Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Guske survey bureau use a Leica GPS 300 to make positional and height checks on Potsdamer Platz. Further systems are simultaneously active at other locations.

GPS surveying expert Siegfried Bindig and surveying engineer Sirko Klappstein have been accumulating very positive experience with these Leica systems since 1996. “After four years’ intensive and enjoyable use, we have ordered the Leica’s next-generation System 500. Once again, it’s simply the best product on the market“, says Siegfried Bindig. “Maintaining today’s guaranteed three-millimetre GPS precision in Germany’s new capital ought to be no problem, even with more new buildings going up in future, because the latest Leica GPS technology overcomes this type of obstruction even faster and more easily.“ Stf

Above: The Potsdamer Platz is a maze of tunnel-work (photo taken in 1998). The robust Weinhaus Huth survived the excavation supported on stilts. Left: Helmuth Gehrig, the government official responsible for the surveying work, with a Leica GPS 300 in front of Schloss Bellevue, the official residence of Germany’s federal president.

Below: Part of the new panorama at Potsdamer Platz, showing the Sony and Debis campus. Norman Foster’s glass dome atop the Reichstag parliament building is visible at mid-left.

System 500 on Kilimanjaro Or, how high is a mountain?

PHOTO: EBERHARD MESSMER

Tanzania, and the University of Karlsruhe, the Karlsruhe University of Applied Science and the E. Messmer Survey Company, Germany, led to the idea of re-measuring the mountain. It was obvious that GPS should be used as the survey would be easier, faster, more accurate, independent of weather, and unequivocal results would be obtained in the International Reference Frame (ITRF).

Kilimanjaro lies in the north of Tanzania, about 3° south of the equator. This extinct volcano towers about 5000m above the surrounding plains (themselves about 800m to 1000m above sea level), has a base of approximately 60km x 40km, and is the world’s largest free-standing mountain. With fascinating climatic zones ranging from tropical forests to glaciated summit regions, and wonderful views over the vast plains of East Africa, Kilimanjaro attracts many tourists from all over the world particularly as the standard ascent requires no special mountaineering skills.

A triangulation survey carried out in 1952 using Wild T2 theodolites gave a height of 19340ft or 5895m. This is the height currently quoted by the Tanzania National Parks Authority and that appears on most maps.

Below: Very long baselines from IGS stations.

Discussions in 1998 and 1999 between the Ministry of Lands and the University College of Lands and Architectural Studies (UCLAS),

After months of organization and searching for suitable sponsors, the survey started in mid September 1999. The Tanzania National Parks Authority was extremely helpful and guides, porters and accomodation were organized by a tour operator. The majority of participants were from the organizations mentioned above, about half being from Tanzania and half from Europe. One of the delights of the entire campaign was the spirit of cooperation and friendship amongst this international group of surveyors, most of whom had never met each other before. Leica receivers were used, SR530 from Karlsruhe University and Leica Geosystems AG, Heerbrugg, and SR299 from the Ministry of Lands and UCLAS. As all equipment has to be backpacked on Kilimanjaro, the small, light SR530 were employed on the mountain whilst the older SR299 measured at triangulation points and bench marks on the plains below. The base for the survey was the Philip Hotel in Moshi, the small, pleasant town at the foot of Kilimanjaro. An SR530 set up on a pillar on the hotel roof ran more or less continuously for seven days in order that accurate ITRF coordinates could be computed and the entire network tied to this point.

The team was split into two groups. The first group manned the base station and took GPS measurements at new points and existing control points at the foot of the mountain. The second group climbed the mountain, established new points during the climb, and measured a network of GPS baselines. Because of its height, proximity to the equator and to the sea, Kilimanjaro has a range of unique ecological zones. The lower slopes, the homeland of the Chagga people, are fertile and intensively cultivated, a paradise of bananas plants, avocado trees, coffee bushes and other tropical crops. After entering the park, the climber passes through a rain-forest belt, a heath and moorland region, and an alpine-desert zone, before reaching the final steep slopes to the snow and ice covered summit area. Permanent markers were placed at points at the foot of the mountain, at the park entrance, at the various huts along the route, on the crater rim and at the peak. Using four SR530 receivers, a network of short and medium-length baselines was measured between all points and the permanent station at Moshi.

