Recently added articles from Point of Beginning:
Releasing your inner entrepreneur.(editor'spoints)
Mar 01, 2009; ... One of the things I like the most about my job as a writer and editor is the opportunity to talk to people-a lot of different people. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In the course of my career, I've interviewed chief executive officers of multimillion-dollar corporations, ...
Victor O. Schinnerer & Co. launches small-account policy.(newsline)(Brief article)
Mar 01, 2009 ... Victor O. Schinnerer & Co. Inc. initiated a three-year professional liability policy for small specialty construction, environmental consultant and design firm accounts. "Our multiyear small-account policy is perfect for land surveyors, many of whom may qualify for the three-year policy," ...
GITA releases second CIP-ER white paper.(newsline)
Mar 01, 2009 ... The Geospatial Information & Technology Association (GITA) released "Spatial Infrastructures," the second paper of its Geospatial Dimensions of Critical Infrastructure Protection and Emergency Response (CIP-ER) white paper series. "GITA members recognize that 'everything is somewhere' and ...
GSA updates 3D imaging guide.(newsline)
Mar 01, 2009 ... The U.S. General Services Administration released the "BIM Guide for 3D Imaging Version 1.0" in February to assist project teams with tasks from bidding for 3D imaging contracts to ensuring quality in final deliverables. The document provides guidelines for solicitation of 3D imaging ...
California appeals court rejects County's sale of GIS basemap data.(newsline)
Mar 01, 2009 ... In a 3-0 decision, a State of California Appeal's Court in February affirmed the Santa Clara County Superior Court's decision requiring the County of Santa Clara to comply with public requests for copies of its GIS parcel basemap under the conditions of California's Public Records Act ...
China to complete Beidou satellite system by 2015.(newsline)
Mar 01, 2009 ... Chinese officials plan to complete the Beidou global navigation satellite system by 2015, according to the International Society for Digital Earth. In an interview on China Central Television, Zhang Xiaojin, director the Astronautics Department of the China Aerospace Science and Technology ...
Commercial operations commence for GeoEye-1.(newsline)
Mar 01, 2009 ... GeoEye, Inc. began commercial operations for the GeoEye-1 Earth-imaging satellite in February. "We are now selling imagery from GeoEye-1 to commercial customers around the world and to our government customers in Europe, Asia and the Middle East," said Matthew O'Connell, GeoEye's chief ...
Calendar of events.(Calendar)
Mar 01, 2009 ... <Pre> Calendar of events MARCH 4-7 LSAW 2009 Conference Land Surveyors' Association of Washington Tacoma, Wash. 425/313-9378 tracyc@plsincsurvey.com www.lsaw.org 4-7 TAPS 41st Annual Conference & Expo Tennessee ...
The future blows in: renewable energy is on the rise. Here's how some surveyors are harnessing the opportunity.
Mar 01, 2009; ... In the rapidly expanding business of renewable energy, wind power stands tall as the fastest-growing sector. In 2007, more than 5,200 MW of wind power-generating capacity was installed in the U.S. For 2008, the total was about 7,500 MW, and wind now provides about 1.5 percent of total U.S ....
Opportunities on the move: mobile scanning offers surveyors faster, safer data collection and future jobs.(Survey)
Mar 01, 2009; ... Survey organizations are faced with the challenge of getting transportation-infrastructure projects shovel-ready as soon as possible in compliance with the Obama administration's $787 billion economic stimulus plan. In the U.S., there are approximately 4 million miles of roads, 600,000 ...
Peak performance: staying safe in the field requires a purposeful approach.
Mar 01, 2009; ... The surveying profession has always held an inherent risk of injury. Whether a project involves cutting a line, moving a manhole cover or traversing a ridge, there are countless ways to get hurt. While some firms might consider accident avoidance to be mainly a matter of luck, history and ...
Portable RTK: portable reference stations provide a flexible option for RTK positioning.(technologyPROFILE)
Mar 01, 2009 ... Real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning and GNSS technology continue to optimize surveying efficiency. But while a significant amount of progress has been made in establishing RTK networks, much work remains to be done. This is especially true in parts of South America such as Sao Paulo, ...
The sky is the limit.(fromthegroundup)
Mar 01, 2009; ... The mapping profession has seen some dramatic changes within the last several years. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Significant advances have been made in the technology available for use on mapping projects. The trend toward delivering larger projects in a compressed time ...
Flying high: a study of airborne LiDAR trends reveals continued growth potential.(mapping)
Mar 01, 2009; ... The technology to collect LiDAR data from aircraft has been commercially available since the mid-1990s. As this technology has become more widespread and more familiar, it has been increasingly used to measure topography and create digital elevation models. The last three years in ...
A green vision: high-resolution digital imaging supports vegetation mapping for an Australian coastline.(mapping)
Mar 01, 2009; ... Coffs Harbour in northern New South Wales, Australia, is rich with ecological beauty and diversity. Located along the coast of Australia's eastern seaboard approximately four hours south of Brisbane, the region features an alluring combination of rugged coastline and subtropical ...
Mapping a Legacy: advanced survey technology helps archaeologists preserve the past in Arizona's Canyon de Chelly.(mapping)
Mar 01, 2009; ... The Canyon de Chelly National Monument is one of the most impressive archaeological resources on the planet. Located in northeast Arizona, this unit of the National Park Service encompasses 83,840 acres and is home to a community of Navajo people and an estimated 4,000 archaeological ...
Build highways, not bureaucracies: What's more important, constructing roads or expanding government?(capitolgains)
Mar 01, 2009; ... This issue is of major concern for the private geospatial community and will become more prominent later this year as policymakers in our nation's capital consider reauthorization of the highway and transit bill. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] On Sept. 30, 2009, the current ...
Double monumentation as a business liability issue: recently, while teaching an ethics course at a seminar, I was asked why I included double monumentation.(thebusinessside)
Mar 01, 2009; ... I did my best to explain that setting additional corners may not serve the best interests of the client and that these actions could expose the client to litigation and expense. Since the seminar, I have been reading all different sides of this issue and would like to propose that it may ...
Low-altitude GPS signals and RTK in canopy.(giaamailbag)(Real Time Kinematic)(Global Positioning sstem)
Mar 01, 2009 ... Q: Why do we mask satellites near the horizon? And why do experts treat signals from satellites near the horizon--even if they are above the elevation mask--as contributing to a weaker solution than signals from satellites that are more or less directly overhead? A: The short ...
Forensic surveying.(traversingthelaw)(Survey)
Mar 01, 2009; ... There are reasons to survey property other than for the determination of property boundaries. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Although we understand this truth, our clients often don't. Clients who own property and have hired the land surveyor to survey that property are ...