Translev is a program (available on the NGS website under PC Programs) written by Malcom Archer-Shee to take digital level data and format it for NGS bluebooking. Unfortunately NGS requires it. I have submitted data in the past without using Translev, no problem. Not sure how they can justify using a certain program to format the data, when the end result is a simple ascii file. I think one of the reasons why they want a submitter to use this program is that it does temperature corrections to the leveling data, based on either observed temperatures from thermistors (second order class I and first order) or temperatures obtained from weather records (second order class II). However, I question the need for these corrections on small projects. Also, it does a lot of checking of the observations for sight length, minimum rod reading, unbalance, etc.
I have always had problems with it. My latest problem is that we had a new rod calibrated in September that we used on a project in October. It is not in the rods.dat file. So, I go to web tools...update...rods.dat. It says that it completed the update successfully, and to exit and restart translev. So I do that, and it creates a new rods.dat file with a size of 0 bytes (i.e. empty). That means I cannot go any further. I am going to try and manually edit the original rods.dat file (it is ascii, *22* records, which are documented). But it seems strange that it does this. I have tried uninstalling, re-installing, etc. No link to send a bug message to the author.
I started a project with it once -- 34 km of Second Order Classes II levels -- but the crew deviated from spec on a couple of procedures and after many hours I finally gave up trying to reverse-engineer the data to fit the Translev input requirements.
Yes, I have had some non-bluebook projects that I thought would be good to run through it but it is not very tolerant of any deviations.
John Hamilton, post: 398447, member: 640 wrote: Translev is a program (available on the NGS website under PC Programs) written by Malcom Archer-Shee to take digital level data and format it for NGS bluebooking. Unfortunately NGS requires it. I have submitted data in the past without using Translev, no problem. Not sure how they can justify using a certain program to format the data, when the end result is a simple ascii file. I think one of the reasons why they want a submitter to use this program is that it does temperature corrections to the leveling data, based on either observed temperatures from thermistors (second order class I and first order) or temperatures obtained from weather records (second order class II). However, I question the need for these corrections on small projects. Also, it does a lot of checking of the observations for sight length, minimum rod reading, unbalance, etc.
I have always had problems with it. My latest problem is that we had a new rod calibrated in September that we used on a project in October. It is not in the rods.dat file. So, I go to web tools...update...rods.dat. It says that it completed the update successfully, and to exit and restart translev. So I do that, and it creates a new rods.dat file with a size of 0 bytes (i.e. empty). That means I cannot go any further. I am going to try and manually edit the original rods.dat file (it is ascii, *22* records, which are documented). But it seems strange that it does this. I have tried uninstalling, re-installing, etc. No link to send a bug message to the author.
Malcolm has posted to this site. In one posting on DSWORLD he wrote:
The version on the NGS website is 3.00.07. Once installed, click 'Tools>Update Program' to get any updates. If you still experience any issues, send an email to: Malcolm.Archer-Shee@noaa.gov
I do not know whether this address is current. If it is, I would expect him to be very responsive to your questions.
Cheers,
DMM
Thanks, Mike. I knew I had seen his email in the past, and had even written to him, but could not find it in translev.