Kilimanjaro GPS network

The receivers were all pre-programmed so that anybody could use them. As the expedition leaders were not sure who would finally reach the summit, even the guides were trained to use the receivers. They found the SR530 fascinating and easy to use, but struggled to set up and centre a tripod. Who says that modern technology is complicated? From the park gate at Marangu to the top of Kilimanjaro, the distance to be trecked is about 40km with a climb from 1900m to almost 5900m. The key to

26 September 1999 was the big day! Receivers were already running at Moshi, Marangu Gate, Horombo Hut and Kibo Hut as the summit party reached the crater rim at Gillman’s Point. By 06.30 a point was marked and an SR530 measuring and recording at 5708m above sea level. As the 11/2 hours needed to cover the last 200m climb and 2km distance around the crater rim from Gillman’s Point to the summit at Uhuru Peak are extremely tiring, the equipment was reduced to a minimum. The

Leica SR530 near Horombo Hut (3700m), with Kibo and Uhuru Peak in the background.

GPS survey team with Leica SR530 at Mandara Juu (2845m).

success is to go slowly and steadily in order to acclimatize well. As the ascent took 41/2 and the descent 11/2 days, there was plenty of time for GPS measurements. Although anybody who is fit and acclimatized should reach Kibo Hut at 4700m, the final 1200m to the summit is a serious undertaking: the mountain is steep, the air thin and cold, the rough path winds over scree and rocks, the attrition rate is high and many climbers turn back.

decision to take a light, carbon-fibre pole instead of a tripod to Uhuru Peak proved to be correct. The pole was held against the board marking the summit and several on-the-fly initializations were made. The receiver at Gillman’s Point served as the reference.

of Africa to the strains of Ebi’s guitar. Bryan, our chief guide, had not only taken us to the summit, he had also carried the guitar!

Leica SR530 reference station at Gillman’s Point (5708m).

Back at Moshi two days later, all data were downloaded to a PC and backed up. A quick preliminary computation showed that the results would be good and the campaign successful. The major processing task then fell on Nikolaos. Using Bernese Software and all available data, he computed very long baselines from five IGS stations to determine the ITRF coordinates of the pillar at Moshi to centimetre accuracy.

The entire GPS network was then computed with both Bernese and SKI-Pro. The results agree remarkably well. The ITRF ellipsoidal height of Uhuru Peak was calculated as 5875.50m and is certainly correct to 5cm. An orthometric height of 5891.77m is obtained after applying the EGM96 world geoidal model, but one has

On-the-fly initialization at Uhuru Peak.

Everyone who made it to the top was exhilarated but exhausted. The final celebration was the ultimate experience, a Leica SR530 kinematic survey on the roof 21

GPS measurements at Kibo Hut (4700m), looking towards Mawenzi (5149m).

to be aware that the uncertainty in this model for this part of Africa could well be in the order of 1m. As all existing triangulation points and bench marks are to the south of the mountain and not of uniform quality, it is impossible to compute a rigorous transformation into the Tanzanian datum and only a height shift was calculated. Applying this shift gives an orthometric height of 5892.55m in the Tanzanian (mean sea level) datum. Now what does all of this mean? For the geodesist the height of Uhuru Peak is now known exactly, 5875.50m ITRF ellipsoidal height. For the non-surveyor, Uhuru Peak is 5893m above sea level.

Celebration at Uhuru Peak

As the result of the 1952 survey was 5895m, the reader may wonder if Kilimanjaro is now two metres lower than before. Unfortunately, it is impossible to tell. The 1952 survey was based on vertical-angle measurements over distances of more than 55km and height differences of over 4000m. Any surveyor who did triangulation in the middle of Africa in the middle of the last century knows that it was almost impossible to achieve height accuracies of a metre or so over such distances and height differences. Rather than pondering over the difference, perhaps one should be amazed at the agreement between the 1952 and 1999 surveys and admire the work carried out 50 years ago. The seven days of GPS survey in September 1999 produced a network of permanently marked points with centimetre-accuracy ITRF coordinates. This net will form the basis for further surveys on Kilimanjaro and possibly in the neighbouring Rift Valley region. A solid foundation for future high-accuracy monitoring of the mountain has now been laid. John Saburi, Nikolaos Angelakis, Peter Jackson

John Saburi (saburi@uclas.ac.tz) is Professor of Surveying and Geodesy at the University College of Lands and Architectural Studies, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Nikolaos Angelakis (anni0011@FH-Karlsruhe.DE) is a final-year geodesy student at the Karlsruhe University of Applied Science, Germany. Peter Jackson (Peter.Jackson@leica-geosystems.com) retired in September 99 after serving as product and marketing manager for GPS at Leica Geosystems AG, Heerbrugg, Switzerland.

