Best network adjustment software

Bump.

Would like to add Trimble Business Center to the list of potential solutions.

Thanks in advance

I'm a big Star*Net afficianado. My reasons are two fold: first, it is rock solid reliable. It does one thing and does it very well. Super reliable. Second, it accepts data from almost every data collector and raw data file format that has ever existed. No matter where I have gone in my career, whatever brand instrument was being used, I could use StarNet with it.  

It is sooooo easy to learn!

Puts out a lot of paper after an analysis though.

I 2nd @Norman Oklahoma. Starnet is a great software for surveyors. It has great instructions and use to have sample data and flow charts to follow. Easy to understand what everything means. It doesn’t care what brand of equipment you decide to run and it has been around for years. Only reason I would not use it is if my shop already had another brand of equipment and software that could do the job like Trimble etc. But thats more of a business decision. I guess i could be wrong but starnet has been around longer than most other least squares programs for land surveying practices. That’s commercial software. 

Another vote for STAR*NET, it is super easy to use compared to some of the other options. Great option for most land surveying applications. If you need to cover larger areas for geodetic control applications across two or more grid projection zones, then GeoLab is a solid option. The two are fundamentally different in design.

StarNet is very fast for editing and inputting data. Being able to see all of the input data, move input data into an order that makes sense, perform simple windows commands on the input data makes StarNet a win for me.

TBC will do what StarNet does, just with way more steps. There are cool things about TBC, but I feel they are outweighed by the cryptic symbology that you need to learn, swapping between Project Explorer and Properties, etc. Maybe I'm just too set in my ways, though. 

There is no best...unlike all men, all networks aren't created equal.  What's best for a 500-acre development site or a 3-mile linear project may not be best for countywide aerial mapping control.

I've used StarNet, SurvNet, Move3, and have reviewed output results from Columbus. All look like they could be the right tool for the job - depending on the job. 

StarNet is probably best for reasons Norman gives.

Since we are a Trimble shop I’ve been using TBC almost exclusively for the past 5 years or so. It has very powerful editing and review functions once you learn how to use it.

Another use of StarNet is adjusting very old surveys where the original notes are available, that’s impossible in TBC.

I have used StarNET (~7 years total), TBC (~12 years), Infinity (~3 years), LGO (~5 years), and Topcon MAGNET Tools (~1 year). So take the below with that experience in mind...

I liked LGO better than Infinity, but TBC smokes them both for user friendliness and functionality.

TBC is faster than StarNET if field procedures are good. Especially on the QC/QA side.

StarNET is the best all-round package if you are looking to mix and match, but be warned that you will likely have to get at least one or two converter add-ons, and not all of those converters result in a one-to-one transform of the dataset, depending on how recent the original collection software is.

StarNET's command-line interface cuts both ways. Great if you need to make tiny tweaks or manually add data, but if anything at all is jacked up you're sifting through lines of text to find the problem.

If I had to pick a proprietary package, it'd be TBC. But I'd go with StarNET if you want maximum flexibility.

Another use of StarNet is adjusting very old surveys where the original notes are available, that’s impossible in TBC.

TBC can indeed make use of hand-entered conventional observations, and I have made use of user-created JXL and GVX files to recreate both TS and GNSS observations. Granted, StarNET's interface is a little easier to hand-enter, but TBC's works well once you get the hang of the interface.

It's also getting more rare that I need to actually adjust anything that doesn't already have observations in digital format. Still happens, but not very often.

I'm curious to hear back from people using Carlson Survey. I am debating on purchasing a license of it to work on top of Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D (at least that's what I've been told it will do). 

But it sounds like Carlson Survey can not only perform adjustments but supplement quite a few things that Civil 3D can't address such as network adjustments, cut sheets for staking, legal description aspects & others. I haven't downloaded their 30 day demo yet but I want to try it out if things slow down

I started using StarNet about 93-94? somewhere in that time frame. It faded away when I got Trimble and now it's all Trimble. We do very little gun work and Trimble has always handled it anyway. I liked StarNet, but there's no reason to layer on another program, any more than buying Autocad and MicroStation.

@crid54 It has been years since i ran starnet like dos mode days. But I agree. I use TBC now but that’s because we are a Trimble shop and its here i do miss the starnet options of weighing one point or observation differently than the rest based on gut and field knowledge. Like i was balancing on a lov in a swamp and a flock of mayflies hit me so this observation is well kinda close lol. Not as many ways in TBC but it gets the job done and good results easily.  It truly boils down to field care and discipline. If you do it right in the field everything is easy. Sloppy in field well i am losing hair on top and greying in the beard .  Lol

@mightymoe Wow that’s about when I first started using starnet. . You probably used trimap gps survey and such pre TGO and way before TBC. I don’t know why but i still mis gpsurvey . I miss the days of massaging vector data and cleaning up cycle slips and such. Now it’s become so good not much to do.  Are you using TBC for everything. Drafting and all.  Like no cad no civil 3d the d stands for devil .

I cannot express how happy I am that this post gained traction. First of all, thank  you all for information and insight!

Now to clarify what do I work with and application of network adjustment software:

-My company is specialized in underground geotehnical structures, mostly piles, diaphragm walls and anchors. As per contract there are cap beams which have to be monitored. Until now subcontractor was signed to do the network and monitoring. I want to step up and here I am, searching the internet for answers.

-ATM all Leica equipment, probably next purchase will be also Leica because they have best support in my country

-Civil 3D

-Networks are sometimes up to 1 km, but mainly up to 300m and less. Usually it's in urban area where point placement is tricky and my network usually doesn't have great geometry. Majority of points are retroreflective targets and sometime prisms (hard to get people to agree to drill into their building). For rural area it's mostly steel survey point or rebar/benchmark in concrete. Can't remember when was the last time I had 25+ points, usually it's 10-15.

-My goal is to be able to put out a report not only containing linear movement between the series, but also the precision of the measured data (standard deviation) and even maybe some deformation analysis.

-I currently have all Leica equipment and was inclined for Infinity package, which is user friendly (I have done 1 very quick adjustment in they trial version), but as I am told by Leica representative, it lacks some functions (network pre-analysis) implemented in it's predecessor LGO.

-I have downloaded all mentioned software in DEMO versions, but to truly experience software and grasp it's potential, you need to use it for at least a year (my thinking).

-In the process of refreshing my knowledge of LSA, because I last used it for 7-8 years, last time during university (using excel ofc). Also, a bit troubling part is the LSA and survey terminology in English, so if you have some books on the subject to recommend, it would be greatly appreciated!

-Will 100% use JAG3D which is open source, but I want some commercial solution to compare results.

-TBC is I guess out of the competition because of Leica instruments used

I've used StarNet, SurvNet, Move3, and have reviewed output results from Columbus. All look like they could be the right tool for the job - depending on the job. 

Care to explain strengths/weaknesses of each one, or best solution by your experience (which seems considerable) , with aforementioned info?

So far STAR*NET leads the pool.