Dear All,
There was a time before GPS indeed ! 😂 If you wil attend the next SIG
Meeting, you may like to read this as a background!
Since many colleagues on this mailing list are not so familiar with
tradional topographic methods, I found an extraordinary example why we
have introduced relative dimensions and why position determination may
be a very complex process of measurements and calculation:
The following is an extraordinary scientific achievement and example
when the final coordinates where done separate from the measurements,
i.e. for CRMsci S6 Data Evaluation. (Note that elevation above
(theoretical) sea level is a constituent of a geographic position) It is
also a good example for the immense efforts and costs spent by
goverments in the past to find better and better geographic positions
around the world:
Here an AI text, you may find good scholarly sources for these activities:
Radhanath Sikdar, an Indian mathematician, was the first person to
calculate the height of Mount Everest in 1852.
Radhanath Sikdar, working for the *Great Trigonometrical Survey of
India*, determined that Mount Everest, then known as Peak XV, was the
tallest mountain in the world. Using *mathematical calculations and
triangulation methods*, Sikdar compiled data from multiple observations
of the Himalayan peaks. He calculated the height of Everest to be
approximately *29,000 feet (8,839 meters)*, a figure later slightly
adjusted by his supervisor Andrew Scott Waugh to 29,002 feet.
<https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=7e77f9b80d6ce82edea5fb3c59745df9e44bf07e7d62326a84b84072d2b9a934JmltdHM9MTc3MzM2MDAwMA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=4&fclid=19f6989b-2811-6af2-3015-8f80299e6b54&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly9lbi53aWtpcGVkaWEub3JnL3dpa2kvUmFkaGFuYXRoX1Npa2Rhcg&ntb=1>
Wikipedia*+2*
<https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=7e77f9b80d6ce82edea5fb3c59745df9e44bf07e7d62326a84b84072d2b9a934JmltdHM9MTc3MzM2MDAwMA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=4&fclid=19f6989b-2811-6af2-3015-8f80299e6b54&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly9lbi53aWtpcGVkaWEub3JnL3dpa2kvUmFkaGFuYXRoX1Npa2Rhcg&ntb=1>
Method of Measurement
The measurement was conducted without physically climbing the mountain.
Instead, British surveyors employed *triangulation techniques*:
*
*Imaginary triangles*were drawn across the landscape, connecting
visible points over long distances.
<https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=6fceecbb3b7ce8f5de319732ff25df915a695a4befeaed03c9eb35312c49287dJmltdHM9MTc3MzM2MDAwMA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=4&fclid=19f6989b-2811-6af2-3015-8f80299e6b54&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly9tb3VudGV2ZXJlc3QuaW5mby9ob3ctbW91bnQtZXZlcmVzdC1tZWFzdXJlZC8&ntb=1>
*1*
<https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=6fceecbb3b7ce8f5de319732ff25df915a695a4befeaed03c9eb35312c49287dJmltdHM9MTc3MzM2MDAwMA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=4&fclid=19f6989b-2811-6af2-3015-8f80299e6b54&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly9tb3VudGV2ZXJlc3QuaW5mby9ob3ctbW91bnQtZXZlcmVzdC1tZWFzdXJlZC8&ntb=1>
*
*Baselines*were carefully measured on the ground using chains and
stone towers to ensure accuracy.
*
*Theodolites*, precision optical instruments, were used to measure
angles between points in both horizontal and vertical planes.
*
Observations were made using mirrors and lights to communicate
across distances, allowing surveyors to calculate the height of
distant peaks mathematically.
