Land Surveying Resources Handbook

A Resource Pool for Members of Land Surveyors United

Land Surveying Resources Handbook.................................................. 1
A Resource Pool for Members of Land Surveyors United ........................... 1
SURVEYING EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS ......................................... 2
HOME---> SURVEYING RESOURCES ................................................ 2
LAND SURVEYING LINKS AND RESOURCES FROM AROUND THE WEB ..... 2
ONLINE SURVEYING MAGAZINES ....................................................... 4
SURVEYING SOFTWARE MANUFACTURERS .......................................... 2
GPS BOOKS .................................................................................... 5
GOVERNMENT GIS INFORMATION (CANADA)....................................... 5
STATE LAND SURVEYING BOARDS AND ORGANIZATIONS ..................... 3
GIS INFORMATION (GENERAL) .......................................................... 6
SURVEYING ASSOCIATIONS INTERNATIONAL...................................... 6
INTERNATIONAL SURVEYING COMPANIES DIRECTORY ......................... 6
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS ........................................................ 4
GOVERNMENT GPS LINKS ................................................................. 5
GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATIONS .......................................................... 5
SURVEYING RELATED PATENTS ......................................................... 6
CADASTRAL SURVEYING................................................................... 7
SURVEYING METHODS ..................................................................... 7
DYNAMIC OR KINEMATIC GPS ........................................................ 7
STATIC GPS ................................................................................. 7
DIFFERENTIAL POSITIONING.......................................................... 8
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS ......................................................10
ASSOCIATIONS INTERNATIONALES ..................................................10
GLOSSARY OF SURVEYING AND MAPPING TERMS ................................ 8
SURVEYING SCHOOLS, COLLEGES AND TRAINING ..............................10
SURVEYING EDUCATION SCHOOLS ...................................................11
EDUCATION IN LAND SURVEYING .....................................................13
ONLINE SCHOOLS FOR CERTIFICATION .............................................13
AUBURN UNIVERSITY ................................................................... 13
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES ......................................................... 14
LAND SURVEYING HISTORY ............................................................. 15
LEGAL RESEARCH ........................................................................... 15
EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS............................................................... 16
UNITS OF MEASURE ........................................................................ 18
LAND SURVEYORS UNITED ELSEWHERE ON THE WEB .........................15
SURVEYING BLOGS......................................................................... 15
AUTODESK BLOGS .......................................................................... 15
CAD RELATED BLOGS...................................................................... 16
SURVEYING IMAGES AND MAPS ONLINE ............................................17
SURVEYORS' SLANG........................................................................ 21
USENET NEWSGROUPS OF INTEREST TO SURVEYORS .........................17
SATELLITE TRACKING ..................................................................... 18
MISCELLANEOUS LAND SURVEYING LINKS ........................................18
SURVEYORS' ABBREVIATIONS .......................................................... 23
 SURVEYING EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS
HOME---> SURVEYING RESOURCES • AutoCAD
• Bentley Systems
• Blue Marble Geographics
• Calcomp
• Carlson Software
• CST/berger
• ESRI
• Hewlett Packard
• HP Programmable Calculators Software Archives
• Ideal Scanners & Systems
• Intergraph
• Leica
• Motorola 2-way Portable Radios
• NovAtel GPS
• Thales Navagation GPS
• Topcon Web Site
• Trimble Surveying & Mapping Systems
• Schonstedt
LAND SURVEYING LINKS AND RESOURCES • Sokkia
FROM AROUND THE WEB • Berntsen Survey Markers
This page is starting to become the • Carhartt Work Clothes
• Chicago Steel and Tape
most comprehensive list of land surveyor • David White Levels
links available on the web. Don't forget to • Dunham & Morrow
bookmark this page! [Ctrl+D] • Dutch Hill Performance Tripods
Submit a link to us here • Jobcom Radios
Please report broken links here • Laser Technology
• Leica Geosystems
• Mark-It
• Motorola Portable Radios
Surveyor Support Groups By Location
• Nikon
• Pacific Crest
▪ North ▪ Antarctica • Topcon Survey
America ▪ US States • Schonstedt Magnetic Locators
▪ South ▪ India • Seco
America ▪ Carribean • Silva Compasses
▪ Africa ▪ Canada
• Silver Shield
▪ Asia ▪ Puerto
• Surv-Kap
▪ Australia Rico
• Suunto Compasses
▪ Europe ▪ Jamaica
• Trimble
▪ Russia
• West Coast Shoe Co. Heavy-Duty Boots
• White's Boots
SURVEYING SOFTWARE MANUFACTURERS
Surveyor Support Based on
•
Equipment Manufacturer
◦ Abykus Surveying Spreadsheets
◦ ACA Ltd. ALERT Deformation Monitoring System
▪ Sokkia ▪ Microsurvey
Support Support ◦ Autodesk
▪ Trimble ◦ Bentley Systems (Microstation)
Support ◦ Boston Harbor Software
 ▪ Topcon ▪ Juniper ◦ BW Muncy Deed Plotting Software
Support Systems ◦ Carlson Software
▪ Navcom Support ◦ CAD Warehouse
Support ▪ Handheld ◦ Corvallis Microtechnology
▪ Altus Support ◦ CvlSoft Inc.
