The Magazine of Leica Geosystems

REPORTER 4220 4030 50

M A D E T O M E A S U R E

Publication detailsThe Reporter is published in English, German, French, Spanish and Japanesethree times a year.

Reprints and translations, includingexcerpts, are subject to the Editor’s priorpermission in writing.

The Reporter is printed on chlorine-freepaper made by environmentallycompatible processes.

© Leica Geosystems AG, Heerbrugg, July 1999, Printed in Switzerland

Editorial deadline for next issue:September 15, 1999

surveys (48%), constructionsite applications (42%) andgeodetic applications (41%).On average, respondentsdesired four REPORTER issues a year – we publishthree at the moment.

Your assessment is a veryimportant benchmark for us.Now that we are moreaware of the themes youwant to see covered, we willwork even harder at meetingyour expectations in thecoming issues. Concrete reader suggestions arisingfrom this survey will certainly be of additionalhelp in selecting articles forpublication. You tell us thatyou would like to assist theeditors with contributionsdescribing your ownactivities – and perhaps wewill manage to publish somereports from the field asearly as the next issue.

In REPORTER no. 41 – our

30-year jubilee issue – we

appealed for your views

about the REPORTER.

Three Leica cameras could

be won as our way of

saying, “thank you“. We

picked the winners at

random from your replies.

They were:

Frank J. Hinsche from Halle

(Germany), K.K. Katiyar

from New Delhi (India),

and Philippe Lortal from

Challans (France).

Congratulations to you all!

400 REPORTER readers fromaround the world sent ustheir thoughts about ourmagazine. The results revealed that each copy isread by an average of fourpeople. Multiply this by ourcirculation, and it emergesthat our customer magazinehas a readership of approximately a quarter of a million professionalsworld-wide.

95% of respondents judgedthe REPORTER contents as“very good / good“, whileonly 5% considered it “notso good / uninteresting“.Your assessment of thevisual layout was similarlypositive. Many thanks foryour praise!

REPORTER readers have awide range of interests, justlike the themes we cover. Of primary interest are newproducts (83%), national

2

Glimpses into the many different fields of activity ofour customers, and into theastonishing diversity of applications for which theyuse our technologies,products and systems, makeup one of the mostinteresting aspects of mywork with Leica Geosystems.This issue of the REPORTERwill show you just a smallpart of this diversity. Eachexample presented isfascinating; it is unique in itsown way and yet at the sametime typical. A flip throughthe pages takes us fromScandinavia to America, toChina and to the Middle East.There are brief insights intoshipbuilding, space travel,the oil industry, majorconstruction products andmany other topics. Leicacustomers everywhere areturning great visions into reality, and it fills me withpride to know that ourproducts and services aremaking their contribution; a small one here, a great one there. This way, ourcustomers can profit fromthe ubiquitous presence ofLeica Geosystems, which has its own distribution andservice network in abouttwenty countries. In morethan a hundred additionalcountries, excellently-qualified representatives,working exclusively for Leica Geosystems, attend tocustomer requirements.Their task is to provide on-site customer support. In addition to our great rangeof standard products, weoffer solutions that are“made to measure“; this isour motto. In all of these

The fascination of diversity

countries Leica Geosystemsalso has service workshops,where specially-trained technicians carry outmaintenance on ourcustomers’ instruments.More and more customersare signing up for attractivemaintenance contracts thatrelieve them of responsi-bility for their instruments.Trained applicationspecialists are there to provide on-site advice abouthow to use Leica productsmore efficiently or how toaccommodate them toindividual requirements. We all get satisfaction fromknowing that we help withyour daily surveying tasks.We are also very pleasedwhen we can use theREPORTER to pass on yournews to other customersthroughout the world.Maybe sometime you will let our readers know aboutyour own project? Meanwhile, enjoy readingabout the fascinating projects of other Leica users.

Hans HessPresident & CEOLeica Geosystems

Editorial Summary of contents

3

THANK YOU!

4

Lucky dip: Brigitte Brunner draws the three winners of Leica Z2X cameras from the survey responses, together with Waltraud Strobl.

Although the reader surveyis concluded, we still lookforward to receiving yourletters and comments. Theyare a significant contributiontowards making the REPORTER interesting andlively to publish – and toread!

