Today, gyrotheodolites or gyrostances are most often used to solve a wide range of topogeodetic problems related to orientation along the true meridian. They have managed to establish themselves as versatile and practical devices that are considered indispensable for performing a number of geodetic and surveying tasks due to the ability to determine the direction of the true meridian regardless of the presence or absence of a GLONASS or GPS signal, or space weather. However, they also have a significant drawback – the inability to operate at latitudes above 75–80°. This problem is relevant for the two most common types of devices today – those based on the action of laser and rotary gyroscopes. The characteristics of imported and domestic gyro stations were found in the public domain. Their comparison, as well as an analysis of the requirements given in the current regulatory documents, revealed the possibility of designing a gyrotheodolite based on a new principle of operation. The article proposes the principle of operation of gyro stations, which provides measurement of directions relative to the true meridian with errors within units of seconds, which is especially important for surveying and work in Arctic conditions. The physical foundations of operation, the requirements for this class of devices, the main errors affecting the operation of the device, and the methods of application are considered. The results obtained can help in conducting surveys in extremely northern latitudes, previously inaccessible for the use of such equipment, providing not only high accuracy, but also acceptable operational characteristics.
Aleksey Kaverin (Fri,) studied this question.