Positioning ▪ Traverse PC ◦ Direct Line Software DeedMapper
▪ Ashtech Support ◦ Eagle Point Software
Magellan ▪ Magellan ◦ ESRI GIS Mapping Software
▪ Nikon Support ◦ FREE SURVEYING SOFTWARE!
Support ▪ Spectra ◦ GeoMagix
▪ Precision ◦ GeoSurface Technologies
Support ◦ HP 48 Software Archive
▪ TDS ◦ Infycons
Support ◦
Innerspace Technology
▪ Carlson ◦
Intergraph
Support ◦
Microsearch GeoLab
◦
MicroSurvey Software, Inc.
◦
Project Tracker Pro
Surveyor Support Groups Based on ◦
PC Survey
Theme ◦
PCI Geomatics
◦
Ptbase
▪ ◦
Quick Cogo
▪ Job Search ▪ Machine ◦
RAMSS Inc.
Group Control for ◦
Simplicity Systems, Inc.
◦
Softree Terrain Tools
▪ Unemployed Land
Surveyors Surveyors ◦
SRH Least Squares
▪ Resume Review ▪ Surveying ◦
The Complete CAD Catalog/AutoCAD
▪ Surveyors How To Shareware
Online Toolbox ▪ LSI or FSI ◦ TerraModel
▪ Student Study ◦ Traverse PC
Surveyors Materials ◦ Tripod Data Systems
▪ Archeaology ▪ Party Chiefs ◦ UGL Software
▪ City Surveyors ▪ Raw Data ◦ XYZ Works
▪ Government ▪ Seismic STATE LAND SURVEYING BOARDS AND ORGANIZATIONS
Surveyors Surveyors
▪ GIS and ▪ Surveyors • Alabama - http://www.aspls.org
Surveying Connect • Alaska - http://www.ptialaska.net/~aspls/
▪ Mobile Phones ▪ Construction • Arizona - http://www.gci-net.com/~users/S/sowens/
Support Surveying default.htm
▪ Endangered Art ▪ 3D Scanner • Arkansas - http://www.asps.ar-business.com/
of Chaining Support • http://www.state.ar.us/pels/
▪ LSU Field ▪ One Man • California - http://www.dca.ca.gov/pels
Support Group Show • http://www.ca-surveyors.org/
▪ Robotics For ▪ Public • http://www.celsoc.org/
Land Surveyors Works • Colorado - http://www.dora.state.co.us/engineers_surveyors/
▪ KML for Group • http://www.plsc.net/
Surveyors ▪ PHD • Connecticut - http://www.ctsurveyor.com/
▪ aw Enforcement Resources • Delaware - http://www.delsurvey.com/
▪ Aerial Group • Florida - http://www.fsms.org/
Photogrammetry ▪ Cadastral • Georgia - http://www.samsog.org
 ▪ Law for ▪ Product • Hawaii - http://www.iav.com/~hals
Surveyors Reviews • Idaho - http://www.state.id.us/ipels/index.htm
▪ Creative ▪ HP48 • Illinois - http://www.prairienet.org/iplsa/
Construction Calculators • http://www.iplsa.org/
▪ Geodetic/GPS ▪ Computer • Indiana - http://www.ispls.org/
▪ Out of Plumb Help for • Kansas - http://www.ksls.com/
Fans Surveyors • Kentucky - http://www.kaps1.com
▪ Formulas • Louisiana - http://www.lsps.net/
that Work • http://www.lapels.com/
▪ Female • Maine - http://www.msls.org/
Land • Maryland - http://www.marylandsurveyor.org/
Surveyors • Massachusetts - http://www.engineers.org/malsce/index.html
▪ History of • Michigan - http://www.misocprofsurveyors.org/
Surveying • Minnesota - http://www.mnsps.com/
▪ Cartography • Mississippi - http://www.pepls.state.ms.us
and • Missouri - http://www.rollanet.org/~eksi/marls/
Mapping • Montana - http://www.marls.com/
▪ Odd or • Nevada - http://www.nv-landsurveyors.org/
Funny • New Hampshire - http://www.state.nh.us/jtboard/home.htm
Surveying • http://www.atc.unh.edu/NHLSA/
Stories • New Jersey - http://www.njspls.org/
• New Mexico - http://www.nmps.org/
• New York - http://members.aol.com/NYSAPLS/Home.html
• http://www.op.nysed.gov/lsurv.htm
ONLINE SURVEYING MAGAZINES • North Carolina - http://home.earthlink.net/~ncss
• Point of Beginning — The Oldest of • http://www.ncbels.org
the Surveying Magazines • Ohio - http://www.peps.state.oh.us
• American Surveyor Magazine — A paid • Oklahoma - http://www.osls.org/
• Oregon - http://www.plso.org
subscription print magazine - Just
• http://www.osbeels.org
became free…subscribe now • Pennsylvania - http://www.psls.org
• GPS World — The latest GPS news • Rhode Island - http://www.rispls.org/
for surveyors and other professions • South Carolina - http://www.scspls.com/
• GeoPlace — GPS in the News • Tennessee - http://www.taps-inc.com/
• Texas - http://www.tsps.org/
• Cadalyst — Cad Information - Hugh
• http://www.txls.state.tx.us
AutoLisp library • Utah - http://www.ucls.org/
• Professional Surveyor — addresses the • Virginia - http://www.vasurveyors.org/
processes and tools of position and • http://www.state.va.us/dpor
measurement as well as the role of • Washington - http://www.lsaw.org/
• http://www.wa.gov/dol/bpd/engfront.htm
the surveyor
• Wisconsin - http://www.wsls.org
• Earth Observation Magazine — EOM
• West Virginia - http://web.mountain.net/~wvals
provides up-to-date coverage of
developments with satellite
imagery, digital aerial photography, PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
