The geographical survey office of Sweden

The Geographical Survey Office of Sweden The G e o g r a p h i c a l S u r v e y Office of Sweden (Rikets Allmh'nna K a r t v e r k dating f r o m 1805, but in its p r e s e n t f o r m f r o m 1894) is e n t r u s t e d with the official m a p p i n g in Sweden a s r e g a r d s 1 : 10,000 and s m a l l e r s c a l e s . In addition to the m a p p i n g a c t i v i t i e s the office c a r r i e s out s p e cial w o r k in g e o d e s y and p h o t o g r a m m e t r y , p a r t l y of i n t e r e s t f o r the g e o - s c i e n c e s .

GE ODE SY As r e g a r d s g e o d e s y , the office is r e s p o n s i b l e for the f u n d a m e n t a l t r i a n g u l a t i o n , levelling and g r a v i t y n e t w o r k s which a r e a l s o e s t a b l i s h e d to f o r m p a r t of i n t e r n a t i o n a l n e t w o r k s for s c i e n tific p u r p o s e s . A s t r o n o m i c a l d e t e r m i n a t i o n s a r e c a r r i e d out for L a p l a c e c o n t r o l and f o r d e f l e c tion of the v e r t i c a l s t u d i e s . C o n t r i b u t i o n s a r e m a d e to the study of the s h a p e of the e a r t h f r o m a s t r o - g e o d e t i c and g r a v i t y data. The office is in c h a r g e of the Swedish c o n t r i b u t i o n to the gene r a l i n t e r n a t i o n a l c o o p e r a t i o n in the a b o v e - m e n t i o n e d fields a s well a s in s a t e l l i t e t r i a n g u l a t i o n and in the study of R e c e n t c r u s t a l m o v e m e n t s . The geodetic d i v i s i o n is headed by P r o f . Dr. L. A s p l u n d who is m o s t l y c o n c e r n e d with g e o m e t r i c a l g e o d e s y , but is a l s o w o r k i n g o n a p r o j e c t f o r d e t e r m i n i n g land u p h e a v a l by m e a n s of r e l e v e l l i n g and on o b s e r v a t i o n s of e a r t h t i d e s . D r . E. B e r g s t r a n d h a s initiated the d e v e l o p m e n t of the t e c h n i q u e of e l e c t r o m a g n e t i c d i s t a n c e m e a s u r e m e n t s which is now p r e d o m i n a n t the w o r l d o v e r in g e o m e t r i c g e o d e s y and is, for the p r e s e n t , c o n c e r n e d with a p r o j e c t f o r d e t e r m i n i n g the a b s o l u t e value of g r a v i t y . R e s e a r c h in d y n a m i c g e o d e s y is being c a r r i e d out by M r . L. P e t t e r s s o n , r e s e a r c h g e o d e s i s t .

CIVIL AIR PHOTOGRAPHY All civil a i r p h o t o g r a p h y in Sweden is c a r r i e d out by the p h o t o g r a m m e t r i c d i v i s i o n (150 p e r s o n s , 5 a i r c r a f t , 25 s t e r e o - i n s t r u m e n t s ) . In 1961, a p r o g r a m m e f o r r e p h o t o g r a p h i n g the c o u n t r y within the c o u r s e of s e v e n y e a r s f r o m an altitude of 4,600 m w a s begun. T h i s will be followed at s e v e n y e a r i n t e r v a l s by s i m i l a r p r o g r a m m e s with a view to m a i n t a i n i n g an a s up- to- date p h o t o g r a p h i c c o v e r of the c o u n t r y a s p o s s i b l e . The d i v i s i o n a l s o p r o d u c e s the b a s e m a p s f o r the official m a p ping a s well a s s p e c i a l p h o t o g r a p h y and l a r g e - s c a l e m a p s f o r p l a n n i n g and o t h e r p u r p o s e s , including geological and g e o p h y s i c a l i n t e r p r e t a t i o n . L. A s p l u n d