Waltraud Strobl

I M P R I N TPublished byLeica Geosystems AG, CH-9435 HeerbruggPresident & CEO: Hans Hess

Editorial officeLeica Geosystems AG, CH-9435 Heerbrugg,Switzerland, Fax: +41 71 727 46 89Internet: Waltraud.Strobl@leica-geosystems.com

EditorWaltraud Strobl, Fritz Staudacher (Stf)

Layout and productionNiklaus Frei

TranslationDogrel AG, St. Margrethen

Page7

12

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148

130 kilometres of desert highway in Yemen

DSW500 scanner

Big order from the Dutch Land Registry

3-D measurement

techniques

in shipbuilding

An architectural

landmark

nears completion

A world first in

paving

Norwegian gas pipeline

construction

Daqing oil exploration

in China

Levelling the Space Shuttle’s

terrestrial infrastructure

4

Dimensional Control and Analysis at Thyssen NordseewerkeThyssen Nordseewerke

GmbH, located in Emden

on the North Sea coast,

has to date built around

500 merchant ships, and

60 submarines and frigates.

The latest measurement

techniques are used at the

yard, which is one of the

most modern shipbuilding

enterprises in Europe.

There is a long traditiondating back to 1903, whenthe shipyard was foundedas the Nordseewerke EmderWerft und Dock Aktien-gesellschaft. Today, a workforce of 1350 produceshigh-quality containerships, special vessels,icebreakers, frigates andsubmarines. Checking bulkhead positioning

with Leica DCA-TPS at Thyssen Nordseewerke

On-site control andmeasurement

At Thyssen Nordseewerke,ships are constructed on the slipway. Parts and segmentsof up to approximately 350 tons unit weight arefabricated in the surroundingsheds, before being cranedonto the slipway for assembly.

Best-fit construction requiresutmost precision in fabrica-tion and measurement at all stages of manufacture.Production and qualitycontrol managers have thusopted to use the LeicaGeosystems DCA-TPSsystem for ongoing controland on-site measurement.

Survey reference system

All measurements within thehull are based on the markedcentre line, or a referenceline parallel to this, and apredetermined “principleobject point“ for the secondlevel co-ordinates. Markingson bulkheads, the water lineor defined object points within the hollow spacesprovide references for level.In submarine construction,the main axis plane or centreplane is used in setting out.

Special navigation or sonarcomponents are set outusing a primary referenceline.

DCA-TPS 3-D measurementsystem – sub-millimetreaccuracy

The field equipment is comprised of two TDM5000sensors and a Husky FS/2field computer with installedDCP10 software; generaldimensional analysis andreporting is performed usingDCP20 software. The DCPsoftware is an industry-specific package developedby a specialised LeicaGeosystems partnercompany, A.M.S. of Oulu(Finland).

The TM5000 precision Totalstation measures withsub-millimetre accuracy. Thetypical distance measuringaccuracy is 0.5 mm. LeicaGeosystems’ Axyz CDM software is used for applica-tions specific to submarineconstruction, e.g. to compute the roundness ofindividual segments of thepressure hull, or to verify thecylindricality of the centresection and roundness ofthe spherical segments ateither end of the hull.

These basic system compo-nents are backed up by arange of accessories usedfor measuring a variety ofobjects under difficult conditions. They include ahidden point rod, magneticholder, vacuum holder,various types of standardtarget, and special tripodsfor positioning the TDM5000at different levels.

Use in merchant shipconstruction

These systems are used foron-site measurement inmerchant ship construction,and also during the fabrica-tion of individual parts andsegments. The fundamentalmeasurement task whenconstructing a new object isto establish a coordinatesystem on the slipway, witha reference plane to be usedfor positioning the firstdouble-bottom hull blocks.The fixed points in this coordinate system arepermanently marked or

5

3-D measurement values

now recorded directly

in the Total Station

DCP05 software fromA.M.S. is due for release insummer 1999. This newaddition to the DCA rangeintegrates 3-D measure-ment in the Total Station,with the following userbenefits:- Full 3-D functionality with online desired/actual comparison: the operatorloads construction datacoordinates, adjusts to the reference coordinatesystem, and the instru-ment automatically alignsitself on the desired pointat the touch of a button.Desired/actual deviationsare available right away.- No additional fieldcomputer required: data storage uses PCMCIAcompatible memory cards.- Option for attaching theRCS1100 remote control unit: the one-mansystem can then be operated from where theinformation is actually needed duringconstruction – typically the measurement point itself.

drilled, so that targets andother sighting aids can beaffixed prior to measure-ment. At the setting outstage, measurements arerecorded in a polar,tacheometrical system. Theprogram then calculates thetransformation to obtain themeasured coordinates of theobject points in the ship’scoordinate system. After setting out, the first double-bottom blocks arepositioned. Their centre lineand other object points thenbecome the new referencepoints and are used for measurements inside thehull, where the original

reference points, now out-side the hull, can no longerbe sighted. The measure-ment systems are applied toeach new segment added, tocheck the relative positionsof components and, if necessary, to facilitate remedial action.

