[mmaimcal] Re: pad locations, etc.

[Simon Radford]

Some time ago (a few years ago), I advocated mounting a field campaign
to survey potential antenna locations. Then project management felt the
configuration designs were too immature so the excercise would have been
pointless. 

Now the configuration designs have matured to the extent it is probably
worthwhile to carry out a preliminary survey. Certainly a civil
engineering company will be contracted to precisely survey the final
locations and lay out roads. Before that, however, I believe we need an
initial, in house survey to check the basic feasibility of the antenna
locations. If necessary, we could then iterate the configuration
designs. I suspect it will be quite difficult (and expensive) to iterate
with a contractor.

As I pointed out in Memo 312, a GPS navigation receiver now gives
adequate accuracy for our needs since SA has been discontinued. The (1
sigma) position uncertainty is about 3.5 m in each horizontal dimension,
which implies the 95% confidence uncertainty is less than the aperture
size (12 m). Is there any reason this is not adequate?

Finally, the confusion over the pipeline crossings convinces me we need
to have someone in house to oversee any surveying by contractors, etc.

Simon