Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
ACCRETIONDerivedfromtheLatinaccrescerewhichmeanstogroworincrease,itisthegradualandimperceptibleaddition
ofsoilorothermaterialbythenaturalprocessesofwaterbornesedimentationorbytheactionofcurrentsagainstshoresand
banks.Accretionisthewashingupofsand,siltorsoilsoastoformfirmground,calledalluvion.Incommonpracticetheterms
alluvionandaccretionhavebeenusedalmostinterchangeably.Usually,however,alluvionmeansthedeposititselfwhile
accretionusuallydenotestheact.
ACCURACYDegreeofconformitywithastandard,oracceptedvalue.Accuracyrelatestothequalityofaresult,andis
distinguishedfromprecisionwhichrelatestothequalityoftheoperationbywhichtheresultisobtained.
ADVERSEPOSSESSIONThepossessionofland,undersuchcircumstancesasindicatethatsuchpossessionhasbeen
commencedandcontinuedunderanassertionofrightsonthepartofthepossessoragainsttheoriginalowners.Tobe
adverse,possessionmustbeactual,continued,visible,notorious,distinctandhostile.Titleobtainedbyadversepossession
isafeesimpletitle.PossessionoflanddoesnotoperateadverselyagainsttheUnitedStatesora
State.TitletoGovernmentlandcannotbeacquiredbyadversepossessionhowever,undertheActofDec.22,1928,Public
No.645,70thCong.,apatentmaybeobtainedtopubliclandsheldfor20yearsundercoloroftitle.
AGONICLINEDerivedfromtheGreekwordmeaningwithoutangle.ThislinejoinspointsontheEarthssurfacewherethe
magneticdeclinationiszero.
ALIQUOTPARTSLegalsubdivisions,exceptfractionallots,orfurthersubdivisionofanysmallerlegalsubdivision,except
fractionallotsbydivisionintohalvesorfourthsadinfinitum
ALLUVIUMThesoilthatisdepositedalongariverortheseabygradualandimperceptibleactionofthewater
ALLUVIONThesoilthatisdepositedalongariverortheseabygradualandimperceptibleactionofthewater
ALTIMETERAninstrumentthatindicatesdirectlytheheightaboveareferencesurface.
ALTITUDETheverticalanglebetweentheplaneofthehorizonandthelinetotheobjectwhichisobservedordefined.In
astronomyandsurveying,thealtitudeispositiveiftheobjectisabovethehorizon,andnegativeifbelowit.Insurveying,a
positivealtitudeisalsotermedanangleofelevationanegativealtitude,anangleofdepression.Inphotogrammetricsurveying
andairportzoning,altitudeappliestotheelevationaboveadatumofpointsinspace(asopposedtopointsontheground
surface)aboveadatum,usuallymeansealevel.
ALTITUDEMETHODOutdatedandlessaccuratemethodtoapproximateoneminuteofanarc.Thispositionofthesuns
center.
AMBIGUITYPATENTAnambiguitywhichappearsonthefaceoftheinstrument,andarisesfromthedefective,obscure,or
insensiblelanguageused.
AMERICANCONGRESSONSURVEYINGANDMAPPINGACSMTheformerAmericanCongressonSurveyingandMapping
(ACSM)wasaninternationalprofessionalassociationrepresentingtheinterestsofthoseengagedinmeasuringand
communicatingspatialdatarelatingtotheEarth'ssurface.In2012,ACSMlegallymergedintotheNSPS.
AMERICANLANDTITLEASSOCIATIONTheAmericanLandTitleAssociation,foundedin1907,isthenationaltrade
associationandvoiceoftheabstract*andtitleinsuranceindustry.ALTAmemberssearch,reviewandinsurelandtitlesto
protecthomebuyersandmortgagelenderswhoinvestinrealestate.
APPARENTTIMENonuniformtimebasedontheapparentpositionofthesun.
ARITHMETICMEAN:Simplythemeanoraverage,sumofthecollectionofnumbersdividedbythenumberofnumbersinthe
collection.
ASTRONOMICTRIANGLE:thesphericaltriangleformedbythegreatcirclesconnectingacelestialobject,thezenith,andthe
celestialpole.
ATOMICSECONDtimeittakesforthecesiumfrequencytooscillate9,192,631,770times
ATOMICTIMEtimebasedofftheelectronictransitionfrequencyinthemicrowave,optical,orultravioletregionofthe
electromagneticspectrumofatomsasafrequencystandardforitstimekeepingelement.
AUTUMNALEQUINOXthepointofintersectionoftheellipticandthecelestialequator,occupiedbythesunasitchangesfrom
northtosouthdeclinationaboutSeptember23.
