200 years of Swiss geomatics for the world
With their innovative strength, the Swiss companies Kern and Wild have advanced and redefined geomatics worldwide. Their technology lives on today in the equipment of Leica Geosystems and is used in Switzerland, for example, in the construction of trains or at the athletics meeting Weltklasse Zürich.
The Geomatics anniversary activities under the title "200yrs Swiss Geo X" will run from 2019 to 2021, starting with the Geomatics Day on 13 November 2019 at the Kultur- und Kongresshaus Aarau. An interactive exhibition and learning modules for school classes will provide insights into the exciting field of geomatics. The event is open to interested visitors of all ages. The day is particularly aimed at schoolchildren. The modules tie in with lessons in geography, computer science, physics or mathematics and show aspects of geomatics that are relevant to everyday life.
From the simple compass to the theodolite, from national surveying to tunnel construction: Kern instruments accompanied the industrialization of Switzerland - and soon the whole world. The small workshop became a global player, which was sold to the competitor Wild Heerbrugg in 1988. Today, the tradition of the Swiss art of surveying lives on in the instruments of Leica Geosystems, a brand of the Hexagon Group. The Swedish company Hexagon is proud of its roots and anchoring in Switzerland and takes the anniversaries of Kern (200 years, since 1819) and Wild (100 years, since 1921) as an opportunity to bring the present and future of surveying to life in a variety of ways.
Swiss companies have redefined geomatics
Geomatics provides precise and reliable data and enriches the real world with digital worlds. The latest 3D laser scanners are based on developments that have their roots in Switzerland. Swiss technology has been and continues to be used around the globe. In Sydney, for example, the 14-year construction of the famous Opera House was monitored with Leica Geosystems total stations. Or in Denver: the American city with its skyline can also be navigated digitally. The data for this comes from Leica CityMapper. Even on the moon: The Kern company was at the forefront of the Apollo 11 moon landing (1969) with its objects on the 16mm DAC film cameras. The greeting message of the then US President Richard Nixon to the astronauts was recorded from the Lunar Module with the Kern Switar lens f=10mm.
And of course also in Switzerland: Leica Geosystems technology is partly responsible for precision in the production of railway carriages: Stadler Rail relies on the Leica Absolute Tracker to check the geometric fit of the body shell. Leica Geosystems total stations are used at athletics meetings all over Europe - including Weltklasse Zurich. The total stations take measurements in throwing and jumping disciplines and determine new records.
Around the anniversaries of Kern and Wild, the world of surveying can be experienced in a variety of ways. The journey through time into the past and the future starts on 13 November 2019 in Aarau. Also on November 13, the Society for the History of Geodesy invites you to "200 Years of Kern Aarau".
