SaLIS Vol. 66, No. 1

March 2006

 

Editorial Latitudes

Joseph C. Loon

 

The first paper in this issue is entitled “A new approach to relief representation,” and it is by J. Raul Ramirez. Robinson et al.1 have written that “(t)here is something about the three-dimensional (3-D) land surface that intrigues map users and sets it apart from other distributions portrayed on maps. The land surface is a visible “physical” continuous phenomenon which we experience every day. Thus, we are likely to be consciously or unconsciously more critical of its map portrayal than of maps representing other aspects of our surroundings.” In addition, as Dr. Ramirez points out, the digital or mathematical representation of the surface of the Earth can only be an approximation which carries some errors. He presents a new approach to relief representation based on using linear features with a new encoding approach to the Freeman chain code.

Our second paper is by Gunther Greulich, and it is entitled “Historic MHW or Shoreline: The ongoing littoral dilemma.” The author traces some of the historic factors affecting the definition of our shorelines, especially the MHW (mean high water) line which separates public littoral rights from public rights. The author also points out the MHW line is a dynamic line which will continue to present challenges to surveyors and hydrographers.

Entitled “GPS monitoring of land subsidence associated with seasonal underground water decline: Case analysis for a section of Taiwan high speed rail,” our third paper deals with changes in topography related to the Taiwan high-speed rail system. The authors of the paper, Chia-Chyang Chang and Tien-Nan Wang, describe the land subsidence which occurred when underground water was withdrawn from a section of the Taiwan high speed rail. They used GPS observations as the basis of their research and showed a definite change between the summer and the winter rates of subsidence. In summarizing the results of their research, the authors also make recommendations for future work in this area.

Our third paper is entitled “Advances in multimedia mapping.” Multimedia geospatial data sources include “conventional vector data sources, space and/or airborne images of the surface of the Earth, aerial and terrestrial laser data and models, 3600 panoramic views, and mobile mapping images.” The author, J. Raul Ramirez, presents the theoretical concepts of a geospatial multi-media visualization system in development at the Center for Mapping at The Ohio State University.

The last paper in this issue is by Michael G. Wing, and it is entitled “Traverse XL: An EXCEL-based program for entering, displaying, and analyzing spatial measurement data.”  A number of surveyors have been using the Windows EXCEL spreadsheet for surveying calculations, and this paper describes its use in traversing and in some coordinate geometry and conversion functions. The author includes examples worked out using his program.

Again our special thanks to Mike and Mary Craymer for their sterling efforts in giving us their “Review of Recent Literature.”

 

 

In Memorium: Urho A. K. Uotila, 1923 - 2006

 

As we prepare to go to press with this issue, we have learnt that Professor Urho A. K. Uotila passed away Friday, March 3, 2006, at The Ohio State University Medical Center at the age of 83. He was a Past-President of the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping from 1979 to 1980.

Urho Uotila was born on February 22, 1923, in Poytya, Finland, son to Antti Samuli and Vera Justine (Kyto) Uotila. He was preceded in death by his wife of 52 years, Helena Uotila in 2002, and by his brothers Ukko and Urpo Uotila. He is survived by his loving sister, Ulla Laine; daughters, Heidi Uotila, Kirsi (Gary) Vigorito, Elizabeth (Scott) Robinson, Julie (Martin) McCall, Trina Ross, and Caroline Uotila; grandchildren, Crystal Long, Christopher Long, Ryan Long, Nicole Ross, David Ross; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives, and friends.

Urho Uotila served in the Finnish Army from 1942 to1944. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Finland’s Institute of Technology in 1946 and his Master’s of Science in 1949. He came to the United States in 1951 and became a naturalized citizen in 1957. He received his Ph.D. from The Ohio State University in 1959.