AVULSIONAriverssuddenchangeinflowalignmentoutfromitspreviousleftandrightbankstoanewchannel,leavingan
identifiableuplandareabetweentheabandonedchannelandthenewchannel.Thenewflowalignmentwillgenerallybea
shortcutinchannellengthbecauseofhydraulicconsiderations.TheU.S.SupremeCourtinIowav.Nebraska143US359
distinguishedavulsionfromrapiderosion,butsomeStatecourtshaveestablisheddifferent
definitions.SeeGoinsv.Merryman183Okla.155.Frequentlytheelementsofsuddenandperceptiblechangesareincludedin
thedefinitions
AZIMUTHThehorizontaldirectionreckonedclockwisefromthemeridianplane
BEDInmining,astratumintheearthscrustwhichhasbeenformedinanapproximatelyhorizontallayer.Ifofrock,itistermed
bedrock.
BUREAUOFLANDMANAGEMENT(BLM)AnagencyoftheDepartmentoftheInterior,itwascreatedJuly16,1946,pursuant
toPresidentialReorganizationPlanNo.3of1946,whichconsolidatedthefunctionsandactivitiesoftheGeneralLandOffice
andtheGrazingService.
CADASTRALCADlinesestablishedandmarkedonthegroundbysuitablemonumentswhichareusedasstartingandclosing
pointsinsurveysofthepublicdomainoftheUnitedStates.
CALIFORNIALANDSURVEYORSASSOCIATION(CLSA)ThegoaloftheCaliforniaLandSurveyorsAssociationistopromote
andenhancetheprofessionofsurveying,topromotethecommongoodandwelfareofitsmembers,topromoteandmaintain
thehighestpossiblestandardsofprofessionalethicsandpractice,andtoelevatethepublic'sunderstandingofourprofession.
CLSArepresentsalllandsurveyors,whethertheyareemployeesorproprietors,whetherinthepublicorprivatesector.
CELESTIALSPHEREanimaginarysphereofinfiniteradius,describedaboveanassumedcenter,anduponwhichimagined
positionsofcelestialbodiesareprojectedalongradiipassingthroughthebodies.Forobservationsonbodieswithinthelimitsof
thesolarsystem.
CFACTOR(PHOTOGRAMMETRIC)Anempiricalvaluewhichexpressesthecontourplottingcapabilityofagivenstereoscopic
system,generallydefinedastheratioofflightheighttothesmallestcontourintervalaccuratelyplottable.Notaconstantbut
dependentonconditionspresent,itisusedindeterminationofflyingheightorasaroughcomparisonofphotogrammetric
systems.
CIVILTIMERefertostatutorytimescalesdesignatedbycivilianauthorities,ortolocaltimeindicatedbyclocks
CLOSUREERRORDeterminedforclosedandclosedloopedtraverses.Itcanbedividedbythenumberofstationsonthe
traverseorthecorrectionateachstationcanbecalculatedaccordingtothedistancefromtheoriginofthesurvey
CLOSURERATIOAccidentalerrorswhenmeasuringinaclosedloopareproportionaltothenumberofsetupsandtheorder
taken.
COMBINATIONFACTORGEODETICToderiveacombinedadjustmentfactor(CAF),wemultiplythescalefactorbythe
elevationfactor.TxDOThascalculatedaverygeneralcombinationfactor.
COMMONLAWDEDICATIONLandthatisdedicatedtopublicuse.
COMMONREPORTTheCIAprovidedinaccurateinformationtotheWhiteHouse,Congress,theJusticeDepartment.
CONCLUSIVEEVIDENCEOutweighstheneedtorelocatealostcorneroftheoriginalsurvey.
CONFORMALCONICALPROJECTIONALambertconformalconicprojection(LCC)isaconicmapprojectionusedfor
aeronauticalcharts,portionsoftheStatePlaneCoordinateSystem,andmanynationalandregionalmappingsystems.
CONFORMALCYLINDRICALPROJECTIONAmapprojectioninwhichthesurfacefeaturesofaglobearedepictedasif
projectedontoacylindertypicallypositionedwiththeglobecenteredhorizontally
CONTOURLINEAnimaginarylineofconstantelevationonthegroundsurface.Itcanalsobethoughtofasthetraceformed
bytheintersectionofalevelsurfacewiththegroundsurface
CONVERGENCEANGLE:Theanglesubtendedbytheeyebaseoftheobserverattheobjectviewed
CONVEYANCESEQUENTIAL:writtendeedsinwhichjuniorandseniorrightsexist
betweenadjoiningparcels
CONVEYANCESIMULTANEOUS:Ameansofdefiningmultipleunitsoflandinasinglesurveydocumentinsuchawaythatall
theirboundarieshaveequallegalstatus.Acommonexampleofsimultaneousconveyanceisthemodernsubdivision.
