Railroad surveying and monitoring system

A method for surveying a track having a first rail and a second rail, comprising the steps of:

• (a) placing upon the track a mobile platform of a high accuracy track surveying system, wherein said high accuracy track surveying system comprises:
• said mobile platform adapted to travel along the track in a direction of travel;
• a first rover mounted on said mobile platform, wherein said first rover comprises a first high accuracy differential global positioning system receiver having a first antenna phase center positioned near a highest point of the platform and at a first predefined distance of more than twenty inches over the first rail when said mobile platform travels along the track, and wherein said first high accuracy differential global positioning system receiver is adapted for receiving first raw data from a global positioning system satellite and a global positioning system base station when said mobile platform travels along the track;
• a second rover mounted on said mobile platform at a spaced horizontal distance from said first rover, wherein said second rover comprises a second high accuracy differential global positioning system receiver having a second antenna phase center positioned at a second predefined distance of no more than twenty inches above and over the first rail when said mobile platform travels along the track, wherein said second high accuracy differential global positioning system receiver is adapted for receiving second raw data from the global positioning system satellite and the global positioning system base station when said mobile platform travels along the track, wherein said first antenna phase center and said second antenna phase center are aligned over the first rail and oriented parallel to the direction of travel when said mobile platform travels along the track;
• a computer adapted for communication with said first rover and said second rover, wherein said first rover transmits said first raw data to said computer when said mobile platform travels along the track, wherein said second rover transmits said second raw data to said computer when said mobile platform travels along the track, wherein said computer comprises a means for generating first coordinate position data representing a first computed positioning of a side edge of the first rail using said first raw data and said first predefined distance, a means for generating second coordinate position data representing a second computed positioning of the side edge of the first rail using said second raw data and said second predefined distance, and a means for merging said first coordinate position data and said second coordinate position data thereby generating corrected coordinate position data;
• and
• a means for presenting data when said mobile platform travels along the track, wherein said data is selected from the group consisting of said first raw data, said second raw data, said first coordinate position data, said second coordinate position data, said corrected coordinate position data, a representation of said first coordinate position data, a representation of said second coordinate position data, a representation of said corrected coordinate position data, and combinations thereof;
• (b) moving said mobile platform along the track;
• (c) receiving said first raw data and said second raw data as said mobile platform moves along the track;
• (d) transmitting said first raw data and said second raw data to said computer as said mobile platform moves along the track;
• (e) generating said first coordinate position data and said second coordinate position data as said mobile platform moves along the track;
• (f) merging said first coordinate position data and said second coordinate position data, thereby generating said corrected coordinate position data, as said mobile platform moves along the track;
• and
• (g) presenting said data as said mobile platform travels along the track.