Critical Aspects of Modern Surveying System

Abstract

Managers of surveying organizations concerned about speed and return from investing in a modern electronic surveying systems should consider advantages such as greater accuracy, time savings, higher productivity, improved morale, satisfied clients, and a more favorable bottom line in selecting a system. Thorough analysis is required of the job the system is to do. The pattern of data flow must be analyzed to determine the relative sophistication of components, the order of components in the system, and whether data flow should be bidirectional. Attention must be paid to the flexibility of the design, the compatibility of components, and vendor support. The writer reviews hardware and software design considerations as well as major sources of trouble in total surveying systems: communications, hardware, data format incompatibility, and data translation problems. Well‐designed surveying systems mean economic benefits due to enhanced efficiency from limiting overhead, reducing personnel and equipment costs, and speeding up delivery to clients. Studies cited demonstrate a 40% improvement in time in one; almost $5,000 per month in time in another. A third study cited shows that software can interpret and plot topographic data in 1/37 of the time required to do the same manually.