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Converting a TBC Project with Local Projection to a SurvCE Job
By Mark Silver, [email protected] , 801-412-0011 x16
Rev A, September 10, 2013
This document is painfully step-by-step. Don’t freak out: you can complete the entire calibration in
less than 3 minutes once you get the numbers ready to cut and paste.
Things we should all remember (but may not):
Survey Feet to Meters: 1200 / 3937 exactly or 0.304800610 more or less
TBC: Trimble Business Center
SPSO: Spectra Precision Survey Office
1. It will be easiest to use the SurvCE desktop emulator. You can download the latest version from
SurvCE.com. I like to make a folder “sce” to contain all jobs off the root of the C: drive, then I put each
job in it’s own folder.
So in this case, the job name will be j101 and folder will be C:\sce\job101\
Put a copy of the GSF (Geoid Separation File) in this folder too. For this example, I am using a file
‘G12A_UT_StGeorge.gsf’ which is a subset of GEOID 12A, for St. George Utah.
Put a copy of the local coordinates into the folder. In this example, the file “RA PARK 090613.csv” is
placed in the folder.
2. Find this Project Location definition screen in TBC (SPSO):
Extract these values:
Project Location DMS: 37 04 53.221640848 -113 34 33.416593500
Convert the project location from D M S.ss to decimal degrees:
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d.ddd: 37.081450455791 [ Lat. Of Origin ]
-113.575949053750 [C. Meridian]
Project Height: 2500.0 sft 762.002 m [Local Elevation]
Ground Scale Factor: 1.0001193254 [1/Combined:]
3. Find this Project Projection screen:
Extract these values:
Projection: Transverse Mercator
False Northing: 100.000 sft 30.4801 M [False Northing m]
False Easting: 100.000 sft 30.4801 M [False Easting m]
4. Export out a .CSV (comma separated file) with the job’s local coordinates:
This is file “RA PARK 090613.csv”
1 100.0000 100.0000 100.0000 CP1 KEY
3 200.0000 100.0000 100.0000 CP3 KEY
101 100.0000 100.0000 2544.1300 CP1 OBS
102 142.0970 101.7790 2543.9690 CP2 OBS
103 185.2240 100.0000 2543.1140 CP3 OBS
NotSet 9712.1410
-
6526.9910 3018.6080
Put a copy of this file in the job folder.
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5. Export out a .CSV file with Geo coordinates; make sure there is plenty of precision:
1 37.081450456000
-
113.575949054000 19.3350 CP1 KEY
3 37.081652213000
-
113.575716530000 19.3380 CP3 KEY
101 37.081450455000
-
113.575949054000 2463.4650 CP1 OBS
102 37.081532076000
-
113.575846688000 2463.3050 CP2 OBS
103 37.081622401000
-
113.575750888000 2462.4510 CP3 OBS
NotSet 37.113189359000
-
113.570284284000 2938.2440
For this job, the basis-of-bearing is the vector from Pt 101 to Pt 103. We will need the Geo coordinates
in ‘Carlson Format’ which is dd.mmsssssssss:
101 dd.mmssss 37.04532216380 -113.34334165944 2463.3050
[ AddPoint Lat ] [ Add Point Lon ] [ Add Point Elevation ]
103 dd.mmsss 37.04538406436 -113.34327031968 2462.4510
[ AddPoint Lat ] [ Add Point Lon ] [ Add Point Elevation ]
OPTIONAL: Point 102 and the base location ‘NotSet’ can be used as a checkpoint when we are
complete. Might as well convert them now
102 dd.mmssss 37.04535154736 -113.34330480768 2463.3050
NotSet dd.mmssss 37.06474816924 -113.34130234224 2463.3050
If you collect all the needed values in notepad it might look like this:
HINT: You can use the Windows calculator to convert to DD.MMSSSSSSS: Highlight and copy
“37.081622401000” into the windows clipboard. Open the windows calculator and press Ctrl+V:
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click the ‘dms’ button.
Then press Ctrl+C to copy the result, finally click back in your job notes and press Ctrl-V to paste the
result: 37.04538406436
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1. Start the SurvCE emulator on your
desktop and ‘Select New/Existing Job’:
2. Navigate to a new folder and enter an
appropriate filename:
Press the Green Check Mark
3. Select ‘US Survey Feet’
then press ‘Edit Projection List’:
4. We need to make a custom projection
that exactly matches the TBC project:
Click ‘Add User Defined’:
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5. Give the projection a logical name, like
the job name:
Fill out the blue highlighted values that
we extracted from TBC (above.) BE
CAREFUL: The Central Ceridian and
Latitude of Origin are decimal degrees!
Click on the ‘Green Check Mark.’ When
complete:
6.
