Digital Contour Mapping
Tuck has four analytical and seven Softcopy compilation stations. Mapping is compiled using the BAE Socketset digital mapping system with a capability of more than 100 hours of digital map production per day.
Digital Terrain/Elevation Modeling
Digital Terrain Model (DTM) files provide clients with a true 3-D design file of the mapped area for various design projects. Cartographers produce DTM’s or DEM’s on stereo plotters and survey crews can produce them on the site.
Digital Ortho Production
Autometric Softcopy Workstation on the Silicon Graphics Unix and Windows NT computers are used to produce digital orthophotography. The Digital Elevation Model generation can be collected by autocorrelation, manually via the softcopy workstation, or imported from an analytical stereo plotter. If digital mapping is required for the project, it will be produced and used in the development of the rectified digital orthophotography. All mosaic orthophotos are matched for gray tones to produce a seamless image. Vector files are laid over digital orthos to provide a quality check that all features are in their true position. A Hewlett Packard Design Jet 650C or 755CM is used to plot the digital product for editing or a hardcopy plot.
Digitizing/Scanning Service
Tuck’s CAD department offers digitizing services to convert blueprints to digital files and a Vexcel VX 4000 scanner to produce digital data for softcopy production of digital orthos. The standard scanning rate is 25 microns for normal digital mapping however scans of up to 8.5 microns can be provided if requested. Digital files can be utilized from DVD, CD, 8mm tape, or floppy disks.
Digital Conversions
Serving a client list of more than five hundred companies, mapping is provided in the format and medium required by each client’s digital capability. A quality check to ensure that all files have translated properly and that the client’s layering scheme has been successfully changed is done by viewing translated files in the client’s requested format. DXF or ASCII file format are available for clients with nonstandard engineering design software packages. Files can be sent via Email, placed on Tuck’s FTP site, uploaded to a client’s FTP site or mailed on DVDs, CDs, magnetic disks or tapes as desired by the client.
Digital Mapping Hardware
- Two CAD and edit stations
- 7 BAE Scoetset Workstations
- 1 Autometric SoftCopy Workstation
- 1 OrthoVista Workstation