Peter Gould is right on the money concerning the total station. Few people need 1 second of arc accuracy. But if you do need it, that's the only game in town.
We just received an instrument that maybe of interest to folks who need modest accuracy and convenience in comparison to a total station or other optical survey instruments. It is a laser range finder (Contour XL Ric) with a built-in compass. It is Bluetooth compliant so data that it acquires can be squirted to a laptop of data logger. We will be using it with our Trimble Pro-XR GPS system, which will automagically derive a coordinate for the remote position determined by the laser. We've used the Pro-XR for nearly a decade and have confidence in it. So far we've used the Contour XL Ric in a parking lot and a brief field exercise, leading to our decision to purchase it. We will be using the complete system in the field later this month for the first time so until then I cannot speak to how well it performs it's advertised functions. This is most definitely NOT an endorsement of products from particular companies and I am certain that there are other set-ups that will do at least as well as what we have. ---chris Christopher J Wells, Geographer National Wetlands Research Center, USGS 700 Cajundome Blvd Lafayette, LA 70506 Office: 337 266 8651 Cell: 337 288 0737 [EMAIL PROTECTED] =?iso-8859-1?Q?Peter_Gould?= <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent by: "Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news" <[email protected]> 05/03/2007 06:47 PM Please respond to =?iso-8859-1?Q?Peter_Gould?= <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To [email protected] cc Subject recommendations on total station survey equipment? Kerry, My experience with the total station is not great, but a colleague bought one and regretted the purchase. It was difficult to setup and haul through rugged terrain. It was designed as a precision survey instrument, but that level of precision wasn't needed for the type of work he has doing. I used a Criterion laser range finder to do similar work (apparently it's no longer manufactured. It was easy to use and could shoot through foliage (a major consideration) to hit a reflector with the right filter. it seems that if you could see any part of the reflector you could get a shot. Stem maps could be created from distance and azimuth measurements. Similar products are now on the market and they're probably cheaper than the Criterion was. -Peter