Click on the ‘Green Check Mark.’
7.
Click on the ‘Green Check Mark’ to return
to the main menu:
8. Back to the Main Menu
We are going to import all of the local
coordinates to our job now.
Click on ‘7. Import / Export’:
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9.
Click on ‘Import Ascii File’:
10. Import ASCII file Menu:
Click on the ‘Select’ button to choose a
file:
11. Change the ‘Type:’ to ‘CSV Files’
12. Highlight the .csv file with the local
coordinates:
Click the ‘Green Check Mark’:
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13.
Take a moment and make sure that you
have NOT transposed X and Y values!
If you have, change the format from
“P,Y,X,Z,D” to “P,X,Y,Z,D”.
As a general rule, engineers will export
X,Y,Z and surveyors will export Y,X,Z.
Looks good!
Press the ‘Green Check Mark’:
14. Accept the default (current) job
Press the ‘Green Check Mark’ to store
the point into the current job:
15. SurvCE reports that it imported the local
coordinates from the file:
Click ‘OK’ to continue:
16. Back to the Main Menu
17. Click on ‘Equip’ (top), and then ‘6.
Localization’:
Click on the ‘GPS’ tab:
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18. Make sure the ‘Multi Point Method’ is set
to ‘Plane Similarity’.
Click on the ‘Geoid File:’ button:
19. and navigate (if needed) to the folder
and select the GSF file.
Click on the ‘Green Check Mark’:
20.
Click on the ‘Points’ tab:
21. We are going to select two points and
use them to form the bearing basis.
Click on ‘Add’:
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22.
Click on the ‘123 List’ button:
23. Highlight point #101
Click on the ‘Green Check Mark’:
24. 100,100 is going to be the base point of
our horizontal translation / rotation (but
not scale)
Click on the ‘Green Check Mark’:
25. Select ‘Enter Latitude/Longitude’
Click on the ‘Green Check Mark’:
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26. Enter the Lat/Lon/Elev as shown for
point 101. Don’t hand enter them, just
copy and paste them from the notes that
you made from the TBC extraction
process. When you move the cursor out
of the entry box, SurvCE will clean them
up and you can force West if needed:
Click the ‘Green Check Mark’:
27. Now add a second point
Click the ‘Add’ button:
28.
Click the ‘123 List’ button
29. Choose point #103:
Click the ‘Green Check Mark”
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30.
Click the ‘Green Check Mark’
31. Select ‘Enter Latitude/Longitude’
Click the ‘Green Check Mark’
32. Copy and paste the geographic
coordinates for 113 into the boxes:
Press the ‘Green Check Mark’:
33.
Click ‘No’:
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34. Check the ‘2pt Rotate Only’ checkbox.
We don’t want to use the two points for
scale (although we would get the same
results if we did,) we want to use a
manually entered scale factor.
Next, we need to turn off Vertical control
for both these points (we want to use
the GPS observed ellipsoid height, based
on the base station, with the GEOID
applied.
Highlight Pt #103, then click ‘On/Off’:
35. Uncheck ‘Vertical Control’
Click the ‘Green Check Mark’
36. Highlight Pt #101:
then click the ‘On/Off’ button:
37. UnCheck then ‘Vertical Control’ box.
Click the ‘Green Check Mark’
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38. Points are looking good!
Click the GPS tab:
39. We are prompted to save our work into a
Localizaton File. This file can be reused
at this site for subsequent jobs on the
same coordinate system. It can also be
shared between data collectors if
multiple rovers are on a job.
The default filename is just fine, press
the ‘Green Check Mark’
40.
click ‘Grid to Ground Checkbox:
41.
Click on the ‘Calculator’ button
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42. Select ‘Method: Manual and enter the
scale factor (from TBC above).
Click the ‘Change Point’ button:
43. Click on ‘First Localization Point’ button:
44. Back to the scale factor, Manual Entry
screen:
Click the ‘Green Check Mark’ button:
45. This looks great, it is exactly what we
wanted:
Click the ‘Green Check Mark
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46.
Click the ‘Green Check Mark’ button.
47. We are back to the main screen, ready
to Survey!
However…
Ask yourself “What could have possibly gone
wrong?”
Let’s check a couple of points first. Just In
Case We Made A Mistake.
1. Select the ‘COGO’ tab:
2. Click on ‘8. Calculator’, then ‘Conversion’
and select ‘LLH->Grid’:
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3. In the box under ‘Pt ID:’ enter ‘101’,
press Enter,
check ‘Apply Localization’,
check ‘Apply Geoid’,
click on ‘Solve Lat/Lon’:
Verify than the Lat/Lon exactly match
those from the geographic CSV file:
101 37 04 53.2216380 113 34
33.4165944
Note: We expect “37 04 53.2216380”
but we get “37 04 53.221642”, what is
the difference? About 0.00001 meters—
No Big Deal!
