Carlson SurvPC Windows Surveying and Data Collection Software

Carlson SurvPC 7 Surveying Software for Windows Field Controllers

Carlson SurvPC 7 is professional Windows field software for surveyors, construction professionals, engineers and GIS crews who need to collect, calculate and stake survey data directly on a tablet or field computer. It provides one working environment for GNSS receivers, conventional total stations and robotic total stations, helping crews use the same familiar software across different types and brands of surveying equipment.

SurvPC is intended for real fieldwork rather than only office processing. A surveyor can connect to the instrument, create or open a job, configure the coordinate system, collect points, set out design positions, calculate geometry and review the project on the map while still on site. This makes it suitable for topographic surveys, construction layout, control work, road projects, as-built surveys, GIS collection and many other coordinate-based tasks.

Use SurvPC with GNSS and Total Stations

One of the main reasons survey companies use SurvPC is its broad equipment support. The software includes drivers for surveying instruments from Carlson and many other established manufacturers, allowing companies to use one field software platform across different GNSS receivers and total stations.

For an RTK GNSS workflow, SurvPC can control the rover, configure RTK communication, display satellite and solution information and store measured coordinates. With a total station, the same software provides instrument setup, backsight and orientation routines, prism settings, point collection and stakeout. Robotic configurations add remote instrument control for one-person fieldwork when supported by the connected instrument and selected licence.

Collect Survey Points Directly in the Field

Point collection is at the centre of the SurvPC workflow. Crews can store individual observations, average GNSS measurements, work with total station offsets and automatically collect positions by interval where appropriate. Point descriptions and feature codes can be recorded at the time of measurement so the information needed in the office is captured while the feature is still in front of the surveyor.

For a topographic survey, this means points for kerbs, buildings, fences, utilities, road markings or ground levels can be measured and coded as the crew moves through the site. Using a consistent feature-code system can reduce the amount of manual drafting required later because symbols and linework can already be associated with the collected field data.

Professional Stakeout for Construction

SurvPC includes dedicated routines for staking points, lines, arcs and offsets. Construction workers and surveyors can load design information, select the required position and follow graphical and numerical guidance toward the stakeout point. Cut and fill information can be shown where elevation data is available, making the software useful for foundations, utilities, roads, structures and general site layout.

Because the drawing and survey data are visible on the map screen, operators can also understand the point in relation to the rest of the project instead of working only from a coordinate list. This is especially useful on busy construction sites where design revisions, offsets and multiple working areas have to be managed throughout the day.

COGO Calculations Without Returning to the Office

SurvPC provides coordinate geometry tools directly in the field. These include inverse calculations, areas, intersections, transformations, station calculations, manual traverses, point averaging and other common survey routines.

In practice, this means a surveyor can calculate a missing coordinate, create an offset point, determine an intersection or transform project data without stopping fieldwork to open separate office software. These functions are useful both for traditional boundary and topographic surveying and for construction crews dealing with design information that changes while work is underway.

Work with CAD Drawings in the Field

SurvPC is designed to make CAD information useful at the measuring pole. The map environment can work with formats including DWG, DXF and DGN, while survey and design information can also be exchanged using formats such as LandXML.

This allows a contractor or surveyor to bring an engineer’s site drawing into the field and use the geometry as a reference for measurements and stakeout. Instead of reducing an entire design to a simple point list, useful lines, layers and other project geometry can remain visible while the work is carried out.

Field to Finish Surveying

Feature coding and Field-to-Finish workflows can reduce the separation between data collection and final drawing preparation. Codes entered while measuring can control descriptions, layers, linework and symbols, allowing structured survey information to be created as points are collected.

This is particularly useful for survey companies with repeatable coding standards. A crew can measure a series of points along a kerb, fence or building and apply the appropriate field code while still on site. The resulting data can then continue into Carlson office software with less repetitive interpretation and redrawing.

Surface and Volume Work in the Field

SurvPC includes tools for working with terrain and surface information. Survey points can be used to create and inspect surfaces, while existing terrain models can support elevation calculations, stakeout and cut or fill guidance.

For construction crews this can be useful when checking excavation, fill areas, stockpiles or finished grades. Surveyors can review measured data while still on site and identify missing areas before packing up the equipment, reducing the risk of needing an additional visit simply because part of the surface was not measured.

Advanced Road and Infrastructure Stakeout

The optional Advanced Roading functionality extends SurvPC for road, highway and infrastructure work. Centerlines, profiles, templates, cross sections and superelevation information can be used for road stakeout and slope staking.

