geoinformatics 2009 vol06

FIG Interview Topcon GRS-1 Review

FME User Conference Developing Standards for 3D Imaging Systems

M a g a z i n e f o r S u r v e y i n g , M a p p i n g & G I S P r o f e s s i o n a l sSeptember 2009

Volume 12

6

On the Move

Even in summertime, the field of geoinformatics is on the move . On paper, blogs and atindustry conferences I sense a shared optimism to make things work better and faster forthe end user. I hope the same optimism pervades through the articles in this magazine, thatshould give an overview of whats happening in the industry at the moment.

And there IS a lot going on at this moment. With hindsight, I am proud of the inclusion ofseveral open source articles in the last six months, an idea that originated from Intergeo lastyear. With so much media exposure on this topic at the moment, this seems as a wise deci-sion now. The debate on open source versus closed source continues and we will keep oninforming you on new initiatives in this field.

Another discussion that was mentioned somewhere else focused on the lack of innovationin the industry. It seems some people cannot overcome the idea that the revolution in geoindustry was merely an outcome of the Google revolution combined with hardware innova-tions (server technology, more data storage capacities). Right now theres an interestingdebate going on about how data should be shared between governments and users. Thediscussion focuses on what data should be shared, what it looks like and how to offer it tousers. Although I dont have the answers to these questions, I think that the conviction thattheres a need to share data is a breakthrough in the way of thinking about sharing data.Data needs to be unlocked and shared, thats why its there in the first place. This convictionis something new and major GIS vendors are now picking up on it because their costumersask for it.

Specially for the coming Intergeo event in Karlsruhe, Germany, we put together a number ofsurveying related articles, ranging from product reviews, case studies and interviews withcaptains of national and international surveying organizations. I am happy to announce thatGeoInformatics will be present with a large booth at Intergeo where you have a chance tomeet up in person and share your thoughts on this magazine, that also will be distributedeverywhere at the event.

Enjoy your reading and meet you at Intergeo!

Eric van [email protected]

September 20093

GeoInformatics provides coverage, analysis and commentary with respect to the international surveying,mapping and GIS industry.

PublisherRuud Groothuis [email protected]

Editor-in-chiefEric van Rees [email protected]

EditorsFrank Arts [email protected] Fischer [email protected] van Haaften [email protected] [email protected] Takken [email protected] Triglav [email protected]

Contributing WritersJoc TriglavAlan M. AindowBrett BlackBenjamin SullivanHuibert-Jan LekkerkerkLon van der PoelRaj SinghMichael W. DobsonCori Keeton Pope

Account ManagerWilfred Westerhof [email protected]

SubscriptionsGeoInformatics is available against a yearly subscription rate (8 issues) of 89,00.To subscribe, fill in and return the electronic replycard on our website or contact Janneke Bijleveld [email protected]

Advertising/ReprintsAll enquiries should be submitted to Ruud Groothuis [email protected]

World Wide WebGeoInformatics can be found at: www.geoinformatics.com

Graphic DesignSander van der [email protected]

ISSN 13870858

Copyright 2009. GeoInformatics: no material maybe reproduced without written permission.

GeoInformatics is published by CMedia Productions BVPostal address:P.O. Box 2318300 AEEmmeloordThe NetherlandsTel.: +31 (0) 527 619 000 Fax: +31 (0) 527 620 989 E-mail: [email protected]

Corporate

Member

Sustaining

Member

Alejandro EgidoMiquel GarciaMarco CaparriniMary Jo WagnerGordon PetrieRobert MarschallingerFritz ZoblAdrijana CarPetra Jenewein

ESRI International User Conference 2009The yearly international user conference of ESRI in San Diego is for many

people the most important GIS event in the world. From July 13 to 17,

ESRI users were welcomed in the San Diego Convention Center for every-

thing that has to do with GIS: workshops, an exhibition, user group

meetings and an update on the most recent developments on the ESRI

platform.

C o n t e n t

September 2009

ArticlesDeveloping Standards for 3D Imaging SystemsASTM E57 International Technical Committee 10

Everybody calls Larry for his RTK SystemGPS in the City of Waterloo, Iowa 14

Interface ControlGNSS Update 22

Seeking a Global PathBIM Standards Efforts 24

Creating Robust FunctionalitiesADAS and 3D-Road Map Databases 28

A Space Asset for Non-Space ApplicationsGNSS-R 40

Government Group Uses Mapping and GISManaging German Agricultural Subsidy Applications 34

Fully Integrated Imaging SolutionsLeicas RCD Digital Frame Cameras 54

Modular Cameras; Multiple ConfigurationsThe IGI DigiCAM Range 60

ADL SeriesPacific Crest New Product Line 68

InterviewsThe Big Swing in Surveying explained by FIG President Stig EnemarkFrom Measurement to Management 6

Providing National and International Geodetic ServicesMeeting The French Order of Licensed Surveyors 50

ReviewsTest GNSS ReceiverTopcon GRS-1 18

From Search Engine to OmnivorePlanet Google 70

Page 64

From Measurement to ManagementGeoInformatics editor Joc Triglav interviews FIG President Stig Enemark

on the FIGs motto, upcoming activities, the modern art of measurement

and more. The combination of technical, natural and social science areas

place the surveyors in a unique position in society for contributing to

development and innovation towards social justice, economic growth,

and environmental sustainability.

4

Page 6

Latest News? Visit www.geoinformatics.com5

September 2009

On the Cover:

Lon van der Poel is performing a user test with the Topcon GRS-1.

See article on page 18.

FME 2009 User ConferenceThe eleventh edition of the annual Global Spatial Data Infrastructure (GSDI)

conference was held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, from June 15 to 19. At

this conference the GSDI Association, an inclusive body of organizations,

agencies, firms, and individuals from around the world, promotes interna-

tional co-operation and collaboration in support of local, national and

international spatial data infrastructure developments.

BIM Standards EffortsGlobal market factors are forcing a revolution in the way professionals

share and use information throughout the lifecycles of buildings and capi-

tal projects such as airports, roads and subways. Building Information

Models (BIM) are a critical element in this information sharing revolution.

This article provides an overview of the current state of BIM standards and

what they will, hopefully, through international collaboration, become in a

Web-connected world.

Page 24

EventsIcon Awards, Smartplant 3D, SmartGrids and MoreIntergraph Annual Users Conference 2009 38

Transforming the Inconceivable into RealityFME 2009 User Conference 50

Further Integration of Components of the ESRI PlatformESRI International User Conference 2009 64

Combined GIS Event and Symposium in SalzburgComputer Oriented Geology & GI Forum @ AGIT 2009 66

Calendar 74

Advertisers Index 74

Page 50

Page 18

The Big Swing in Surveying explained by FIG President Stig Enemark

From Measurement to ManagementGeoInformatics editor Joc Triglav interviews FIG President Stig Enemark on the FIGs motto, upcoming activities,

the modern art of measurement and more. The combination of technical, natural and social science areas place

the surveyors in a unique position in society for contributing to development and innovation towards social justice,

economic growth, and environmental sustainability.

By Joc Triglav

Question: We started our first interview

at the beginning of your term as the FIG

President with a discussion about your

motto. How successfully have the sur-

veyors embraced it? How high does the

surveying profession manage to fly

today and how successfully does it keep

its feet on the ground?

Answer: The motto of flying high and keeping

the feet on the ground emphasises the need

of having a big vision in relation to the global

agenda and, at the same time, supporting the

member associations and the individual survey-

ors in their everyday tasks. The big vision is

about contributing to solving the global chal-

lenges such as poverty eradication, climate

change, and disaster risk management. FIG has

made good progress with the flying high tar-

gets. I would like to mention only two exam-

ples on these activities: the joint FIG/UN-HABI-

TAT seminar on "Improving Slum Conditions

through Innovative Financing in Stockholm in

June 2008 and the joint FIG/World Bank confer-

ence on Land Governance in Support of the

Millennium Development Goals: Responding to

New Challenges in Washington in March this

year.

Keeping the feet on the ground means that

FIG must be able to interact with politicians at

national level to promote and improve the basic

conditions for surveyors and their role in soci-

ety. And FIG should of course interact in a dia-

logue with the member associations and the

individual surveyors. This interaction has

worked well even in the current situation of

financial crisis. Indicators such as membership

figures and attendance to our conferences look

6

Interv iew

September 2009

FIG President Stig Enemark

good and the response from the member associations has also been very

positive. But there is always room for improvement and we will still work

hard to ensure that that FIG remains a proud icon for our profession.

