FIG Commission 5

Work Plan 2007-2010

Original work plan in .pdf-format.

Title

Positioning and Measurement

Mr. Rudolf Staiger, Chairperson of Commission 5

Terms of reference

The science of measurement (instrumentation, methodology and guidelines)
The acquisition of accurate and reliable survey data related to the position, size and shape of natural and artificial features of the earth and its environment and including variation with time.

Mission statement

Focus on modern technologies and technical developments and assist individual surveyors, through guidelines and recommendations, to choose and utilise those methods, technologies and instruments that are most appropriate to different applications.
Follow technical developments through collaboration with other FIG commissions and other international organisations; participation in appropriate meetings; and the preparation of appropriate publications.
Support research and development and stimulate new ideas in the fields of expertise represented within the commission.
Collaborate with manufacturers on the improvement of instrumentation and associated software.
Present and promote the work of the commission and its working groups on an on-going basis at FIG working weeks and other relevant technical meetings and in appropriate FIG and other media.

General

This work plan covers the development, use and integration of technologies for positioning and measurement and the associated standardisation, best practice and fundamental reference frame issues. Many of the issues are global in nature and Commission 5, working with like-minded Sister Associations, is well placed to deal with them. FIG Council has also asked the Commissions to cooperate with United Nations Agencies to address global problems such as sustainable development and humanitarian needs. The disciplines covered by Commission 5 are at the heart of delivering solutions for the spatial aspects of these important global problems. Specific activities aimed at developing countries include examination of Low Cost Surveying Technologies and contribution to appropriate Continuing Professional Development programs.

Working Group 5.1 - Standards, Quality Assurance and Calibration

Policy Issues

Influence the development of standards affecting positioning and measurement instruments and methods, in collaboration with the FIG task force on standards and through participation in the relevant technical committees (TCs) of the International Standards Organisation (ISO) and other appropriate bodies.
Acceptance controls, quality assurance and certification and their impact on the surveying profession.
Checking and calibration of measuring instruments.
Assist other Commission Working Groups to implement Standards from ISO TC211 as appropriate.

Chair

David Martin
FRANCE
E-mail: martin[at]esrf.fr

Specific project(s)

Transform the existing recommendations on the Use and Calibration of EDM (FIG-Publication 7/1994) in a digital document and make it available on the FIG-Website
Actualise the above mentioned EDM-Standards
Present and promote the use of standards and guidelines to the surveying community.
Establish guidelines and recommendations for… (Requires updating for relevant instruments taking into account progress during past four years).
Guidelines and Recommendations for the ISO Guide to Uncertainty of Measurements.
Review Standards coming from ISO TC211 for relevance to Positioning and Measurement.

Workshop(s)

Participation in FIG Working Weeks and other major Commission events (see events section below) with dedicated Technical Sessions and/or Workshops as appropriate.

Publication(s)

Recommendations for the Use and Calibration of EDM
FIG Working Weeks will include Technical Papers on specific issues and presented by Working Group Members and other invited experts
Guidelines for… (Requires updating for relevant instruments).

Timetable

Draft publications will be presented at FIG Working Weeks during the term of this plan and according to a timetable to be developed by the Working Group Chair.
Working group final report: dedicated session, FIG Congress, 2010.

Beneficiaries

FIG member associations, manufacturers and users of survey equipment, governments, standardisation organisations, decision makers, GIS developers and users, surveying businesses, individual surveyors.

Working Group 5.2 - Reference Frame in Practice

Policy issues

Policy Issues include the following:

Work to bring together all organisations involved in defining or using reference frames to develop common approaches and avoid duplication. Such organisations include FIG, IAG, ISO, groups of national mapping agencies, other influential national agencies (such as the US DoD's NIMA) and alliances of commercial organisations (such as Open GIS Consortium and the European Petroleum Survey Group).
Continue the existing co-operation with IAG on AFREF as well as facilitate similar actions on other continents as South America and ASIA.
Provide background technical information on relevant issues written in a way that is accessible to the surveying practitioners.
Develop an inventory of approaches to reference frame issues in different countries (including transformation methodologies) that is accessible to surveying practitioners.
Examine the concepts of dynamic and semi-dynamic datums.
Examine how surveying practitioners are changing how they access the reference frame, through less emphasis on networks of ground monuments and more emphasis on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) base stations.
Examine global positioning services as Omnistar and the use of them for positioning in a national reference frame
Examine the increased use of GNSS for height determination as well as the use of geoid models for connection to local height datums.
Examine the role that the satellite missions GRACE, GOCE and CHAMP will have on global geoid models
Examine the increasing role of aerial and space based imagery in the realisation of reference frames.

Chair

Mikael Lilje
Sweden
mikael.lilje[at]lm.se

Specific project(s)

Initiate, contribute and facilitate meeting(s) of all organisations involved in defining or using (regional) reference frames to develop common approaches and avoid duplication.
Continue development of Technical Fact Sheets that briefly explain basic concepts, practical applications and issues and which summarise the activities of organisations with specific responsibilities in the field.
Ensure terminology used in above publications conform to and give substance to the relevant Standards coming from ISO TC211. .
Ensure that the working group web page is running and updated.

Workshop(s)

Participation in FIG Working Weeks and other major Commission events (see events section below) with dedicated Technical Sessions and/or Workshops as appropriate.
Seminars and meetings involving key organisations involved in defining or using (regional) reference frames will be convened at a venue, time and date to be confirmed by the Working Group Chairs.
Symposium on Applications of Permanent GPS/GNSS Networks. WG 5.2 and WG 5.3 event.

