[GRASSLIST:1436] Converting surveyor's data

[Rich Shepard]

  If the answer to this question is in a man page or other document, please
point me to it because I did not find the answer when I searched for it.

  I have data produced by surveyors that I need to get into GRASS. In the
US, at least, surveyors work in their own, local coordinates rather than in
georeferenced coordinates. This means that they will find a section corner
monument in the ground, then run their survey from that point using metes
and bounds (or, angles and distances). This is how land documents are
legally described in this country. Even though surveyors now have access to
real time, kinetic, differential GPS that permits them to survey quickly and
to 1-2 cm accuracy, many still plot their maps as azimuth and distance from
a known point.

  How can I translate these local coordinates to a standard
projection/coordinate/datum system (e.g., State Plane Coordinates, NAD83)?
If this is not currently available, is there anyone willing to work with me
on quickly producing a conversion filter? I have a new project that requires
this.

Thanks,

Rich

Dr. Richard B. Shepard, President

                       Applied Ecosystem Services, Inc. (TM)
              Making environmentally-responsible mining happen. (SM)
                       --------------------------------
            2404 SW 22nd Street | Troutdale, OR 97060-1247 | U.S.A.
 + 1 503-667-4517 (voice) | + 1 503-667-8863 (fax) | rshepard at appl-ecosys.com