I recently got a new android phone. One of the apps I find very useful is FindAControl, from Critigen. It always worked fine on my old phone. However, it will not display any stations on the new phone. It shows my location, and the various categories are checked, but I don't get any points displayed.
It does work on other devices I have, same version, just installed. I tried uninstalling and reinstalling on my new phone but to no avail.
FindAControl-Not using live data
I thought it was querying the NGS database, but apparently it is using old files that are stored somewhere. I just checked to see if it showed 10 new benchmarks (MSFH 1 to MSFH 10) we established at Fairport Harbor, Ohio in 2012 and 2013, none of them are shown. They were loaded into the NGSIDB more than a year ago (except for 8, 9, and 10).
I've also used "BenchMap". It works ok and I think it uses up-to-date datasheets.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tsqmadness.bmmaps&hl=en
Thanks for that link, works great. One interesting item...I looked at the area around Fairport Harbor, OH. It also shows non publishable stations, like TBM's. These get PID's and are adjusted, but not published because there is no description, etc. For example DO8635.
I wonder if it is getting the data in real time or using cached files that it downloads monthly or something?
BenchMap
He gets the data in real-time from NGS servers using their API, but he also keeps an occasional backup of the data on his own server for when the NGS servers are not responding or are running very slowly. You can switch to his backup server in the settings.
You can also find a filter in the settings that lets you hide non-publishable stations.
BenchMap-non publishable stations...and a Pic from the field
I had that checked, but it still displayed the non pub stations. Minor annoyance, other than that works great. Used it today, we were leveling to a mark that was buried under mud, it had ties to nearby objects (that we put in), found it no problem.
Another interesting find today...we are doing a subsidence survey over a large area, and we have two existing marks south of the subsiding area that have been stable. We run this survey every November. So we pull up to one of the stable marks, which was 6' from the corner of a school. School is gone! We had a distance from the C/L of a street and from a sidewalk. the sidewalk is gone but you can see where it was. The school, no footprint left at all, just a grass field. So we pull the distances. They fall right in the middle of a 4' X 8' steel plate, 1" thick. I mentioned this to the state NGS advisor. About an hour later he told me the county engineer (or surveyor?) was sending a backhoe. It turns out the demolition contractor thought it was important to preserve the mark. It was intact and undisturbed under the steel plate. Bravo! A contractor who knows the importance of a benchmark!
Here is a picture from today leveling to a mark (MB1622) in the foundation of a water level gage building. New (installed in October) CORS in the background. It does not show up on the NGS page yet, it was set by NOS. They are going to install a new tower for the Met gear that is now hanging on the cross arms.
