Changes in technology over the past 10 years have had an enormous impact on surveyors. The advent of the Global Positioning System (GPS) has brought about significant changes in the manner in which surveyors gather observational data, establish project control networks, and locate positions on the Earth's surface. Recent advances in GPS technology have provided the surveyor with the ability to determine three-dimensional positions in real time using kinematics techniques. This real-time kinematics (RTK) system has made GPS technology useful for the solution of problems encountered by the typical surveyor. The danger in this technology lies in its use by those who are technically illiterate and view the system as a black box which merely produces results. Practicing and future professional surveyors must be educated so they are able to scrutinize results and discriminate between usable and unusable data. It is imperative that a comprehensive surveying education provides students with exposure to GPS technology throughout the curriculum. This integration of GPS within the curriculum is facilitated by the use of RTK techniques which may be applied to plane surveying as well as geodetic surveying. Familiarity with the theory and applications of RTK surveying demystifies the black box and produces graduates who can have a positive impact on the surveying profession. This project makes RTK surveying systems available for use by students in the surveying program. The acquisition of RTK equipment is essential for maintaining a contemporary, comprehensive curriculum that produces technologically literate students. *
