Description
This Course is offered to all 7th semester Majors
The course is an advanced level course in mapping and surveying sciences. Geodetic surveying measurements and computation outcomes are refined and better suited to meet the requirements of high quality surveys and the needs of special purpose civil engineering work. The historical developments and advances in geodetic surveying are reviewed, up to the time of satellite positioning. Concepts of reducing geodetic surveying measurements to a spherical or ellipsoidal datum are studied. Computations of geodetic quantities such as; length of arcs along meridians and parallels, spherical excess, solutions of spherical triangles, geodetic azimuths and convergence of meridians, computations are practiced and related to civil engineering examples. Geodetic considerations are highlighted for the use of regional and/or worldwide reference ellipsoids in geodetic coordinate determination, derived geodetic quantities and datum transformations. An introduction to least squares principles and its uses within geodetic computations and geodetic control networks are delineated. Astronomic coordinates and astronomic coordinate systems are identified in relation to geodetic datum definitions and geodetic control networks realizations. The Global Positioning System (GPS) positioning concept is revisited and expanded upon, in view of GPS extended role in geodetic control networks; and specification and standards for geodetic and GPS surveys. An overview of the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) “The System of Systems”; its sub-systems, current status, and engineering applications. GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and Compass satellite sub-systems are examined. Advances in real-time differential GPS (DGPS) observations corrections techniques and coordinate determination are investigated, along with case studies in surveying projects and engineering applications. Basic concepts and recent advances in GPS positioning services, e.g. continuously operating reference stations (CORS) and European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) are presented.