digital topographic datasets and • National Surveyor's Hall of Fame — by South dakota
more! Society of Professiona Land Surveyors
• GIS Monitor (weekly) — GIS Monitor • FSMS - Florida Survey and Mapping Society
takes a fresh look at GIS software,
 data, GPS, location-based services,
wireless and other industries and
technologies that touch the location
technology arena
GPS BOOKS
• GPS for Dummies by Joel McNamara — for North Carolina Land Surveyors
Introduction for Beginners
• GPS Made Easy by Lawrence Letham—
A good book for those considering
buying a GPS
• Geocaching for Dummies by Joel
McNamara— Find a high-tech hobby
in the great outdoors! Dig into this
fast-growing detective sport
• The Essential Guide To Geocaching by
Mike Dyer— Caches or stashes of
provisions, hidden along a route
were a common occurrence in
Lewis and Clark�s day when
• GPS for Land Surveyors by Jan Van Sickle
— Written by a land surveyor, for
land surveyors
• GPS Mapping by Rich Owings —
Learning to use a GPS is fairly
straightforward; choosing which
software to use is not. GPS
Mapping � Make Your Own Maps
• GPS Satellite Surveying by Alfred Leick
— updated to cover emerging
precise-point position technology
• Introduction to GPS by Ahmed El-
Rabbany— includes an in-depth
discussion on the errors and biases
that affect GPS measurements,
along with guidance
GOVERNMENT GIS INFORMATION
(CANADA)
• BC Land Title & Survey - OnLine
Cadastre
• BC OnLine - BC E-Government
Services
• District of West Vancouver - WestMap
• ISPLS - Indiana Society of Professional Land Surveyors —
Professional society for Indiana Land Surveyors
• IPLSA - Illinois Professional Land Surveyors Association —
Professional society for Illinois Land Surveyors
• NCSS - North Carolina Society of Surveyors, Inc. — Society
• National Society of Professional Surveyors - NSPS — National
Society of Professional Surveyors - NSPS
• American Association for Geodetic Surveying - AAGS —
professional society of scientists and other
professionals overseeing the development and use of
Earth-referencing system
• The CURTA Calculator Page — Everything you want to
know about the CURTA Calculator including
simulators
GOVERNMENT GPS LINKS
(official GPS site)
• US Coast Guard
• US Coast Guard GPS Signal Specifications
• US Geologic Survey
• Tycho
• Satellite Predictor
• SatNav Predictor
• Berkley Satellite Tracker (ok, it's not a gov site)
• TLE Archive
• NGS / NOAA GPS Site
• USGS Geographic Names Information System -- coordinates,
elevation, population, and more
• USGS GNIS Database (FTP format)
• Metric to Imperial conversion
• Canada: Geological Survey of Canada Online Purchasing Page
(and in French) -- on-line ordering system for their Topo
Maps, Geological Pub, Digital Products etc
• New Zealand: Land Information New Zealand -- official
government mapping agency of NZ
• Switzerland: Federal Office of Topography
• UK: The Ordnance Survey of Great Britain -- the official
mapping agency of the United Kingdom
• USA: US Census US Census GIS FAQ
GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATIONS
 • City of Burnaby - BURNABY MAP
• City of Richmond - GIS INQUIRY
• City of Surrey - COSMOS
• District of North Vancouver - GeoWeb
• City of North Vancouver - GIS Website
• City of Coquitlam - Q the Map
• City of Port Coquitlam - POCO Map
• City of Vancouver - VanMap
• The Corporation of Delta - DeltaMap
• City of Langley - Geo - Property
Information System
• City of Abbotsford - Webmap
GIS INFORMATION (GENERAL)
• http://FREEGIS.org
• http://remotesensing.org
• http://maptools.org
• http://opensourcegis.org
SURVEYING ASSOCIATIONS
INTERNATIONAL
• International Federation of Surveyors
• Alberta Land Surveyors Association
• Association of Canada Lands Surveyors
• Association of Ontario Land Surveyors
• Canadian Institute of Geomatics
• Corporation of LS of the Province of
British Columbia
• Saskatchewan Land Surveyors Association
INTERNATIONAL SURVEYING COMPANIES
DIRECTORY
[thanks LSRP]
AFRICA
• 4Y Geo Informatics Pty Ltd
• Riding & Watt Professional Land
Surveyors
• Geoland Survey's
• CESS - Civil Engineering & General
Surveying Services
• J.J. Synman Professional Land
Surveyors
• Johnston Associates
• McCann & O'Neill
• Papenhagen & Associates
• Westervelt & Knoetze Professional
Land Surveyors
ARGENTINA
• Federal Base Network Surveys — The Federal Base
Network provides spatial reference control that has
some of the most precise accuracies available today.