High-precision dimensionalcontrol

Bulkhead positioningrequires particular attention.Bulkheads are normallyincorporated as singlesections perpendicular tothe ship’s length, delimitingthe hold at bow and sternand splitting it into several

The DCA-TPS system in action at Thyssen Nordseewerke

Left: Accessories for targeting points of interest

Right: Precision Total Station TDA5005 with Automatic Target Recognition

6 7

sections for stowingpurposes. In the hold area,setting out in line and levelof container foundations,and the vertical containertracks used for loading, areall important measurementtasks requiring utmost precision to ensure easy loading and unloading, andto prevent movement of stowed cargo. Stepsincorporated in the curvedouter sections of the hull toexploit otherwise redundantspace are fitted out in thesame way as the main partof the hold, to accommodatefurther containers. Measure-ments to ensure that thesesteps are built parallel to themain floor are absolutely critical.

Another important measure-ment task concerns settingout machine foundations, fittings and drive units, andin particular the checking ofshaft and rudder positions.

On-site measurement cutscosts

In 1995, Thyssen Nordsee-werke began phasing in“neat“ production methods,i.e. precision fabrication witha minimum of excess material to be trimmed onsite.

This method sets out toachieve a high degree ofaccuracy, within permissibletolerances, at all stages ofproduction from the foundryto the fabrication of sectionsand blocks – thus eliminatingthe traditional, yet wastefulpractice of incorporatingexcess material, thentrimming/reworking duringassembly.

Strict implementation of this test system at all levelsof production, supported by the Leica DCA-TPSmeasurement system, hasthus considerably reducedconstruction times on theslipway.

Use in submarineconstruction

The German Federal ArmedForces Procurement Office(BWB) in Koblenz has recently officially approvedthe LEICA DCA-TPS systemas a third method for measuring the roundness of submarines, offering analternative to gauge andcompass methods.

The current U212 series forthe German Federal Navywill be the first to be produced at the ThyssenNordseewerke with ongoingon-site measurement usingthe Leica DCA-TPS system.

Using a Total Station to measure roundness obviatesthe need for elaboratescaffolding demanded bytraditional methods to ensure safe and accuratehandling of the heavy, bulkymeasuring devices. All theTotal Station requires is asmall, lightweight (approx.100 g) target (e.g reflectivetape on a suitable carrier) tobe taken to the individualmeasurement points; oneman moves around theobject, while another operates the measuringdevice, positioned at a firmvantage point some distancefrom the object. The locationof the measuring device largely depends on thevisibility of the measurementpoints and site conditions.Flexible system positioning

allows the user to selectlocations that causeminimum disruption to siteoperations. Unlike thecompass measurementmethod, which is unusableonce the hull has been fittedout, the Total Station has the advantage of allowingpartially or totally fittedobjects to be measured.

Other operations carried outon submarines at ThyssenNordseewerke includesetting out external fixtures,and measurements for special fittings inside thepressure hull.

New products andenhancements

The functions of theTDM5000 motorised precision tacheometerdescribed above are alsoavailable in the currentTDM5005 and TDA5005models, thus furtherboosting measurement accuracy. The TDA5005 goesa step further, with Auto-matic Target Recognition(ATR). The use of prismtargets allows automaticadjustment of the reflectorand tracking as the reflectormoves. Add remote control,and this becomes a single-operator system.

Adaptable DL2 or DL3 diodelaser pointers are used tovisualise the target line orpoint on the measurementobject, further increasingsetting out efficiency.

Heinz Albers / Jörg Illemann

Above top: Conventional, labour-intensive method for roundness checks using a gauge (1-D measurement). Picture below: Single operator 3D-roundness check using a Leica DCA-TPS Total Station (3D measurement).

