New combined technologies for surveyors

GPS receivers and electronic Total Stations are today known as conventional tools for most survey jobs. They are used separately for specific tasks under specific conditions. But very often, the constellation of a survey task requires combining these two surveying technologies; GPS for referencing to a known control point far away and Total Stations for detail surveys or stakeouts in the narrow area. Very often, GPS is limited due to obstacles like trees or big buildings interrupting the signals from the satellites, so surveyors have to find a different and sometimes complicated way to solve the task.

Leica Geosystems is the first and only manufacturer who offers a revolutionary, new and unique surveying system that combines a high-precision Total station and a high-performance GPS receiver in a single instrument, the “SmartStation”.

SmartStation comprises a Leica TPS1200 Total Station with an ATX1230 SmartAntenna for dual frequency RTK survey and is based on the new modular System 1200 that has been introduced by Leica Geosystems one and a half year ago.

The modular concept and its amazing multi-functionality signify for every surveyor many advantages in the daily surveying routines:
• You don’t need to worry about control points, traverses and resections. Just set up the instrument wherever it is convenient, touch the GPS key and let the SmartAn-tenna do the rest. RTK determines the position to centimeter accuracy within a few seconds at ranges up to 50 km from a reference station.
• The position determined is transferred automatically to the Total Station.
• You can use the SmartAntenna on a pole to determine other reference points for the orientation
• You continue with the Total Station the conventional way making detail survey or stakeouts.
• All application programs for Total station and GPS survey are identical.
• Everything you need for data processing in a single software package for Total Sta-tion and GPS data you are getting with “Leica Geo Office” for import, visualization, conversion, quality control, adjustment and export.

First users all over the world have confirmed the efficiency of this new survey instruments:
• Lower investments compared to two single instruments.
• There is only one learning curve for both technologies, a big human factor.
• Displays, database, application programs and also accessories are the same for Total station and GPS. This brings big advantages in operating a SmartStation.
• Compared to conventional tachometric surveying, the method of a combined SmartStation has a potential of saving 30 to 40% of time and money.
• Great flexibility in using Total Station and GPS technologies combined in one single instrument in different applications and in different environments.

If you have to execute topographic survey in a remote area, property or infrastructure sur-vey in a rural locality, stakeout on large construction sites or surveying utilities in an urban environment, SmartStation provides the surveyor with a competitive advantage as an in-vestment to the future and to expand your business.

You will find on the website www.leica-geosystems.com many useful tips and illustrations about this new surveying technology and the methodologies behind, the products and how to operate them.

About Leica Geosystems Surveying & Engineering Division
Leica Geosystems’ Surveying & Engineering Division provides solutions for positioning and data capture for Surveying, Civil Engineering, Construction and Mining industry seg-ments. With its leading edge technologies included in Totalstation, GPS, Leveling and Ma-chine Automation it has established itself as a leading solutions provider into the spatial information industry. The Surveying & Engineering Division is the largest division within Leica Geosystems, contributing more than 60% of the company’s annual revenue.

Leica Geosystems – when it has to be right
With close to 200 years of pioneering solutions to measure the world, Leica Geosystems products and services are trusted by professionals worldwide to help them capture, ana-lyze, and present spatial information. Leica Geosystems is best known for its broad array of products that capture accurately, model quickly, analyze easily, and visualize and pre-sent spatial information even in 3D. Those who use Leica products every day trust them for their dependability, the value they deliver, and the superior customer support. Based in Switzerland, Leica Geosystems is a global company with tens of thousands of customers supported by more than 2,400 employees in 21 countries and hundreds of partners lo-cated in more than 120 countries around the world.