• US National Weather Service (High Speed Internet) —
Interactive US Weather Service Maps and Charts
• The Library of Congress — The name says it all.
• NGS Survey Mark Recovery Form — This form can be used
to submit recovery information for survey marks to the
National Geodetic Survey.
• US Copyright Office — Copyright is a form of protection
provided by the laws of the United States
• National Geodetic Survey — NOAA's National Geodetic
Survey (NGS) defines and manages a national
coordinate system.
• Download NGS PC Software
• Corpscon Version 6.0 — Corps of Engineers Coordinate
Conversion
• NGS PC Software — Geiod03, LaPlace corrections,
Coordinate conversions…it's all here
• NGS Datasheet Page — Datasheets, ShapeFiles, Tidal
Benchmarks, Recovery Sheets… The Source
• http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/gps/default.htm — Extensive
library of information on GPS for the professional and
the consumer
SURVEYING RELATED PATENTS
—A
• Laser Land Surveying Apparatus With Digital Display
land-surveying apparatus for use with a laser beam
source to obtain grade and range distances has a grade
pole with a laser beam detection unit slidably mounted
thereon
• Method and Apparatus of Computer Aided Surveying for
— Method of
obtaining Digital, 3D Topographic Information
surveying for the compilation of digital files of
detailed, three-dimensional, topographic data,
consisting of co-ordinates of points in the terrain and
the corresponding topographic point
• Pole Tilt Sensor for Surveyor Range Pole — A surveyor range
pole, for example, equipped with a GPS receiver and
antenna mounted at the top end, a battery mounted at
the bottom end to better balance the pole, a tilt sensor
and a direction sensor
• Mertind Argentina S.A. • Position Sensing System for Surveying and Grading — A
• Miguel Angel Tous - Agrimensor position sensing apparatus and method useful for
• Lanari, Calza & Associates
surveying, marking, and grading implement sensing
AUSTRALIA
and control is disclosed
• K F Murphy & Associates -
Consulting Surveyors • Computer Assisted Video Surveying and Method Thereof —
• Data Survey Pty. Ltd. One embodiment of the invention is a method of using
BRAZIL a computer to assist a land based video survey. Initially,
• Poligono Topografia, LTDA Promap a video recording of a control location and a survey
Topografia Ltda area is produced.
BULGARIA • High Speed Well Surveying and Land Navigation — A land
• GEOCAD 93 vehicle navigation apparatus incorporates an inertial
• SPOT
angular rate sensor on the vehicle and having a
CANADA
sensitive axis, and an inertial acceleration or tilt sensor
• Rudy Mak Surveying, LTD
CADASTRAL SURVEYING
• Terra Pacific Land Surveying Ltd.
• Derek G. Graham Limited • Association of Canada Lands Surveyors
• Isaac & Denchuk
• Coote, Hiley, Jemmett Limited • Canadian Council of Land Surveyors
• Richard A. Preiss Surveying Ltd.
• Taylor & MacKeen Surveys Limited
• Robert T. Stephenson Surveying, • Canada Centre for Cadastral Management - Natural Resources
Inc. Canada
• Montieth & Sutherland Limited
• Payette, Himma & Delorme, Ltd. • Association of British Columbia Land Surveyors
• N.C.L. Geomatics
• J.D. Barnes Limited
• Butler Sundvick & Associates • Association of Ontario Land Surveyors
• Everest Geodetics
• Klau Geomatics • Lower Mainland British Columbia Land Surveyors Group
• Cadastral Geomatics International, SURVEYING METHODS
Inc.