Laser pointer for setting outlocations on site according tothe design data

Once again, Leica

Geosystems is involved in

the construction of one of

the world’s great buildings:

the “Sagrada Familia“ –

the Cathedral of the Sacred

Family – in Barcelona. The

DISTO™ Pro laser distance

meter is helping super-

visors to put the finishing

touches to Antonio Gaudì’s

uncompleted architectural

masterpiece.

Architect Antonio Gaudìwas intent on incorporatinga variety of architectureswhen he started this projectin 1882. The style initiallytended towards the neo-Gothic, but he subsequentlyfollowed a naturalistic-modernistic trend in accordance with an organicstructure, creating one ofhis most important works inthe process. Progress onthe construction of thetowers, which mimic thestructure of organpipes,was extremely slow. Thehorizontal apertures in thetowers are there foracoustic reasons, becauseGaudí planned enormousbells. The gables at thesummits of the towers areamong the first examples ofabstract sculpture. Gaudìhimself lived to see only thecompletion of the mainfaçade, but work on thecathedral continued unabated after his death. At present, a sub-project isbeing developed to build aroof for the main chapel;the surface involves irregular shapes andcomplicated architecture,but it is anticipated that thisphase of the work will becomplete towards the endof the year 2002.

To ensure precise measure-ments, the builders areusing the DISTO™ Prohand-held laser meter fromLeica Geosystems. This instrument remotelymeasures distances up to

Barcelona’s unmistakable landmark: the towers of A. Gaudì’s Cathedral of the Holy Family. Building supervisor Ramon Espel values the DISTO™ Pro’s non-contact measuring technology when constructing the complex roof for the main chapel (below).

Constructing the future, reconstructing the past

about 40 metres with anaccuracy of 1.5mm, so it isno longer necessary for theoperator to go to the otherend to measure. SeñorRamón Espel, the buildingsupervisor, notes that theDISTO™ Pro performs wellabove expectations, givingit applications beyond those aspects of the workthat were originally envisaged.

The DISTO™ Pro is beingused to check constructionresults, while simultaneous-ly obtaining informationprior to commencing newwork. One person canperform measurements farmore quickly and accuratelythan a conventional two-man team. Additionally, thelaser can measure to pointsthat would otherwise beinaccessible or dangerous. Señor Espel adds: “Measur-ing ceiling heights andwidths of broad apertureswas always a problem forus before, but now we cancarry out the work reallyeasily and safely“.

RCS1100 remote control unitfacilitates one-man operation

8 9

Digital levels monitor the Space Shuttle’sterrestrial infrastructure

an instrument for surveying,it's got to perform as reliably as the Shuttle itself.For more than a decade,we've relied on digital levelling technology as thelinchpin of our surveyingactivities“.

Beyond surveying, SGS responsibilities include project management, public works, base supportservices, installationimprovement, and engineering activities, bothat KSC and the Air Force45th Space Wing Cape Canaveral Air Station.Lanthorne adds, “With digital levels we have thespeed, accuracy and mobility to perform baseoperations before, duringand after Shuttle missions –whether we're balanced precariously severalhundred feet in the air, orsafely on the ground“.

Shuttle Facilities

Prior to a Shuttle launch, theorbiter is towed from theOrbiter Processing Facilitywhere the payload is loaded,to the Vertical AssemblyBuilding where it is elevatedto the upright position. It isthen lowered to a MobileLauncher Platform (MLP)and mated to the familiarbright orange external tankand two white solid rocketboosters (SRBs).

The Shuttle vehicle issupported and restrained onthe MLP during assembly,transit and pad checkout bythe SRB support/hold-downsystem. Each SRB unit includes four hold-downposts bolted to a flatpedestal.

For almost two decades,

the Space Shuttle has

commanded world-wide

attention as the leading

resource for manned space

research and development.

In that time, it has carried

more than 600 major

payloads totalling over

750 tonnes into orbit,

stimulating communication,

medical science and space

exploration. It is space age

technology that is reliable,

secure and extraordinarily

successful.

Unsurprisingly, success isdirectly related to thoseremaining on the ground.From shuttle processing,launch and landing, to routine Kennedy Space Centre (KSC) baseoperations, it is these peoplethat provide the steady,reliable foundation to explore and exploit our universe.

