ASCE Publishes Book on New Global Positioning Technologies

Washington, DC — May 25, 2011 — The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) is pleased to announce the publication of its new book CORS and OPUS for Engineers: Tools for Surveying and Mapping Technologies, sponsored by the Geomatics Division of ASCE and the National Geodetic Survey of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  Both theoretical and empirical, this collection of articles is a must-have for practitioners and researchers involved in surveying, GIS, remote sensing, and mapping applications that utilize GPS technology.

CORS and OPUS for Engineers describes new global positioning system (GPS) technologies and procedures that are immediately relevant to civil engineering professionals engaged in high-accuracy positioning. This collection of 22 articles assembles the latest thinking on the use of two advanced services-CORS and OPUS-for obtaining accurate positional coordinates. Created and managed under the auspices of the National Geodetic Survey, the CORS (continuously operating reference stations) network contains more than 1,600 permanent, geodetic-quality receivers that collect GPS data around the clock at locations distributed throughout the United States, its territories, and a few foreign countries. These data are then made freely available to the public via the Internet. OPUS (online positioning user service) is a free, automated, Web-based utility that provides its users with accurate and reliable positional coordinates in a timely fashion by processing each user’s GPS data with corresponding data from the CORS network. Together, CORS and OPUS form the backbone of today’s high-accuracy, three-dimensional positioning activities.

About the American Society of Civil Engineers
Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) represents more than 140,000 members of the civil engineering profession worldwide and is America’s oldest national engineering society. ASCE’s mission is to provide essential value to our members and partners, advance civil engineering, and serve the public good.  In carrying out that mission, ASCE:
• Advances technology
• Encourages lifelong learning
• Promotes professionalism and the profession
• Develops civil engineer leaders
• Advocates infrastructure and environmental stewardship 

To purchase online visit:
http://www.asce.org/Books-and-Journals/Books—Personify/Committee-Reports-(PCR)/CORS-and-OPUS-for-Engineers/

For more information contact: Kevin Higgins 703-295-6266 khiggins@asce.org