We've been using SALSA for a couple of years, it's a pretty decent software package, gives you lots of information and you can export to Google Earth format for your client to view / interact with.
In Australia, we have AUSPOS, which allows processing up to 7 days of static observations, so we'll start our work using RTK for coordinate references, with 3 static locations in good positions forming a triangle around the perimeter of the job with solar and battery, check the tripod daily for level and on point. We use an SX12 total station, a tilting level with micrometre and a Topcon GLS scanner, the observations from all are processed using SALSA. On the last job we engaged a subcontractor (Surveyor) with a NavVis VLX and set up a bunch of reflective targets for him, we used the SX12 and GLS to verify the VLX point cloud.
Since AUSPOS has already done some pretty comprehensive analysis, we fix the 3 static positions in SALSA and adjust to that. We use our RTK and total station coordinates in SALSA, but these aren't fixed, the software adjusts their coordinates as it sees fit.
Regarding the tilting level, my dealer tells me they've got great digital levels now, but I've been caught in windy conditions where automatic and digital levels don't work at all, and the wind can blow all week.
For those how are not familiar with SALSA, it is an open source program and library.
Your can get the manual (for the August 2022 version) for free at:
https://wwwext.arlut.utexas.edu/salsa/pdfs/SalsaUserManual_1150.pdf
Written at the University of Texas (at Austin). You can get a version for windows (for free),
and the sources are also free for under the GPL public license at:
https://wwwext.arlut.utexas.edu/salsa/
To run on your own machine.
There is an active google group for questions, etc.
https://groups.google.com/g/salsa-least-squares
Bottom line:
Good, pedantically correct Least Squares Adjustment.
Good documentation.
Free (GPL license), open source code.
Google group for problems.
Are there data format converters with SALSA? Or does the user have to manually enter raw data? If there are, which formats are supported? I’ve browsed the manual and don’t see a clear answer.
I don't rightly know. My interest was in how it was handling the Adjustments. Mathematically it is a full implementation of proper least squares adjustments. For what I was looking at it for, it seems excellent.
My response was to the prior response that mentioned SALSA... mostly to point people at more information. The manual has a section on writing custom converters. I have no experience at doing so,
and I'm not a user of the program itself. Sorry. One of the prior responses was someone that has been a user of it... possibly he can enlighten us.
I don't rightly know. My interest was in how it was handling the Adjustments. Mathematically it is a full implementation of proper least squares adjustment.
My response was to a response that mentioned mostly to point people at more information since it mentioned SALSA in passing.
There are built in importers, however my first experience was with manual entry, we wrote our own software that converts the observations from Trimble jobxml files and Topcon GLS2000 GLS2200 project directory structures read from the SD card.