Much of that foundation isestablished by a selectgroup of surveyors and precision tools from SpaceGateway Support (SGS,Herndon, VA). “The successor failure of Shuttle missionsoften comes down to a fraction of an inch“, saysDonald Lanthorne, surveyorfor SGS. “We can't afford to make mistakes orexperiment with unproventechnology. When we select

It is this mechanism that first prompted the SGSsurveying team to invest indigital levelling technology.According to NASAguidelines, each bolt has anut at each end. The top nutcontains two NASA standarddetonators that are triggeredas the solid rocket motorsignite. Says Lanthorne,“Routine maintenance specifications define thatthese posts must berefurbished after a certainnumber of launches. At thistime, they must be realignedto an accuracy of 1.5 mm“.

The idea, say surveyors, isto position the digital levelwhere it won't interfere withthe removal of the post.Then they use a clock facereference system to ensurethat the measurements aretaken at the same place

every time. He adds, “Thedigital level allows us tocheck and adjust the SRBsupport pedestal surface.After the SRB hold-downposts are bolted down, a special puck is inserted inthe top of these posts torepresent the SRBattachment point. We checkthe elevation of this point toensure that the vertical control dimensions aremet“. Traditionally, thesurvey team relied onconventional levellingtechnology to perform thesetasks – but with digitallevels, they say, the job isfaster, more accurate, andless labour-intensive.

Digital image processingpermits height and distanceinformation to be recordedelectronically, avoidingerrors caused by manualrecording and automatingdata processing. Field testshave shown that digitallevelling brings productivitygains of up to 50%.

Launch Preparation

Once the Shuttle launchsystem is mated, a massivetransporter crawler movesthe entire vertically standingstructure to Launch Complex39. Launch Complex 39, notfar from the Atlantic Ocean,is a large area of flat landthat has been a startingpoint for space flight sincethe Apollo missions of theearly 1960s. The siteconsists of two enormousoctagonal launch pads, PadA and Pad B, each coveringabout 2.5 square kilometres.Pad A is 15 m above sealevel, while Pad B is 17 mabove sea level.

These enormous concretepads support the FixedService Structure (FSS), aRotating Service Structure(RSS), and the MLP. TheFSS is a 12 metre square, 75 m high steel tower thatsupports three service arms:

the orbiter access arm, theexternal tank hydrogen ventline and access arm, and theexternal tank gaseousoxygen vent arm.

These arms are carefullymonitored for deviationsthat might cause errorswhen the arms mate to theorbiter at the pad prior tolaunch. “The close proximityto the salty ocean air“, says Lanthorne, “demandsthat these arms be removed,sandblasted and repaintedroutinely“. Each arm has itsown, precisely documentedpositional requirements. For instance, the OrbiterAccess Arm has a whiteroom (clean room) at its endthat is used for Shuttleaccess at the launch pad.During repositioning, thearm is mated and stowed anumber of times to makesure it ends up in the rightposition.

The RSS provides access to and protects the orbiterduring changeout and servicing of payloads at thelaunch pad. The RSS mainstructure extends from 18 to57 m above the pad floorand rotates 120 degrees.Within this structure is acargo bay called the PayloadChangeout Room (PCR).This environmentallycontrolled bay sits some 30 m off the ground andsupports cargo delivery tothe pad and subsequent vertical installation into theorbiter payload bay. Cargo isremoved from the payloadcanister and installedvertically in the orbiter by arail system called the

Left: Donald Lanthorne, perched at a dizzying height to check the elevation of the gaseous oxygen vent using a Leica NA 3003 digital level, and (right) measuring the RSS rails with Kevin Beuer.

10 11

On March 10, 1999, world

construction history was

made at a site in Northport,

Alabama (USA). For the

first time ever, slipformed

curved kerbs and gutters

were laid string-free, with

millimetre precision.

A Gomaco GT-3600 paving

machine created the

structures automatically,

according to a predefined

plan. Control data was

received from a Leica

Geosystems 3-D machine

control system able to

precisely control also

position and height of

other types of Gomaco

machines.

Gomaco is a world leader inconcrete construction equip-ment with headquarters inIda Grove, Iowa (USA). Thecompany’s equipment willslipform concrete streetsand highways, airportrunways, curb and gutter,bridge parapets, irrigationcanals, safety barriers, andother construction elementsmade of concrete. Gomaco’s innovative machines are inuse world-wide, serviced byan international sales andmaintenance network.Gomaco teamed up withLeica Geosystems to stage a world premiere in automated slipforming ofkerbs and gutters on March10, 1999, at a Northport ALsite contracted to the ShirleyConcrete Company.

