Almost 2,000 visitors, 39 exhibitors and over 700 square meters of display is the briefest characterization of this year's fair. For the third time, the event took place at the Exhibition and Sports Hall [Hala Widowiskowo-Sportowa] in Giszowiec. For the second time, the competition for the geodesic product of the year was conducted. We also had an opportunity to listen to the fair radio for the first time. The fair was opened by the organizer Jacek Smutkiewicz together with Wojciech Matela (Director of Wydział Geodezji i Gospodarki Nieruchomościami Śląskiego UW) [Geodesy and Real Estate Economy Department of the Silesian Provincial Government Office] and Piotr Trzcionka (Vice-Director of Department Ochrony Środowiska i Gospodarki Złożem Wyższego Urzędu Górniczego) [Environment Protection and Deposit Economy Department of Higher Mining Office].
If a geodesist dreams of having a total station, the Geodesy and Geoinformation Science Fair is the perfect place to fulfill that dream.
A few dozen instruments from all the famous companies of the world, gathered under one roof - it is a rarity. One is tempted by the perfect technical parameters of the equipment, the potential of software, favorable forms of purchase. Brands, the names of models, colors make one dizzy... As for colors, spring green turned out to be the hit of the season. As many as three companies have put tachymeters in this color on the market: Leica - a TCA 1100 series, Nikon a 500 series and Sokkia - SET 500. It is even more surprising that all those companies have stuck to traditional coloring so far. Another curiosity, a serious one, is the progressive integration of terrestrial and satellite measurements. Not only are the manufacturers of traditional geodesic equipment offering GPS receivers, but there is also the opposite phenomenon. For example, a well known seller of the GPS technologies, the Trimble company, offers a total station TTS 500
On the biggest fair stand - Czerski Trade Polska - motorized tachymeters TCA 1105 and the GPS 500 System from the Leica company, which were put on the Polish market just before vacation, were exhibited. A shared stand of the companies Geotronics Kraków (the representative of Spectra Precision) and Geodezja Tadeusz Nadowski and Bimex Gorzów (the representatives of Zeiss) is the result of uniting Spectra Precision and a part of Carl Zeiss which produces geodesic equipment. A SP curiosity which was presented at the fair was a Geodat Win recorder for total stations and GPS receivers, which can be used in field works as a field computer.
An extra novelty at Zeiss' - for the first time in Poland, the Elta C tachymeter. Moreover, digital levels of the DiNi series in a modified casing and with a refined software. New Topcon instruments (TPI) are the GPT-1001 mirrorless tachymeter, a DL-103 code level, and, in the group of accessories - a blinking prism.
After a one year absence, Pentax (Geopryzmat) came back to the fair with an interesting offer of the PCS-315 tachymeter and self-focusing levels, which are the specialty of the company. Novelties in Impexgeo are Nikon tachymeters of the 500 series and Trimble's TTS 500. On the shared stand of COGiK (the representative of the Sokkia company) and Ośrodek Obsługi Firm [Company Service Center] (OOF), one could see the mentioned SET 500, the successor of SET-5, which is very popular in Poland. The dynamic OOF company (which specializes in leasing for geodesy) made it possible to "acquire" any permanent asset, including, certainly, geodesic equipment, without any unnecessary formalities.
Biuro Aparatury Pomiarowej KPG [the KPG Measuring Equipment Agency] (its own production) and Radiodetection presented underground line detectors (Avoidance -the routes of wires and pipes in front of an excavator, Finding - the distribution of all underground systems). Aksel (Motorola) and Gall (Alinco and Alan) offered sought after radiotelephones. On the stands of the companies: Geozet, Geobud, Geoserv, Geodezja Tomasz Malinowski and Nedo, Nestle & Fisher, instruments and small measuring equipment were sold. Technika from Gliwice sold Rotring drafting materials with a 40% discount. The Wieniawa company presented scientific and educational calculators from the Texas Instruments company, which drew considerable interest of both geodesists and the geodesic youth. An offer for major units, geodesy departments in offices and documentation centers - drawing boards, light desks and copying frames - was presented by the Karoń company.
CAD Consult, CAD-Inwest and APRO appeared under the joint name of Autodesk. GIS programs: AutoCAD Map 2000 - for numeric maps and GIS systems of minor size, Autodesk World - for the integration and management of the available geographical data resources, Autodesk MapGuide - for the distribution of geographical data, were important items in Autodesk's offer. The co-author of the GEO-INFO software, Aleksander Danielski (Albedo) promised a new version of the popular Polish program (GEO-INFO 2000) ready in November. CARD/1-POL (offered by the company of the same name) is a program which supports geodesic works, beginning with calculations, through the adjustment of control nets, to a numeric map.