CORNERApointonthesurfaceoftheearth,determinedbythesurveyingprocess,whichdefinesanextremityonaboundary
ofthepubliclands
CORNERCLOSINGAcornerestablishedwhereasurveylineintersectsapreviouslyfixedboundaryatapointbetween
corners.Theclosingcornerislocatedbylawattheactualpointofintersectionwithoutregardtoitsmonumentedlocation.
CORNERLOSTAcornerwhosepositioncannotbedetermined,beyondreasonabledoubt,eitherfromtracesoftheoriginal
marksorfromacceptableevidenceortestimonythatbearsontheoriginalposition,andwhoselocationcanberestoredonlyby
referencetooneormoreinterdependentcorners.
CORNEROBLITERATEDAnobliteratedcornerisoneatwhosepointtherearenoremainingtracesofthemonument,orits
accessories,butwhoselocationhasbeenperpetuated,orthepointforwhichmayberecoveredbeyondreasonabledoubt,but
theactsandtestimonyoftheinterestedlandowners,competentsurveyors,orotherqualifiedlocalauthorities,orwitnesses,or
bysomeacceptablerecordevidence.
DATAATTRIBUTE:Tabularortextualdatadescribingthegeographiccharacteristicsoffeatures.
DATASPATIAL:Datawithoutinherentlyspatialqualities,suchasattributes.
DATUMInordinarysurveyusage,adefinedreferenceforsurveymeasurements.Thepluralformisdatums
DAYLIGHTSAVINGSTIME:isthepracticeofadvancingclocksduringsummermonthsbyonehoursothatlightisextendedin
theeveninghours,andsacrificingnormalsunrisetimes.
DECLINATIONAnangleofdifference
DEEDCORRECTION:itisadeedthatservestocorrectandnegateamistakemadebetweenpartiesthathavecontractedan
originaldeedagreement.
DEEDPATENT:Theofficialdocument(sometimesreferredtoasletterspatent)thatissenttoanapplicantbytheU.S.Patent
andTrademarkOfficewhentheapplicant'spatentissues.
DEEDQUITCLAIM:(QCD)Adeedinthenatureofareleasecontainingwordsofconveyanceaswellasrelease.Itconveys
anyinterestthemakermayhaveinthepropertydescribedwithoutanyrepresentationsorliabilityofanykindastotitleconveyed
orencumbrancesthatmayexistthereon.
DEEDTRUST:Adocumentthatembodiestheagreementbetweenalenderandaborrowertotransferaninterestinthe
borrower'slandtoaneutralthirdparty,atrustee,tosecurethepaymentofadebtbytheborrower.
DENDROLOGYThescientificstudyoftreesandotherwoodyplants
DOMINANTTENANT:Thepartythatisbenefitingfromtheeasement
DOUBLECENTERINGAmethodofprolongingalinefromafixedpointwherebythebacksightistakenwiththetelescopein
thedirectposition.Thetelescopeisplacedintheindirectpositionandtheforesightismade.Thepointatwhichthevertical
crosshairintersectsthehubisthenmarked.Thetransitisthenrotated180totakeabacksightwiththetelescopeinthe
indirectposition,andasecondprojectedpointwiththetelescopeinthedirectpositionismarkedonthehub.Apointmidway
betweenthetwomarkedpointsisthetruepointontheprolongedline.
EASEMENTAPPURTENANTatypethatstayswithaproperty,evenifthepropertychangeshands
EASEMENTINGROSS:apersonalinterestinthelandofanother.Itisapersonalrightandhasnoconnectionwithotherland
EASEMENTAUGMENTING:aneasementthataugmentsoraddstothevalueofafeeparcel
EASEMENTSENCUMBERING:todenytherighttocrossorotherwiseusesomeoneelse'slandforaspecifiedpurpose.
ELAPSEDTIME:Themeasureddurationofanevent.
ELLIPSE:aregularovalshape,tracedbyapointmovinginaplanesothatthesumofitsdistancesfromtwootherpoints(the
foci)isconstant,orresultingwhenaconeiscutbyanobliqueplanethatdoesnotintersectthebase.
ELLIPSOIDThesurfacegeneratedbyrotationofanellipseaboutoneofitsaxes.
ELONGATION:thelengtheningofsomething
EMINENTDOMAINTherightofgovernmentalagenciestotakeprivatepropertyforpublicuse.
ENGINEERSLEVELAprecisionlevelinginstrumentforestablishinghorizontallineofsight,usedtodeterminedifferencesof
elevation.
EQUALFOOTINGDOCTRINE(STATES):EqualfootingisaconstitutionallawdoctrineuponwhichStatesadmittedtothe
UnitedStatesaregiventhesamelegalrightsasthepreexistingstates.
EQUATIONOFTIME:thedifferencebetweenmeansolartime(asshownbyclocks)andapparentsolartime(indicatedby
sundials),whichvarieswiththetimeofyear.