Integration in various types of machine

Gomaco’s Network ControlSystems technology allowseasy integration of the Leica3-D control system with thecompany’s variousmachines. The Gomaco Network Controller receivesits input from the Leicamachine control system.CAD-generated site data isstored in a Leica controlcomputer fitted to theconstruction machine.

On March 10, 1999, paving history was made

A Gomaco GT-3600 linked to aLeica machine control systemforms concrete kerbs precisely according to the site plan. The target prism attached to the yellow Gomaco slipforming machine is clearly visible, likewise the machine control system (the white box behind the operator). The Leica Total Station (at the right in the background) continuously tracks the machine’s position and allows uninterrupted 3-D navigation with vertical and lateral precision of 2 and 5 mm respectively.

Automatic constructionmachine control withmillimetre accuracy

The Leica machine controlsystem on board theconstruction machineconsists of an industrial PCrunning a software packagefrom Leica Geosystems,plus a target prismmounted at a high vantagepoint. The same softwarecontrols a Leica TCA TotalStation, positioned somedistance outside theconstruction path. The Total Station automaticallyoptically tracks the prism,while sending real-timedistance and angularinformation to the machinecontrol system via a radiolink. The 3-D control centrecompares the constructionproject data with the machine’s current position,and immediately sends the necessary control commands to the machinecontroller to ensurecontinuous, uninterruptedoperation.

Complex shapes are nolonger a problem

The machine can reproducethe most complex profiles,radii and routes specified inthe project data, auto-matically compensating forthe terrain and forming theconcrete with millimetreaccuracy. Not only does this new construction technique offer extra-ordinary precision, it alsobrings higher quality, greater safety, and speedierconstruction. Creatingpurpose-built areas likelarge car parks becomescheaper, while boosting thecontractor’s competitiveness.

Further advantages include:- No stringline installation

and maintenance costs- Stringline no longer

obstructs construction sitelogistics

- No stringline errorscaused by damage or displacement

- High reliability in thetough world of theconstruction site

- Arbitrary positioning ofthe Total Station

- Continuous machinecontrol along lengthy sections possible bysetting up a simultaneouspair of Total Stations

Payload Ground HandlingMechanism (PGHM).Surveyors must routinelycheck permanent targetslocated on the RSS fordeformation. NASAdemands an accuracy of ±3 mm. “This is a fairly simplesurveying task“, saysLanthorne, “except thatwe’re overlooking the Atlantic Ocean from about30 m in the air. Naturally, we demand tools that areportable and virtuallyinfallible“.

Maintenance Activities

Just prior to launch, KSConlookers might notice alarge white hat seeminglyperched on top of the noseof the bright orange externaltank. This is called the External Tank Gaseous Oxygen Vent. It's at the end of a 19 metre longmechanical arm attached tothe primary launch padstructure. This hat isdesigned to vacuum liquidoxygen vapours while theexternal tank is filled withhydrogen and oxygen gases.Just prior to launch (about 2 minutes and 30 seconds)the external tank gaseousoxygen vent arm retracts toa “latchback“ positionagainst the FSS.

“Our job is to make sure this 19 m long arm is at theproper elevation to supportthe stack. Launch pad maintenance crews occasionally remove the

vent for cleaning, replacingmechanical equipment andtesting. We make sure it'sput back exactly where itbelongs“, says Lanthorne.

While standing on the FSSsteel tower, around 80 m upin the air, Lanthorne and hispartner, Kevin Beuer, set upthe digital levelling system.“Once again, speed,accuracy and reliability areessential. Digital technologyallows a two-man crew to do the same job moreefficiently and accuratelythan conventional methods.Believe me, when you’restanding almost a hundredmetres up in the air lookingdown at the most powerfulspace vehicle in the world,you appreciate thesefeatures“.

It's these and many similaractivities that challenge SGS to assess and re-assesstoday's digital technology.“We must have speed, accuracy and mobility fromboth our people and ourtools“, Lanthorne concludes.“I've been on-site at Kennedy Space Centre for20 years, almost as long asthe Shuttle program hasbeen operational. In thattime, I've sent back onetheodolite for someadjustment. That's the kindof reliability we need tomanage the next era of manned space activity“.

Vicki Speed Hasenzahl

Shuttle launches at Kennedy Space Centre don’t get the go-ahead without rigorousadvance checks by Space Gateway Support, using Leica NA 3003 digital levels. The picture shows Kevin Beuer of SGS on the shuttle launchpad. Both height and distance are recorded with high precision and recorded electronically for subsequent calculations and graphical display.