Urho Uotila was a dedicated member of the Ohio State University community, devoting nearly 40 years of his teaching career to Ohio State. He will be best remembered for his anecdotal humor. Among his accomplishments are: Surveyor, geodesist, Finnish Government, 1944-51; geodesist, Swedish Government, 1946; research assistant, Ohio State University, 1952-53; research associate, 1953-58; research supervisor, 1959-88; lecturer in geodesy, 1955-57; assistant professor, 1959-62; associate professor, 1962-65; chairman of Department of Geodetic Science, 1964-84; professor, 1965-89; and chairman, professor emeritus, 1989-2006.

Uotila was a member of the Solar Eclipse Expedition to Greenland, 1954. He was also on the advance panel on geodesy, U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, National Academy of Science, 1964-66; geodesy and cartography working group, space science steering committee NASA, 1965-67; geodesy/cartography working group, summer conference on lunar exploration and science, 1965; geodesy and cartography advisory subcommittee, 1967-72; ad hoc committee on North American datum, division earth scientist, National Academy of Sciences-N.A.E., 1968-70; board of directors, International Gravity Bureau, France, 1975-83; committee on geodesy, National Academy of Sciences, 1975-78; editorial advisory committee, Advances in Geophysics, 1968-77. Uotila contributed articles to numerous professional journals and encyclopedias. He was the recipient of the Kaarina and W.A. Heiskanen award, 1962; Apollo Achievement award NASA, 1969; Distinguished Service award from the Surveyor’s Institute in Sri Lanka; and the Earle J. Fennell award from the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping, 1989.

Uotila was a Fellow and past president of the American Geophysics Union, 1968-70; and past president of the American Congress of Surveying and Mapping, 1979-80; International Association of Geodesy, 1971-75; and the American Association of Geodetic Surveying, 1984-86. He was also a member of the American Society of Photogrammetry, Canadian Institute of Surveying, Universities Space Research Association, Finnish National Academy of Sciences, and an honorary member of the Professional Land Surveyors of Ohio, Alaska and Tennessee. His other achievements include: research in geometric geodesy, physical geodesy, and statistical analysis of data.

In addition, Urho Uotila was advisor, confidant, and friend to many students who passed through the Department of Geodetic Science and Surveying at The Ohio State University. Some of his former students, friends and colleagues had this to say about Urho:

“I am just one of the thousands of students fortunate enough to have the privilege of attending his famous classes on Adjustment Computations. This legacy alone transcended frontiers and made him popular among scientists trained, at The Ohio State University and others in other parts of the world. His fluid personality, the enthusiasm he propagated among every member of the Department, and his well known kindness are only a few of the attributes that distinguished Urho among his peers. With these written words I want to express my sincere gratitude to a humble person who will never be forgotten. Above all, he was an excellent teacher!”

“Thus, on his retirement I wrote him a letter letting him know that for me he was not just a university professor but rather the advertisement for a professor we should have as a model.”

“I can recall many good times with Urho. I became President of ACSM right after Urho’s heart attack and operation. In 1985 he was walking a lot to get exercise to help strengthen his heart, and he still attended the ACSM conferences. Therefore, he asked me to walk with him at night after the days events were over. Those long walks provided an opportunity for me to get to know Urho well. He told me about building and installing a sauna in his basement.  Some of the anecdotes associated with that project were really funny. I will miss Urho a lot—I have been taking him to lunch on an irregular basis during the past 10 years or so and already I crave his presence.”

“Dr. Uotila was a great teacher. His lectures were well organized, easy to follow; he was very kind and helpful to students. He will be missed by many of us. I felt lucky to have studied in his class.”

“As a student at The Ohio State University I had the pleasure of knowing a great man of highest integrity, caring, knowledgeable, inspiring, and a major pillar of a truly unique and outstanding academic program.”

“The students in the Department of Geodetic Science valued the knowledge imparted by Dr Uotila in his lectures on Survey Adjustment. I audited both classes on Survey Adjustment taught by Dr Uotila. He displayed unusual intuition in this subject. I have used his lecture notes, as reference in my own lectures and research. It is unfortunate that he did not publish a book on the subject; whenever I suggested the idea to him he shrugged it off, he was a humble man…….. All of us who passed through the Geodetic Science Department at The Ohio State University will be ever grateful to this “Giant”— we see far because we stand on his shoulders.”

