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Global Positioning System (GPS)

In the spring of 2001, Monroe County’s Department of

Environmental Services purchased two Trimble mapping grade GPS receivers to inventory the county-owned sewer system throughout the Pure Waters Sewer Districts.

Since that time, DES has continued to invest in several mapping grade units, as well as, two survey grade units and a base station. As the popularity of GIS continued to grow, so did the need for more GPS units. Our department continues to maintain our “Sewer Network” on a daily basis using GPS as the primary tool for data collection. Several other departments and municipalities have also recognized the benefit of using GPS to collect their data. Modern day GPS units allow us to collect features with the accuracy and precision needed to satisfy the engineering and mapping communities. They also allow us to collect vast amounts information without needing to occupy a position for long periods of time.  

Much of what we collected in the past had only required us to use mapping grade receivers that yield an accuracy of 10 to 24 inches after postprocessing. Today, the technology is rapidly growing in the areas of survey and engineering, which requires a greater degree of precision. In 2003, we made investments in survey-grade equipment that consisted of a Trimble base station and rover. Most recently, we purchased a second survey-grade rover as the demand has increased dramatically. The main benefit of this technology is that it allows us to collect very accurate elevations. Determining rim elevations for our sewer assets and topography for excavation sites are just two examples of how useful this is. Monroe County is not the only entity that benefits from the installation of this base station. Our base station is registered with the National Geodetic Survey’s “National CORS” program. Anyone with a receiver that can postprocess their raw GPS data can go to the NGS website and down-load correction files to increase the accuracy of their data, or down-load them directly from this site. Also available to the public, is the ability to connect to our base station to perform Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) surveys. Anyone with the appropriate equipment can simply register with our department and receive a username and password to access the base station 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  

 

For more information on Monroe County’s GPS program, contact Scott McCarty at 585-753-7502 or smccarty@monroecounty.gov

Equipment available on short-term loan to local municipalities within Monroe County is listed below:

(2) Trimble ProXR Backpack Receivers. These are mapping-grade receivers that are capable of field accuracies of less than one meter.

(2) GeoXT Handheld Receivers. These are lightweight hand-held units that are capable of field accuracies of less than two meters, or postprocessed accuracies of less than one meter.

 

GIS-SIG Lidar Presentation

December 13, 2006

LiDAR - What is it and How is it Used
Justin Cole, Monroe County GIS Services Division

This year Monroe County flew LiDAR. In anticipation of future distribution and utilization, Justin will discuss the basics of LiDAR. He will focus on what LiDAR is, how its collected, differences in sensors, and what the deliverable looks like. He will also present an example of how to process LiDAR and some of its early uses. There will also be a glimpse into future projects planned at Monroe County utilizing LiDAR including flood models and 3D modeling.

Printers, Plotters, Scanners

In addition to the many standard printers found within the department, GIS also employs the use of a number of high-tech plotters and scanner. Plotters are used to print large high-quality wall-sized maps in full color. Scanners are used to make digital and/or physical copies of Record Drawings and Maps. The department currently utilizes 2 Z6100ps Plotters, and 1 Xerox 721p Wide Format Scanner/Copier. These give us the capability to scan and print documents and maps at nearly any size necessary.

Virtual Records Room