The Museum of Instruments

The IGMI Museum of Instruments hosts a valuable collection of the instruments used to carry out works of astronomy, geodesy, topography, photogrammetry and calculation.

The instruments are more than 400, the ancient ones were part of the collection existing before 1861 and belonged to the dissolved topographic offices of the pre-existing Italian States. When IGMI was established, the collection was expanded to include instruments designed and built by internal staff. Even today, all the instruments used for carrying out IGMI activities are part of the museum when obsolete.

The collection includes:

• instruments and samples for measuring length, comparative instruments, apparatus for measuring geodetic bases;
• instruments for measuring angles: theodolites, tachymeters and other auxiliary instruments;
• equipment for measuring the relative gravity, for magnetic surveys and several meteorological instruments;
• instruments for calculating geographic coordinates and for the determination of time;
• instruments for leveling;
• instruments for terrestrial and aerial photogrammetry: cameras and restitution apparatus;
• telescopes;
• instruments for drawing and calculating: planimeters, camera lucida (optical device), compasses and slide rules.