“I also remember a funny incident which gave Urho much to laugh about. It concerned his wife, Helena. During the Fall Convention in Niagara Falls, New York, the ladies took a bus tour across the border into Canada. When they returned, the U.S. Customs officer picked on two good looking ladies who had heavy foreign accents—my wife Irmgard, from Germany, and Urho’s wife Helena from Finland. When he asked them what proof they had that they were American citizens, Mrs. Uotila thought for a moment and then blurted out: ‘I have six children.’ Urho and everybody else got a big laugh out of that. And Customs let them back into the US.”

“He was a fine gentleman. I do recall a few times when we would talk about various things, my future and the future of the geodetic community. He always seemed to be very interested in the life of his students.”

“He will be best remembered for his anecdotal humor. His brothers, his sister, and he had first names starting with a “U” (Kuku, Urho, Lula and Urho). He attributed this to his Finnish parents’ struggle for independence from under the Swedish realm and the Russian empire. Also, at one time he (tried to) convince others that “true” geodesists have only daughters. With six daughters he was a living example.”

“I studied the first course in adjustment computations with him and had enjoyed that course very much. His philosophical thoughts, deep understanding, and broad vision regarding what we are measuring and what we are treating had attracted my attention, and changed the way I look at information. Since then, adjustment computations became my favorite subject. I took two other important courses in adjustment with him. These courses gave me strong computational background in the backbone of geo-information science and technology.”

Thanks to all former students and colleagues who sent in reminiscences and communications: Tomas Soler, Ammatzia Peled, John Bossler, Elizabeth Robinson, Carolyn Merry, Dan Lee, Alfred Leick, Dean Merchant, K. Jeyapalan, Gunter Greulich, Bruce Hedquist, Ivan Mueller, Dafer Algarni, and Donald Mulcare.

To honor his memory, we are reprinting here an article that Urho authored for the March 1973 issue of Surveying and Mapping, the forerunner of our Journal.

His kindness, understanding and contributions to his profession will not be forgotten by his many friends, students and colleagues.

 

Useful Statistics for Surveyors, by Urho Uotila; reprint from Surveying and Mapping, March 1973

 

 

A New Approach to Relief Representation

J. Raul Ramirez

 

Relief representation presents a difficult problem. The surface of the Earth cannot be defined by a physical or mathematical representation but it can be approximated by digital elevation models (DEM), triangular irregular networks (TIN), and contour lines. Each representation carries approximation errors. A DEM introduces the greatest errors because we assume that the surface of the Earth can be approximated to a regular grid of elevations. A TIN introduces less error than a DEM because we use an irregular network of triangles to represent the relief. Contour lines describe the relief without approximation along each contour. Contour lines are the relief representation that introduces the least amount of error. In this paper we will present a new approach to relief representation using linear features. The new encoding approach is an extension of the Freeman chain code, where the regular coding grid is replaced by a circular structure.

 

 

Historic MHW or Shoreline? The Ongoing Littoral Dilemma

Gunther Greulich

 

North America’s shorelines have been discovered, explored, mapped, and modified by Europeans and Americans for over 500 years.  Safety of navigation was a major concern of maritime powers. It still is. When the former English colony developed into the United States of America, safe navigation was still on the agenda, and the Coast Survey was born. Over time, the emphasis moved from navigation to preservation. In Massachusetts, the Public Trust Doctrine became codified in the Colonial Ordinance of 1641 and progressed to the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972. Coastal wetlands such as salt marshes, mudflats, and estuaries, formerly considered of low value, have become invaluable assets of both private properties and the public domain. Competing interests from Massachusetts to Florida, to Texas and California, not to forget Hawaii or Alaska, continue to put intense pressure on America’s fragile coastline. Preservation and restoration of coastal wetlands have become a worldwide concern and challenge. The UN Law of the Sea Treaty will be a challenge to future surveyors and hydrographers. In the U.S., the elusive and dynamic mean high water (MHW) line, which separates public from private littoral rights, was defined by the U.S. Supreme Court in California in the so-called Borax case in 1935. For its reliable location, tidal observations of a 19-year Metonic cycle are still needed to determine reliably where that line is. Sometimes, one has to go back in history in order to find out where the original historic MHW mark used to be. Modern sciences of photogrammetry, remote sensing, marine biology, and marine geology have begun to make themselves heard, and they sometimes replace the traditional and more precise surveying engineering technology of tidal observations. Meanwhile, MHW, MHHW (mean higher high water), and MLLW (mean lower low water), and shoreline are all having their day in court. Landmark court decisions of the Dolphin Lane case in New York, the Hackensack Meadowland case in New Jersey, the Kennedy Ranch case in Texas, and the Lynn Wal-Mart case and the Island End River case in Massachusetts are briefly discussed.