• Fairhall, Moffatt & Woodland
Limited, OLS DYNAMIC OR KINEMATIC GPS
• Jaques Caron, Arpenteur-Geometre
• Browne Johnson and Associates Dymanic or Kinematic GPS is becoming the default method of
• Burnham Land Surveys
• Robert Allen and Company
navigation for small craft as the complex computations
• Holstead & Redmond Limited previously necessary are all performed on-board the receiver.
• Eastern Land Surveys, Ltd. They work independently of the weather, 24 hours per day ( but
• Dhaliwal Oliver Wong Professional not under trees or water), perform spheroidal calculations and
Land Surveying, Inc.
automatically convert between coordinate datums.
• McNeice Harvey D'Amico Surveyors,
LTD
• Beninger Surveying, LTD STATIC GPS
• Hol & Associates
• Marshall Macklin Monaghan Limited
The highest level of accuracy obtainable with GPS requires use
GUAM & PHILIPPINES
of two units, one as a base station and the other visiting the
• Prudencio R. Balagtas & Associates,
Inc.
points of interest. It is then possible to compute the vector
• GeoAnalytika Technical and between these two units to a much higher degree of accuracy
Consultancy Services than we can compute absolute latitude and longitude.
ITALY
Practically all the systematic errors that can occur in GPS
• Milano Antonio & Associates
positioning can be eliminated if we measure to a set of satellites
INDIA
simultaneously from two receivers, a process known as
• Geo Spatial Dimensions
• SaNaS Technologies Pvt. Ltd.,
differential positioning.
• Secon Surveys
• Arya Surveying Company DIFFERENTIAL POSITIONING
• Goodland Surveys
• Wasisht Engineers and Consultants
• Hitech Surveys The typical configuration for differential positioning is shown
• A K R Surveying Company Pvt. LTD. below, two units receiving signals from the same constellation
• Theovel Surveys of satellites at the same time. The relative position of the two
• Premier Consulting Engineers & units can be determined to a very high accuracy, in many cases
Surveyors PVT. LTD.
better than a centimetre. If one of these units was located over a
• Pallavi Surveys
point for which we had ground control coordinates it is then
ISRAEL
• Mashav Surveys, LTD
theoretically possible to obtain highly accurate coordinates for
• Tomer Civil Engineering Services & the other point. This is indeed the case, providing all the
Surveying computations are performed in the one coordinate system.
• RGM Geodesy and Surveying, Ltd.
JAMAICA This technique can be also applied if one of the receivers is on a
• J.R. Mais & Associates Ltd. moving platform, or is moved between points of interest while
MALAYSIA the base station remains fixed and continues to observe to the
• Ground Data Systems Sdn. Bhd. same satellites. This produces new procedures known as rapid-
NEW GUINEA static positioning, kinematic positioning and pseudo-kinematic
• Niugini Surveys
positioning. In general the units store the observations to the
SPAIN
satellites and are downloaded to PC type computers at the end
• OJEDA'S, Inc.
of the project. The differential solution is then computed using
THE NETHERLANDS
the complete set of data from all the receivers. The latest
• GeoComp Nederland
hardware systems can transmit the corrections between the base
NEW ZEALAND
station and the rover allowing the solution to be determined on-
• Knight & Associates CKL Surveys
Ltd. the-fly so that positioning accuracies of around 0.01m are
NIGERIA available in real-time.
• Aero-Geodetic Services (Nig) Ltd GLOSSARY OF SURVEYING AND MAPPING TERMS
• Oak Surveys Aerial photography Photography of part of the earth's surface,
PAKISTAN but is not rectified to account for differences in scale throughout
• Geomatics and Engineering the photograph. Altitude The vertical angle between the plane
Services Private Limited of the horizon and the line to the object which is observed. In
• A.W.MIR Associates
• Chaudhery Brothers
photogrammetry, altitude applies to elevation above a datum of
PHILIPPINES
points in space. Aneroid barometer An instrument used to
• GENSON Surveying & Engineering obtain heights above sea level by measuring atmospheric
Consultants pressure. Since atmospheric pressure varies with the height
POLAND above or below sea level, the height can be read directly from
• GEODOR Land Surveying Services
Bono Sp. CYW. Poland
PUERTO RICO
• Professional land Surveyors, PSC
• Lalr Surveyors
• JJC Land Surveyor's
• RLDA Surveying & Mapping
• VS Surveying Services, Inc.
REPUBLIC of IRELAND
• Patrick J. McCormack, LS,
Hydrogragher
RUSSIA
• The Laboratory of Inertial Geodetic
Systems (LIGS)
SAUDIA ARABIA
• RGF Surveys
SLOVAKIA
• GAMO Ltd.
