Survey Mark Links

Here you will find a collection of the sites I've found most useful or interesting in my exploration of the topics of benchmark hunting and surveying in general.

Resources and Applications

Data Management

  •  NGS Geodetic Tookit

  •  DSWIN
    • DSWIN allows you to search for, extract, view and print NGS control point datasheets, and to plot selected points on a simple schematic diagram. It was written for use with the datasheet CD-ROM, which NGS no longer sells. However, you can still use the program by downloading onto your hard drive the datasheet archive files for the counties you need.

  •  DSUPDATE
    • DSUPDATE replaces old datasheets with their updated versions so that your whole datasheet file stays current.

  •  BMGPX
    • This simple application converts NGS *.dat files (the same ones you download for use with DSWIN) to *.gpx files. The *.gpx files can then be imported into any of the geocache management programs, such as EasyGPS, GPX Spinner, or Watcher.

  •  GPSBabel
    • GPSBabel converts waypoints, tracks, and routes from one format to another, for use in various tracking and mapping applications. Runs under Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and more.

  •  G7ToWin
    • Small, simple, efficient program for waypoint management.

    Mapping

  •  Maptech Terrain Navigator
    • From Maptech's website: "Regional collections of USGS topo maps and Software for 2-D and 3-D viewing, customizing, printing, and GPS." It covers all my mapping needs, and I use it at least once daily.

  •  TerraClient
    • TerraClient allows the user to overlay topo maps on satellite images. Sliders are provided so the layers can be blended in varying amounts. All information is taken live from Microsoft's TerraServer; for some reason this runs very slowly for me even on cable. Still, it's been valuable at times in order to identify and precisely locate items seen on the satellite photos.

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