<https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=6fceecbb3b7ce8f5de319732ff25df915a695a4befeaed03c9eb35312c49287dJmltdHM9MTc3MzM2MDAwMA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=4&fclid=19f6989b-2811-6af2-3015-8f80299e6b54&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly9tb3VudGV2ZXJlc3QuaW5mby9ob3ctbW91bnQtZXZlcmVzdC1tZWFzdXJlZC8&ntb=1>
*1*
<https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=6fceecbb3b7ce8f5de319732ff25df915a695a4befeaed03c9eb35312c49287dJmltdHM9MTc3MzM2MDAwMA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=4&fclid=19f6989b-2811-6af2-3015-8f80299e6b54&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly9tb3VudGV2ZXJlc3QuaW5mby9ob3ctbW91bnQtZXZlcmVzdC1tZWFzdXJlZC8&ntb=1>
*
1 Source
Historical Context
Sikdar joined the survey at the age of 18 and was mentored by prominent
educators in Kolkata, which helped him develop exceptional mathematical
skills. Despite his critical contribution, the peak was named *Mount
Everest*in honor of Sir George Everest, the Surveyor General of India,
who had retired before the measurement and had never seen the mountain.
Sikdar’s achievement remained largely unrecognized in official British
records for many years, though it is now celebrated as a landmark
accomplishment in geodesy and cartography.
<https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=8a0cc5bbfd1f5c48dfddc8df4d5dc01f808f18f89d36ac63b1a2e74d5de9a605JmltdHM9MTc3MzM2MDAwMA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=4&fclid=19f6989b-2811-6af2-3015-8f80299e6b54&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGFya2dyZWVuYWR2ZW50dXJlcy5jb20vdGhlLW1hbi13aG8tbWVhc3VyZWQtaGVpZ2h0LW9mLWV2ZXJlc3Qv&ntb=1>
DarkGreen Adventures*+1*
<https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=8a0cc5bbfd1f5c48dfddc8df4d5dc01f808f18f89d36ac63b1a2e74d5de9a605JmltdHM9MTc3MzM2MDAwMA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=4&fclid=19f6989b-2811-6af2-3015-8f80299e6b54&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGFya2dyZWVuYWR2ZW50dXJlcy5jb20vdGhlLW1hbi13aG8tbWVhc3VyZWQtaGVpZ2h0LW9mLWV2ZXJlc3Qv&ntb=1>
Legacy
Sikdar’s calculation was remarkably accurate for the 19th century, with
modern measurements confirming Everest’s height at *8,848.86 meters
(29,031.69 feet)*. His work laid the foundation for future surveys and
remains a testament to the precision and ingenuity of early mathematical
surveying techniques.
<https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=8b9fae3aee85d186f76d90a10e6e1d31e7ee449a9415476033880d27a2f2c5eaJmltdHM9MTc3MzM2MDAwMA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=4&fclid=19f6989b-2811-6af2-3015-8f80299e6b54&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYnJpdGFubmljYS5jb20vcGxhY2UvTW91bnQtRXZlcmVzdC9UaGUtaGVpZ2h0LW9mLUV2ZXJlc3Q&ntb=1>
Britannica
<https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=8b9fae3aee85d186f76d90a10e6e1d31e7ee449a9415476033880d27a2f2c5eaJmltdHM9MTc3MzM2MDAwMA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=4&fclid=19f6989b-2811-6af2-3015-8f80299e6b54&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYnJpdGFubmljYS5jb20vcGxhY2UvTW91bnQtRXZlcmVzdC9UaGUtaGVpZ2h0LW9mLUV2ZXJlc3Q&ntb=1>
*OR
*"In 1856, the first recorded measurement of Mount Everest’s height was
taken by the Great Trigonometric Survey, a team led by Andrew Waugh. The
surveyors used triangulation methods to calculate the mountain’s height
at approximately 29,029 feet (8,840 meters). However, this measurement
was not without controversy. George Everest, after whom the mountain is
named, initially opposed the naming of the peak after himself but
ultimately accepted it."
All the best,
Martin
--
------------------------------------
Dr. Martin Doerr
Honorary Head of the
Center for Cultural Informatics
Information Systems Laboratory
Institute of Computer Science
Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas (FORTH)
N.Plastira 100, Vassilika Vouton,
GR70013 Heraklion,Crete,Greece
Email:[email protected]
Web-site:http://www.ics.forth.gr/isl
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