 

 

GPS Monitoring Ground Subsidence Associated with Seasonal Underground Water

Level Decline: Case Analysis for a Section of Taiwan High Speed Rail

Chia-Chyang Chang and Tien-Nan Wang

 

Ground subsidence induced by heavy withdrawal of underground water has resulted in environmental hazard and potential risk in Taiwan, particularly in the Chuo-Shui River alluvial fan where the Yun-Lin section of the Taiwan High Speed Rail is being constructed. In this paper, seasonal effects of ground subsidence occurring in the study area are investigated. The rate of ground subsidence was estimated using a regression analysis of a series of weekly GPS height solutions. The average rate of ground subsidence in the study area over the period of 1995- 2001 was 3 cm/year, with a high correlation coefficient of 0.9. Based on data collected at the piezometer, the variation of ground subsidence rate appears to be associated with an unstable underground water level, which drop gradually during winter and either remains constant or rises during summer time. As a result, ground subsidence rates vary considerably from 1.5 cm/year for the summer data to 9.0 cm/year for the winter data. The seasonal effect of the GPS height variation is borne out by correlation coefficients ranging from 0.3 to 0.7.

 

 

Advances in Multimedia Mapping

J. Raul Ramirez

 

The growing number of multimedia geospatial data sources is changing the mapping and geographic information systems (GIS) fields. Conventional vector data sources, space and/or airborne images of the surface of the Earth, aerial and terrestrial laser data and models, 360o panoramic views, and mobile mapping images are examples of the diverse nature of multimedia data sources. Multimedia maps are a combination of integrated vector and raster data sources and technologies, such as digital drafting, panoramic views, audio, virtual reality, and laser models, which display an area of the surface of the Earth from different perspectives. This paper describes the current status of the multimedia mapping system in development at The Ohio State University’s Center for Mapping. The theoretical concepts behind the system are described, as well as the components of the system and the experiences gained in the development of the prototype.

 

Traverse XL: An EXCEL-based Program for Entering, Displaying, and Analyzing Spatial Measurement Data

Bart C. Fredericks and Michael G. Wing

 

Recording and examining spatial measurements of resources and structures are important skills within many survey engineering and earth science disciplines. The entry, display, and analysis of spatial measurement data can be accomplished through a variety of measurement software products, but software licensing costs and learning curves can sometimes hinder user access. Traverse XL is designed to facilitate the entry, display, and analysis of spatial measurement data. Measurement data for both polygon and linear traverses can be input through a variety of measurement formats and are easily edited. A traverse map display is provided that allows users to view traverse geometry as data are entered. A coordinate adjustment routine is available for polygon traverses, which creates a geometrically closed figure through the use of standard survey engineering calculations. Several coordinate geometry and conversion functions are also provided in a data conversion utility.  Traverse XL is built within the EXCEL spreadsheet environment, and it provides a flexible platform in which to manipulate and view spatial data. Completed traverse data can be easily copied from Traverse XL and used in other applications. Users can view all formulas that are used for data manipulations within Traverse XL and customize the formulas for their specific needs. Traverse XL is an accessible software package suitable for working with resource measurement data.