12 13

A new highway has been

constructed between Baidah

and Baihan. “Work is faster

and more enjoyable with

the Leica TCA1100

automatic tacheometer“,

reports H. Juma’ah of

Nasher Engineering.

“The TCA1100 is first-class!“

Road surveying operationsare proceeding withminimum fuss andmaximum precision in thisdifficult, mountainous andremote area of the Arab peninsula. The TCA1100 performed well along the130 km stretch, even inYemen’s hot climate.

130 kilometres of desert highway in Yemen –with the Leica TCA1100

LH Systems introduces DSW500for top performance scanning

LH Systems has introduced

the DSW500 Digital

Scanning Workstation, the

latest in a line of scanners

that began with the DSW

100 and developed through

the DSW200 (1994) and

DSW300 (1996).

The new system shares thedesign principles and goalsof the DSW300: cut or rollfilm, positive or negative,physical resolutions of 4-20 µm, top speed, highgeometric accuracy andradiometric fidelity – butintelligent innovation hasmade it simpler, morereliable, more economical.

Customers have a choice ofthree digital cameras: theKodak Megaplus 4.2i digitalcamera used in the DSW300remains an option in theDSW500; the three mega-pixel 6.3i offers even higher

throughput and remarkablescan times, breaking the twominute barrier for a standardblack and white aerial photograph; at the other endof the range, the 1.6i resultsin a very economicalscanner indeed, still capableof fine performance.

More subtle improvementsinclude state-of-the-art strobe illumination, asmaller integrating sphereand improved optics. The amount of light iscontrolled very accuratelyand scanning is more consistent. A filter wheelallows faster colourscanning. Crucial compo-nents are lower cost, morereliable, and the lamp iseasier to replace.These benefits are multipliedby an earlier LH Systems

Big order from the Dutch LandRegistryAbout one and a half yearsago, the Dutch Cadastre Office issued a tender for theacquisition of up to 65 self-tracking Total Stations, shortly followed by a secondtender for a further 135instruments. After thoroughdeliberations, the Land Registry concluded that theLeica TCA1100L would meet

their demands, and bothtenders were granted toLeica Geosystems. Contractswere signed on January 7and September 4, 1998.More than 153 instrumentshave since been delivered.Leica Geosystems B.V. developed NEN1878, acustom coding program forthe Dutch Land Registry.

The software was adapted tomeet specific Land Registryrequirements. All Cadastre Offices throughout theNetherlands are nowworking with the TCAs; mostare also equipped with theEGL guiding light. Reactionfrom the field has been verypositive. Once again, theTCA1100 has proved to bean excellent time andmoney-saving instrumentfor digital mapping.

Marjo van Wordragen

Signing one of the contracts fortwo hundred Leica TCA1100LTotal Stations (from left to right):Harry Vos, H.G.F. van Holthoon, Ir. P. van der Molen (DutchCadastre Office), and AndréWevers

introduction, announced atthe ASPRS Conference inPortland in May 1999 – aWindows NT version of theSCAN software. TheDSW500 is available for bothWindows NT and Sun Microsystems’ Solaris.Users now have a choice ofhosts: a high performancePC, the extremelyeconomical Sun Ultra 10workstation, or the high-endUltra 60.

Users can thus specify versions of the DSW500 tomatch their requirementsand budgets. The latestmodel in a renownedscanner product linetempers leading edgeperformance with a healthyrespect for marketrequirements. Scanning professionals will love thissystem!

14 15

Leica GPS for the biggest Gas PipelineProject in Norway

In the midst of harsh terrain,

surveyors in astronaut-like

garb stake out the route

for a new gas pipeline.

Determining their position

in real-time with the aid of

satellites and the Leica

MC1000 and SR 9500, they

perform the groundwork for

one of the largest-ever land

based pipeline projects.

Four Leica MC1000 GPS basestations transmit real-time datain RTCM format via a radiomodem.

Some forty kilometres of 1.05 m gauge steel piping will be buried up to 2 m deep or routed across straits. The entire survey effort makes exclusive use of GPS technology; the picture shows a Leica SR9500 in action.

Another big Chinese GPS order from Daqing

Daqing Geophysical

Exploration Corporation

(People’s Republic of

China) has just confirmed

a purchase of twelve

dual-frequency Leica

GPS SR9500 systems.

