Total Station as bases of a geodesy

If mentally to return even on half a century back, it will be found out following picture in geodesy.
Angular measurements make by means of theodolites – optical mechanical devices as which basic part the telescope supplied horizontal and vertical goniometric by circles.

At last, for definition the levels representing a telescope with exact phial by a level serve, allowing resulting view-finder an axis of a pipe in strictly horizontal position. Having executed such reduction, the observer takes readout on two vertical laths with the divisions, established on points which difference of heights should be defined. This so-called geometrical leveling, There is still the trigonometrically leveling which is carried out not horizontal, but an inclined beam by means of a theodolite; in this case excess of an observable point over a point of standing of the tool on a corner of an inclination and the horizontal distance measured by a separate range finder is defined. The theodolites, capable to work in such mode, have received the name Tacheometr (devices for fast shooting).

Such situation was kept approximately up to the middle of 50th years of XX century. And further there has come the period which can be named safely revolution in geodetic instrument making: to a geodesy has come electronic.

Electronics has allowed to automate and angular measurements. The electronic theodolite represents the device which will transform the angular sizes which have been written down in the form of system of opaque strokes or code paths on a glass disk to electric signals. The disk is appeared through by a light beam; at turn of a theodolite on a photodetector the signal in a binary code which after decoding is deduced on a board in a digital kind is created.
Association of an electronic theodolite, small-sized phase light range meter and a microcomputer in a uniform design has allowed creating the electronic Tacheometer-device, allowing carrying out both angular and linear measurements with their processing in field conditions. In the foreign literature such devices have received name Total Station (universal station). Their accuracy reaches 0,5 angular seconds and 2 millimeters + 2 mm/km, and range of action - up to 5 kilometers.

For last twenty years there was a new quantum leap which can be named the second revolution in a geodesy. There were the global satellite systems which have cardinally changed a situation in a geodesy and navigation. They allow at once, without any preliminary measurements, to define coordinates of any points on a surface of the Earth and to find distance between them with high accuracy.

Similar systems now two: system GPS developed in the USA (Global Positioning System - global system of definition of a site) and domestic system GLONASS (GLOBAL NAVIGATING Satellite System).

By now in the different countries many types of the GPS-receivers so called GPS Total Station differing by the opportunities are developed. As a matter of fact, the majority of geodetic tasks can be solved at use of two basic measuring means: global satellite system GPS Total Station and Total Station. Addition to them of satellite laser range finders, equipments RSDB and optical interferometer forms a powerful arsenal of geodetic measuring technical equipment of our century.