During the last decade the IGMS Measurement Lab was established at the TU Graz. The laboratory is climatically controlled with a temperature of 20.0°C ± 0.5°C and a humidity of 50% ± 10%. Its size is 33 m in length, 6.5 m in width and 3.5 m in height with foundations separated from the whole structure of the building. A field of 10 steel pillars is used in experiments and student labs for the setting up of equipment and for geodetic measurements. In this lab we perform calibration measurements according to ISO standards of TC172/SC06 (Geodetic and surveying instruments). For quality assurance we are part of the Society for Calibration of Geodetic Devices (SCGD).

Currently, there are no commonly used international standards for fiber optic sensing and thus it is difficult to evaluate system performance and state the uncertainty of measurement results. Therefore, we developed a unique fiber optic calibration facility  which is used for the investigation of fiber optic sensors and systems.

One of the calibration facilities in the GML is the vertical comparator which is used for the system calibration of digital levelling systems, i.e., calibration of the coded staff together with the digital level. On the comparator a levelling staff is mounted in the position of use, i.e., vertically. To be able to calibrate 3 m long invar staffs, it was necessary to extend the laboratory using two shafts to house the 6.5 m high frame and the carriage on it. The carriage with the mounted staff is moved under the control of a laser interferometer (HP10889B) to all positions where the readings with the digital level are carried out. The level can be positioned on a concrete bench, and the sighting distances can be chosen from 1.5 m to 30.0 m. In the GML the staff illumination is achieved by special light bulbs, radiating light in the range of the maximum spectral response for any of the four types of digital levels.

Another calibration facility in the IGMS Measurement Lab is the horizontal comparator which is used for the calibration of EDM instruments (cyclic errors). The motor-driven carriage carrying the reflector of the EDM is moved on a 30 m long concrete bench. Again the position of the carriage along the bench is controlled using the laser interferometer. Both, the vertical and the horizontal comparator, are connected to a PC which controls the motion of the respective carriage, records the level or EDM readings, and performs all data processing. Therefore the calibrations are accomplished automatically. Besides EDM calibration we also perform investigations of geodetic prisms and how their construction and orientation can adversely affect distance and angle measurements.

The IGMS Measurement Lab has several testing facilities to assess the accuracy of the pose determination of VR devices. The setup includes scale determination on the horizontal comparator bench, position accracy investigations and rotation tests.

The IGMS Measurement Lab is equipped with a 3D camera calibration field. More than 200 visual targets are arranged in different depths. The 3D coordinates of each target are known with high accuracy. The position stability of the individual targets is verified in regular intervals. The camera calibration field is used for IGMS research projects and by external industrial partners.