Q: How and in which ways is the theme Building the Capacity

of the current FIG Council for 2007-2010 taking shape in the

daily reality of the global surveyors community?

A: FIG is providing an international forum for professional development

and innovation in all aspects of surveying. FIG is building the capacity

through conferences, commission work and seminars, publications, stan-

dards and guidelines. Capacity building is also about providing institu-

tional support for both member associations and academic institutions.

This kind of institutional support from the global surveying community

can often convince national authorities on requests from our members.

FIG has also established a Task Force on Institutional and organisational

Development that will present its final outcome at the FIG Congress in

Sydney, April 2010.

Q: We all sense through our daily practice that the role of sur-

veyors in the global agenda is obviously changing, backed up

or even forced by the rapid technological developments. Which

steps should surveyors make to embrace these changes in

order to prosper and be of better service to sustainable soci-

eties?

A: Professor Rudolf Staiger, Chair of FIG Commission 5 presented a very

interesting keynote paper at the FIG Working Week in Eilat that is relevant

to this question. He states in the conclusion that The art of measure-

ment was limited in the past to the precise acquisition of data (observa-

tions!). Today the data acquisition itself has become much easier, but this

does not mean that the whole measurement process is easy to handle

and free of errors! The measurement process today is much more com-

plex than it was decades ago. Therefore we need surveying experts who

are able to master the entire process of data acquisition and data pro-

cessing. Each measurement task is different and has its own characteris-

tics. We have to take special care with an independent check and proof

of the entire measurement system and the final results. This exactly is the

modern art of measurement. I think this paints the picture very well.

Q: FIG is covering the professional history with its permanent

International Institution for the History of Surveying and

Measurement. In modern times of seemingly instant solutions,

we witness a wrong but a growing belief even among profes-

sionals that only the future is important. Why do we need to

know the history of our profession, skills and knowledge; why

is it so important not to forget our roots?

A: I think it is important for any profession to know where it comes from.

This will also allow for better to understand where we should be heading.

The surveying profession has a proud history, and I am very pleased to

see that interest in surveying history has increased. One example of this

is that we have managed to get recognition to surveyors as part of our

cultural heritage, when the Struve Arc was included in the UNESCO list of

World Heritage.

But times are changing and the role of surveyors is changing as well. The

big swing could be named from measurement to management. As men-

tioned above this does not imply that measurement is no longer impor-

tant, but due to technology development, the role of the surveying is

changed towards managing the measurements. The change also means

that surveyors increasingly contribute to building sustainable societies as

experts in managing land and properties where surveyors play a key role

in supporting an efficient land market and also effective land-use man-

agement.

Q: Some years ago FIG has established the FIG Standards

Network as the hub of FIG standardisation activities. Why are

the standards becoming so increasingly important in the work

of surveyors and how successful are surveyors in implementing

them?

A: Surveying has become a global profession, which means that survey-

ing and GNSS instruments and networks need common standards.

Therefore it is natural that FIG is a partner of ISO with regard to develop-

ing and innovation and also distribution of information about the stan-

dards and their importance to our members. We have extended this work

by proposing a standard for the Land Administration Domain Model (LADM)

(Geographic Information ISO 19152) that is now passing the ISO formal

process.

Q: One of the goals of FIG is to connect its activities closer with

the academics, to help them attend the FIG events, to raise the

quality of the FIG conference papers and to create a bigger

audience to the findings of their research. How far are the activ-

ities on realizing the idea of establishing a FIG virtual journal

and which obstacles are there still on its way?

A: We introduced a peer review option for the FIG conferences in 2008.

This model was well received by our members, not only by the academics

but also surveyors from practice. This has increased the level of presenta-

tions in general - not only the peer review papers. At the same time the

model offers academics the opportunity to get the credits that they need

for their academic career. I think that the current balance between profes-

sional and scientific papers is just about right and should guarantee that

FIG is the platform for gathering all surveyors. The issue of the FIG journal

has been postponed for time being as we want to get the concept right

before launching any initiative in this regard.

Q: The current deep economic and financial crisis is changing our

perception of the global society and the paradigms of the future

global development. In your opinion, how deeply and in which

ways will these changes affect the global surveying community?

Latest News? Visit www.geoinformatics.com

Interv iew

7September 2009

FIG organised the first joint conference with the World Bank in Washington in

March 2009: FIG President Stig Enemark, Inga Bjrk-Klevby, Deputy Executive

Director, UN-HABITAT, Mark Crackler, Director, WB ARD, Klaus Deininger, WB

and Paul van der Molen, FIG.

A: FIG is well aware of the problems this eco-

nomic crisis imposes on our members. But we

should also look at the opportunities. Barack

Obama said during his election campaign in the

US: You never want a serious crisis to go to

waste. That means no crisis should be over-

looked with regard to the opportunities it pro-

vides as well. There is no doubt that the cur-

rent financial crisis also affects the surveying

discipline in our member countries throughout

the world. But it also present opportunities for

the surveying profession e.g. in terms of argu-

ing for the need and benefit of having sustain-

able cadastral infrastructures as a backbone for

mortgage and systems for complex property

commodities. Another opportunity is in the

building of public infrastructures that are likely

to be initiated as an incentive to boost the

economy.

Q: Please, describe in the main outlines

the current new activities of the FIG

Commissions and their goals.

A: FIG has ten technical commissions that all

run a highly ambitious agenda. I will mention

only a few new projects started during the last

years. These include the Commission 3 initia-

tive on e-governance and spatial Information

toward managing mega cities; e- learning is a

big effort tin Commission 2; land governance

issues are dominating in Commission7 and 8

with a special emphasis on pro poor land man-

agement tools and new tenure models; and in

the more technical areas of Commission 5 and

6 there are big efforts on global positioning

infrastructures and engineering surveys for con-

struction works. In addition we have increased

our activities in Africa by establishing a special

task force to address the problems in this con-

tinent.

Q: FIG is organising or participating in

many regional and global events. Which

are the highlights of the FIG events this

year and in 2010?

A: This year FIG has three highlight events. The

first was the joint conference with the World

Bank in March on land governance in support

of the MDGs. This was the first event of its kind

and the feedback was overwhelming. The

results will be collected in a report that will be

launched at the FIG regional conference in

Hanoi in October 2009. The second big event

this year was the Working Week in Israel in May

that attracted about 600 participants in Eilat in

May. Despite the economic crisis the event was

highly successful from professional, social and

participation perspectives. The upcoming

Regional Conference in Hanoi will be the third

big event this year. The theme Spatial Data

Serving People: Land Governance and the

Environment is designed to support the survey-

ing profession in South East Asia. As a result

from a long term co-operation, UN-FAO has

decided to organise its regional consultative

meeting on Voluntary Guidelines for responsi-

ble governance of tenure of land and other nat-

ural resources as part of the conference.

The highlight of the current four year period

2007-2010 will of course be the FIG Congress

to be held in Sydney 11-16 April 2010. The

congress is expected to attract more than 2,000

conference participants, and will include a big

commercial exhibition as well as great social

events. The technical programme will offer close

to 100 sessions and workshops with 600 papers

covering all hot issues of the surveying disci-

plines. This is certainly an opportunity not to

be missed.

Q: I definitely havent asked you every-

thing you wanted to say to our readers.

So, please, heres an opportunity for

your closing word.

A: I always felt that the most fascinating fea-

ture about the surveying profession is its mul-

tidisciplinary profile. The combination of techni-

cal, natural and social science areas place the

surveyors in a unique position in society for

contributing to development and innovation

towards social justice, economic growth, and

environmental sustainability.

I would also like to emphasise the importance

of getting involved in international co-operation

- also with professionals that have a different

background to your own. This is imperative in

a globalised world. For the young generation

international networking often offers work

opportunities abroad, but even if you consider

a more local professional career international

collaboration has a lot to offer. Engagement in

voluntary work in an international organisation

like FIG will benefit your professional life and

be socially inspiring as well. So the FIG congress

in Sydney in April 2010 is really an opportunity

of a lifetime.

Joc Triglav [email protected] is editor of

GeoInformatics. For more information, have a look

at www.fig.net and www.fig2010.com.

8

Interv iew

September 2009

The FIG Congress in April 2010 will take place in Sydney.