EQUIPOTENTIALHAVINGEQUALPOTENTIALLYORPOWER
EROSIONInriparianlaw,thewashingawayoflandbytheseaorariversflow.Usuallyconsideredasanimperceptibleaction,
therateoferosionmaybequiterapidintotaleffectandmaybedistinguishedfromavulsionbytheabsenceofidentifiable
uplandbetweenformerandnewchannels
ERRORSACCIDENTALRandomerrorsthatoccurwithoutregardtoanyknownphysicallaworpattern.Theiroccurrenceis
assumedtofallwithinadistributionpatterninaccordwiththetheoryofprobability.
ERRORSCOMPENSATINGAnerrorthattendstooffsetacompanionerrorandthusobscureorreducetheeffectofeach.
ERRORSCUMULATIVEanerrorwhosedegreeorsignificancegraduallyincreasesinthecourseofaseriesofmeasurements
ofconnectedcalculations
ERRORSRANDOMErrorsthatoccurwithoutknownphysicallaworpattern.Intheory,smallerrorsoccurmorefrequentlythan
largeerrorsandthereareasmanypositiveerrorsasnegativeerrors.
ERRORSSYSTEMATICAnerrorthatoccursaccordingtoaknownpatternorlaw.Systematicerrorscanbecompensatedfor
partiallybycorrectionsandappropriatemeasuringtechniques.
ESTOPPELThestoppingofapersonfromassertingaclaimbyreasonofhisownpreviousrepresentationswhichrefutehis
newclaim.Thenewclaimmayinfactbetrue,however,hemaybepreventedfromexertingthatclaimbyestoppel.
ETALAnabbreviationofetalii,andothers,oretalius,andanother.
ETALIAnabbreviationmeaningandothers
ETCONAnabbreviationmeaningandhusband.
ETSEQAnabbreviationforetsequentesoretsequentia,andthefollowing.Areferencetop.3etseq.meanspagenumber
3andthefollowingpages.Itisalsoabbreviatedetsqq.,insomeworks,whenthereferenceistomorethanonefollowing
page
ETUXAnabbreviationforetuxor,andhiswife.
EVIDENCEPLAINTIFF:Aftertheopeningstatements,theplaintiff'slawyer(orinacriminalcase,thestate'sorcityattorneyor
attorneygeneral)willcallwitnesses,eachofwhomwilltakeanoathandgivetestimony.Duringtheexamination(questioningof
witnesses),exhibits(suchaswritings,photographs,plans)maybeofferedasevidenceinthetrial.Ifthejudgerulestheexhibits
aretobereceivedintoevidence,jurorsmayexaminethemandtheywillbetakenintothejuryroomduringdeliberation.
EVIDENCEWITNESS:someonewhohas,whoclaimstohave,oristhought,bysomeonewithauthoritytocompeltestimony,to
haveknowledgerelevanttoaneventorothermatterofinterest.Inlawawitnessissomeonewho,eithervoluntarilyorunder
compulsion,providestestimonialevidence,eitheroralorwritten,ofwhatheorsheknowsorclaimstoknowaboutthematter
beforesomeofficialauthorizedtotakesuchtestimony.
EXTRINSICEVIDENCE:Evidencethatrelatestoacontract,butisnotcontainedwithinthedocumentitself(forexample,
circumstancessurroundingthenegotiationsofthecontract).Thisevidenceisnotadmissibleunlessthereisanambiguityinthe
contract.
FEESIMPLETheestatewhichamanhaswherelandsareownedbyhimandhisheirsabsolutely,withunconditionalpowerof
dispositionduringhislife,anddescendingtohisheirsandlegalrepresentativesuponhisdeathintestate.Feesimpletitleto
publiclandsinconveyedbyapatent,approvedclearlist,deedorgrantwithoutcondition
FIDUCIALMARKSThosemarks,whichdefinetheaxeswhoseintersectionfixestheprincipalpointofthephotograph
FLOWCHART:atypeofdiagramthatrepresentsanalgorithm,workfloworprocess,showingthestepsasboxesofvarious
kinds,andtheirorderbyconnectingthemwitharrows.
G.I.S.GeographicInformationSystems
G.P.S.GlobalPositioningSystem
GEODESICTheshortestlineconnectingtwogivenpointsonthesurfaceofanellipsoid.
GEODETICSURVEYING:Aprecisesurveyofconsiderableextentwhichtakesintoaccounttheshapeoftheearth.
GEOIDThefigureoftheearthconsideredasasealevelsurfaceextendedcontinuouslythroughthecontinents.Itisa
theoreticallycontinuoussurfacethatisperpendicularateverypointtothedirectionofgravity(theplumbline).Itisthesurfaceof
referenceforastronomicobservationsandforgeodeticleveling.
