作者：杨震澎 马 超

测绘仪器在测绘事业发展中有着举足轻重的作用，直接决定了生产效率和劳动强度，如测距仪的出现和GPS的推出，都产生了革命性的影响，因此，了解清楚测绘仪器的发展脉络，把握好发展趋势，对今后测绘仪器的选择应该会有帮助。

世界测绘仪器格局———以“合”为贵
    2007年底，日本拓普康（topcon）与索佳(sokkia)合并，从而使到世界上测绘仪器大集团就剩下三大家：徕卡(leica)、天宝(trim-ble)、拓普康，而徕卡实际又被海克斯康控股。当年的著名厂家如克恩(kern)、蔡司(zeiss)、捷创立现已统归天宝，不再有独立品牌，等于是消失了，而尼康（nikon）也被天宝参股，但仍以独立品牌出现，宾得（pentax）则还在支撑。
    可见随着电子测绘仪器的出现，生产能力大大加强，全球市场完全可以由几大厂家供应，形成寡头垄断局面，其它厂家则难以生存，以前很多国家都有自己的测绘仪器生产厂家，现在都几乎灭绝了，只有中国不仅没沦陷，而且还成为测绘仪器世界强国。

近年技术发展———以“数”为主
    在技术上而言，进入上世纪八十年代末，电子测绘仪器蓬勃发展，逐渐由光学向电子转变，电子经纬仪、全站仪大行其道，光学仪器慢慢淘汰。
    近二十年的发展，都是围绕全站仪数字化进行，先是简单的测距测角功能，然后增加函数运算，再就是应用程序的内置化，后来有了内存功能，更加拓展了全站仪的工程应用。近年磁盘操作系统、窗口全站仪兴起，将数字化应用到了极致。
    这段时间的发展，都是跟随计算机的发展步伐，在算和存方面的不断改进，其它没有太大本质的变化。但内部结构还是有很大改进，越来越简单化，由此大大提高了生产效率，产量一大，就导致不能给太多厂家生存空间，兼并整合也是自然的事情。

今后发展趋势———以“光”为媒
    进入21世纪，世界测绘仪器兴起了激光热潮，1998年，徕卡率先推出了TPS系列免棱镜激光全站仪，不用棱镜可以达到100米，让人开了眼界。接着，拓普康也推出了同样产品，后面其它厂家都纷纷跟上，使得激光全站仪成为主流。
    目前最先进的当属三维激光扫描仪，徕卡、天宝以及非传统测绘仪器厂家都研发出这种产品，只是价格相当昂贵，普及率还是很低的。
    激光的应用不仅仅在全站仪上，在电子经纬仪、扫平仪、投线仪等更是广泛应用，特别是投线仪，已经在发达国家非常普及，达到工具级的应用，远远比全站仪用量大。
    由于激光具有可见性、价格低、生产易的优点，因此渐渐成为主导，全站仪也从红外过渡到激光，广泛应用到测绘领域。

中国测绘仪器现状———以“低”为优
    中国厂商经过几十年发展，从光学仪器到电子仪器，从红外到激光，已经完成了全系列产品的生产，现已经成为世界测绘仪器的生产基地，彻底实现了国产化。
    目前，中国的水准仪已经独占世界，占得90％以上的市场，电子经纬仪已经令到国外厂商停产，中国制造一统天下，而全站仪，中国产量已经占世界产量的30％以上，投线仪、扫平仪应该也有半壁江山，其它附件类产品，就是以中国为主导了。
    中国测绘仪器在中低端市场之所以能占得优势，主要是实现了低成本的自主创新，形成价格的绝对优势，在市场中形成强大的竞争力，因此中国制造得以实现，逐步风靡全球。

南方的对策———以“大”为强
    作为国产化的主力军、中国测绘仪器的龙头企业，南方测绘仪器公司经过二十年的发展，已经形成强大的生产能力，成为世界测绘仪器制造业的第四个集团，排在徕卡、天宝、拓普康之后。
    南方测绘一直从事国产化的研发，从电子仪器着手，从国内市场起步，从研发上取得优势，从服务中赢得口碑，现在已经拥有五个生产厂、国内一百多个分公司、海外三个子公司的格局，生产面积超过6万平方米，形成年产2万台全站仪、2万台电子经纬仪、4万台水准仪、2万台激光投线仪、10万块棱镜、5千台RTK这样的生产规模，除高精度全站仪和三维激光扫描仪外，其它常规仪器都能生产，成为世界上最大的制造商之一。
    南方测绘的优势在于成本低，价格始终仅为进口的一半，而且规模大，品种齐，涵盖了整个产品链，加上人多势众，形成一个大的势头，在国内占主导地位，对国外不断渗透，逐步形成国际化品牌。

小  结
    中国在制造业方面、在软件研发方面有很大优势，中国市场又是全球最大的，因此给我们提供了很好的机会，特别这十多年来中国飞速发展，创造了巨大需求，使中国厂商得到很好发展。所以我们一直要坚持自主创新，走国产化道路，是大有希望的。
    而且，根据世界测绘仪器发展趋势，测绘仪器厂商一定要同时生产GPS，否则是很难形成长远竞争力的，我们看到天宝、徕卡、拓普康都是有GPS的，而索佳、尼康、宾得就比较弱，没有自主开发的产品，形成不了综合竞争力，因此很难有后续的发展。南方测绘近几年能够脱颖而出，很重要的就是能够研发、生产GPS，在当前以RTK为主导的年代，牢牢占据了主动。加上在软件上也很有优势，因此南方综合实力可以跟世界上任何厂家抗衡，从而才有可能在世界市场占有一席之地。

Surveying and mapping equipment in the surveying and mapping in the development plays an important role, directly determines the productivity and labor intensity, such as the emergence of DME and the introduction of GPS, have had a revolutionary impact, therefore, a better understanding of the development of surveying and mapping instruments thread grasp the development trend of the future, the choice of mapping equipment should be helpful.

