Preparations for the anniversary activities "100 Years of Innovation Heerbrugg" already started at the beginning of 2018 with the creation of a collection of historical artefacts related to the history of our company. The "HISTORIC WILD" group is entrusted with this and reports in this article on its diverse work, which ultimately led to the new anniversary exhibition. Other important people who contributed to the creation of the exhibition also have their say. Finally, you will get a first insight into this new exhibition.

Part 1 - The WILD BC-4 Camera and its contribution to the first Worldwide Satellite Triangulation Network
Eugen Voit (20 min)

The T4 astronomical theodolite launched in 1944 marks the pinnacle of mechanical-optical precision. Based on this T4 and the lenses of the areal cameras the BC-4 ballistic camera was launched 1952. In 1966 The US “Coast and Geodetic Survey” developed its satellite triangulation program. BC-4 cameras were used to track the trajectories of the PAGEOS satellites for the definition of a first geodetic world network.

Part 2 - How WILD got GPS – an Overview 
Blackie Schwarz (20 min)

The Wild management recognized very early the importance of the US NAVSTAR GPS Program for surveying. This resulted in the establishment of a joint venture with the American know-how carrier Magnavox in 1985. This lecture offers an overview of the detailed presentation that follows life at the Optik-Hus later this year.

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The current digitization wave offers the possibility of reconstructing, animating and preserving technical instruments and cultural assets in 3D. This offers completely new aspects of historical research and didactics, which are cloud-based and collaborative, and can be made accessible worldwide via the internet.

The bestseller Wild T2, which has been sold more than 100,000 times in seven decades, and which, thanks to its cylindrical axis, optical coincidence micrometer, and compact design, can be used as a high-precision theodolite (0.0002gon), is the first of its kind in the world. 

(0.0002gon), a 3D digital twin is created and animated by combining computer vision, computer tomography, endoscopy, and interactive computer graphics. The model is "open," and further details can be added at any time.

175 Jahre Topographische Karte der Schweiz. Vor 175 Jahren erschienen die ersten beiden Blätter der Topographischen Karte der Schweiz. Im Kolloquium wird der nationale und internationale Entstehungskontext der sogenannten Dufourkarte beleuchtet.

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How did England find the German secret weapon? How did they get detailed information in enemy territory? How were the D-Day landings prepared? What was the contribution of WILD devices?
 
The speaker aims to answer these and other questions about British air reconnaissance's impressive success story with WILD evaluation equipment. In doing so, he will pay tribute to the invaluable content of aerial photographs as the basis for systematic 4D information acquisition for a wide range of specialist areas, a subject that is still very topical today.

Everything is landscape! And what does that have to do with me? Lecture by Prof. Dr. Anne Brandl, Professor for Spatial Development, University of Liechtenstein

Three-quarters of all Swiss people live in an urban landscape like the Alpine Rhine Valley. Settlement areas, transport infrastructures, open spaces close to settlements and open landscape structures penetrate, overlap and mix. It is not always quite clear where one place ends and the next begins. We can be in St. Gallen or Bregenz quickly for shopping, in the woods with the dog in ten minutes or with the children at the lake. We see cows on our bike tour and reach various theatres, cinemas and museums within half an hour. We perceive this as well as the city and countryside, dense and wide, loud and quiet, church tower and high-rise as an attractive location and quality of life. We live in a region that offers us everything. But do we appreciate the qualities of our urban landscapes enough? Landscape is an area as it is perceived by man. Its character is the result of the effect and interaction of natural and human factors. Landscape is a collective good. As we live, so does our landscape. The inward building density resulting from the revised spatial planning law will change the appearance and qualities of our urban landscapes. It is therefore high time to discuss together what is important to us about our urban landscapes. Information and registration: www.vhs-rheintal.ch

Warum entwickeln sich ein bis ins 20. Jahrhundert immer wieder von Überschwemmungen geplagtes Gebiet und ein aus nur wenigen Häusern bestehender Weiler innert Jahrzehnten zum Standort mehrerer präzisionstechnischer Unternehmen auf globalem Spitzenniveau? 

Diese und weitere Fragen zur schweizweit einzigartigen Wirtschaftsgeschichte der Region Heerbrugg werden in diesem Vortrag beantwortet. Der Referent würdigt dabei, eingebettet in den historischen Kontext, die herausragende Bedeutung von Persönlichkeiten wie Karl Völker, Jacob II Schmidheiny, Ernst Schmidheiny, Heinrich Wild und Robert Helbling  auf dem Weg des Mittelrheintals zur innovativen Hochtechnologie-Region.