SINGAPORE
• LEE BOON HAW REGISTERED
SURVEYORSurveytech Pte Ltd
THAILAND
• CPS Surveying Co., LTD.
• AAM (Thailand) Co., Ltd.
TURKEY
• SAGBAS Muhendislik LTD.STI.
• ONSOY Engineering Co.
UNITED KINGDOM
• Geomatic Engineering Ltd
• SV Land Modelling Ltd
• Airlie Geomatics
• Plowman Craven & Associates
• Merrett Survey Partnership
• Warner Land Surveys Limited
• Land Data Surveys
• SLC Associates
• Geospatial Engineering Services
Ltd.
• Digital Surveys, Ltd.
UKRAINE
• Donetsk Geodetic Center
VIETNAM
• Geomatics Consulting International
(Vietnam)
UNITED STATES - VIRGIN ISLANDS
• Gary M. Bourdan, PC
• Brian Mosely and Associates, Inc.
the height scale on the barometer. Archaeological record The
archaeological record exists as a repository. Inside lie the
decaying material remains of ancient beings and civilisations.
As archaeologists approach their work, they encounter raw data
from the archaeological record that serves as the source of their
evidence to interpret. ATS The Automated Title System is the
computerised legal register of freehold land, State tenure land
and Reserve land in Queensland. The system also automates
elements of the document receiving, lodgement, tracking and
registration processes. Australian Height Datum The datum
used to determine elevations in Australia. The AHD is based on
mean sea level being zero elevation. Azimuth The horizontal
angle measured from the meridian planes (a plane which
contains the polar axis, being true north). Baseline A surveyed
line usually several kilometres long. It is established with the
utmost precision available at the time. Surveys refer to the
baseline for coordination and correlation. The baseline
accumulates distances throughout a triangulation network,
extending to other baselines, providing further integrated
control. Beam compass A drafting instrument used for drawing
circles with a long radius. The point and scribe are separate
units, mounted to slide and clamp on a long beam.
Bearing An angle measured clockwise from a north line of 0�
to a given surveyed line. Bench mark A permanent object,
natural or artificial, displaying a marked point whose elevation
above or below an adopted datum is known. Blaze A mark
carved in a tree trunk at about breast height, signifying close
proximity of a survey line Cadastral A Latin term from
'cadastre' referring to a registry of lands. Cadastral surveying is
the process of determining and defining land ownership and
boundaries. Cadastral map A map depicting land parcels and
associated nomenclature. Cartography The art and science of
the production of maps. This includes the construction of
projections, design, compilation, drafting and reproduction.
Chart Special purpose navigation maps chiefly used for
nautical, aeronautical and mapping of the cosmos. CISP The
Computer Inventory of Survey Plans is a database that provides
current and historical survey plan information. It includes
images of all survey plans registered in Queensland. Clinometer
An instrument used to determine the angle of elevation or
depression. A De Lisle's Pendent Clinometer was used by
surveyors and engineers to set out slopes and gradients in the
 • BGM Engineers & Surveyors, LLC construction of paths, tracks and roads. Compass The magnetic
WEST INDIES compass has a pivoting magnetised needle that always points to
• Anthony G. A. Allison & Associates magnetic north (geological features may influence readings).
• Earl Cenac & Associates
The compass circumference is divided into degrees from which
• Advanced Land Surveying
• CANE Associates Co, Ltd. a bearing of a chosen direction from magnetic north can be
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS determined. A compass magnetic bearing must be converted to
ASSOCIATIONS INTERNATIONALES a grid bearing for plotting on a map. Contour interval The
• Association of Consulting difference in elevation between adjacent contours as delineated
Surveyors,New South Wales, Australia on a map. Contours Lines joining points of equal height as
• Consiglio Nazionale Geometri (CNG),
shown on a topographic map. Contour lines that are relatively
Italy (National Council of Surveyors) (in
Italian)
close together depict an area of steep terrain on the earth's
• Council of European Geodetic surface. Crown land Land belonging to the reigning sovereign.
Surveyors (CLGE) / Comit� � de Datum A mathematical representation that best fits the shape of
Liaison des G� �om� �tres the earth. Accurate mapping and coordinate systems must be
Europ� �ens
• Institution of Civil Engineering
based on a datum. A new datum known as the Geocentric Datum of
Surveyors (ICES), U.K. Australia (GDA) was introduced in 2000 to bring Australia in line
• Institution of Surveyors, The, Australia with the rest of the world's coordinate systems. GDA is also
• International Federation of totally compatible with satellite based navigation systems, for
Surveyors / F� �d� �ration example Global Positioning Systems (GPS). The previous datum
internationale des g� �om� �tres
• International Federation of
used in Australia was known as the Australian Geodetic Datum
Surveyors Commission 7 (FIG7) (AGD). However, this was restricted because it was defined to
• New Zealand Institute of Surveyors best fit the shape of the earth in the Australian region only. The
• Ordre des G� �om� �tres-Experts, change in datums had a major consequence to all coordinates.