For more information on ERDAS, please visit www.erdas.com or call +1 877 GO ERDAS.

On-Demand Geoprocessing: From Your Desktop to the Internet

Author your spatial

model in ERDAS

IMAGINE 2010

Catalog and Serve your models

as OGC Web Processing Services

(WPS) in ERDAS APOLLO 2010

Consume and Use your

OGC WPS in the ERDAS

TITAN Client and in other

Web applications.

LIVE DEMO

Come to our booth at INTERGEO

for a live demo.

Developing Standards for 3D Imaging Systems

ASTM E57 International TechnicalCommittee

The 3D imaging industry has grown rapidly despite inconsistencies in terminology among vendors, lack of uniform methods for

testing terrestrial laser scanners, and data exchange challenges. The presence of industry standards can help product vendors

and end users to overcome these challenges and thus further accelerate the successful adoption of this exciting technology. In

this article, Alan M. Aindow, vice chairman of the ASTM International E57 Technical Committee on 3D Imaging Systems,

describes the scope and benefits of this Committee that works on developing industry standards for terrestrial laser scanners.

By Alan M. Aindow

The growth of the 3D imaging industry based upon technologies suchas 3D laser scanning (also known as terrestrial laser scanning and various

other descriptors) has been driven over the past ten years by a variety of

factors. Hardware, software, workflows and support services have steadily

improved. New applications continue to emerge. End-users have become

increasingly aware of the benefits of 3D imaging, word of which has now

spread from person-to-person, project-to-project and across entire organi-

zations. Growth of this technology has been so strong that numerous

observers and opinion leaders have identified it as the next big thing in

surveying technology, much like GPS was in the 1990s.

As the market place has moved forward with this exciting technology,

some prospective adopters have also faced challenges in understand-

ing the technology, as terminology has not been consistent among ven-

dors and users. Likewise, product features included in spec sheets have

varied from vendor to vendor, as have the ways that features are char-

acterized. As a result, prospective adopters can be confused about how

to objectively evaluate and compare commercial product offerings. Users

and clients have also run into challenges in working with and exchang-

ing laser scan data from different vendors. Product vendors also recog-

nize that in the long run the broad adoption of new technology often

benefits from the presence of helpful industry standards.

In response to this wave of new technology and requests from a wide

range of stakeholders, the National Institute of Standards and Technology

(NIST, USA) held a series of meetings beginning in 2003 to initiate the

development of industry standards. Stakeholders included practitioners,

clients of 3D imaging services, manufacturers, government agencies, pro-

fessional societies, trade associations, and academia. Out of these meet-

ings, ASTM was chosen as the standards development organization to

provide the infrastructure to foster the development of ANSI-accredited,

consensus-based industry standards. From these beginnings, the ASTM

International E57 Technical Committee on 3D Imaging Systems was formed

under the chairmanship of Alan Lytle, NIST. I, the author, am currently vice-

chairman of this committee.

E57 Current Scope The initial focus of E57 is on medium range terrestrial 3D imaging sys-

tems with ranges in the order of tens to hundreds of meters or so. Typical

applications include construction and maintenance, surveying, mapping

and terrain characterization, manufacturing, transport, mining, historic

preservation and forensics. Typical technologies include laser scanners

(also known as LADAR or laser radars) and optical range cameras (also

known as flash LADAR or 3D range cameras). Last year, the scope of E57

was extended to include short range systems with ranges in the order of

meters to tens of meters.

Under the general heading of 3D Imaging Systems, E57 remains open to

other applications, characteristic ranges, and technologies.

Committee Structure & OrganizationThere are currently five subcommittees of E57 comprising small groups of

volunteers of dedicated professionals as follows:

10

Art ic le

September 2009

The development of standards for 3D Imaging will help users assess which

laser scanners can meet demanding accuracy requirements, such as the

as-built locations of tie-in clips for glass curtain installation. Image Courtesy:

Mabat 3D Technologies

Currently Chaired by Gerry Choek, NIST Tasked to develop terms common-

ly used in describing 3D imaging systems. Terminology is essential to

reduce confusion and to enable the testing, specification, and fair com-

parison of instruments. The terms are a mix of definitions that are specific

to 3D Imaging and those that have already been defined by other stan-

dards and are relevant to 3D Imaging.

To date, E57.01 had a standard, E2544, approved in 2007. Since then

two ballots a year have been submitted to add additional terms to the

standard. The latest edition E2544-09 has 23 terms in it.

Currently Chaired by Darin Ingimarson, Quantapoint Tasked to develop

standard protocols, i.e. methods and apparatus for testing that will be

used to characterize 3D Imaging System performance.

The current focus is on completion of protocols for separable device char-

acteristics such as range measurement error over distance. Ultimately, sys-

tem performance protocols that represent 3D measurement capabilities

using data from multiple points of view will also be incorporated into the

set of available protocols.

Within this sub-committee a Short Range Task Group has also been initi-

ated headed by Dr. Steven Phillips, NIST.

Current Chair: Ted Knaak, Riegl USA.

Tasked to develop methodology that leads to enhanced project perfor-

mance. The focus is on the application of 3D imaging technology and best

practice guidelines that end users can use to help specify application

requirements and that practitioners can use to specify instrumentation,

quality control processes and procedures, and provide deliverables trace-

able to accepted standards. The intent is to provide a common frame-

work facilitating communication between service providers and their cus-

tomers.

Current Chair: Gene Roe, Lidarnews.com

Tasked to develop and promote standard open data exchange mecha-

nisms for 3D imaging systems. The subcommittees goal is to provide a

data exchange software specification and an open-source implementation

which will enable 3D imaging hardware and software vendors to develop

readers and writers of standard data exchange formats.

Currently, E57.04 is working diligently to finalize their design document.

They are working on the data field definitions, abstract model design, low

level encoding and extensions. The application programming interface

(API) is also being discussed and an outline for the actual specification

has been developed. The goal is to present a draft of the standard, along

with a reference implementation by the end of the year.

It is worth noting that many digital technologies that have standardized

on a data exchange format have accelerated growth and acceptance.

Current Chair: Alan Aindow, Leica Geosystems HDS (Laser Scanning

Products)

Tasked to provide industry feedback and identify ongoing membership

needs. Currently, E57.91 is working on identifying and targeting member-

ship needs, anticipating and resolving any areas of controversy, unblock-

ing negative votes, and help ensuring E57 remains relevant to the indus-

try and open to future trends.

In actuality, the sub-committees depend upon each other with feedback

between Termino logy, Test Methods and Best Practices. Sub-committee

chairs are also co-members of the E57.90 Executive Committee chaired by

Alan Lytle, NIST, for membership, central coordination and direction.

BenefitsThe potential benefits of the standards being developed in these sub-

committees are many including:

o Equipment buyers, service providers and consumers of 3D imaging

data can make more meaningful comparisons and better informed

choices based upon standard tests and common terminology

o 3D imaging data transfer facilitated between software applications and

hardware

o Deliverable quality improved by providing practice guidance

o Clear conditions provided for post purchase warranty

o Competition and technological improvements driven based upon mean-

ingful metrological characteristics

o Barriers to adoption lowered by providing expert information and spec-

ifications

The entire industry can benefit as user understanding, confidence and

acceptance in this important technology continues to grow.

Membership and ParticipationCurrent E57 membership is around 125. Sub-committees generally meet

via weekly or bi-weekly conference calls or web-enabled meetings. Full

committee meetings have been held in each January and June with approx-

imately 40 members attending three days of technical meetings. The next

conference meeting is at the Grand Hyatt, San Antonio, Texas, January 25

27, 2010. I would like to urge those in the industry to be a pro-active

supporter of E57, its mission, and its members who are working hard to

create these standards. If your time permits, new members are very wel-

come. For further details, please see our web site: www.astm.org/COMMIT/

COMMITTEE/E57.htm If you have new 3D imaging scope in mind and have

time to take on organization, do make contact to see how your needs

may be met under the E57 umbrella.

Alan M. Aindow, Vice Chair, E57 Executive Committee, Chair E57 Strategic

Planning and Marketing Committee. He has a Ph.D in laser physics, and joined

the 3D imaging industry in 2001 after a career in astronomy and industrial laser

design and applications. Presently, he is Lidar Scientist for

Leica Geosystems HDS.