GEOLOGICALIGNEOUSformedthroughthecoolingandsolidificationofmagmaorlava.Igneousrockmayformwithor
withoutcrystallization,eitherbelowthesurfaceasintrusive(plutonic)rocksoronthesurfaceasextrusive(volcanic)rocks.
GEOLOGICALMETAMORPHIConceigneousorsedimentaryrocks,buthavebeenchanged(metamorphosed)asaresultof
intenseheatand/orpressurewithintheEarthscrust.Theyarecrystallineandoftenhaveasquashed(foliatedorbanded)
texture.
GEOLOGICALSEDIMENTARYformedbythedepositionofsediment,ascertainrocks.
GREENWICHHOURANGLEtheangle,measuredwestward,fromtheupperbranchofthemeridianofGreenwichtothe
meridianoverwhichthebodyislocatedatthatmoment.
GREENWICHTIMEoriginallyreferredtothemeansolartimeattheRoyalObservatoryinGreenwich,London,whichlater
becameadoptedasaglobaltimestandard.
GRIDDISTANCEThedistancebetweentwopointsobtainedbyinversecomputationfromgridcoordinatesofthepoints.It
differsfromthegeodeticlengthbytheamountofsmallcorrectionbasedonthescalefactorfortheline
HISTOGRAMThisissimplyabargraphshowingthesizesoftheobservations(ortheirresiduals)versustheirfrequencyof
occurrence.Itgivesanimmediatevisualimpressionofthedistributionpatternoftheobservations(ortheirresiduals).
HORIZONTALDISTANCEParalleledistancetoacommonplane.
HOURANGLEMETHODInthismethod,onlythehorizontalcirclereadingandprecisetimeneedtoberecordedwhenthestar
issighted.
HYPERBOLAasymmetricalopencurveformedbytheintersectionofacircularconewithaplaneatasmalleranglewithits
axisthanthesideofthecone.
ISOGONICCHARTAchartshowingisogoniclinesproperlylabeledwiththeirmagneticdeclinations.Linesofequalannual
changeinthedeclinationsarealsogenerallyshown.
LATITUDEThedistanceontheearthssurface,northorsouthoftheEquator,expressedineitherlinearorangular
measurements.2)Thenorthsouthcomponentofatraversecourse.
LIFEESTATEtheownershipoflandforthedurationofaperson'slife.
LITTORALFromtheLatinlitus.Oforpertainingtotheshore,especiallyofthesea.Acoastalregion
LOCALCIVILTIMEtheofficialtimeinalocalregion(adjustedforlocationaroundtheEarth)establishedbylaworcustom
LOCALHOURTimeofcurrentposition.
LOCALHOURANGLEIssimilartoGHA,exceptitisobservedfromtheupperbranchoftheobservers.
LONGITUDEThedistanceontheearthssurface,eastorwestofadefinedmeridian,usuallythemeridianofGreenwich(0o
Longitude),expressedineitherangularmeasure,suchas90oWestLongitude,orintime,suchas6hoursWestofGreenwich
MAGNETICBEARINGAzimuth(orbearing)referredtomagneticnorthorsouth
MAGNETICDECLINATIONThebearingofmagneticnorthataparticulardate.
MAPPINGANGLEGAMMA
MAPPINGANGLETHETA:Thedifferencebetweengeodeticnorthandgridnorthatagivenplace.
MEDIANNotingorpertainingtoaplanedividingsomethingintotwoequalparts,especiallyonedividingathingintoleftandright
halves.Ingeometry,astraightlinefromthevertexofatriangletomidpointontheoppositeside.
MERCATORMAPPROJECTIONAmapmakingsysteminwhichpointsontheellipsoidareprojectedontoacylinderwhose
axisisintheplaneofthecentralmeridianofthemapandthroughtheearthscenter.Themeridiansappearasparallellinesand
parallelsareatrightanglestothem.Thescaleatanypointisthesamenorthandsouthwhichisachievedbymathematical
calculationofparallelspacing.Generallyusedformaritimepurposes.
METESANDBOUNDSAmethodofdescribingaparceloflandbycitingtheownersofabuttinglandsanddescribingthe
lengthofeachcourseofaboundaryasalongsomeapparentline,suchas,alongastreamoralongtheroad.Inmodern
usage,ametesandboundsdescriptionincludesthebearingsanddistancesofeachcourse.
MillsUpto5acresofpubliclandmaybeclaimedforthepurposeofprocessingminerals.Millsitesarelimitedtolandsthatdo
notcontainvaluableminerals.
Modebroadtermreferringtoaphenomenonwhereaparticularsurveyadministrationmodecausesdifferentdatatobe
collected.
