THE FRANK SYSTEM - 1ST RESULTS

FRANK is a new system for data acquisition and data processing of deta iled topographic data. The system was introduced during the 14th Europ ean Urban Data Management Symposium in Odense, Denmark (May, 1991), an d is based on ''A new geodetic method for measuring and calculating co ordinates,'' as goes the title of the (European) patent application by the inventor, Prof Dr Ir M. J. M. Bogaerts of the Delft University of Technology. The system is characterised by: the use of newly develope d mobile recording units and stationary workstations, the use of newly developed geodetic software, high productivity and user-friendliness. FRANK moves survey activities from outdoors to indoors, only quick ou tdoor recordings are necessary. Moreover, the system allows the measur ements of surveys to be perfected, while measuring indoors, using digi tal images on graphic computer screens. It is possible to achieve, int eractively, optimum results using computer-aided surveying. Above all, it is fast, low-cost, and reliable. The technical development of FRAN K took place in close cooperation with the Centre for Computer Graphic s and Mapping of the Delft University of Technology. Now, a complete p rototype of the whole system is available. With this prototype, experi ments are executed together with the Dutch Cadastre and the Cities of Amsterdam and Rotterdam. The results of these experiments are very pro mising, as are the results of a recently performed market research in the Netherlands. In 1987, Geeris Holding Nederland BV, a parent compan y for a number of printing and publishing companies in The Netherlands and Belgium, started financing the development of the FRANK system. G eeris Holding Nederland now wants to initiate the commercialisation of the system, and is looking for powerful partners. This paper possibly will help to convince such potential partners of the qualities and po ssibilities of the FRANK system. For this purpose, special attention i s given to the recent experiments.