South Texas Land Surveyor

News

Welcome to our News page. 

Here you will find articles regarding Charles Rothe and Associates, and other items of interest to our clients and to the land surveyor and civil engineering industries.

Farmers, Hang On To Your GPS

Surveyors are not the only professionals who sometimes need to guard their field equipment.  In this recent "Seen & Heard" collection by GPS World (see the 2nd story from top), farmers in the UK are the target of organized gangs of thieves who steal GPS/GNSS systems from ag equipment.  We know from experience how frustrating it is to have equipment stolen, and now the ever-dwindling portion of our population that grows food for the rest of us is being targeted as well.  GNSS has become an integral part of modern agricultural technology, so this hurts almost as much as stealing the entire piece of equipment.  Farmers, we salute your work.  Be careful where you park your tractors and combines!

Merry Christmas!!

It's time to bring back our favorite Surveyor Santa to wish all of our clients and vendors a Very Merry Christmas!  We sincerely thank each of you for supporting our business during this very busy year.  Our wish for all is a simple Christmas spent with family, and a productive and prosperous New Year in 2020.  There are some big changes afoot here at Charles Rothe & Associates.  If you haven't heard the details yet, you will soon enough.  Blessings to all as we wrap up one year and move boldly into the next decade!

The "Ah Ha" Moments

In this 2-part series, Scott Martin shares some of his personal learning experiences, notably those times along the path when the light came on.  We all have those moments at some time or other, and hopefully when it's all done we will have learned something useful that will stick with us for at least a little while.

In Scott's context, these moments have to do with his surveying career, and are an enjoyable read for anyone with interest in the surveying profession, either past or present. This Part 2 article in the series covers his 3rd and 4th "moments" and the experiences surrounding them.  Personally, I appreciate his linking of past knowledge and technology with the current set of tools.  Here's a photo shared from his Moment #3 from 1984, which really wasn't all that long ago.  While not the actual drafting machine he used in the field, it's representative of the technology of the day.

Note in particular his comment at the end of Moment 4:  "The measuring tools may change, but the sound procedures and practices of applying them properly never will."  It's a given that technology changes around us, but quality work never goes out of style!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Wow!  What a year 2018 has been!  Seems that it was only about 6 months long as it flew by - but that's probably because we have been blessed with plenty of work to be done, and good clients for whom to do it.  May 2019 be a good year for all, but especially during this holiday season, may we also take some time to focus on what's really important in life:  our relationships with other people.  Good work has its merits, but work by itself becomes meaningless without good relationships.

Blessings to all!

Rocket Hole in the Ionosphere

The launch of a SpaceX heavy lift rocket in August of 2017 created some unexpected results in the earth's ionosphere, effectively punching a temporary hole in this portion of the earth's atmosphere.  As noted in this article at ARS Technica, the ionospheric disruptions resulted from the rocket's unusual vertical trajectory, rather than a typical rocket trajectory that is more parallel to the earth's surface.  Scientists say this disruption may have caused errors in GPS navigation of up to 1 meter.  Why the errors?

With GNSS timing is everything.  This diagram shows how satellite transmissions can be delayed by varying conditions in the ionosphere.  Basically, GPS receivers determine their position based on the time it takes for satellite signals to reach them, and any interference with that time calculation impacts the accuracy of the result.  If your GPS application is just to navigate the highways from city to city, the error resulting from this ionospheric disturbance won't make any difference, but if your application is precise surveying to centimeter accuracy, 1 meter makes a world of difference!

The concern is that as we become more dependent on GPS navigation for applications such as autonomous vehicles, and as the frequency of rocket launches increases, scientists need to better understand the influences of rocket launches on the ionosphere so that GPS calculations can compensate for these predicted changes in timing.

And on a more local note, we wish a Happy Easter to all!!

Ancient History Meets Modern Surveying

In the Feb-2018 American Surveyor is an article detailing an interesting blend of new and old.  Faculty and students from the University of Virginia use modern survey techniques to precisely document the ruins of ancient Inca city Saqsaywaman, with the goal of preventing further decay of the archeological site.  Unfortunately, some misinformed good intentions have led to accidental destruction of what remains of the city's rock walls.  Even though they were constructed 400 years ago, the precision fit of huge stones in the walls rivals some modern engineering techniques.  Read the full article at this link.  Be sure to click on the additional link at the top to view a PDF version that includes images.

A Season of Gratitude

We should be grateful every day for all of the gifts that we enjoy, and tend take for granted.  But especially during this season set aside for giving "Thanks", we are mindful of all our blessings, and offer a sincere "Thank You!" to all of our clients and friends.  A Happy Thanksgiving to all!

In or Out of The Box?

In the January issue of The American Surveyor, Wendy Lathrop shares her insights about thinking outside the box.  Sometimes it's a good thing, but depending on the circumstances it can sometimes get you in trouble.  In general, we need to be open to new ideas, learning new methods and new concepts that can expand our horizons and improve the way we accomplish our work, especially in light of the rapid pace of technological change in the world around us.

There are times, however, when thinking too far outside the box can have serious ramifications.  Even though Wendy's article refers to examples in the surveying industry, the concept applies to every person and every business.  One example is thinking so far out of the box that you commit to deliver a product to a client, but you lack the proper training or expertise to perform the work accurately and on time.  As Wendy states, "Learning from scratch is not optimal under pressure of deadlines and budgets."

So, bottom line, it's usually OK to think at least a little bit outside the box... unless you're a cat.  Enjoy Wendy's full article at this link.

Being Grateful

Thankfulness, the attitude of being grateful for one's current situation, seems to be a commodity that's in short supply, especially in light of the recent presidential elections.  Between the candidates' divisive shots at each other, and the media throwing fuel on the fire, criticism appears to be much more prevalent than gratitude.  The post-election response from both sides is not much of an improvement, most notably the whining and fussing and street rioting simply because the election may not have turned out as some would like.  In the midst of all this wasted energy, be mindful of the multitude of blessings that the vast majority of us enjoy daily.  Even those considered "low income" by American standards are wealthy when compared with much of the world's population.  So on this Thanksgiving holiday, take a step or 2 back from the noise, fast from the media for a while, and take stock of yourself and your many blessings.  If done honestly, you will most certainly reap a harvest of thankfulness.

So You Found A Rebar...

Steel rebar is a product that most folks would consider to be pretty boring -- unless they work with concrete or survey land.  When a survey plat or legal description specifies an "iron pin" either found or set, most likely that pin is a piece of steel rebar, so from the surveyor's perspective rebar tells an important story. 

In their article entitled "How San Francisco Paid The Ransome", authors Chad and Linda Erickson share some interesting history about steel rebar, the invention and adoption (or lack of adoption) of various types of the product, and how the use of newer steel rebars in concrete greatly improved the integrity of concrete structures.  Ironically, if the engineers of the day had adopted Ernest L. Ransome's new style of twisted rebar, more of San Francisco might have been spared from destruction by the 1906 earthquake.

From a surveyor's perspective, knowing the history of available steel rebars might provide valuable insight into the year that a certain property pin was set, thereby helping to validate the original survey markers.  Read the full "Ransome" article in The American Surveyor at this link; we recommend using the link near the top of their web article to download the full PDF, since the included images greatly enhance the story.