What Is A Benchmark?

[Agent N.]

I can't seem to find any info about benchmarks on this site, could someone tell me what they are?

 

thanks

[ArtMan]

A good place to start is the benchmark homepage.

[Agent N.]

Many thanks

[evenfall]

If you are interested in an overview from the agency that owns the Bench Marks we hunt, this is a good place to begin. It details what is beyond the scenes of Geocahing for Bench Marks.

[+Colorado Papa]

Can someone please explain first, second and third order marks? I have been trying to locate a third order adjusted mark, JK1231, for over a year whose coordinates do not fit the description. The location that fits the decription has been flooded several times and I suspect the mark is well buried.

 

Previous seeker did post a fantastic view of the area that would be a great entry in the other string.

[ArtMan]

Can someone please explain first, second and third order marks?  I have been trying to locate a third order adjusted mark, JK1231,  for over a year whose coordinates do not fit the description.  The location that fits the decription has been flooded several times and I suspect the mark is well buried.

Coordinates should be good; they're not scaled. Burial would certainly seem to be a possibility; the mark was 'flush' in 1947, but much could have happened since then.

 

Any chance of checking a period topo map that might give you a clue?

 

And in general, current topo maps on available online; is there any online resource for vintage topo maps?

 

~ArtMan

Edited September 13, 2004 by ArtMan

[evenfall]

Papa,

 

The definition for the "order" of a Bench Mark...

 

Here

 

The lowdown about what all the different things on Datasheets mean:

 

Here

 

Enjoy!

 

Rob

[+Colorado Papa]

Let me restate my question.

What kind of horizontal accuracy does this mean?

JK1231  HORZ ORDER  -  THIRD

The reference you gave me, Rob, applied ORDER FIRST, SECOND and THIRD to vertical.

Horizontal refered to A and B

            Horizontal A-order stations have a relative accuracy of

            5 mm +/- 1:10,000,000 relative to other A-order stations.

 

            Horizontal B-order stations have a relative accuracy of

            8 mm +/- 1: 1,000,000 relative to other A- and B-order stations.

Could it be this mark has a typo error and the vertical was to be a third order so the horizontal, therefore, would be scaled?

After doing much searching, New Zealand uses a horizontal ORDER THREE for a 0.25M accuracy.

 

Edit to add: I find it hard to believe this station could have any horizontal accuracy since it was placed in 1947 and never seen since.

 

Ted

Edited September 14, 2004 by Colorado Papa

[Wild T2]

Here is a good explanination of horizontal accuracy.

 

http://gpsinformation.net/main/ngs-accuracy.html

[+GEO*Trailblazer 1]

HERE IS A GOOD LINK:

BENCHMARK

Benchmarking

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Benchmarking is a process used in management and particularly strategic management, in which businesses use industry leaders as a model in developing their business practices. This involves determining where you need to improve, finding an organization that is exceptional in this area, then studying the company and applying it's best practices in your firm. Benchmarking systematicly studies the absolute best firms, then uses their best practices as the standard of comparison, a standard to meet or even surpass.

 

Benchmarking recognizes that no company is exceptional at everything. That is why it is an ongoing process involving firms from any industry and any country. It is not a one-shot event. There is no room for complacency. Benchmarking requires that you constantly search for better solutions. The rationnale is, If you continuosly search for best practices in the best firms around the world, you should become an exceptional company.

 

Every function and task of your business can be benchmarked, from production, to marketing, to purchasing, to information technology management, to customer service.

 

Some authors call benchmarking "best practices benchmarking" or "process benchmarking". This is to distinguish it from what they call "competitive benchmarking". Competitive benchmarking is used in competitor analysis. When researching your direct competitors you also research the best company in the industry (even if it serves a different location or market segment and is therefore not a direct competitor). This benchmark company is then used as a standard of comparison when assessing your direct competition and yourself.

 

A process similar to benchmarking is also used in technical product testing and in land surveying. See the article benchmark for these applications.

 

Contents [showhide]

1 Procedure

 

2 Cost of benchmarking

 

3 See also

 

4 Lists of related articles

 

5 References

 

[edit]

Procedure

1) Identify your problem areas - Because benchmarking can be applied to any business process or function, a range of research techniques may be required. They include: informal conversations with customers, employees, or suppliers; exploratory research techniques such as focus groups; or indepth marketing research, quantitative research, surveys, questionnaires, reengineering analysis, process mapping, quality control variance reports, or financial ratio analysis.

 

2) Identify organizations that are leaders in these areas - Look for the very best in any industry and in any country. Consult customers, suppliers, financial analysts, trade associations, and magazines to determine which companies are worthy of study.

 

3) Study their best practices - An initial study can be done at a good university library or online. This will give you an overview, however more detailed information will require an in-person visit. Phone the CEO and ask if a group of your managers and employees can visit their operations for an hour. Be forthright as to the purpose of the visit. Most CEOs will be flattered and agree to the request. Make it clear that any information obtained from the visit will be shared with them. Determine what subject areas will be off-limits. Ask if camera or video recorders are acceptable. Prepare two lists well in advance: a list of your objectives, and a list of questions. Choose 2 to 5 visitors, people that are closest to the issue, that will be responsible for implementing any recommendations, and cover a broad range of functional responsibilities. Occasionally an outside consultant is included in the visit team so as to provide an alternative perspective. Meet with your employees to explain the purpose of the visit and assign one or two questions to each employee. Explain what subject areas are off limits. Ask them to think about how the visit could benefit their area, and ask them to device more questions. Stay away from questions that could cause legal problems (eg., price fixing or new product development). Send a confirmation letter one week before the visit stating the date, time, and location of the visit, the number of visiters and their positions, your objectives, and a list of possible questions. Visits are typically 1 to 3 hours long. When at the site, provide a token gift to show that you appreciate the opportunity, keep focused on your objectives, give praise where it is due, and do not criticize. Look for anything remarkable or unexpected. As soon as you get back to your office (or hotel), have an immediate debriefing. Discuss what you have learnt and how you can apply it. Make sure that every visitor has an action plan detailing how they will be implementing the new information in their job. Some formal analysis (such as process mapping) of the benchmarked process may be necessary. After several weeks, phone back the CEO to express your appreciation and give concrete examples of how the knowledge gained from the visit will be used in your company. Send them a copy of any written reports about the visit before they are distributed. This allows them to correct inaccuracies and modify sensitive or propriortory information.

 

4) Implement the best practices - Delegate responsibility for actions to individuals or cross-functional teams. Set measurable goals that are to be accomplished within a specified time frame. Monitor the results. Get key personnel to give you a brief (one page) summary of how the immplementation is proceeding. Spread the information through out the entire organization.

 

5) Repeat - Benchmarking is an ongoing process. Best practices can always be made better.

 

[edit]

Cost of benchmarking

Benchmarking is a moderately expensive process, but most companies find that it more than pays for itself. The three main types of costs are:

 

Visit costs - This includes hotel rooms, travel costs, meals, a token gift, and lost labour time.

Time costs - Members of the benchmarking team will be investing time in researching problems, finding exceptional companies to study, visits, and implementation. This will take them away from their regular tasks for part of each day so additional staff might be required.

Benchmarking database costs - Organizations that institutionalize benchmarking into their daily procedures find it is useful to create and maintain a database of best practices and the companies associated with each best practice.

 

ADD:

GEOCODE

Edited September 16, 2004 by GEO*Trailblazer 1