Glossaryof GeographicalNames GLOS,%~RIA INTERPRETUM, G12

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5 x 7i , V(ll + 184 pages, 1966, Dfl. 27.50. A bothersome confusion in the variations of names given to various places has exis?[ed for years. The German town of Aachen, for instance, is called Aix-laChapelle in French, Aquisgrana in Italian, Aquisgr(m in Spanish, and Aken in Dutch. This situation confuses not only travelers, but journalists and broadcasters as well. In the Iatter case, it is sometimes difficult to be sure of place names in the news. A solution to this problem can be found in "Glossary of Geographical Names". Nearly 6,000 geographical names are to be found in the book. Besides place names, items of commercial, political and other interest (countries, counties, regions, waterways and rivers) are also included. The entries are indexed in such a way that one can quickly find the names of places using either English, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch or German as a basis language. Geographers, expediters, transportation companies, diplomats, consuls, politicians, travel agents, broadcasters, journalists, businessmen, librarians, students and many more will find this work exceptionally useful.

ELSEVIER

A M S T E R D A M - L O N D E N - NEW YORK

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Geiranger on the Geirangerfjord. a branch of the Sunnylosfjord (Norway).

The Geographical Survey of Norway

The G e o g r a p h i c a l S u r v e y of N o r w a y ( N o r g e s G e o g r a f i s k e Oppm~tiing) is a m a p p i n g i n s t i t u t i o n like the O r d n a n c e S u r v e y o r the I n s t i t u t G ~ o g r a p h i q u e National, doing, like t h e s e , geodetic, p h o t o g r a m m e t r i c and c a r t o g r a p h i c w o r k .

HISTORY

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F o u n d e d in 1773, the G e o g r a p h i c a l S u r v e y of N o r w a y is p r o b a b l y one of the o l d e s t n a t i o n a l m a p p i n g i n s t i t u t e s of the w o r l d . The r e a s o n s for its foundation w e r e p u r e l y m i l i t a r y ; its f i r s t t a s k w a s m a p p i n g the f r o n t i e r with Sweden. The m a p p i n g w a s b a s e d on d i s t a n c e s and a s t r o n o m i c s t a t i o n s o b s e r v e d by the b o u n d a r y c o m m i s s i o n of 1752-1766. F r o m 1779 the s u r v e y s w e r e b a s e d on t r i a n g u l a t i o n , f r o m 1785 c o a s t a l c h a r t i n g w a s added to the a c t i v i t i e s , and f r o m 1805 a c a d a s t r a l m a p p i n g of 1 : 10,000, s t o p p e d d u r i n g the c r i s i s following N o r w a y ' s independence in 1814. F r o m 1814 the i n s t i t u t i o n w a s u n d e r d i f f e r e n t c i v i l i a n M i n i s t r i e s , until 1872 when it w a s r e o r g a n i z e d a s a s e c t i o n of the G e n e r a l Staff. D u r i n g m o s t of t h i s long p e r i o d it w a s d i r e c t e d by the f a m o u s m a t h e m a t i c i a n and p h y s i c i s t C h r i s t o p h e r H a n s t e e n . In 1911, the s u r v e y w a s a g a i n given a civilian o r g a n i z a t i o n and in 1948 w a s t r a n s f e r r e d to the M i n i s t r y of C o m m u n i c a t i o n s . F r o m 1932 the c h a r t i n g a c t i v i t i e s w e r e handed o v e r to an independent o r g a n i z a t i o n . In 1964, a s e c t i o n for c a d a s t r a l m a p p i n g w a s e s t a b l i s h e d . The s u r v e y took p a r t in the w o r k on two l a r g e m e r i d i a n a r c s ; in the e i g h t e e n - f o u r t i e s the a r c of S t r u v e f r o m the A r c t i c to the Black Sea,and f r o m 1862 the Middle E u r o p e a n a r c . P r e c i s e l e v e l l i n g w a s s t a r t e d in 1887, tidal gauge o b s e r v a t i o n s on the c o a s t a b o u t the s a m e t i m e . T h e s e o b s e r v a t i o n s s h o w a land r i s e of about 4 m m each y e a r in O s l o and m o r e in the i n t e r i o r . The s o u t h w e s t c o a s t s e e m s to be s t a b l e .

