Automation in Geodesy*
i7i
Ir. H. L. VAN GENT,
Leader of the Photogrammetric Service of the Cadastral Survey.
Introduction
The motive for writing this report was the discussion, at a
common session of Committees V and VI of papers ([i] or [2]) on
automation in geodesy, presented by me in Rome in 1965. I was
then requested to describe, for the Congress to be held in London,
the progress during the period 1965 to 1968. Though one might
hardly expect spectacular progress to have taken place in only
three years, interest in the problems of automation in our profes
sional field turns out to have increased considerably. A favourable
trend has been that this interest has slowly moved towards field
measurement.
This report is divided into five sections dealing successively
with general aspects, measurement, calculation, plotting and measure
ment of area. The aim here has not been to give a complete descrip
tion of all developments. In the first place this would be almost
impossible in view of the extensive number of countries and geo
detic institutes involved, and secondly, it might perhaps be better
to allow those directly involved to be the first to describe their
own work.
Section 1general aspects
In automation the computer plays an important part. Again and
again one finds publications that refer in some way to the appli
cation of computers to our activities. F. Ackermann gives his
reflections on this in [3], pointing out particularly the consequences
for the training of the surveyor resulting from this ever progressing
automation. As an encouragement, K. Müller gives a review in
[4] on the way in which an uninterrupted flow of information
from measurement through calculation to plotting has now become
possible. The application of such closed systems is still exceptional
in terrestrial geodesy. A good example of such a system is the
procedure used in the Western German Federal State of Hessen for
land redistribution. E. Lang gives a review of the results in [5].
They have in daily use more than 25 code theodolites.
The procedure: code theodolitecode convertercomputer
drawing machine is described elsewhere by Huth [6]. To this can
be opposed J. Konstanzer's publication [7], which, although it
describes very well the automation of calculating, drafting and
"Invited paper Nr. 519"" for the F.I.G.-congress 1968 in London.
The translation in English was performed under supervision of Mr. C. C.
Lucas, Aldershot.