MomentofTimeanindefinitelyshortperiodoftime
MONUMENTARTIFICAL:Arelativelypermanentobjectmadebyhumans,suchasfences,walls,houses
MONUMENTNATURAL:anaturalornatural/culturalfeatureofoutstandingoruniquevaluebecauseofitsinherentrarity,
representativeofaestheticqualitiesorculturalsignificance.I.E.rivers,lakes,streams,mountains,trees.
MonumentRecordwrittenandillustrateddocumentdescribingthephysicalappearanceofasurveymonumentandits
accessories.
MonumentWitnessusedbysurveyorswhentheactualpropertycornerlocationisobstructedbyaphysicalobject,likea
largerock,pilesoftrash,convergingfences,ormeanpitbulldogs.Oftenashedwilllieoverthecorner,eitheranencroaching
shedfromaneighbor,orashedonthepropertywearesurveying.Themonumentitselfshouldlooklikeanordinarymonument,
exceptthatitshouldbemarkedwiththewordswitnessmonument.
N.A.D.of1927TheNorthAmericanDatumof1927(NAD27)wasbasedonsurveysoftheentirecontinentfromacommon
referencepointthatwaschosenin1901becauseitwasasnearthecenterofthecontiguousUnitedStatesascouldbe
calculated
N.A.D.of1983BecauseEarthdeviatessignificantlyfromaperfectellipsoid,theellipsoidthatbestapproximatesitsshape
variesregionbyregionacrosstheworld.Clarke1866,andNorthAmericanDatumof1927withit,weresurveyedtobestsuit
NorthAmericaasawhole.Likewise,historicallymostregionsoftheworldusedellipsoidsmeasuredlocallytobestsuitthe
vagariesofearth'sshapeintheirrespectivelocales.Whileensuringthemostaccuracylocally,thispracticemakesintegrating
anddisseminatinginformationacrossregionstroublesome.Assatellitegeodesyandremotesensingtechnologyreachedhigh
precisionandweremadeavailableforcivilianapplications,itbecamefeasibletoacquireinformationreferredtoasingleglobal
ellipsoid.ThisisbecausesatellitesnaturallydealwithEarthasamonolithicbody.ThereforetheGRS80ellipsoidwas
developedforbestapproximatingtheearthasawhole,anditbecamethefoundationfortheNorthAmericanDatumof1983.
N.A.V.D.of1988theverticalcontroldatumoforthometricheightestablishedforverticalcontrolsurveyingintheUnitedStates
ofAmericabasedupontheGeneralAdjustmentoftheNorthAmericanDatumof1988.
N.G.V.D.of1929TheSeaLevelDatumof1929wastheverticalcontroldatumestablishedforverticalcontrolsurveyinginthe
UnitedStatesofAmericabytheGeneralAdjustmentof1929.Thedatumwasusedtomeasureelevation(altitude)above,and
depression(depth)below,meansealevel(MSL).
NADIR1)Thatpointonthecelestialsphereintersectedbytheplumblineextendeddownwardthatpoint,directlyoppositethe
zenith.2)Thepointonthegroundoratsealeveldatumverticallybeneaththeperspectivecenteroftheaerialcameralens,or
thephotographicimageofthatpoint.
NATIONALGEODETICSURVEYNGS
NETWORKADJUSTMENTLEASTSQUARESMETHODAmathematicalmethodfortheadjustmentofobservations,basedon
thetheoryofprobability.Inthismethod,thesumofthesquaresofallthecomputedcorrectionsismadeaminimum.
NODALPOINTSTwopointsassociatedwithalenssystem,suchthatanyrayintheobjectspacedirectedtowardthefirstor
frontpointwillemergeintheimagespacefromthesecondorrearpointandparalleltoitsformerposition
ORTHOPHOTOGRAPHYAphotographderivedfromperspectivephotographsandequivalenttoaphotographmadeby
orthographicprojection.Inaperfectorthophotography,therearenodisplacementsofimagesbecauseoftiltorrelief.
PACIFICSTANDARDTIME:is8hoursbehindCoordinatedUniversalTime(UTC).Thistimezoneisastandardtimezoneandis
usedin:NorthAmerica.
PARABOLAy=x^2Asymmetricalopenplanecurveformedbytheintersectionofaconewithaplaneparalleltoitsside.The
pathofaprojectileundertheinfluenceofgravityideallyfollowsacurveofthisshape.
PAROLEVIDENCEEvidencegatheredbytestimonyofwitnesses.Sometimesparoleevidence.Awitnesswhogivesverbal
evidenceconcerningpositiveknowledgeofthelocationofanoriginalmonumentpriortoitsdestructionissaidtogiveparol
evidence.
