XN000022-1992-08-16 — Page 4

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SUNDAY, AUGUST 16, 1992

SMO BOOKLET FOR GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM USERS

LOCAL USERS OF GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS) CAN NOW TO A COMPREHENSIVE BOOKLET PRODUCED BY THE SURVEY AND MAPPING (SMO) OF THE BUILDINGS AND LANDS DEPARTMENT TO CONVERT THE OBTAINED INTO A FORM COMPATIBLE WITH SMO MAPS.

RESORT

OFFICE

DATA

TALKING ABOUT THE ADOPTION OF GPS, A SPOKESMAN FOR SMO SAID APART FROM HIS OFFICE, ORGANISATIONS INVOLVED IN LARGE-SCALE CIVIL AND HYDROGRAPHIC ENGINEERING PROJECTS WERE ALSO LIKELY ΤΟ ACQUIRE AND UTILISE THE SYSTEM.

"IT IS EXPECTED TO GAIN MORE POPULARITY AS THE NEW AIRPORT PROJECTS START, HE SAID.

BY

GPS IS AN EQUIPMENT FOR LOCATING ONE'S POSITION ON EARTH PICKING UP ON GROUND SIGNALS EMITTED FROM SEVERAL ORBITING SATELLITES AND PROCESSING THE DATA INTO A LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE REFERENCE.

"THE POSITIONING SYSTEM EMPLOYS A REFERENCE SPHEROID CALLED WGS 84 AS DATUM FOR LOCATING POSITION IN LATITUDES AND LONGITUDES.

"BUT WE IN HONG KONG ARE USING THE INTERNATIONAL SPHEROID, WHICH IS FOUND TO BE ACCURATE AND SUFFICIENT ENOUGH то SERVE THE PURPOSE OF PRODUCING LARGE-SCALE LOCAL MAPS, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

TT

HE ADDED THAT GPS WAS A SPEEDY AND EASY INSTRUMENT ADOPTED WORLDWIDE IN SURVEYING, MAPPING, ENGINEERING AND GENERAL POSITION FIXING.

"IT IS THEREFORE NECESSARY TO FIND A MEANS TO CONVERT THE CO-ORDINATES OF POINTS FROM WGS 84 ΤΟ A SET OF SURVEY DATUM COMPATIBLE WITH THAT CURRENTLY IN USE IN HONG KONG,

** HE SAID.

WITH THIS MISSION, A FIELD SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED LAST YEAR TO PROVIDE INFORMATION FOR THE SETTING UP OF A SET OF TRANSFORMATION PARAMETERS FOR THE TWO SETS OF SURVEY DATA.

THOSE PARAMETERS, TOGETHER WITH THE FORMULAR USED, ARE CONTAINED IN A BOOKLET RECENTLY PRODUCED BY THE SMO.

COPIES OF THE BOOKLET, AT $50 EACH, ARE AVAILABLE AT THE SURVEY AND MAPPING OFFICE, BUILDINGS AND LANDS DEPARTMENT, 14TH FLOOR, MURRAY BUILDING, GARDEN ROAD, HONG KONG; AND KOWLOON MAP SALES SECTION, 382 NATHAN ROAD, KOWLOON.

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