Application of Electronic Distance Measuring Equipment in Surveying

Recent improvements in electronic distance-measuring equipment have made it possible to obtain higher degrees of accuracy in surveys for mapping. Electronic equipment has therefore become a far-reaching and powerful tool when used for establishing geodetic control in remote areas, between distant triangulation stations, over impassable terrain, and through intervening vegetation, where it is impossible to connect stations by visual methods. As a result of this broader coverage made possible by electronic measurements, more extensive geodetic connections are provided for the determination of the size and shape of the earth and consequent mapping of paths of missiles and of satellites. This paper gives an up-to-date account of these geodetic applications of HIRAN, LORAC, tellurometers, geodimeters, as well as flares, and includes a brief description of the systems. Some of the limitations and problems encountered with these instruments are described and the accuracies which have been obtained from specific field surveys are noted.