Site Measurement with Combination of Pocket PC and Global Positioning System for Preliminary Architectural Design Process

This paper presents an alternative method of site measurement for an early design phase. In an early design phase, we consider geomantic information, a kind of technical information crucial for design decision, which can be gathered by a survey. The frame work of this project is originated from a problem of Thai architectsi practice, where we propose GPS system for survey solution. In present day, GPS technology presents various tools to use in survey. However, a high precision GPS device is extremely costly. In this paper we propose low cost devices that give information precise enough to use in an early design phase. To increase accuracy of information, differential equation is used to reduce error of signal altered by atmosphere. Also, information from GPS contains world coordinate information: latitude, longitude, altitude and time, which allows creating 2D map and 3D land form. Architect can instantly use results of site information for many purposes, such as on-site meeting, early design planning and layout design.