Patent Document ID: 6092022
Application ID: 08808078
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A method for providing a two-dimensional representation of a collection of survey points, the method comprising the steps of: determining a survey ellipsoid, and determining survey location coordinates of each of a plurality of survey locations with reference to the ellipsoid; determining a survey base point on the ellipsoid surface; determining a preferred direction at the survey base point; determining a cylinder that is positioned and orientated so that (1) the cylinder axis is perpendicular to the preferred direction, (2) the cylindrical surface is approximately tangent to the ellipsoid surface at the survey base point' and (3) the curvature of the ellipsoid surface and the curvature of the cylindrical surface, both computed in a direction parallel to the preferred direction at the survey base point, are approximately equal; projecting at least one survey location onto the cylindrical surface to produce a projected survey location having at least first and second projected local survey coordinates; determining a scale factor with reference to the ratio of distance between selected first and second selected survey locations divided by distance between said projected survey locations for the selected first and second survey locations; and applying the scale factor to coordinate values for said projected survey locations for at least one selected direction lying in said cylindrical surface.