Art ic le

11September 2009

(left) Laser scan of building structure. Image Courtesy:

Mabat 3D Technologies

3D Imaging standards development activities that are underway include guide-

lines for creating high-quality deliverables, such as this one for a road survey

done with a laser scanner. Image courtesy: Ground Solutions Inc.

Everybody calls Larry for his RTK System

GPS in the City of Waterloo, Iowa

For many in the know, applying GPS technology, specifically RTK GPS, can be

very beneficial for time savings and improved efficiencies, as well as completing

projects too cumbersome to undertake using older methods. The City

Engineering Department in Waterloo, Iowa, never dreamed that their RTK

system would become a major technological item of dependency for nearly all

facets of the Citys operations and departments.

By Brett Black and Benjamin Sullivan

In 2001, the City of Waterloo decided it wasthe right time to invest in RTK GPS for the

daunting task of locating the Citys over-

whelming number of storm water assets as

part of the NPDES MS-4 permit program.

Larry Crain, the Citys Surveying field techni-

cian, quickly found that his workload became

easier as he began mapping, very systemati-

cally and accurately, the Citys 70,000 storm

and sanitary sewer assets using the then new

Magellan Z-Xtreme RTK system. To make this

long-term job as efficient as possible, the City

chose to install the base receiver on the top

of the city hall building in the same area as

the law enforcement radio system and the

police evidence floor. Atop the city hall build-

ing is a 100-foot radio tower used for the local

emergency management communication sys-

tems, a perfect place to mount the permanent

UHF transmitter antenna connected to the

Pacific Crest PDL base radio. The building is

also very central within the City, which covers

approximately 64 square miles and is com-

prised of approximately 68,000 citizens.

Defying Water and FireLarry began his asset surveying quest by wad-

ing through mountains of paper files and

numerous existing data sources, including

long-time city staff, in order to avoid missing

any of the thousands of storm manholes,

storm drains, culverts, sanitary manholes,

hydrants etc., that the City manages. It did

not take very long before other departments

within the City, as well as Waterloos adjoin-

ing city, the City of Cedar Falls, quickly under-

stood the power and benefits of RTK GPS

technology. Soon Larry and his manager,

Associate Engineer Jamie Knutson, PE, began

receiving inquiries to potentially begin using

their Z-Xtreme system. The Waterloo Water

Works quickly understood the efficient survey-

grade accuracies in X, Y and Z that the

Engineering Department was getting and

requested that their hydrants also be located

by precision GPS. Brian Johnson, from the

Waterloo Water Works, visited saying, In past

years, many water valves and service line curb

stops had been measured off of hydrants.

Having GPS locations for our hydrants saves

a considerable amount of time in building dig-

ital maps, along with improving accuracy.

Mr. Johnson went on to note, We quickly

learned that knowing the elevation of each

hydrant provides a useful reference of static

water pressure in any given neighborhood. It

also proved valuable when the Waterloo

Water Works contracted a consulting firm to

develop a hydraulic model of our distribution

system. The citys Fire Department crews

have been able to use the Water Works

updated and accurate hydrant pressure infor-

mation to make better and more rapid deci-

sions on bringing in the needed resources

according to the size and type of fire they are

facing. The RTK system also has proved valu-

able in new projects for city expansion for the

Water Works. Mr. Johnson commented,

when water mains are laid in open areas

away from public right-of-ways it is sometimes

hard to find permanent points of reference to

measure from. Being able to GPS these fea-

tures and place them in digital maps is a valu-

able asset that saves a considerable amount

[of money] and is also useful for future locat-

ing.

Not long after implementation, in 2003, the

City of Cedar Falls Engineering Department

added its own Z-Xtreme RTK rover for their

City Surveyor, Al Dietz RLS, to begin a similar

asset-mapping project using the City of

Waterloos base station. Several years before,

the local County had established a permanent

network of high-accuracy GPS monuments set

by a local contractor. This network of exist-

ing control monuments enabled both Cities

to accurately reference their projects to a pub-

lished and finely-adjusted static network.

Improving Leisure ServicesFor Larry, more requests began pouring in

fast. In rapid succession various departments

such as the City Police Department, Leisure

14

Art ic le

September 2009

Larry Crain, Waterloo, Iowa, Surveying

Technician collects data with centimeter

accuracy with ProMark 500. On the door

of the house in the background, note

the high water mark from the 2008 dev-

astating spring flood

Services Department, Public Works,

Consolidated Dispatch (E911) along with other

local consulting engineering companies start-

ed using the 24/7 permanent base station. All

were asking for Larrys expertise and equip-

ment for their own projects and needs. For

accident investigation, the City of Waterloo

Police Department has called Larry more than

50 times over the past several years to come

on-site to quickly measure the accident

scenes per the officers needs. Although the

police had their own total station, they knew

that using the RTK rover would free up two

officers time to ask witness questions as well

as focus more on other tasks, knowing Larry

would collect all the required data in a frac-

tion of the time it would take them.

Aside from the typical uses of RTK, the Citys

Leisure Services Department has found that

using RTK helps them as well. Annually, Larry

has used the rover to quickly mark out the

various playing field boundaries. Mark

Gallagher, Sport Manager for Waterloo Leisure

Services, commented, This has made mark-

ing fields easier and far less time-consuming.

We also know that our dimensions will be per-

fect! One of the more interesting recreation-

al site applications for Larry was the Hellman

Field at Cunningham School in the Citys

rougher northeast side. A parcel of land next

to the recently-built school was donated, as

well as time, equipment and materials, by the

City and private individuals. Mr. Gallagher

commented on the new field: This allowed

us to fit a one-of-a-kind, state-of-the-art facil-

ity in very tight quarters, utilizing the exper-

tise of the Department and the technology.

The new baseball field allows nighttime

games to be played as well as providing a

community area for kids and parents to enjoy

together.

2008 Midwest Flood DevastationAside from recreational project uses, most res-

idents will have seen or have etched into their

memory the record-setting floods that devas-

tated most of the Midwest in 2008. Waterloo,

Iowa was among those cities and towns

affected. The normal flow on the Cedar River

that runs essentially northwest to southeast

through the middle of the City is around 6.0

feet, and flood stage is 12.0 feet. Prior to


Art ic le

15September 2009

Larry Crain collects centimeter accurate data at a

manhole point for Waterloo storm water asset

management.

See the world with different eyes.

We turn game plans into goals. Winning solutions from INPHO.

To play in the premier league of photogrammetry, you need just the right system provider. That partner is INPHO, well-known for its first-class systems of exceptional performance level. Our high-quality software and our devoted customer support ensure that your team is outstandingly positioned to hit the mark so that your projects culminate with the winning scores.

GEO-REFERENCING GEO-CAPTURING GEO-MODELLING GEO-IMAGING

www.inpho.de

2008, the top flood levels in

Waterloo for the Cedar River were

21.67 feet in 1965 and 21.86 feet

four years earlier in 1961. But in

2008 the river crested at 25.39

feet, which is approximately 0.5

feet from breeching the top of the

engineered flood walls that pro-

tect much of the Citys downtown

areas. Although catastrophic

damage did not occur as the flood

walls kept most of the waters con-

tained, city-wide flooding occurred

through storm sewer water back-

ups etc. When the Citys Waste

Management Services Department

needed to determine when it was

safe to open storm sewer outfall

gates to allow flood waters to

drain back into the river, Larry

and his RTK rover were called out

to help. According to City staff, We had one

creek in particular that had the outfall gate

shut off to the river. With all of the heavy

rains, the creek flowed over its banks and

flooded approximately 40 city blocks. We

used our GPS equipment to determine the

exact elevation difference between the river

on one side of the levee and the creek on the

other. By looking at the elevation difference,

we were able to determine the appropriate

time to open the outfall and start draining the

creek into the river.

Saving TimeThe City Engineering Department quickly

became the citys GIS data repository and has

turned to AutoCAD Map 3D and Microsoft

Access for the needed solutions in data man-

agement, usage and sharing with other

groups, as well as for helping to better deter-

mine future engineering needs. Although this

has made strenuous demands on the

Engineering Departments resources, it is also

beneficial. Having primarily one group collect

the data at a very high level of accuracy and

by a trained survey technician with many

years of experience, the data meets a high

level of quality control and accuracy. This is

sometimes not found in other cities where

multiple people collect the data using differ-

ent procedures and collectively warehouse it

for the masses to use, not knowing the equip-

ment or methodology of its origins. Jamie

Knutson, one of the Citys Civil Engineers,

recalled a locate job that Larry performed.

