Overview

Instrumentman (or I-man for short) is a collection of automated measurement and processing CLI programs for surveying instruments. It originally started out as the apps sub-package of GeoComPy, but ended up being split off into it’s own project. The different programs are organized into an easy-to-navigate CLI command system.

Since GeoComPy is mainly built around the Leica GeoCOM ASCII protocol (with some additions like GSI Online DNA support), most programs are targeting instruments that support this command set (primarily robotic total stations).

In addition to the measurement programs themselves, I-man includes various utility commands, and processing commands as well, that cover the most typical post-processing tasks.

Features

  • Pure Python implementation

  • Unified CLI command structure

  • Measurement programs

  • Utility commands

  • Processing commands

Requirements

Installation

After installation, the commands can be accesed through the iman entry command.

iman -h

If the above direct entry does not work, the package can also be launched as a Python module.

python -m instrumentman -h

Tip

As with any Python package, it might be advisable to install I-man in an isolated enviroment, like a virtual enviroment for more complex projects.

From PyPI

I-man is hosted on PyPI, therefore it can be installed with pip. Package dependencies are automatically handled.

Installing from PyPI
pip install instrumentman

From source

Download the release archive from PyPI, or from GitHub releases. Unpack the archive to a suitable place, and enter the instrumentman-x.y.z directory. Build and install the package with the following command:

Building and installing locally
python -m pip install .

Connections

The most straight forward and reliable connection to surveying instruments is through a direct serial cable. The communication speed (baud) set on the instrument must be in sync with the value provided to the measurement commands.

If cable connection is not possible, communication is still possible through serial profile classic Bluetooth (if the instrument has the capability). This is usually more involved to set up. The Blutooth interface has to be activated on the instrument and enabled for command exchange. The instrument also has to be paired to the controlling computer.

Note

An in-depth description of the Bluetooth connection setup process can be found in the GeoComPy documentation.