4. In the box under ‘Pt ID:’ enter ‘102’,
press Enter,
Click on ‘Solve Lat/Lon’:
102 37 04 53.5154736
-113 34 33.0480768
That is dang close!
Now for a real check point, lets solve for
our base ‘NotSet’ location.
In the box under ‘Pt ID:’ enter ‘NotSet’,
press return,
Click on ‘Solve Lat/Lon’:
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NotSet 37 06 47.4816924
-113 34 13.0234224
Close enough
5. You can place additional notes directly
into the job. From the main menu select
‘File’:
6. Click on ‘9. Write Note’, then enter your
job description:
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Close the emulator. Now you will have multiple files in the job folder:
You can just place the entire folder (job101) onto the data collector (typically on the ‘Storage Card’.)
The field crew can then open the J101.crd file and be good to go.
Let’s take a moment to look at the files:
G12A_UT_StGeorge.gsf Geoid Separation File, describes difference from reference ellipsoid to ortho
J101.crd Binary Job File
J101.inf Text file that holds all of the data collector settings
J101.loc Text file that holds the localization
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="us-ascii" ?>
<carlson_xml version="1.0">
<table>
<record id="Localization Points" >
<record id="Point 1" >
<value name="Lat" value="37.0814504557911"></value>
<value name="Lon" value="-113.5759490537500"></value>
<value name="Ellipsoid_Elv" value="750.8656337313"></value>
<value name="Geoid_Separation" value="0."></value>
<value name="Local_X" value="30.4800609601"></value>
<value name="Local_Y" value="30.4800609601"></value>
<value name="Local_Z" value="775.4523749048"></value>
<value name="HRMS" value="0."></value>
<value name="VRMS" value="0."></value>
<value name="Use_Horizontal" value="Yes"></value>
<value name="Use_Vertical" value="No"></value>
<value name="Description" value="101"></value>
</record>
<record id="Point 2" >
<value name="Lat" value="37.0816224010000"></value>
<value name="Lon" value="-113.5757508880000"></value>
<value name="Ellipsoid_Elv" value="750.5565659132"></value>
<value name="Geoid_Separation" value="0."></value>
<value name="Local_X" value="30.4800609601"></value>
<value name="Local_Y" value="56.4563881128"></value>
<value name="Local_Z" value="775.1426974855"></value>
<value name="HRMS" value="0."></value>
<value name="VRMS" value="0."></value>
<value name="Use_Horizontal" value="Yes"></value>
<value name="Use_Vertical" value="No"></value>
<value name="Description" value="103"></value>
</record>
<value name="Units" value="WGS84, Decimal Degrees, Metric"></value>
</record>
</table>
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</carlson_xml>
J101.not Text file that holds our job notes
PT_ID:NOTSET
NOTE1,This job was transfered from
NOTE2,TBC Job: RAParkLot1
NOTE3,
NOTE4,It is a test job for transfering points
NOTE5,from TBC to SurvCE.
NOTE6,
NOTE7,Sept 10, 2013, Mark Silver
J101.rw5 Text log file that contains everything that happens on this job.
J101.sys Holds the projection definition:
COMPD_CS["J101",PROJCS["",GEOGCS["",DATUM["",SPHEROID["",6378137,298.257223562776],TOWGS84
[0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
0]],PRIMEM["Greenwich",0],UNIT["Radians",1],AXIS["Long",East],AXIS["Lat",North]],PROJECTIO
N["Transverse_Mercator"],PARAMETER["latitude_of_origin",37.081450455791],PARAMETER["centra
l_meridian",-
113.57594905374999],PARAMETER["scale_factor",1],PARAMETER["zone_width",6],PARAMETER["false
_easting",30.4801],PARAMETER["false_northing",30.4801],UNIT["Meters",1],AXIS["East",East],
AXIS["North",North]],VERT_CS["",VERT_DATUM["Ellipsoid",2002],UNIT["Meters",1],AXIS["Height
",Up]]];
100.00012808332318,100.00012811846159,2463.46499999985690,99.99999999991793,99.99999999991
793,2544.12999999990640,0.00000000000000,0.00000000000000,Y,N,101, User Defined:
J101,GEOID=C:\sce\job101\G12A_UT_StGeorge.gsf
157.80904229293657,162.60615486582839,2462.45100000000000,100.00000000000000,185.223999999
99999,2543.11400000000000,0.00000000000000,0.00000000000000,Y,N,103, User Defined:
J101,GEOID=C:\sce\job101\G12A_UT_StGeorge.gsf
