PHOTOGRAMMETRIC ENGINEERING & REMOTE SENSING
January 2017
15
ellipsoid of 1841 was prescribed for use in the triangulation
instructions.
The third topographic survey of Hungary (Neue Aufnahme)
was conducted from 1869 to 1896 and was based on the Arad,
St. Anna Datum of 1840, where the origin was: Φ
o
= 46° 18´
47.63˝ North, (
l
o
) = 39° 06´ 54.19˝ East of Ferro (geodetically
determined from Vienna). This Datum was referenced to
the Zach ellipsoid and was used for the Third Topographic
Survey of Hungary. The defining azimuth to Kurtics was
determined astronomically, but the angular value was not
published and is now lost. The metric system was legally
established in 1872, and the 1:25,000 mapping scale was
introduced along with the polyeder (polyhedric) projection
to eliminate inconsistencies in map sheet lines. Remember
that in past columns I have pointed out that the polyhedric
projection is mathematically equivalent to the local space
rectangular (LSR) coordinate system that is commonly used
in computational photogrammetry.
In 1874, the Budapest Stereographic Projection was defined
at Gellérthegy where the Latitude of Origin (
j
o
) = 47° 29´
14.93˝ North and the Central Meridian (
l
o
) = 36° 42´ 51.69˝
East of Ferro. The orientation of this system was defined as
the azimuth to Széchényihegy, α
o
= 100° 47´ 14.34˝ which
was in sympathy with the azimuth to Nagyszal, α
o
= 191° 28´
52.19˝ derived from the Vienna University Observatory. (In
the derivation carried out in 1861-63, the Walbeck ellipsoid
was used.) The regions of Central and Southern Hungary
were topographically surveyed from 1881-1884. Northern
Hungary was surveyed from 1875-1878 and Western
Hungary was surveyed from 1878-1880, the latter two by the
use of cadastral planimetry.
The fourth topographic survey of Hungary was carried out
in essentially the same manner as the third survey. All plane
table sheets of the cadastral survey were reduced with a
pantograph, and were published on the Polyhedric Projection
at 1:75,000 scale. From 1896-1898, three trig points were
required per plane table sheet. From 1898 to 1903, 10 trig
points per sheet were required, and that was increased
to 20 trig points thereafter. Tacheometry was introduced
for this survey, and mapped distances could be estimated
only if less than 100 meters from the instrument. In 1905,
photogrammetry replaced the plane table with the stereo-
comparator (sort of an un-digitized analytical plotter to you
readers under 40).
In 1907, Dr. A. Fasching derived the position of the eastern
tower of the former observatory at Gellérthegy where the
Latitude of Origin (
j
o
) = 47° 29´ 09.6380˝ North and with a
Central Meridian (
l
o
) = 36° 42´ 53.5733˝ East of Ferro and
α
o
= 100° 47´ 07.90˝ to the Laplace station Széchényihegy.
In 1908, a system of three cylindrical projections was
introduced, all with the Central Meridian of Budapest. The
oblique cylinders touch the Gaussian sphere along the great
circles perpendicular to the meridian at the following origins:
48° 42´ 56.3180” N, 47° 08´ 46.7267˝ N, and 45° 34´ 6.5869˝ N.
For the orientation, the azimuth Gellérthegy- Széchényihegy
was used, hence the common X axis of the three cylindrical
projections form an angle of 6.44 arc seconds with the
Budapest Stereographic Grid of 1874. The stereo-graphic
projection was used only for the computation of the First and
Second- Order nets – the cylindrical projection was used for
the actual mapping.
Also in 1908, the invention of the Stereoautograph by
Captain von Orel of the Military Geographic Institute of
Vienna allowed the compilation, including contours, to be
done completely mechanically (as opposed to
insitu
field
work). Note that this phenomenal breakthrough in mapping
with photogrammetry used terrestrial photographs! The Zeiss
1911 Stereoautograph, the next wonder of photogrammetry,
was used to compile the last sheets of the never completed
Fourth Topographic survey of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
According to Andrew Glusic of Army Map Service, (from 40+
years ago):
Warfare and the Map
. The Armies have been
using the maps for more than two centuries. The
Napoleonic Wars gave a special impulse to the use
of geographic maps in warfare; consequently, in the
European Armies mapping services were created,
of which many are known as Military Geographic
Institutes. It was the military who through the
XIX century in Europe as well as in the colonies
was responsible for the largest part of the geodetic
and topographic surveys. In these surveys the
military aspects dominated; particularly at their
outsets the scientific purposes were not considered
and many times also technical requirements were
ignored. There was solely one goal to produce a
military map. This military map should include
all such information of the area concerned which
the military leaders need for the planning and
execution of movement, combat, accommodation
and supply. The enormous technical progress in
the last century largely influenced the application
of strategical and tactical principles in warfare;
therefore, the nature of warfare changed and
consequently the requirements for the military
maps. In order to avoid the lack of adequate maps in
any future war, the nature of the warfare together
with the corresponding changes which would affect
the standards of the mapping have to be considered
in advance within limits of possibility and also
proper measures should be undertaken at the time.
The Austro-Hungarian military authorities passed
up the proper time for such considerations; hence
the single tactical map of the Monarch – 1:75,000
special map – trailed far behind the requirements
imposed by the changes of warfare in World War I.
A new topographic survey of Hungary was started in
1927. The oblique stereographic projection was used for the
“Budapest System” with the origin at the base point of the
East Tower of the Astronomical Observatory of Budapest at
