Home » Geomatics Articles

Geomatics Articles

Interesting and helpful articles about Geomatics and all related disciplines such as: Land Surveying, Mapping and Geodesy.

Instruments Sources of Errors Survey Guide Targets

Prism Constants in Survey Targets Explained

Have you ever used targets and total stations from different manufacturers (e.g. using a Leica Target with a Trimble instrument) and wondered why you're having systematic errors in your data? Chances are you need to correct your constants.

General

GNSS Precise Orbits (Ephemerides)

When it comes to Land Surveying, if you use any sort of GNSS (GPS) equipment, you will deal with GNSS orbits even if you don’t realise it. But when it comes to Static GNSS processing, these are critical in obtaining good results in your GNSS processing.Let’s see what are they and how to download GNSS precise orbits to augment your data processing.

General

What is GPS time and how to calculate it?

GPS time is a time scale maintained by the atomic clocks of satellites and ground control stations of the Global Positioning System (GPS). It consists of a count of weeks and seconds of the week since 0 hours (midnight) Sunday, 6th of January 1980.

Coordinate Systems Transformations

How to convert between different coordinate systems in the UK?

Introduction For those navigating the realms of cartography, surveying, or simply exploring the vast landscape of geographic information, understanding…

3G Switch-off Surveyor in the Field with a GNSS Receiver and Controller not getting any Mobile Network Signal

General Instruments

The 3G switch-off: How to be prepared as a surveyor

As the 3G switch-off looms, surveyors must be prepared for the upcoming changes. This article explores key considerations and practical tips to ensure a smooth transition, helping surveyors adapt and optimize their workflows in the evolving landscape of mobile connectivity.

Rendered image of earth and GNSS Satellites in orbit

General

GNSS vs GPS – what is GNSS?

GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) is a term used to describe satellite-based systems that provide positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) data. GNSS is widely used in geomatics and land surveying to accurately determine the position and orientation of points on the Earth's surface. Other uses outside of land surveying include transportation, navigation applications, agriculture and weather forecasting.

Chartwell Yellow Survey Field Book 2647 with blue pen on top

Survey Guide

Survey Field Books & Field Notes

Surveying is all about observations. When you go on site, you often need to record not just topographical data, but also notes about your work. Good record keeping is a must have in land surveying, and this is best achieved by always taking essential field notes in your survey field book.

Coordinate Systems General Software Survey Guide Transformations

Converting SnakeGrid Coordinates

Converting to and from SnakeGrid coordinates might seem a like a difficult task when you've never done it, but it's actually quite a simple procedure. In this article I will explain how to do different conversions to and from SnakeGrid coordinates.

AutoCAD how to fillet objects - a 3D Fillet Example

General Software

AutoCAD – How to fillet elements with the Fillet Tool

A filet is term used in many industries and can be defined in different ways, but it simple terms it is a rounded sharp edge or corner. In this article I will explain the fillet tool in AutoCAD & how to fillet 2D and 3D elements.

Map of Existing SnakeGrids in the United Kingdom

Coordinate Systems General Mapping Software Transformations

SnakeGrid – The Ultimate Guide

If you've worked on large engineering projects that span over long but narrow areas, you probably have had difficulties using projected coordinate systems in your surveys....In this article I will explore the meaning of SnakeGrid. I will go over topics like: what is the Snake Grid Coordinate System, what SnakeGrid coordinates are, what are the Snake Grid types out there and SnakeGrid converter software.

Land Surveyors on the road doing geometric levelling

General Instruments Survey Guide Total Stations

What are Land Surveyors? 👷

At their very core Land Surveyors do measurements. To be more specific, a surveyor gathers positional data to produce accurate representation of the shape of the land and anything on it. Whilst the term surveyor is all encompassing, there are other terms that are used to describe surveyors.