Biuro Informatyki (IT Agency) KPG appeared with its main representative product - EWID 2000 - a system for the operation of the graphic and descriptive part of land and building cadastre. The Softline Plus company sold geodesic software - C-Geo and Estima (land and building registration with a numeric map), and Vertical - a program dgDialog Toography, covering complete technology for creating and updating a numeric map, inclined for, among others, ODGiKs.
The publishing house Gall has been successfully preparing books for geodesists for a couple of years. Among the newest ones, there are "Informator geodezyjny" ["Geodesic informer"] and "Prawo geodezyjne i kartograficzne – komentarz" ["Geodesy and cartography law – a comment"] by professor Zofia ?mia?owska – Uberman. Inviting the author, who autographed her books, to the stand was an interesting idea. Once again, Uniwersytet Warminsko-Mazurski [Warmia and Masuria University] (ART Olsztyn, until not so long ago) was the only scientific institution which was represented at the fair. Traditionally, the offer included educational programs from the range of measuring works, measurement result evaluation, map compilation and control networks. Prof. Władysław Dąbrowski promoted recoverable control net, which practically eliminates ground point marking. It is a joint construction by Prof. Dabrowski’s and Andrzej Wanic’s patents and utility patterns.
Centralny Ośrodek Dokumentacji Geodezyjnej i Kartograficznej [Geodesic and Cartographic Documentation Center] offered: Atlas Rezczypospolitej Polskiej [the Atlas of the Republic of Poland], aerial photographs, maps, books and technical instructions and directives. Among novelties, one could find: topographic maps of the Warmia and Masuria province (1:10 000 scale) and the Wielkopolska province (1:50 000 scale), topographic wall maps to the scale 1:50 000 (Katowice, Częstochowa and Kielce) and "Słownik terminów używanych przy standaryzacji nazw geograficznych" [ Dictionary of Terminology Used for Geographical Name Standardization"]. A new G-7 instruction - "Geodezyjna ewidencja sieci uzbrojenia terenu" [the Geodesic Tally of Territorial Development Network"] (1998) and a modified K-1 instruction - "Mapa zasadnicza" ["Principal Map"] (1998).
The Fifth International Geodesy and Geoinformation Science Fair has proved that the idea of a countrywide event which is organized once a year and which integrates disciplines related to geodesy still draws interest. It may result from a distinct liveliness in the geodesic market at the end of the year. More products have appeared and the demand for geodesic tools grows automatically. Thanks to questionnaires completed by visitors, we know that almost 70% of them are still under 30, and that only 7% are above 50. 45% of visitors visited the fair for the first time; the others have visited the fair twice or more. 45% of the visitors were the owners and employees of geodesic and geo - IT companies, 45% - students and pupils. The percentage of office workers connected with geodesy was still low. Visitors defined their area of interest in the following way: geodesic equipment (33%), GPS receivers (25%), geodesic accessories (20%), GIS and numeric maps (20% - we can note the rise in interest year by year), calculation systems (14%), recording and reproduction (11%). The conference that accompanied the fair did not, on the other hand, raise much interest, as only about 60 people took part.
The fair meets the needs of the environment and has an established position in the market. However, the location of the event far in the south of Poland deters many potential visitors, as it is quite bothersome to get there. The sad sports hall does not add any splendor to the fair. The event, which lasts three days, seems a bit too long, and organizing one more conference (when there is a surfeit of them in fall) is not the best idea. So, changes are necessary to raise the attractiveness of the fair and to draw more exhibitors and visitors to it. What can be suggested? Firstly, a change in the venue of the October meetings. Next year's fair could take place in e.g. one of the towns of central Poland. The organizers are encouraging the readers of GEODETA (the GEODESIST) to express their opinion on the location of the event (one can vote for Bydgoszcz, Łódź, Toruń and Warsaw on the web site www.gea.com.pl).
Broadening the circle of exhibitors with companies which offer geodesic software and GIS - software, geodesic companies and publishing companies (maps, atlases, plans) becomes necessary (not all of them were present at this year's fair), so that visitors have a complete view of geodesy and cartography in Poland. Instead of a conference, one may venture to show in one venue the achievements of the geodesic departments of our universities, their scientific circles and the best diploma theses, as well as the best executive companies in Poland.