France
Both latitudes/longitudes and eastings/northings were shifted by
• Royal Institution of Chartered
Surveyors (RICS), U.K. approximately 200 metres in a north-easterly direction. DCDB
• Society of Chartered Surveyors The Digital Cadastral Database is the spatial representation of
(SCS), Ireland every parcel of land in Queensland. This is along with its legal
• Spatial Sciences Institute, Australia Lot on Plan description and relevant attributes. It provides the
• The Survey Association (TSA), U.K.
map base for systems dealing with land related information.
• UKGEOforum, U.K.
Description of country As described in the 1916 'Rules and
Directions for the Guidance of Surveyors': "Country, whether
SURVEYING SCHOOLS, COLLEGES AND
undulating, broken, or rugged; timber, whether open, thick,
TRAINING
heavy, or with undergrowth; scrubs, their character and
http://www.cinstate.cc.oh.us
Cincinnati State Technical &
situation, should be specially noted in field-books, as the rate of
Community College - additional payment that may be allowed on such account is
Engineering Technologies based on the information supplied". EDME Electronic Distance
http://www.etsu.edu/scitech/gggs Measuring Equipment. This instrument measures distances
East Tennessee State University - Surveying using light or sound waves. Elevation The height above mean
and Mapping Science Program sea level. ERTS Earth Resources Technology Satellite. This
http://www.tech.mtu.edu/
was later renamed Landsat. GDA94 The geodetic coordinate of
Michigan Technology University - Surveying
Program latitude and longitude generated using GDA as the datum as at 1
January 1994. Geocentric datum A datum which has its origin
http://www-ec.njit.edu/surveying/surveying.html at the Earth's centre of mass. This datum can therefore be used
New Jersey Institute of Technology - Surveying anywhere on the planet and be compatible with the same datum
Engineering and Technology Program
http://www-ceg.eng.ohio-state.edu
anywhere else on the planet. Geodesy The science and
The Ohio State University - Dept. of Civil and mathematical calculations of the shape and size of the Earth.
Environmental Engineering & Geodetic Science Geographical coordinates A point on a map given as latitude
http://www.oit.edu/eit/sur and longitude readings. The values are given as degrees,
Oregon Institute of Technology - Surveying
minutes and seconds. Geographic Information Systems GIS is
Program
http://surveying.wb.psu.edu the spatial capture of themed data layers and the storing,
Penn State Wilkes-Barre - College of analysing and displaying of the geographically referenced
Engineering and Surveying Program information. A GIS also includes the procedures, software,
http://www.purdue.edu/odos/srbank/sreng.htm hardware, operating personnel and spatial data associated with
Purdue University - School of Civil Engineering
the system. Global Positioning System GPS is a satellite based
http://rangerschool.esf.edu
Suny - ESF Ranger School navigation system originally developed by the United State's
http://www.sci.tamucc.edu/gis Department of Defence. A GPS receiver calculates a position
Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi - Dept. of by measuring distances to four or more satellites of a possible
Computers & Mathematics 24. These orbit the Earth at all times. Graticule A network of
http://ses.uwyo.edu/occc/degree.html
crossing lines on a map representing parallels of latitude and
University of Wyoming - Civil and Architectural
Engineering meridians of longitude as defined by the projection. Grid A
http://www.sur.ufl.edu/gsa group of parallel lines that run perpendicular to another group
University of Folorida - Geomatica Student of parallel lines to form a map coverage of squares. Grid
Association coordinates A point on a map given as an easting and northing
ACSM Accredited Schools and Programs reading. The values are given in metres. Grid north The
http://www.acsm.net/abetlisting.html direction of the vertical grid lines shown on a topographic map.
SURVEYING EDUCATION SCHOOLS The difference between grid north and true north is referred to
• Alfred State College
• ASCE Distance Learning
as grid convergence. Gunter's chain A distance measuring
• Asheville-Buncombe Technical device composed of 100 metal links fastened together with
College rings. The length of the chain is 66 feet. It was invented in
• Auburn University Distance about 1620 by English astronomer, Edmund Gunter. Hunter-
Learning
gatherer A member of a society who gains their subsistence in
• Austin Community College
• Bates Technical College
the wild on food obtained by hunting and foraging.
• Bellingham Technical College Hydrography Features including rivers, streams, lakes, swamps
• California State Polytechnic and other water related features. Hypsometric tinting The use of
University different colours to signify changing elevations on a
• California State University -
Fresno topographic map. Latitude The angular distance along a
• Central Piedmont Community meridian measured from the Equator, either north or
College south.LeClanche Cell The cell consists of a glass vessel into
• Cincinnati State Technical College which a zinc rod and a cylindrical pot of porous earthenware is
• College of the Canyons
placed. The earthenware pot holds a carbon plate. A mixture of
• Columbus State Community
College equal parts of carbon and needle binoxide of manganese is
• Community College of Baltimore packed around this plate. To set the cell into action, the glass
County vessel is nearly filled with a saturated solution of sal-ammoniac.
