XN000022-1976-05-14 — Page 10

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FRIDAY, MAY 14, 1976

THE COMBINATION OF PHOTOGRAMMETRY WITH COMPUTERS AUTOMATIC DRAWING TABLES AND OTHER MODERN EQUIPMENT,+ HE SAID, +HAS GREAT POTENTIAL IN HONG KONG AND THE STAFF OF THE UNIT WILL BE KEEPING IN CLOSE TOUCH WITH DEVELOPMENTS IN OTHER COUNTRIES.+

THE UNIT IS MANNED BY A TEAM OF EXPERTS UNDER MR. HAMPTON MAR, AN EXPERIENCED LAND SURVEYOR WHO HEADED A SIMILAR UNIT IN FIJI BEFORE JOINING THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT.

HIS TEAM INCLUDES FIVE LOCAL P.W.D. STAFF WHO WERE SENT FOR SPECIAL TRAINING IN PHOTOGRAMMETRY AT THE WORLD-RENOWNED INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR AERIAL SURVEY AND EARTH SCIENCES (I.T.C.) IN THE NETHERLANDS. ALL FIVE COMPLETED THE COURSE IN THE MINIMUM TIME AND GRADUATED WITH DISTINCTION.

THEY FORM THE NUCLEUS OF THE UNIT AND WILL HELP TRAIN OTHER LOCAL STAFF TO OPERATE THE COMPLEX MACHINES.

THE UNIT IS EQUIPPED WITH FOUR PHOTOGRAMMETRIC PLOTTERS PURCHASED LAST YEAR FROM SWITZERLAND AND GERMANY WHICH ARE INSTALLED IN DUST-FREE ROOMS WHERE TEMPERATURES ARE KEPT CONSTANT TO PROTECT THE DELICATE INSTRUMENTS.

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WITH THE MACHINES, THE PLOTTERS ARE ABLE TO VIEW AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS OF AREAS TO BE MAPPED IN THREE-DIMENSION AND ACCURATELY PLOT DETAILS, SUCH AS HILLSIDES, STREAMS, BUILDINGS AND VALLEYS WITHIN ONE-HUNDREDTH OF A MILLIMETRE.

WHILE THE PLOTTER SCANS THE PHOTOGRAPHS, THE DETAILS ARE AUTOMATICALLY TRACED IN OUTLINE MAP FORM FROM WHICH THE FINAL MAP IS PRODUCED.

INITIALLY, THE UNIT WILL BE ENGAGED MAINLY ON STRAIGHTFORWARD PLOTTING OF MAPS FOR TOWN PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT WORKS, AND UPDATING EXISTING MAPS USING METRIC TERMS. AT THE SAME TIME IT WILL BE DEVELOPING SYSTEMS FOR OTHER PURPOSES SUCH AS THE COMPUTATION OF EARTHWORKS.

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