Publication(s)

Web page
FIG Working Weeks will include Technical Papers on specific issues and presented by Working Group Members and other invited experts.
Technical Fact Sheets as outlined above.
Working group final report will be presented at FIG Congress, 2010. .

Timetable

Draft publications will be presented at FIG Working Weeks during the term of this plan and according to a timetable to be developed by the Working Group Chairs.
Working group final report: dedicated session, FIG Congress, 2010.

Working Group 5.3 - Integrated Positioning, Navigation and Mapping Systems

Policy issues

While this is a new focus, it includes the topics covered by the previous Working Groups 5.3 and 5.4 and extends to cover technology generally.

Issues associated with ongoing and rapid developments in Integrated Positioning, Navigation, and Mapping systems, including performance and applications of such systems and guidelines for their use.
Ensuring FIG input to planning associated with programs of GPS Modernisation and GNSS Development.

Co-Chairs

Andrew Hunter and Naser El-Sheimy CANADA
E-mail: ahunter[at]ucalgary.ca and naser[at]geomatics.ucalgary.ca

Specific project(s)

Report on the development, possibilities and limitations of new technologies.
Prepare guidelines for practitioners on making the best use of systems to achieve the results required for particular applications.
Develop FIG input to GPS Modernisation and GNSS Development.
Collaborate with other Commissions and other international organisations (including IAG and ISPRS) and with equipment, software and service providers.
Continue commitment to relevant inter-disciplinary events including the series of Symposia on Mobile Mapping (joint with IAG and ISPRS).

Workshop(s)

Participation in FIG Working Weeks and other major Commission events with dedicated Technical Sessions and/or Workshops as appropriate.

Publication(s)

Guidelines on making the best use of emerging systems.

Timetable

Draft publications will be presented at FIG Working Weeks during the term of this plan and according to a timetable to be developed by the Working Group Chair.

Beneficiaries

FIG member associations, manufacturers and users of survey equipment, governments, standardisation organisations, decision makers, GIS developers and users, surveying businesses, individual surveyors.

Working Group 5.4 - GNSS - Global Navigation Satellite Systems

Policy issues

Cooperation with all organisation involved in the field of GNSS e.g. IAG and ISO
Keeping contact to GNSS receiver and equipment manufactures to provide state-of-the-art information to the users
Cooperation with Commisions 3, 4, 6 and 8 regarding GNSS integration into GIS respectively GNSS for disaster risk management as well as GNNS applicatiosn in hydrography and engineering surveys
Providing technical GNSS background information on relevant issues for surveying practioners by web-page, tutorials and workshops
Development of recommendations regarding procedures to check GNSS equipment
Contribute to FIG input to GPS modernisation and GNSS development
Prepare the surveying profession for GNSS-mass-markets (e.g. Location based services, traffic applications,…) as well as required technologies (e.g. assisted GPS, car navigation technology,..)

Chair

Dr.-Ing.habil. Volker Schwieger
GERMANY
E-mail: volker.schwieger[at]iagb.uni-stuttgart.de

Specific project(s)

Special Study Groups

Special Study Group 5.4.1 Cost-effective GNSS
- Analysis of current “low-cost” GNSS markets (e.g. LBS, traffic)
including additional necessary technologies like e.g. odometers, mobile phones
- Recommendations for surveyors to infiltrate these markets
- Development of methods to use “low-cost” GPS for precise applications
- Report on cost-effective GNSS
Special Study Group 5.4.2 GNSS networks (together with WG 5.2)
- Analysis and review of GNSS network technologies for practioners
- Analysis of the importance of site calibrations of permanent networks
- Analyse and compare different commercial and non-commercial GNSS networks
- Organise Workshops(s) on GNSS networks
Special Study Group 5.4.3 Precise GNSS
- Develop and publish methods for GNSS heighting
- Develop and publish investigations regarding the GNSS/tacheometer combinations
- Contact with GNSS equipment manufacturers
- Provide newest technical background information to the practioners
- Develop of input for GPS modernisation and GNSS development
Special Study Group 5.4.4 GNSS calibration and check (together with WG 5.1)
- Development of procedures and recommendations for the check of GPS equipment
- Recommendations for the calibration of GPS antennas and permanent GPS sites
- Cooperation with standard organisations (IS0,…)
- Organisation of scientific workshops and tutorials for practioners
- Discussion with GNSS equipment manufacturers about procedures

Workshop(s)

Participation in FIG Working Weeks, Regional Conferences as well as other major commission 5 events in special technical sessions
GNSS tutorials (fundamentals and practise relevant information, possibly including practical training) e.g. at Working Weeks and Regional Conferences in cooperation with local organizers, especially for “surveying practioners”
International Workshop on GNSS for practitioner (engineering geodesy companies, state survey, cadastral administration,..) together with all WGs of Commission 5)
Specialised International Workshops on GNSS calibration (antenna, site, multipath) and on GNSS networks (together with WG 5.2)

Publication(s)

Technical Papers at Working Weeks, Regional Conferences and Commission 5 Symposia and Workshops
Recommendations for Calibration of GPS antennas and Check of GPS Measurement Systems (together with WG 5.1 and further institutions like e.g. ISO
Report on possibilities of cost-effective GNSS techniques for developing countries

Timetable

Report and recommendations should be presented (and published) on next FIG Congress 2010

Co-operation with Sister Associations

Commission 5 is committed to cooperation with Sister Associations, especially those with which FIG has a Memorandum of Understanding. Commission 5 has specific liaison interest with the International Association of Geodesy (IAG) and the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS). The Commission 5 Steering Committee will ensure that Working Group activities and Commission 5 events further these goals of cooperation with Sister Associations.

10 March 2007