The Citys Waste Management Services

Department was looking for buried sanitary

sewer manholes. The buried manholes are

on a sewer line that carries waste from a tan-

nery and a meat packing plant. The manholes

are located in a farm field, paralleling a rail-

road track. During the middle of winter, with

snow on the ground, it is not the easiest thing

to locate. But Larry was able to type in the

coordinates of the manholes and walk to their

locations. The Waste Management Services

supervisor, Gary Luck Jr., ran his probe into

the ground and hit the middle of the lid on

the manhole. All in all, Larry located six dif-

ferent manholes for Waste Management

Services, saving a large amount of time in the

process.

The New Iowa D.O.T. Real-timeNetworkLooking forward, the City of Waterloo planned

on upgrading its well-used but aging Z-Xtreme

Rover to make use of new advancements in

GNSS technology as well as prepare itself to

be part of the new Iowa D.O.T. Real-time

Network (RTN). This new RTN is one of the

largest state-owned RTNs in the country, com-

prised of approximately 84 Leica base sta-

tions and managed by Leica Geosystems. In

July 2008, in advanced preparation for using

the new Iowa RTN which was launched in

February 2009, the City purchased a new

Magellan ProMark 500 GNSS Rover with

MobileMapper CX FAST field controller. The

City worked with The Sidwell Company, St

Charles, IL, for their new equipment and

updated training on using the rovers integrat-

ed GSM modem as well as programming the

system for backwards compatibility with the

Citys current Z-Xtreme UHF base station sys-

tem. The UHF base station at City Hall is still

in use with the new rover, but when the Iowa

RTN is fully deployed, this will open the way

for using a network solution and expanding

the Citys usage of RTK equipment outside the

normal constraints and limitations of a UHF

radio system. As well, the RTN will be broad-

casting both GPS and

GLONASS corrections which

the new rover will make use of,

enabling the Citys crews to

obtain even more RTK mea-

surements in places too diffi-

cult for GPS-only systems.

The new RTN rover system has

been quickly employed by

other departments as the City

Traffic Operations Department

approached the Engineering

Department with the need for

mapping the Citys 70,000 traf-

fic signs and signals to meet

GASB-34. Meanwhile, Leisure

Services found that the new

rover controller system,

MobileMapper CX, is a stand-

alone submeter GPS unit

which they can use for mapping the Citys

urban forests of trees needed for inventory

that are inside the Citys ROW and parks.

Originally considered insurmountable tasks,

the City has been mapping its countless num-

bers of existing and new assets while operat-

ing within a very rigid budget. The Citys ROI

on their original RTK GPS investment in 2001

was realized early in 2003, and the time and

cost savings for a City of 68,000 has been

great.

Brett Black, GPS Solutions Manager

at The Sidwell Company.

Benjamin Sullivan, Regional Sales Manager at

Magellan Professional. For more information,

have a look at www.promagellangps.com/en.

Many thanks to Robert Wick for providing

imagery and text.

16

Art ic le

September 2009

Using only the MobileMapper CX with internal antenna, Larry Crain navigates with

sub-meter accuracy to a point for additional data collection.

2009 Microsoft Corp. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Vexcel Imaging GmbH, UltraCamXp, and UltraCamL are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

Serious tools for serious mapping.

Introducing the latest UltraCam large format digital aerial mapping camera the

UltraCamXp Wide Angle. Leveraging the UltraCamXp camera concept and image quality,

the UltraCamXp Wide Angle features a new proprietary, wide angle lens system and is

available as an alternative to the UltraCamXp to provide small-scale mapping capabilities

WRRUJDQL]DWLRQVZLWKORZHU\LQJDLUSODQHV

To learn about the pricing and trade-in/refurbishment program for UltraCamD, UltraCamX,

and UltraCamXp models, contact us at [email protected].

Discover more about the UltraCamXp Wide Angle at microsoft.com/ultracam/wideangle/gif

6DPH8OWUD&DP;SJURXQGVDPSOHGLVWDQFH*6'DWORZHULJKWDOWLWXGHV >PP3$1PP5*%DQG1,5IRFDOOHQJWKLVPPPPIRU8&;S >3L[HOVL]HRQWKHJURXQG*6'DW\LQJKHLJKWRIPDWPLVFPFP >)XOO\VXSSRUWHGE\8OWUD0DSZRUNRZVRIWZDUHV\VWHPLQFOXGLQJ8OWUD0DS$7RSWLRQ >

Now you can have UltraCam performance

at any altitude!

7KH8OWUD&DP;S:LGH$QJOHPRGHO 6PDOOVFDOHPDSSLQJZLWKDODUJHIRUPDWFDPHUD

18

Review

September 2009

Choosing a GNSS receiver is not an easy job. Depending on the type of survey and the circumstances in

which the survey has to take place, a potential user will select a certain brand and type of GNSS receiver.

Lots of specifications can be compared, but how easy is it for practical use? To gain more insight into the

day-to-day use of a GNSS receiver, GeoInformatics has asked Lon van der Poel, a surveyor and educator

in the Netherlands, to test this unit. The instrument was provided by the Dutch distributor.

By Lon van der Poel

instrument has been tested on:1. delivery and instructions for use

2. overall impression of the instrument

3. user friendliness

4. stake out routine

5. data collection

6. additional functions

Testing MethodWe chose to do a user test, which means that

standard deviations and so on were not con-

sidered.

The configuration as supplied was as follows:

Instrument: GRS-1

Ext Antenna: PGA-1

Software: TopSURV 7.2.3

Topcon Link 7.2.3

Delivery and InstructionsThe instrument was delivered as a complete

working set. All fit into a small rugged case. The

user manual was not in the case, but in a spe-

cial binder, together with the GRS-1 leaflet and

quick reference guides.

Instruction was given indoors and outside by

the Dutch support person and the European

support manager Topcon survey products.

InstrumentHow do you fit a full working GNSS system into

a small case? The antenna and receiver unit is

not difficult, but the pole normally is. But this

pole also fit into the case. Taking out the pole

reminded me of setting up the tent the week

before. The pole consists of six parts held

together by an elastic. Screwing the six parts

together gives you a two meter pole Because

the diameter of the pole is a bit smaller than

that of a normal pole, a small ring, which has

the same outside diameter as a normal pole,

is on the pole. Here you have to pay attention

because this ring can slide down the pole and,

before you know it, it is gone.

Charger and communication cables are all in

GLONASS on L1. This looks like a data col-

lector, but has everything already built in.

The same as the previous solution, but with

EGNOS correction to improve the accuracy.

A GIS unit with correction DGPS signal from

a local correction supplier via NTRIP. This is

the first solution which clearly comes within

the accuracy of a meter. Here you can also

consider attaching to an external antenna.

These first three solutions all work with the

GIS module of TopSURV.

A handheld RTK receiver with the GPS+ mod-

ule of TopSURV using GPS and GLONASS on

L1. It initializes using the internal antenna

on L1 only. Accuracy with NTRIP correction

can be to centimeter level, but in practice

this is difficult to reach because you cannot

easily hold the antenna of the data collec-

tor exactly above a point.

An RTK solution with the GPS+ module of

TopSURV which also brings you centimeter

accuracy, via NTRIP correction from a local

supplier. In this case of course you want to

use the external PG-A1 (GPS& GLONASS

L1+L2) antenna. This fourth option is basi-

cally the same as the rover I normally use,

but now all the technology is in the data

collector, while in my own set almost all the

technology is in the GPS receiver which is

at the top of the pole. So this solution is a

lot better from the weight and location of

weight point of view, because now there is

not so much weight at the top end of the

pole. In fact, the GRS-1 solution is the same

as an RTK backpack solution without the

backpack, since everything which used to

be in the backpack is now in the GRS-1.

the case.

The charger can charge two batteries at the

same time. Only one Li-Ion battery is needed

for this system, which is supplied with two bat-

teries. During the test one battery lasted almost

five hours with GPS and modem (NTRIP) in use

most of the time.

The unit has a color display which is very clear

indoors, but outside you need to make sure

that the light hits the display at the right angle.

Data can be stored on the instruments internal

memory or on an additional SD card. When I

wanted to transfer the data from the unit to

the computer I had a USB stick in my hand,

but this unit does not offer this option. So

it is either the SD card or a USB cable.