--- The world's pattern of surveying and mapping instruments to "competent" for your
     By the end of 2007, Japan TOPCON (topcon) with SOKKIA (sokkia) a merger, and thus make the world's largest surveying and mapping instruments on the remaining three groups all: Leica (leica), Tianbao (trim-ble), Topcon, The Leica was the actual Hexagon Holdings. Was well-known manufacturers such as Kern (kern), Zeiss (zeiss), the Czech Republic was founded under one Tianbao now no longer have an independent brand, and then disappeared, and Nikon (nikon) Tianbao shares have been, but still emergence of an independent brand, Pentax (pentax) are also supported.
     As can be seen the emergence of electronic mapping equipment, production capacity greatly strengthened, the global market can supply from several major manufacturers to form an oligopoly in the market, other manufacturers will find it difficult to survive the past, many countries have their own mapping equipment manufacturers, are now almost extinction, and only China is not only did not fall, but also to become a world power mapping equipment.

Technological development in recent years --- with "a few" main
     In technical terms, to enter at the end of the eighties of the last century, electronic mapping equipment to flourish, and gradually shift from optical to electronic, electronic theodolite, Total Station popularity slowly out of optical instruments.
     Nearly two decades of development, are focusing on digital Total Station, the first a simple angle-measuring function of location, and then increase the computing function, the application of built-Then, and later with the memory function, more expansion of the whole station instrument engineering applications. In recent years, the disk operating system, the rise of Total Station window will be applied to the digital extreme.
     Period of development, are to follow the pace of development of the computer, and keep the balance of the ongoing improvements in the nature of other little changes. Internal structure but there is still a great improvement, more simplistic, thus greatly improving the efficiency of production and a major production, which has led to too many manufacturers can not survive in space, merger integration is natural.

--- Future development trends in order to "light" for the media
     The 21st century, the rise of the world's mapping of the laser wave machines, 1998, Leica introduced the first TPS series of free laser total station prism, the prism can not reach 100 meters, it opened the field of vision. Then, Topcon has introduced a similar product, behind the other manufacturers have to keep up with, making the laser total station to become the mainstream.
     Among the most advanced three-dimensional laser scanners, Leica, Tianbao as well as non-traditional surveying and mapping equipment manufacturers have developed the product, but the prices are very expensive, or very low rate.
     Not only in the application of laser total station, in the electronic theodolite, clear the device, such as vote-ray instrument is widely used, especially for line device, has been very popular in developed countries to achieve the application-level tool, which is far more than the whole Miriam large amount of points.
     Since the laser has the visibility, low price, the advantages of easy production, it has become a leading, total station transition from infrared laser, widely applied to areas of Survey and Mapping.

The status quo of China --- mapping equipment to "low" for the gifted
     After decades of Chinese manufacturers to develop, from the optical instrument to the electronic devices, from the infrared to the laser, has completed a full range of products are now mapping apparatus has become the world's production base, the full realization of the domestic production.
     At present, China has an exclusive world of the Level, accounting for more than 90% of a market, electronic theodolite so that the foreign manufacturers have ceased production in China dominate the world, and the Total Station, China's share of world output has more than 30% of output, investment and line device, scanning device for flatness should have half the products other accessories that with China as a dominant.
     China's low-end surveying and mapping equipment in the market is able to account for an advantageous position, mainly to achieve a low-cost independent innovation, the formation of the absolute price advantage in the market to create a strong competitive edge, so be achieved in China, and gradually sweeping the world.

Response to the South --- the "big" change for the better
     As the main force of China, China's leading enterprises of Surveying and Mapping Instruments, Surveying Instruments South After two decades of development, has formed a strong production capacity, to become the world's fourth-mapping equipment manufacturing groups, ahead of Leica, Tianbao , after TOPCON.
     Southern China has been engaged in surveying and mapping of the R & D, from the electronic device to proceed, starting from the domestic market, made from the R & D advantage, to win the reputation from the service, now has five production plants, more than 100 domestic branch offices, overseas three sub - the company's structure, the production area of more than 60,000 square meters, forming an annual output of 20,000 total stations, electronic theodolite 20000, 40000 Taiwan, Level, 20,000 voted in line laser device, the prism 100,000, 5, 1000 Taiwan RTK This scale of production, with the exception of high-precision total stations and three-dimensional laser scanner, the other conventional equipment can produce, to become the world's largest manufacturers.
     Mapping the South has the advantage of being low cost, the price has always been only half of imports, but also large in scale, variety Qi, covering the entire product chain, coupled with more people, forming a large momentum, the dominant in the domestic, foreign continuous infiltration of the gradual formation of an international brand.

Summary
     China in the manufacturing sector, in the software R & D have a great advantage, China is the world's largest market, and therefore provides us with a good opportunity, especially in this rapid development of China's more than a decade, creating a huge demand, manufacturers in China development well. Therefore, we have to adhere to independent innovation, and follow the road of Chinese-made, is promising.
     Moreover, the mapping apparatus according to the world trend of development, surveying and mapping equipment manufacturers must be at the same time, GPS, otherwise it is very difficult to form a long-term competitiveness, we can see Tianbao, Leica, Topcon GPS are, and SOKKIA Nepal Kang, Pentax is weaker, there is no self-developed products, not the formation of overall competitiveness, it is difficult to have a follow-up development. Mapping the South to come to the fore in recent years, it is very important is the ability to research and development, production GPS, in the current era of RTK-oriented, and firmly hold the initiative. With the software is also useful, so the South can be integrated with the world on the strength of any rival manufacturers, which will it be possible to gain a foothold in the world market.