PRECISIONAqualityassociatedwiththerefinementofinstrumentsandmeasurements,indicatedbythedegreeofuniformity
andrepeatabilityofobservations
PRIMAFACIEEVIDENCELatin.Atfirstsightonthefirstappearanceonthefaceofitafactpresumedtobetrueunless
disprovedbysomeevidencetothecontrary.Evidencegoodandsufficientonitsfaceisprimafacieevidence.
PROPORTIONATEMEASUREMENTDOUBLEAmethodforrestoringalostcorneroffourtownshipsoralostinteriorcornerof
foursections.Itisbasedontheprinciplethatmonumentsnorthandsouthshouldcontrolthelatitudinalpositionofalostcorner,
andmonumentseastandwestshouldcontrolthelongitudinalposition.Inthismethodtheinfluenceofoneidentifiedoriginal
cornerisbalancedbythecontrolofacorrespondingoriginalcornerupontheoppositesideofaparticularmissingcorner,which
istoberestored,eachidentifiedoriginalcornerbeinggivenacontrollingweightinverselyproportionaltoitsdistancefromthe
lostcorner.
PROPORTIONATEMEASUREMENTSINGLEAmeasurementthatappliesanevendistributionofadeterminedexcessof
deficiencyofmeasurement,ascertainedbyretracementofanestablishedline,toprovideconcordantrelationsbetweenallparts.
REFRACTIONThedeflectionfromastraightpathundergonebyalightrayorotherelectromagneticwaveinpassingobliquely
fromonetransparentmediumintoanotherinwhichitsvelocityisdifferent.
RELICTIONThegradualandimperceptiblerecessionofthewaterresultinginanuncoveringoflandoncesubmerged.Also
knownasdereliction.
RESIDUALThetotalerrorofclosureofatraverseoranyremainingerrorafteralladjustmentsaremade.
REVULSIONTheactionofastreamwhenitsuddenlybreaksthroughitsbanksinanunexpectedmannerandformsanother
channel,orcutsoffalargequantityoflandfromoneownerandaddsittothelandofanother.
RIGHTASCENSIONTheangulardistancemeasuredeastwardontheequatorfromthevernalequinoxtothehourcircle
throughthecelestialbody,from0to24hours.
RIGHTSJUNIORSubordinatetotheseniorrights.Thelaterpatentissuedusuallyhasthesubordinaterightinasituationwhere
alatersurveyisinconflictwithanearliersurvey.Thefirstpatentissuedusuallyhasthesuperior(senior)rightandthesecond
patentusuallyhasthesubordinate(junior)right,regardlessofthedatesoftheoriginalsurveys.
RIGHTSSENIORTherightswhichtakeprecedence.Thefirstpatentissuedusuallytakesprecedenceinasituationwherea
latersurveyisinconflictwithanearliersurvey.Thefirstpatentissuedusuallyhasthesuperior(senior)rightortitleregardlessof
thedatesofthesurveys.
RIGHTSUNWRITTEN:Unwrittenrules,principles,andnormsthathavetheeffectandforceoflawthoughtheyhavenotbeen
formallyenactedbythegovernment.
RIPARIANReferstoariverbank
SCALEFACTORGEODETICAmultiplierforreducingadistanceobtainedfromamapbycomputationofscalingtotheactual
distanceonthedatumofthemap.Inthestateplanecoordinatesystem,scalefactorsareappliedtogeodeticlengthstoobtain
gridlengths,ortogridlengthstoobtaingeodeticlengths.Botharelengthsonasealeveldatum,butthegridlengthsare
affectedbythedistortionofthemapprojection.
SEALEVELFACTORThefactorappliedtogroundmeasurementstoreducemeasurementstosealeveldatum
SERVIENTTENANTThepartyburdenedbytheeasement
SIDEREALHOURANGLEThesiderealhourangle(SHA)ofabodyonthecelestialsphereisitsangulardistancewestofthe
vernalequinoxgenerallymeasuredindegrees.
SIDEREALTIMEThesiderealhourangleisdefinedas360minustherightascension.
SLOPEDISTANCEthedistanceoftheslope.basicallythelengthofthehypotenuseontherighttriangle
STADIAAtechniqueofdistancemeasurementwhereintheobserverreadstheinterceptsubtendedonagraduatedrod
betweentwohairsormarksonthereticleofthetelescope,thedistancetotherodbeingproportionaltotherodintercept.Arod
speciallydesignedforthisuseiscalledastadiarodthemarksonthereticlearecalledstadiawiressuchasurveyiscalleda
stadiasurvey,etc.
STANDARDTIMEThetimeinanyof24timezones,usuallythemeansolartimeatthecentralmeridianofeachzone.Inthe
continentalUnitedStates,therearefourstandardtimezones:Eastern,usingthe75thmeridianCentral,usingthe90th
meridianMountain,usingthe105thmeridianandPacific,usingthe120thmeridian.