Only two buttons are on the unit, apart

from the power button, the ESC and the

ENT key. I did not manage to switch

between applications, which is strange for a

Windows Mobile operated system. By pressing

the ESC key a bit longer you can activate the

Start button to launch another program. So, you

can run more than one application at a time,

but switching with Alt Esc is no longer possi-

ble.

Understanding the setup of a GRS-1 was diffi-

cult for me in the beginning due to the num-

ber of options available.

Below is an overview of the different setups I

could make with the instrument supplied to me:

Data collector for controlling other hardware.

A handheld GIS receiver with GPS and


Review

19September 2009

Figure 1: The complete RTK set fits in a small box

Fig. 2 [a].

[b]

[c]

[d]

Figure 2 The build-in camera, with on the left side the macro switch. example of a macro picture of a fly.

example of picture. example of picture

If used together with its own base, an addi-

tional radio can be attached to the pole (see

picture). But since an additional base was not

supplied this solution was not tested.

The unit has a modem, Bluetooth and WLAN

built in, so everything can be wireless. In the

supplied set the external antenna had to be

connected via cable.

Stake OutIt is easy to load 500 points for a stakeout job

and the actual stake out, or navigate as it is

called in the GIS module, is very intuitive.

The only strange thing is when you have select-

ed the option to show the arrow where you

need to go relative to the moving direction,

sometimes the directional arrow does not seem

to be updated. The arrow points to the left so

you start moving to the left. The arrow still

shows to the left so you keep moving to the

left, which means that you are walking around

in circles and never get to the point you want

to stake out. Therefore I wanted to test the

arrow relative to the north direction. The unit

has a built-in compass, so this is very useful

when you are using only the unit and no addi-

tional pole, which already has a compass. The

problem is that the compass cannot be accessed

from within TopSURV. So a new application has

to be started, the compass application, and

when you know the direction you can close the

application and automatically continue in the

TopSURV software. There should be an easier

way to do this. (Manufacturers remark: A built-

in compass will be available in TopSURV later

on. It is already on the new feature list.)

September 2009

Review

Figure 3 RTK set with

connection via radio to

your own base.

Figure 4: External antenna connection Figure 5: Connecting pins for the external radio.

In case you are not using the external radio, this

part is covered.

20

User Friendliness of Data CollectionThe software is easy to use. Connections to the

internet are made automatically and also the

connection to the mount point is made auto-

matically. This is a big improvement over my

own set where I first need to make a connec-

tion to the internet on my phone, than make a

connection to my phone, and then connect to

the correction data supplier.

During the automatic connection the software

twice shows the message cannot connect to

network, but if you just wait it always makes

the connection.

Once you understand the coding system it can

easily be used to create the map in the field,

including different colors, symbols and line

types. If a new code is entered, the software

automatically asks if it is a point or line or area,

which color, which symbol and line type are to

be used, and in which layer it should be stored.

For GIS data collection the software has the

option to add features to each point: if a pull-

down menu with predefined names has to be

shown, or if the value which has to be entered

is a real or an integer, if it has a maximum and

a minimum value etc. When the code is tree,

the pull-down menu can show predefined

species, another input field can be the height

of the tree, which has to be between 2 and 99

meters, while a tree below 2 meters is not a

tree. Another input field can be the health of

the tree etc. This is all user definable. You can

also attach one or more pictures to a collected

point.

Camera, Google Maps and Compass(Additional Function):The unit has a built-in two megapixel camera.

After playing with the brightness and contrast,

the quality is sufficient to show clearly the

object and the state of the object (sample pic-

ture). The chosen resolution can be between

160 x 120 and 1600 x 1200 pixels. The size of

the biggest picture is around 300 kb so I always

used the biggest size. This saved a few clicks

to change the resolution, but you still need a

lot of clicks. In order to add a picture to a point

you want to survey, you need eight clicks. It

takes more than 10 seconds to start up the

Topcon also supplied the free software, Topcon

Link. After installing the software it was just a

matter of selecting the job you want to down-

load. All the pictures were also automatically

downloaded. Clicking on a point in the map

shows not only the coordinates, codes and

DOPs but also the picture(s) of the point if avail-

able. Pictures can be a strong feature in coding

in cases where the situation is complex.

SummarySeveral configurations, like configurations for

NTRIP and EGNOS, were already preloaded,

which made it easy to get started.

Nowadays it is becoming more common to

measure directly in the map. The software gives

you the capacity to do so. Lines can be sur-

veyed in different colors and symbols can be

assigned to points, so a proper map can be

made in the field. In the case of two points very

close together you can zoom in up to the mil-

limeter level.

Reaction of the ManufacturerThis article makes clear that the GRS-1 is a

new concept. It brings GIS and RTK GNSS

together. You can upgrade your GIS GRS-1 to

become a full GPS+GLONASS RTK system.

Both of these positioning areas can be

reached by this product, therefore it is unique.

Lon van der Poel [email protected] is a professional

surveyor and educator. This article represents his

own opinion. For more information, have a look at

www.topcon.eu. Many thanks to Topcon for

providing the reviewed instrument.

camera. So, you are not tempted to take loads

of pictures. Storing the picture takes hardly any

time. With the help of the macro option you

can take pictures from very close range (see the

picture of the fly).

Google Maps is also available on the GRS-1.

When I heard this the first time, I hoped that it

would be possible to measure points and/or

lines inside Google Maps, but the Google Maps

application is basically the same as on your

computer. It can be useful in some cases

because the combination with GNSS makes it

possible to immediately get the map of the area

where you are at that moment.

The unit has an integrated compass, already dis-

cussed above in connection with the stakeout.

SoftwareSeveral configurations, like configurations for

NTRIP and EGNOS, were already preloaded,

which made it easy to get started.

Nowadays it is becoming more common to

measure directly in the map. The software gives

you the capacity to do so. Lines can be sur-

veyed in different colors and symbols can be

assigned to points, so a proper map can be

made in the field. In the case of two points very

close together you can zoom in up to the mil-

limeter level.

I rarely use the Help in any software but since

this instrument is new to me and I could not

immediately find what I was looking for, I just

gave it a try. File not loaded was the reply

of the instrument.

During the test the software crashed. It was not

clear if this was caused by the application soft-

ware or the OS, but immediately after a soft

reset everything worked again and no data or

settings were lost.


Review

21September 2009

Figure 6: All interface options (SD card, USB B

mini, serial and charger connector)

Figure 7: Screen Dump

Figure 8: Easy to switch the battery. No screwdriver

or anything needed.

Interface Control

GNSS UpdateAccording to Andrew Sage, director of UK-based consulting firm Helios,

the winner among Galileo, Glonass and Compass will not be the one getting

the satellites into orbit but the one that publishes a firm and

manufacturerfriendly interface control document.

By Huibert-Jan Lekkerkerk

Such a document would enable manufactur-ers to build receivers that would be able to use

the new systems as soon as they become oper-

ational, without any software or hardware

upgrades.

In the meantime, there is a good chance that

GPS will not perform as well in the near future

as weve become used to. All the more reason

to stock up on GNSS receivers that will work

with multiple systems.

GPS L5The 19 (out of 30) GPS Block IIR and IIR-M fleet

of satellites that were launched from 1997

onwards have reached 100 years of successful

on-orbit operations with a reliability record of

better than 99.9%.

The seventh IIR-M satellite with an L5 demon-

stration payload was launched on March 24 and

set active on April 10. The main reason for

launching the demonstration payload was

securing the L5 frequency through broadcast-

ing (1176.45 MHz) with the International

Telecommunications Union (ITU) before the

deadline of August 26, 2009.

In contrast with the GPS Interface Control

Document, the satellite is not broadcasting the

full signal but is only used as a placeholder

until the oncoming Block IIF and III supposedly

start transmitting the full signals.

Within three weeks of the signal becoming

available, Javad, Topcon and Septentrio report-

ed that their receivers tracked the signal. Initial

results indicate that the signal has favorable

multipath and noise characteristics although it

was also reported that there are still some

issues to be resolved. One problem reported

so far was that the measurements on L1 and

L2 for the new satellite were off at low eleva-

tions.

GPS Brownouts in the Future?A report from the US Government Accountability

Office (GAO) indicated that the GPS constella-

tion was susceptible to falling below opera-

tional capability (i.e. fewer than 24 satellites)

between 2010 and 2018. For the last few years

the number of available satellites has been

between 30 and 32, the optimum number for

any GNSS system as is shown by the design of

both Galileo and Compass.

