Artist's Project Makes Invisible Grid, Visible

Artist Perri Lynch became intrigued about an invisible control grid over the land known as real-time networks. The way surveying and geodesy use linear and algebraic terms to give precise definition to that which defies definition: land and landscapes became a source of inspiration.

As the American Surveyor reports:

Perri first came to the attention of the surveying community from her work "Precisely Known Completely Lost," a photographic and sound series. She matched images of survey monuments (from the point of view most familiar to us, looking straight down) with a perfectly skyward image from the same monument. Audio from each site collected at the time of photography was played in loops exhibition.

In the exhibit materials for "Precisely Known Completely Lost," Perri notes, "Sense of place does not exist in the physical world. It is not universal and it is not permanent." Part of her attraction to survey monuments is that they are a manifestation of this human desire for sense of place, and a renewed appreciation for the practical value of such amenities.

Ms. Lynch's latest project is a series of black limestone pillars, set parallel to and along an entire kilometer-long National Geodetic Survey (NGS) baseline. The first and last stone are coincident with the NGS monuments; the rest of the six-foot high stones are placed in a progression of doubling distance at each subsequent stone. One side is rough, the other smooth to the contrast the regular and irregular or natural. Holes are drilled at eye-height (and at child and ADA height) aligned perfectly with holes in each subsequent stone, thereby giving the observer the perspective of a surveyor.

Ms. Lynch told American Surveyor that she sought to "amplify the obscure," as well as to "help folks connect to the specialness of subtle things and provide a new perspective on a familiar scene."

Surveyor's Collection of Ancient Maps on Display

Maps and antique equipment collected by surveyor Dan Cory is currently on display at the New Smyrna Museum of History, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports. "The Early Surveying and Mapping of Southeast Volusia County" features a copy of a 1605 map of the area, which was obtained from the St. Augustine Institute of Science and Historical Society.

The collection also highlights rare manuscript maps of surveys done of East Volusia from 1834 to 1850 as well as two full-color, full-sized Sanborn fire insurance maps of the city from 1895 and 1901. The exhibit runs through November 24, and is free.

China Completes Altitude Survey of Famous Mountains

China's State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping (SBSM) and the Ministry of Construction have recently completed a project to determine and publish the altitude of 19 of the country's most famous mountains, People's Daily reported:

The 19 mountains, all renowned tourist destinations, include the well-known "Five Sacred Mountains" -- Mount Tai in east China's Shandong Province, Mount Heng in central China's Hunan province, Mount Hua in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Mount Heng in north China's Shanxi province and Mount Song in central China's Henan Province.

Mount Tai, located near Confucius' birthplace and considered the holiest of the five, is 1,532.7 meters high, according to statistics released jointly by the State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping (SBSM) and the Ministry of Construction on Friday.

Up until now, the height of Mount Tai appeared as 1,545 meters,1,536 meters or 1,533 meters -- depending on which textbook or tourist guide you were reading, or what TV documentary you were watching.

"Elevation data for many mountains in China are currently inconsistent and inaccurate, sometimes the difference can be as much as 100 meters," said Li Weisen, SBSM's deputy director, at a press conference in Beijing.

The project began back in July, 2006 and was completed in March.

See also: China to Crack Down on Foreign Surveyors & Mappers
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Author to Appear in Prince George, B.C.

Katherine Gordon, author of, "Made to Measure: A History of Land Surveying in British Columbia" will be among four authors who will read from their work at Books and Company, in Prince George, next Wednesday, at 7:30 p.m. According to the Prince George Citizen, the event is part of the B.C. Book Prizes on Tour's Northern Leg, sponsored by Alcan. Ms. Gordon's book is shortlisted for the Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize.

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China to Crack Down on Foreign Surveyors & Mappers

An article in China Daily says the Chinese government is cracking down on foreigners conducting surveying and mapping projects in the country without authorization. It notes that back in April, two Japanese scholars were fined 80,000 yuan (about $10,300) for using GPS to collect geographic information on an airport and water facilities in Northwest China.

Also mentioned is the case of an electronics company in Weihai, which was fined 30,000 yuan (about $3,900) for hiring South Korean surveyors to map a plant site without approval from the government.

China Daily says that the State Bureau of Surveys and Mapping has published the results of their investigations into all this illegal surveying and mapping on its website. Since my Chinese is pretty rusty, I didn't bother looking for it.

Since the article mostly rehashes old news, the main point seems to be a warning that new restrictions on surveying and mapping by foreigners went into effect on March 1.

Despite the government's arguments about the need to, "...protect national security and promote economic and scientific cooperation with other countries," the main purpose seems to be insuring the continued employment of the bureaucrats at the State Bureau of Surveys and Mapping.

See also: China Restricts Foreign Surveyors & Mappers

Musuem of Surveying Headed to Illinois

The Museum of Surveying will relocate to Springfield, Illinois, the State Journal-Register reported. Currently located in Lansing, Michigan, the Museum of Surveying is the only museum in North America dedicated solely to the surveying and mapping profession. It houses a collection of surveying artifacts, early surveying and mapping instruments, and historical literature.

The Journal-Register reported that a formal announcement is expected March 13th. At that time, it is expected that the museum will announce that it will occupy a 10,000 square feet facility on the north side of Old Capitol Plaza in downtown Springfield.

The Self-Taught Scientist Who Surveyed a Capitol

Yesterday's Times Herald-Record has a brief profile of one of the most fascinating scientific figures of early American history, Benjamin Banneker. Born in 1731, the free son of a slave, Mr. Banneker was a self-taught clock maker, astronomer, and surveyor, as well as a best-selling author. Those may seem like odd combinations today. However, in colonial times, clock makers frequently crafted a wide range of scientific instruments. He surveyed what became Washington, D.C.

While the credit for the design of Washington D.C. usually goes to Maj. Andrew Endicott and French architect Pierre L'Enfant, it was Mr. Banneker who did most of the actual work. When Mr. L'Enfant became angry with his superiors and abandoned the project, taking the only set of design plans with him, President George Washington proposed hiring a new architect. Instead, Mr. Banneker created an entire new set of plans, from memory, saving the young U.S. Government untold amounts of time and money.

Mr. Banneker's scientific expertise was so well known in the newly formed states that his "Benjamin Banneker's Almanac," was a best-seller from 1792 to 1797.

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The best work on Banneker is by Silvio A. Bedini, who was a curator a the Smithsonian:

China Restricts Foreign Surveyors & Mappers

China Daily reports today that Beijing has issued new regulations that will greatly restrict foreign surveying and mapping projects in the country:

"Foreign organizations and individuals, who engage in surveying and mapping must obtain approval from the central government and accept supervision from local governments above the county-level," said a regulation issued by the Ministry of Land and Resources.

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The regulation forbids foreigners from conducting land surveys, aerial photography, mapping of administrative borderlines and the drawing of navigation maps.

The number of foreigners conducting surveying and mapping in China is on the rise and many field projects have been carried out illegally, which have threatened the security of the country, said the ministry without mentioning the number of such cases.

China Daily reports that last year, two Japanese scholars were fined a total of 80,000 yuan (10,000 U.S. dollars) and deported for collecting materials and coordinates of an airport and water facilities. China claimed that their results could be put to military use.