STATUTEOFFRAUDSU.S.lawhasadopteda1677Englishlaw,calledtheStatuteofFrauds,whichisadeviceemployedas
adefenseinabreachofcontractlawsuit.Everystatehassometypeofstatuteoffraudsthelaw'spurposeistopreventthe
possibilityofanonexistentagreementbetweentwopartiesbeing"proved"byperjuryorFraud.Thisobjectiveisaccomplished
byprescribingthatparticularcontractsnotbeenforcedunlessawrittennoteormemorandumofagreementexiststhatissigned
bythepersonsboundbythecontract'stermsortheirauthorizedrepresentatives.
THALWEGThedownway,meaningthecoursetakenbyboatsgoingdownstreaminariverorthelinedownthecenterofthe
mainchannelofastreamorasthelineofgreatestslope,cuttingallcontoursatrightangles.
THREADthecenterofthemainordeepestchannelofthestreamatitslowestflow.
TRAVERSEADJUSTMENTCOMPASSRULEAwidelyusedruleforadjustingatraversethatassumestheprecisionin
anglesordirectionsisequivalenttotheprecisionindistances.Thisruledistributestheclosureerroroverthewholetraverseby
changingthenorthingsandeastingsofeachtraversepointinproportiontothedistancefromthebeginningofthetraverse.More
specifically,acorrectionfactoriscomputedforeachpointasthesumofthedistancesalongthetraversefromthefirstpointto
thepointinquestion,dividedbythetotallengthofthetraverse.Thecorrectionfactorateachpointismultipliedbytheoverall
closureerrortogettheamountoferrorcorrectiondistributedtothepoint'scoordinates.Thecompassruleisalsoknownasthe
Bowditchrule,namedfortheAmericanmathematicianandnavigatorNathanielBowditch(17731838).
TRAVERSEADJUSTMENTCRANDALLRULEaspecialcase,leastsquaresbasedmethodforadjustingtheclosureerrorina
traverse
TRAVERSEADJUSTMENTTRANSITRULEaruleforadjustingtheclosureerrorinatraverse
TRIANGULATIONAmethodofsurveyinginwhichthestationsarepointsonthegroundattheverticesofachainornetworkof
triangles.Theanglesofthetrianglesaremeasuredinstrumentallyandthesidesarederivedbycomputationfromselectedsides
orbases,whoselengthsareobtainedbydirectmeasurementonthegroundorbycomputationfromothertriangles
TRILATERATIONAmethodofdetermininghorizontalpositionsbymeasuringthelengthsoftrianglesides,usuallywiththeuse
ofelectronicinstruments.
TRUEBEARINGthecorrectdirectionofalineexpressedasananglelessthan90,eastorwestofthereferencemeridian,
generallyintheformS.50W.Itmaybegrid,magnetic,ortruebearing,accordingtothenatureofthereferencemeridian.
TRUEMERIDIANThedirectionfromanypointalongameridiantowardstheNorthPoleoftheearthisdefinedastruenorth.
Thatis,thenorthaccordingtotheearthsaxis.Truenorthisalsoknownasgeographicnorth.Truesouthisalsodefinedina
similarmanner.Truemeridianisdefinedastheplanethatpassesthroughtruenorthpolesandtruesouthpolesattheplaceof
observation.Truemeridiancanbeestablishedbyastronomicalobservationasitpassesthroughtruenorthandsouth.True
bearingisthehorizontalanglebetweentruemeridianandaline.
USGEOLOGICALSURVEYtheUnitedStatesGeologicalSurvey(USGS,formerlyGeologicalSurvey)isascientificagencyof
theUnitedStatesgovernment.ScientistsoftheUSGSstudythelandscapeoftheUS,itsnaturalresources,andthenatural
hazardsthatthreatenit.
UNIVERSALTIMEastandardtimebasedontherotationoftheEarth.ItisamoderncontinuationofGreenwichMeanTime
(GMT),themeansolartimeonthePrimeMeridianatGreenwich,andGMTissometimesusedlooselyasasynonymforUTC
UPPERCULMINATIONfinal,highest,ordecisivepoint
VERNALEQUINOXequinoxinspring,onMarch20inthenorthernhemisphereandSeptember22inthesouthernhemisphere
VERTICALANGLETheanglebetweenahorizontalplaneandthesurfaceofaconepassingthruthepointofreferencewiththe
apexatthepointofobservation.
WESTERNELONGATIONInastronomy,aplanetselongationistheanglebetweentheSunandtheplanet,withEarthasthe
referencepoint
ZENITHimaginarypointdirectlyaboveaparticularlocation,ontheimaginarycelestialsphere
ZENITHANGLEananglemeasuredfromverticalreference.Zerodegreeistheverticallinepointingup,90degreesisthe
horizontallinepointingeast,and180degreesisstraightdown.