Two principal causes are cited for the risk of

the GPS constellation falling.

The first is that the replacement generation of

Block IIF satellites has been greatly delayed as

a result of contractual problems as well as some

changes in the design to modernize them. The

satellite has been on contract since 1996 and

is not expected to be launched until 2010.

The second cause is delays (now solved) in

decision-making and budgeting for the next

generation Block IIIA GPS satellites.

22

Art ic le

September 2009

30-meter antenna at the

German Space Operations

Center (GSOC) in Weilheim

where the L5 signal was ana-

lyzed. (Source: www.dlr.de)

Probability of Maintaining a Constellation of at Least 24 GPS Satellites Based on Reliability Data and Launch

Schedule as of March 2009 (Source: www.gao.gov)

Four potential recommendations have been

made to prevent brownouts:

1 Reactivate retired GPS satellites that are still

operating

2 Speed up GPS IIIA development

3 Develop a simplified GPS IIIA design in

parallel that can be built and launched

quickly

4 Extend the GPS IIF production line.

Specialists warn against this option as the

IIF design is rather old and not well suited

to modern needs. An example is the lack of

both the Military (M) signal as well as the

L1C signal on the Block IIF satellites

GlonassThe future for Glonass seems bright, at least in

Russia. At the moment of writing, the Glonass

constellation consists of 18 active satellites (and

2 in maintenance). The deputy head of the

Glonass Mission Control Center, Sergey

Revnivykh, said that Russia plans to launch

three more Glonass-M satellites in September

and another three in December this year.

The complete constellation of 24 is expected

to be achieved by the end of 2010 allowing for

the breakdown of a number of satellites over

the coming period.

For 2010 a test flight with the new Glonass-K

satellite is planned. This satellite will have the

new L3 signal that is compatible with the GPS

and Galileo signals, employing CDMA rather

than FDMA modulation technique. The new sig-

nal would supposedly give Glonass a perfor-

mance that is comparable with GPS and Galileo

by 2011.

Russia plans to speed up the use of Glonass

over GPS in its own country by an alleged rais-

ing of GPS end product import duties to Russia

to at least 25% while also submitting a pro-

posal for reducing the import duties on Glonass

electronic components to zero.

GalileoNot much new on the technical side for Galileo,

but more so on the organizational side. Norway,

which is not an EU member, has decided to par-

ticipate in the Galileo project at a cost of

approximately 63 million euros over the next

five years.

Norway was involved in the early design phase

of Galileo as well, resulting in the current orbits

among other things. Originally the design called

for a combination with geostationary orbits, but

after testing in Norway this was found undesir-

able for higher latitudes.

ELoranThe report from the US Independent Assesment

Team (IAT) on eLoran has unanimously recom-

mended that the eLoran upgrade be complet-

ed and that eLoran should be the national back-

up to GPS for 20 years. In the meanwhile it is

proposed to keep on maintaining the current

Loran-C network.

Huibert-Jan

Lekkerkerk [email protected] is

project manager at IDsW and a freelance writer

and trainer. This article reflects his personal

opinion.

CompassOn April 15 China launched a second Beidou /

Compass G2 satellite to a geostationary orbit.

The satellite became operational on April 20.

The first second-generation satellite was

launched into medium orbit in April 2007. China

claims that it may add up to 10 more satellites

by the end of 2010 and plans to put up the full

30-satellite constellation by the end of 2015.

The open Compass service is supposed to be

able to provide positioning accuracy of up to

10 meters.

The interoperability of Compass with other

GNSS such as GPS, Galileo and Glonass remains

an open question although officials still offer

assurance that interoperability is a key element

of Compass. In particular, the conflict with

Galileo is still at an impasse. Furthermore, no

Compass Interface Control Document has been

published so far by the Chinese authorities,

making it difficult for hardware manufacturers

to start chip design.

QZSSThe Japanese QZSS Wide Area Augmentation

System is now in the building phase with the

first of the three satellites being assembled. The

launch of the first satellite is projected for the

summer of 2010 followed by a three-month test

period. After the test period the Japanese gov-

ernment will decide on the launch of the other

two satellites. The QZSS satellites are unique in

that they do not orbit the earth as GPS, Galileo

and Glonass do. Neither are they in a geosta-

tionary orbit. Rather, they make figure of eight

patterns around the equator over Japan.

In contrast to Compass, there is an interface doc-

ument for QZSS making it possible for manu-

facturers to start building hardware and soft-

ware upgrades so that users can begin using

the augmentation signals when they become

available.


Art ic le

23September 2009

QZSS pattern (Source: www.jaxa.jp)

s

Seeking a Global Path

Global market factors are forcing a revolution in the way professionalsshare and use information throughout the lifecycles of buildings and capi-

tal projects such as airports, roads and subways. Building Information

Models (BIM) are a critical element in this information sharing revolution.

A BIM is a digital representation of physical and functional characteristics

of a building or other facility. A BIM can represent viewpoints, graphically

and in text and table form, of a building from the perspective of any prac-

titioner involved with the building. A BIM serves as an evolving and wide-

ly shared resource or ideally, a network-connected collection of resources

for information about a facility, from the facilitys earliest planning stages

to demolition and historical records.

Market FactorsPlayers in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry

as well as building owners, brokers, component vendors, operators, insur-

ers, inspectors, tenants, finance companies, fire departments and other

stakeholders want to be able to provide information to other stakehold-

ers or use information created by other stakeholders. They want to see,

test and modify buildings in collaborative planning sessions while the

buildings are being designed, and they want to know as much as possi-

ble about risks, liabilities, costs, options and opportunities before they

commit to designs and contracts. Some want the encoded descriptions of

their offerings or requirements to be as discoverable and usable as possi-

ble. Others want to take full advantage of smart building sensor/actuator

systems and smart grid energy generation and storage components and

utility energy management programs.

Competition is a key driver in many of the professions that work with

buildings. AEC businesses, which often work in teams, need the best IT

resources to outperform the competition in completing projects and still

remain within budget and on schedule. Advanced telecommunications

enables professional services companies in countries like India to com-

pete for contracts for projects in the US and Europe. And especially dur-

ing a recession, competing investors, buyers, brokers and others are

demanding more information to inform their decision-making processes.

Energy is increasingly important. Approximately 40% of energy in devel-

oped nations is consumed in buildings. In addition, construction of man-

made structures consumes 75% of the raw materials extracted from the

Earth. Thus, stakeholders are wisely factoring in energy costs that will

rise due to governments climate risk management efforts, resource con-

straints, world economic growth and other factors. And they are factoring

in the fact that rising energy prices raise the costs of building materials.

Also, many stakeholders are increasingly concerned, for marketing or altru-

istic reasons, about materials carbon footprints, local origin, toxicity and

other sustainability factors. As energy costs rise, products such as solar

panels, meters, sensors and controllers are becoming more practical. All

these factors underscore that energy analysis is becoming an imperative.

The smarter and more fine-tuned our buildings become and the more we

integrate them into community energy schemes, the more opportunity

there is to take advantage of BIM for such post-construction activities

such as operations analysis and coordination with the inputs and outputs

of other facilities.

Stakeholders are becoming more sophisticated about the wide range of

complex issues that enter into decisions. BIM supports simulation and

modeling tools that help professionals manage complexity and communi-

cate the reasons for their decisions.

BIM Software = BIM 1.0For a decade or more, IT vendors serving the AEC market have been aware

of BIM as a user need and market opportunity. The vendors have pro-

gressively converged capabilities like geographic information systems

(GIS), computer-aided design (CAD), project management, cost estimating,

specification, energy analysis, structural engineering and 3D visualization

to deliver within the confines of their product families many useful

BIM capabilities. Sometimes they have provided a degree of interoperabil-

ity by offering ways for their BIM software to share some data, for exam-

ple, with the database, spreadsheet, and text document software offered

by major platform vendors, or with third party product vendors who are

licensed to use the BIM software vendors proprietary APIs or file formats.

But, because of proprietary APIs and file formats, full design models from

the different AEC software vendors seldom interoperate, and thus their

BIM solutions frustrate users who need to share information with other

stakeholders who are using software from other vendors.