Saudi Arabia Tower

GPS-INS: from Geodesy to Physiology Would tri-axial accelerometers and indirect calorimetry bring new perspectives to Leica receiver GPS System 500 ? We believe so, since the combined utilization of such devices is of major interest in the world of applied physiology.

What is recognized today as the highest building of Saudi Arabia started in April 1997. Taking over responsibility for all surveying work of the Al-Faisaliah Tower in Riyadh we had to lay out the main points for the location of the building and its main axis. Using a Leica TC1800L total station with EGL guidance we achieved an accuracy of ±3mm for the traverse. To control the core wall verticality we set out 40cm permanent offset points at each corner of every wall at the base of the tower. With the help of our Leica ZL plumbing level we were able to check the verticality before every pouring of concrete without shifting control points. To prevent obstacles in the ranging way of the plummet line 10cm diameter sleeves were left at every floor. Having reached a height of 100m from basement level

we measured with our Leica total station corner coordinates of the core wall form work. This cross checking method proved the accuracy of every instrument and of our surveying methods. From the 16th floor on we used the Leica ZNL Nadir plummet level and crosschecked all shifted points and verticality. By targeting these points with the Leica TC1800L total station we were able to define each point with millimetre accuracy. In this way we completed the 270 metre high tower with an excellent vertical accuracy of ±12mm of the last main concrete structure. Malik M. Saleem, Chief Surveyor

The appearance of new high sampling frequency receivers has opened the way to new GPS applications. If satellite positioning is nowadays very common for surveying tasks, its use to determine human walking pattern is very recent. Most of the studies about this topic have been up to now performed in a closed environment, far away from free-living conditions. Typical gait analysis is based on video recordings, which reduces the freedom of the subject and limits the study to a few strides. Consequently, many questions are still open about human locomotion outside the laboratory. Examples are the adaptation of stride length/ stride frequency and walking speed to the incline of terrain, stride-to-stride variability and walking pattern variation related to each individual. By performing in parallel gas exchange analysis (portable indirect calorimeter), data about energy expenditure can be also retrieved and hence walking efficiency as a function of speed (GPS) can be obtained. The common interest in on foot navigation has lead to a collaboration between the Geodetic Engineering Laboratory of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), leaded by professor Bertrand Merminod, and the Applied Physiology Research Group of Dr. Yves Schutz from the University, both located in Lausanne (CH). Three PhD theses are actually related to this theme.

The study of human locomotion is not only important for physiologists, but also for geomaticians, concerned with navigation for people. As satellite signals are not always available (e.g. urban canyons, indoor activities…), there is a major interest in finding sensors capable of taking over when satellites are not available (Dead Reckoning). If the problem has been almost completely solved for vehicles using odometer and map matching, the solution for on foot navigation is far more complex. Dead Reckoning for people is principally based on step count and azimuth of displacement. The number of steps is calculated using accelerometry, while the azimuth is obtained through the means of an electronic compass. After several experiences with separated instruments, all tests are performed now using a new high precision, all-in-one module. The DMC-SX is produced by the Defence & Special Projects (DSP) group of Leica Geosystems AG, and includes three magnetic field sensors and three accelerometers (which also are used as tilt sensors). A close collaboration between the 3 partners, each one specialized in a particular, but complementary field, has the scope to develop appropriate algorithms to be implemented in a compact, ergonomic INS/GPS device. This appears to be a big challenge that can open the way to a wide range of civilian applications, as well as military ones. So, on your mark… get set… WALK! Quentin Ladetto, Vincent Gabaglio, Bertrand Merminod, Philippe Terrier, and Yves Schutz http://dgrwww.epfl.ch/TOPO/

Quentin Ladetto, PhD student at the Geodetic Engineering Laboratory, during a test with the complete GPS-INS-Calorimeter equipment for parallel measurements of physiological and geodetic parameters. Quentin Ladetto walked five different runs at increasing walking speed. A clear correlation exists between body acceleration measured with portable accelerometer, walking speed measured with Leica GPS 500 in DGPS mode, and energy expenditure measured with portable indirect calorimeter. It is therefore possible to consider energy expenditure prediction by using either GPS speed or acceleration when satellites are not visible.

When S “ mall is beautiful“: The DMC-SX of Leica that includes three magnetic field sensors, three accelerometers (which also are used as tilt sensors), temperature indicator and a Flash microprocessor.

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