CURRENT ACTIVITIES Gravity o b s e r v a t i o n s gathered s p e e d only a f t e r World War II. T h e r e a r e s o m e 7,400 stations o b s e r v e d alltogether. The n o r t h e r n half of the European gravity base lies in Norway with 3 stations. The m o d e r n f i r s t - o r d e r triangulation s t a r t e d in 1906 and was completed for southern Norway in 1964, the last p a r t of it by t r i l a t e r a t i o n by t e l l u r o m e t e r . Northern Norway will he completed by 1968. Triangulation of lower o r d e r p r o c e e d s at a r a t e of 2,000-3,000 new t r i g p o i n t s every year. The main mapping task is the national topographical map s e r i e s , planned in 1870 on the s c a l e of 1 : 100,000, s u p e r s e d e d in 1954 by a s e r i e s of 1 : 50,000 following NATO s t a n d a r d s (Ser i e s M 711). Of this s e r i e s 66 s h e e t s have so far been published, 15 of t h e s e in 1965, 9 in 1966, and 13 in J a n u a r y - M a r c h I967. The s u r v e y s w e r e made by plane table until 1920, from then partly by t e r r e s t r i a l photogrammerry. Since 1950 all s u r v e y s a r e made by a e r i a l p h o t o g r a m m e t r y , The s u r v e y also plays a c o n s i d e r a b l e role in the e s t a b l i s h m e n t of the l a r g e - s c a l e maps of 1 : 5,000 a d m i n i s t r a t e d by the p r o v i n c e s . In 1854, the survey s t a r t e d engraving on copper a n d p r i n t i n g its own maps. In the last 20 y e a r s reproduction h a s p a s s e d to originals on p l a s t i c s (stabilene). Since 1960 all s h e e t s a r e colour s e p a r a t e d d i r e c t l y in the s t e r e o - p l o t t e r s . A national map s e r i e s of 1 : 250,000 was s u p e r s e d e d by the NATO s e r i e s M 515, printed by U.S. Army Map Service b a s e d on the s u r v e y ' s compilations. The survey has also produced Norway's p a r t of the IMW 1 : 1,000,000 and of the ICAO maps 1 : 1,000,000 and 1 : 500,000. Kr. GLEDITSCH

Geodesy and Surveying in Scandinavia The background of g e o - s c i e n t i f i c work and surveying v a r i e s widely within Scandinavia. SWEDEN In Sweden teaching and t r a i n i n g for surveying a r e principally concentrated in the Royal Institute of Technology (Kungliga Tekniska HSgskolan). The p r a c t i c a l m e a s u r i n g is done by the Geographical Survey Office of Sweden (Rikets Allm~.nna Kartverk) and the Land Survey Board (Kungliga Lantm~iteristyrelsen) t o g e t h e r with s o m e private f i r m s ; and r e s e a r c h is c a r r i e d out by the t h r e e a b o v e - m e n t i o n e d institutions and the University of Uppsala. The Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden got its own building f o r g e o d e s y , p h o t o g r a m m e t r y and surveying in 1958, and has l a t e r completed its g e n e r a l outfit in a m e a s u r e that is unknown in the o t h e r Scandinavian countries. The common understanding of the i m p o r t a n c e of the diff e r e n t geodetical p r o f e s s i o n s , t o g e t h e r with a very good economy has brought g r e a t r e s u l t s , and it has been possible to devote much t i m e and money to r e s e a r c h . FINLAND In Finland the teaching is mainly c o n c e n t r a t e d in the Institute of Technology (Teknillinen Korkeakoulu - Tekniska HSgskolan), the surveying work in the Land Survey Board (Maanmittaushallitus - L a n d m ~ t e r i s t y r e l s e n - Lantm~[terifSrvaltningen i Finland) and the Finnish Geodetic Institute (Geodetiska Instituter). The l a t t e r has a v e r y high international r e p u tation. Some of the best-known g e o d e s i s t s of the l a t e r y e a r s come f r o m that institution. Scientific work is done by the Institute of Technology, but the financial conditions at the technical u n i v e r s i t i e s in Finland, Norway, and Denmark a r e not v e r y favourable for geodetic r e s e a r c h . Also, rapidly i n c r e a s i n g teaching duties lay claim on the s c a r c e personnel. In Finland, the Institute of Technology got its l a b o r a t o r i e s some y e a r s ago and is working hard to complete its supplies of geodetic i n s t r u m e n t s and p h o t o g r a m m e t r i c equipment.

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