To solve this problem, experts from around the world collaborated to

define and develop a framework for data exchange based on an open

24

Art ic le

September 2009

Global market factors are forcing a revolution in the way

professionals share and use information throughout the

lifecycles of buildings and capital projects such as

airports, roads and subways. Building Information Models

(BIM) are a critical element in this information sharing

revolution. This article provides an overview of the current

state of BIM standards and what they will, hopefully,

through international collaboration, become in a

Web-connected world.

By Raj Singh

Figure 1: A building information model (BIM) provides a way for a wide range of

professionals to publish, discover, access, fuse, update and revise data about a

building or capital project. (Figure adapted from buildingSMART alliance)

BIM Standards Efforts

exchange format, the Industry Foundation Classes (or IFCs). buildingSMART

International (formerly International Alliance for Interoperability, or IAI) is

the organization chartered to develop and promote the use of IFCs and

related standards. IFCs have gained ISO recognition, and now most BIM

software vendors provide programs that convert their proprietary file for-

mats to IFC-compliant data files that can be imported, with varying degrees

of difficulty, into other vendors BIM software products.

BIM Software + IFCs + Open Web-based Standards = BIM 2.0The limitation of the current file-based IFC approach is that it is oriented

towards multi-function, monolithic, and typically expensive BIM software

products. This runs counter to the computing mainstream, which is head-

ed inexorably in the direction of small, cheap, special-purpose software

components that process limited subsets of larger databases, working via

loosely coupled Web services, or as David Weinberger calls it, small

pieces loosely joined.. Computing is undergoing a paradigm shift. The

old paradigm is file-based computing and the new paradigm is Web ser-

vice-based computing. Long-time readers of Geoinformatics are familiar

with this paradigm shift, because it has already occurred in geospatial

technology, as shown in Figure 2.

In the old paradigm, we obtain (usually large) data files and load them in

their entirety into our standalone software systems, perhaps after batch

conversion from one format to another. In the new paradigm, our client

software components send instructions to (usually) remote Web servers

(data servers or processing servers) that return to us the results of the

invoked services. In the old paradigm, we use the Internet (or LAN or

physically transported storage media) to obtain a large and complete data

file from which we then painstakingly extract the data we need. In the

new paradigm, we reach across the Web to get just the information we

request. For example, Earth browsers enable anyone with a Web browser

to reach into huge spatial databases to get one particular result typical-

ly a local map view without downloading the whole multi-nation

database. The user gets an answer, not a file; information, not data. It

happens quickly and it does not require special expertise.

Service chaining, one of the key reasons the new paradigm can deliver

such benefits, involves Web services that invoke other Web services.

In the old paradigm, software programs invoke subroutines to provide

particular kinds of processing on the local host. Interfaces are important:

The subroutines must be called in a specific way, provide certain kinds of

data in a list of parameters, and return certain kinds of data in a list of

parameters. For half a century, subroutines have been invoking other sub-

routines.

In the new paradigm (only in the last decade), a software program that is

a Web client (such as a Javascript app running in a Web browser) calls a

Web service thats available at a particular URL, somewhere on the Web.

Interfaces are important here, too: The Web-based query must be done in

a specific way, and the Web service must be provided with certain data in

an ordered list of parameters. The invoked Web service might call another

Web service, just as one subroutine can call another, except that, if the

interfaces are open, the Web services do not all have to be provided by

the same software vendor as was the case in the old paradigm.

Open interfaces make full use of the Webs potential, which derives from

loosely coupled inter-process communication. That is, any client that

implements an open interface can interact with any server that imple-

ments the same interface, just like the millions of HTTP clients and servers

that communicate over IP networks. This openness unleashes the power

of network effects.

Consider, for example, the implications for BIM of Metcalfs Law

(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metcalfe's_law), the basis for many network effects,

which states, The value of a node on a communications network is pro-

portional (by some exponent) to the number of potential users of that

node in the network or the total number of nodes. By this law, one tele-

phone in the world has no value. Two telephones have value. And one

telephone added to a network of 100 telephones has far more value for

the user than one telephone added to a network of 2 telephones. Similarly,

a floor plan has far more value if it can be immediately discovered and

used by all the designers, engineers, estimators, modelers, subcontrac-

tors, owners and building operators who touch the building information

model throughout the lifetime of the building.

BIMs Progress Toward Web ServicesThe buildingSMART alliance (www.buildingsmartalliance.org), in which

Canada is a participant, is one of the regional councils of buildingSMART

International. It is also a council of the US National Institute of Building

Sciences, and it is responsible for the US National CAD Standard and the

National Building Information Modeling Standard (NBIMS). Early in 2009,

the OGC and the buildingSMART alliance announced the completion of

their AECOO-1 (Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Owner

and Operator) Phase 1 Testbed.

The AECOO-1 Testbed was 9-month international effort in which

participants cooperated in solving a discrete set of AECOO com-

munity problems defined by the sponsors. The Testbed also

facilitated cooperation among AECOO standards bodies to

achieve results no group could achieve alone. AECOO-1 focused

on two important aspects of building design and construction:

1) building performance and energy analysis and 2) quantity

take-offs.

In all world regions, both national and international standards

need to be taken into account by industry. The AECOO-1 Testbed

activity documented -- in Information Delivery Manuals (IDMs) -

- requirements for quantity takeoffs and energy analysis needs,

and used these to define Model View Definitions (MVDs) - spe-

cific subsets of IFCs -- which are needed to integrate require-

ments into software used during business workflows. IDMs,

MVDs and IFCs are information constructs in the US National

BIM Standard or NBIMS process, and they are also

buildingSMART International standards. These topics were

explored within the framework of the American Institute of

Architects (AIA) Integrated Delivery Process and addressed inter-

operability involving intelligent building models with 3D geo-


Art ic le

25September 2009

Figure 2: BIM standards are at approximately the level of maturation of geospatial standards

in 1998 when the OGCs first Web Mapping Testbed began. For both geospatial technology

and BIM, standards development is difficult because of the domains market realities and

technical complexity. (Figure OGC)

metric capabilities. The Testbed showed data exchange between various

building information model software applications and EnergyPlus energy

analysis software, and creation of alternative quantity take off and cost

estimates for a moderately complex building where the scenario involves

evaluating a number of different energy conservation approaches that may

improve energy performance and life cycle cost. Though this data exchange

involved file-based operations, the testbed took a step in the direction of

future development of open international standards for Web service based

BIM interfaces.

Other efforts are under way. A current European Commission funded

research project, the Open Information Environment for Knowledge-Based

Collaborative Processes throughout the Lifecycle of a Building (InPro) pro-

gram, involves five large European construction contractors, other stake-

holders of the construction and IT industries, plus research organisations

and consultants. The InPro website states, "Advanced design, communi-

cation and simulation tools give us an opportunity to change the way we

work in the industry, including open collaboration between stakeholders,

design for increased energy efficiency, flexibility, constructability, comfort,

etc." InPro is working from a model of open Web services. [www.inpro-

project.eu/docs/InPro_D6_SpecificationsForAnOpenICTPlatform.pdf]

Also, though it was not a part of the AECOO-1 Testbed activity, the OGCs

CityGML standard (http://www.opengeospatial.org/standards/citygml), origi-

nally developed by the German North Rhine Westphalia Sig3D organiza-

tion and in official use in several cities and regions in Europe, provides

Web-based sharing of urban models, design drawings and other data and

services. CityGML provides the means for applications to manage multiple

levels of detail, and it will almost certainly play a role in the evolution of

BIM, because it performs well and it is entirely based on open Web ser-

vice standards. Advancing CityGML is one goal of the OGC 3D Information

Management (3DIM) Working Group. The 3DIM Working Group focuses on

the convergence of CAD (computer-aided design), AEC, geospatial, 3D visu-

alization, and urban simulation to serve

stakeholders engaged in all types of activi-

ties related to the built environment. Each

of the buildingSMART International chapters

and regional alliances, listed on the

buildingSMART web page in Figure 3 above,

brings together architects, engineers, con-

structors, product manufacturers and facili-

ties managers, along with software vendors

and progressive construction customers.

They all work toward the common objective

of developing interoperability within the

building sector through the dissemination

of the IFC standards. In order to enable the

international organisation and its regional

alliances and chapters to a

geoinformatics 2009 vol06

Documents

p p i n g g

s p r o f e s s i o

data needs

shared optimism

data storage capacities

van haaften

intergeo lastyear

gis industry