The decision in favour of

Leica Geosystems came

in the wake of a public

tender and exhaustive

evaluation of various

systems.

In addition to the Leica system’s highperformance, thecustomer’s earlier experience with severalvendors’ systems andservice played a pivotalrole in the final decision.Eight Leica GPS sets had already been sold toDaqing in October 1996,so there was ampleevidence of Leica’s quality and dependabilityin the field. LeicaGeosystems nation-wideservice coverage was afurther plus-point forensuring that supportwould be availablewhenever and whereverit may be needed.

Daqing deploys LeicaGPS technology in numerous projects: in theLiao river, Xinjiang,Quinghai and inner Mongolia regions, a jointproject with a US partner,and for overseas exploration.

Åsgard and Europipe II.

Åsgard is the name of thenew gas pipeline that willrun from Kalstø to Kårstø,where it will join Europipe IIto carry gas via the Boknislands to Germany. Thesteel pipeline, with a diameter of 105 cm and wallthickness of 4 cm, will beburied on land at a depth of0.9 to 2.0 metres below thesurface. Statoil chose thejoint venture Kårstø PipelineContractors as the primecontractor for the stretchfrom Kårstø to the westernside of Vestre Bokn. SelmerASA has a 50% stake in thejoint venture, with the remainder shared betweentwo German companies,Ludwig Freitag and Bohlen& Doyen, and a Danish company, Per Aarsleff AS.The contract is worth 100 million EURO, making itone of the largest onshorecontracts ever awarded. Not only are the costs enormous, the joint venturealso faces some mammothchallenges. The pipeline willbe laid not only on land, butalso under four sections ofsea. In total, an approx. 40 km stretch needs to

be completed in 22 months.Once construction iscomplete, the landscapemust be restored to its original state.

Real-time surveying with

GPS

Trond Pettersen Valeur ofSelmer is responsible forsurveying and GIS: “Giventhe project’s magnitude, andthe vital importance ofsurveying to its successful

completion, we felt compelled to adopt innovative methods rightfrom the start.“ No tacheo-meters have been used onthis project, only GPS instru-ments. Four Leica MC1000GPS receivers have beeninstalled as base stations.Three of these base stationsare self-powered by theirown small wind generatorand a system of solarpanels. The base stationcoordinates and the para-meters for transformingthese into the local Norwegian coordinatesystem were defined by static measurements tonearby reference points. The base stations transmitreal-time data in RTCMformat via a radio modemwith a power output of 0.5W.The GPS rover units can select measurements fromdifferent base stations bysetting the correspondingradio channel. After

initialisation (determinationof phase ambiguities), therover operates with centimetre accuracy. Precision is affected byfactors such as the numberof satellites, satellite geometry, multipath signalpropagation, etc. Five ormore satellites with goodgeometry are needed foreffective, precise working.Positioning precision is typically 10 mm ±2ppm.Height precision issomewhat lower (by a factorof approximately 2). Toverify results after resolvingphase ambiguities, a knownpoint is often used toperform a calibration, thenthe coordinates are compa-red. Two initialisations arenormally performed withdata from two different basestations. A total of sevenLeica SR9500 rover units aredeployed on the project.Transformation parametersallow work to be performeddirectly in the NorwegianNGO48 map system(height = 54 AMSL). The field computers areequipped with routingsoftware that provides

information on the currentposition with respect to the pipeline at any time.Detailed surveying knowledge is not necessaryto be able to mark out pipelines using this method.However, some experiencewith satellite-basedsurveying is advantageous.

“In practice, this is not a bigproblem for us as our ‘shoreleave’ is limited anyway.Also, we need to know inadvance when we will beneeded so we can prepareourselves appropriately“,says Bjørn Willy Larsen ofGEFO AS, responsible forquality management on thisproject. Trond PettersenValeur estimates that thetime needed for surveyingand marking out can bereduced by 50% comparedto traditional methods.However, he emphasisesthat the area around Karmøyand Bokn are particularlywell suited to GPS surveyingbecause the terrain is open,without obstructions fromtall trees or buildings.

Norkart V/G software is usedfor checking and documen-tation. All surveying isperformed using GPS; thesurveyors send their fieldresults directly to the V/Gsystem software via thedatabank manager on adaily basis.

Torleif Algeroy

Solar and wind generators provide electricity.

Kalstø

Kårstø

ÅSGARD

EUROPIPE II

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