Surveying

Stu

Active member
How? How do you go from cave with clino, compass, pencil and paper to survex standard survey?

I'd love to learn and "produce" something, but I don't know anyone who is discovering any new cave or resurveying any old stuff; so on the job training seems unlikely.

Are there any survey courses?
 

AndyF

New member
"Onstation" is good place to start. It has limitations, but is easier to get ones head arond (IMHO) than survex.
 

graham

New member
AndyF said:
"Onstation" is good place to start. It has limitations, but is easier to get ones head arond (IMHO) than survex.

I know what you mean, Survex sometimes gives the impression that the computing is more interesting than the cave, but having said that, if you can get someone to show you ('cos the documentation is not the easiest to work through) it is very flexible and easy to use.
 

Fred

Member
I quite like Compass, by Larry Fish. This has a nice GUI front end where you enter data in a spreadsheet like form - very similar to how you record it.

It's really not much more than a couple of clicks to then process the data and generate a simple line plot on screen or that can be printed out.

As regards courses I know that some guys in the Forest of Dean (FoDCCAG) have organised basic courses covering both surveying and drawing in the past, however I don't know of any plans for future courses there.

PS Compass is shareware (URL: fountainware.com/compass)
 

Ouan

Member
Apart from the American terminology I can recommend Walls
http://www.utexas.edu/tmm/sponsored_sites/tss/Walls/index.html
This is shareware.

What is good is the 'roundtripping' using SVG between Walls and Adobe Illustrator. Using this facility means that if a cave system is extended you do not have to redraw the whole survey - just add the new data in Walls and somehow it adds it to the existing drawn survey. Unfortunately you have to buy Illustrator.

On the job training: The Easeghyll System is being resurveyed by the Red Rose and OFD might also be in the process of being resurveyed. I expect they would welcome an enthusiastic apprentice.
 

graham

New member
Of course you could always ask to help with drawing up the Draenen survey for publication.







Grabs tin hat & runs for cover...
 
M

MSD

Guest
I can't over emphasie how useful it is to go surveying with someone with experience. It's underground where the most important work happens. Reading a book will help, but the little tips and organisational details you can pick up from an expert are invaluable. Plotting up the data is the easiest task and any popular software package should be reasonnably easy to master. How easy it is to draw the detail depends to a large extent on how good the survey notes are.
 

Johnny

New member
MSD said:
I can't over emphasie how useful it is to go surveying with someone with experience. It's underground where the most important work happens. Reading a book will help, but the little tips and organisational details you can pick up from an expert are invaluable. Plotting up the data is the easiest task and any popular software package should be reasonnably easy to master. How easy it is to draw the detail depends to a large extent on how good the survey notes are.

I agree, there is more info on this thread in the 'digging' section
http://ukcaving.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=1312
 

Stu

Active member
Johnny said:
MSD said:
I can't over emphasie how useful it is to go surveying with someone with experience. It's underground where the most important work happens. Reading a book will help, but the little tips and organisational details you can pick up from an expert are invaluable. Plotting up the data is the easiest task and any popular software package should be reasonnably easy to master. How easy it is to draw the detail depends to a large extent on how good the survey notes are.

I agree, there is more info on this thread in the 'digging' section
http://ukcaving.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=1312

Cheers one and all. I would like to get involved with some surveying and understand that being at the coal face is the best way to learn. Anybody doing anything in Derbyshire?
 

SamT

Moderator
euyp stu - there are some bits and bobs that we keep meaning to get around to doing - so if your up for it, we could do some some time - just need johnny to get on and buy some new suunto kit for the eldon.
 

Stu

Active member
SamT said:
euyp stu - there are some bits and bobs that we keep meaning to get around to doing - so if your up for it, we could do some some time - just need johnny to get on and buy some new suunto kit for the eldon.

I can have a guess with some degree of certainty, that YSS's kit isn't being used! I'm definitely going to arrange something with you.
 

SamT

Moderator
No worries - I need the practice myself.

I think johnnys on the case - JT - if you read this - give us a bell and we'll talk suunto.
 
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