Martin Hotine
British Army officer and surveyor
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Brigadier Martin Hotine CMG CBE (17 June 1898 – 12 November 1968)[3] was the head of the Trigonometrical and Levelling Division of the Ordnance Survey responsible for the 26-year-long retriangulation of Great Britain[4] (1936–1962) and was the first Director General of the Directorate of Overseas Surveys (1946–1955).[5]
51.366442°N 0.465578°W
Martin Hotine | |
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| Born | 17 June 1898[1] Wandsworth, London[2] |
| Died | 12 November 1968 (aged 70)[1] Surrey, England |
| Resting place | Municipal Cemetery, Weybridge, Surrey, England 51.366442°N 0.465578°W |
| Education | Southend Technical School[2] Royal Military Academy, Woolwich Magdalene College, Cambridge[2] |
| Known for | Founder and first Director General of the Directorate of Overseas Surveys |
| Spouse | Kate Amelia Hotine (1895–1987) |
He was commissioned as a Royal Engineers officer in 1917[6] and served on the North-West Frontier during the First World War and later in the Persian and Mesopotamian campaigns. He has been described as "decisive, ingenious and tough".[4]
Cartography
Hotine was responsible for the design of the triangulation pillars constructed during the Geodetic resurvey of Britain.[4] 6,173 of these were built.[4] They provided a solid base for the theodolites used by the survey teams during the survey, thereby improving the accuracy of the readings obtained.[4] They are sometimes referred to as "Hotine Pillars".
In the 1940s, Hotine developed a map projection for the Malay Peninsula and Borneo that is known as the Hotine oblique Mercator projection.[7]
Personal life
Hotine was married to Kate Amelia Hotine (née Pearson)(1895–1987) whose nickname to family and friends was 'Ajax'.[3]
Honours
Martin Hotine was awarded the CBE in 1945, and the CMG in 1949.
- In 1947 he became an officer of the United States Legion of Merit.
- 1947 Royal Geographical Society Founder's Medal "For research work in Air Survey ... and for his cartographic work."[8]
- 1955 Photogrammetric Society's first President's Medal[5]
- 1964 The Institution of Royal Engineers' Gold Medal[5]
- In 1968 he was awarded the United States Department of Commerce Gold Medal.
Publications
- Hotine, Martin (1931), Surveying from air photographs, Professional Papers of the Air Survey Committee – No. 3, London: His Majesty's Stationery Office, p. 71
- Hotine, Martin (1931), The Fourcade Stereogoniometer, Professional Papers of the Air Survey Committee – No. 7, London: His Majesty's Stationery Office, OCLC 184739773
- Hotine, Martin, Mathematical geodesy