Stake Road can guide the operator to positions along the design and provide information for the relevant template or cross section. Stake Slope can calculate the catch point where a designed cut or fill slope intersects the existing ground. These functions are particularly useful for highway contractors, earthworks crews and engineering surveyors working from corridor-based design data.

Hybrid Plus GNSS and Robotic Total Station Workflow

Hybrid+ is an optional SurvPC workflow that allows compatible GNSS and robotic total station equipment to be used together. Instead of treating GNSS and the robot as completely separate surveying systems, the operator can configure both and select the most suitable measurement method while working in the same project.

This is practical on sites where working conditions change throughout the day. GNSS may be the quickest option in an open area, while the robotic total station can take over near buildings, beneath structures or in locations with poor satellite visibility. SurvPC can also use GNSS information to assist robotic prism searching and can perform cross-checks between the two measurement methods.

Where supported, GNSS IMU information can also contribute to the Hybrid+ workflow. For example, pole tilt information from the GNSS receiver can be used while the robotic total station is active, helping crews maintain a practical one-pole setup across different parts of the jobsite.

GIS Data Collection with Survey Grade Equipment

SurvPC is also suitable for GIS professionals who need accurate field positioning rather than basic consumer-device coordinates. SHP data can be imported and exported, and SurvPC provides Esri workflow options for organisations that manage spatial features and attributes in ArcGIS environments.

This allows GIS crews to combine survey-grade GNSS measurement with descriptive feature information. A utility, inspection point, asset or boundary feature can be measured accurately and its associated attributes managed during the same field visit. Supported Esri workflows depend on the selected SurvPC configuration, software architecture and the ArcGIS services being used.

Optional BIM Stakeout

For building and infrastructure projects, an additional BIM module is available for 64-bit SurvPC. It allows supported IFC and Revit model data to be viewed in the field and used for stakeout. Individual model elements such as walls, columns or pipes can be selected and converted into practical layout positions.

This gives construction surveyors another way to work from modern design information without first reducing every BIM element to a separate coordinate file. BIM support is an additional module, so it should be selected only when this type of model-based field workflow is required.

SurvNet Field for Survey Network Adjustment

Current SurvPC 7 versions also include SurvNet Field functionality for working with survey observations in the field. Current releases support total station, GNSS and mixed total station/GNSS jobs, providing another tool for crews carrying out control work and checking survey networks before leaving the site.

This can be valuable on control surveys because problems can be identified while the crew and equipment are still present. A questionable observation can be checked or repeated immediately rather than being discovered only after the data has reached the office.

Modern Windows Tablet Workflow

SurvPC 7 is designed for Windows field computers and rugged tablets. The current version requires Windows 10, with Windows 11 recommended by Carlson. Both 64-bit and legacy 32-bit installations exist, although 64-bit SurvPC is the appropriate choice for newer functionality such as BIM and ArcGIS Online workflows.

The Windows environment also gives field crews more processing and graphics capability than older handheld data collectors. Larger drawings and design files can be taken into the field, making SurvPC particularly useful on modern rugged tablets where a full project map is an important part of the workflow.

Flexible SurvPC Licence Options

SurvPC is modular, so the software can be configured around the equipment and type of work actually being used. Available configurations include options for conventional total stations, robotic instruments, GNSS, advanced roading and Hybrid+ workflows. This avoids requiring every crew to use the same software configuration when their field tasks are different.

A construction crew operating only an RTK rover may need a different licence from a surveyor using both GNSS and a robotic total station. Likewise, road contractors may benefit from Advanced Roading, while a general topographic survey team may not require it.

Typical Carlson SurvPC Applications

• RTK GNSS surveying and point collection
• Manual and robotic total station surveying
• Construction layout and stakeout
• Topographic and detail surveys
• Road and infrastructure stakeout
• Earthworks surfaces and volume checks
• Control and survey network measurements
• GIS asset and feature collection
• As-built surveys and construction verification

Choosing the Right Carlson SurvPC Configuration

The correct SurvPC licence depends on the instruments you want to connect and the routines your crew needs in the field. It is worth checking whether the setup will use GNSS only, a conventional total station, a robotic total station or a combination of GNSS and robotics before selecting the software modules. Advanced Roading, Hybrid+ and other specialised functionality should be added when those workflows are actually required.

Global GPS Systems can help match Carlson SurvPC to your existing GNSS receiver, total station, Windows data collector and field workflow. This is particularly useful when combining equipment from different manufacturers or building a complete GNSS and robotic surveying setup, because the correct software modules and communication options can be selected before the system is put into the field.