• East Tennessee State University A reaction takes place and a voltage of 1.46 volts is generated.
• Evergreen Valley College
• Ferris State University
• FIG Surveying Education Database
• Flathead Valley Community
College
• Glenville State College
• Louisiana State University
• Macomb Community College
• Metropolitan State College of
Denver
• MSCD Distance Learning
• Michigan Technological University beside a peg or post along the survey lines from the corner of a
• Michigan Tech. Distance Learning subject parcel. An example clause taken from the 1916 'Rules
• Montgomery College
• Murray State University
• New Hampshire Community
Technical College
• New Jersey Institute of
Technology
• New Mexico State University
• Nicolet Area Technical College
• Ohio State University
• Oklahoma State University -
Oklahoma City
• Old Dominion University
• Oregon Institute of Technology
• Oregon State University
• Palomar College
• Paul Smith's College
• Peninsula College
• Penn State University - Wilkes-
Barre
• Pennsylvania College of
Technology
• Phoenix College
• Purdue University
• Red Vector
• Renton Technical College
• Sacramento City College
• San Antonio College
• Sandhills Community College
• San Jacinto College
• Santa Rosa Junior College
• Santiago Canyon College
• Southern Illinois University
• Southern Polytechnic State
University
• Southwest Missouri State
University
• Stark State College
• Texas A&M - Corpus Christi
• Texas State Technical College (Waco)
Lifeways A term often used within the discipline of
archaeology and denotes a customary way of living, or a way of
life among people.
Lithography This is based on the principle that water and
grease don't mix. After an image is drawn on limestone with a
greasy medium, the stone is dampened and ink is applied with a
roller. The greasy image repels the water and retains the ink.
Paper is then pressed onto the surface. Lockspit Trenches dug
and Regulations for the Guidance of Surveyors' states:
On each side of the split pegs, and distant about one foot,
lockspits, three feet in length and six inches in depth, are ... to
be dug in the direction of the surveyed line. On very stony
lands, rows of stones placed in the direction of the surveyed line
may be substituted for dug-out lockspits. Log tables A set of
tables used to abridge arithmetical calculations, by the use of
addition and subtraction rather than multiplication and division.
Longitude The angular distance measured from a reference
meridian, Greenwich, either east or west. Magnetic north The
direction from a point on the earth's surface to the north
magnetic pole. The difference between magnetic north and true
north is referred to as magnetic declination. Map A
representation of the earth's surface where constituancies and
related nomenclature are portrayed to a specific format. Map
projection A means of systematically representing the meridians
and parallels of the earth onto a plane surface. Map scale The
relationship between a distance on a map and the corresponding
distance on the earth's surface. Mark An object, for example an
imprinted metal disc, used to designate a survey point. It is
usually associated with terms such as reference mark, azimuth
mark or bench mark. Material culture A term that refers to the
physical objects created by a culture. This could include the
buildings, tools and other artefacts created by the members of a
society. Measuring scales Measuring scales allow the user to
represent a subject or drawing to a recognisable reduction or
constant ratio of the actual or proposed size. Many early scales
were made of silver, ivory, bone or boxwood. Mercator
projection A conformal cylindrical projection tangential to the
Equator. Rhumb lines on this projection are represented as
straight lines. Meridian A straight line connecting the North and
South Poles and traversing points of equal longitude. Metes and
 • Thomas Edison State College
• Towson University
• Troy State University
• Tyler Junior College
• University of Alaska - Anchorage
• University of Arkansas - Little
Rock
• University of Arkansas -
Fayetteville
• University of Arkansas - Monticello
• University of California - Riverside
• University of Florida
• University of Houston
• University of Maine
• University of Texas at Tyler
• University of Wisconsin- Madison
• University of Wyoming Outreach
• Vincennes University
• Wake Technical Community
College
• Westwood College of Technology
EDUCATION IN LAND SURVEYING
Education in Surveying: Why Go to College?
In the formal surveying area, it is important to
have core mathematical skills such as algebra,
geometry, trigonometry, and calculus.
This article appeared in the November 2004
issue of Professional Surveyor.
Land Surveying Scholarships Available
Colleges and Universities Offering Land
Surveying Programs
ABET Accredited Surveying/Geomatics
Programs
ONLINE SCHOOLS FOR CERTIFICATION
AUBURN UNIVERSITY
• 2007 National Readjustment of the North
American Datum 1983
• ALTA/ACSM Land Title Survey (V06E
hrs changed 04-01-07)
• Colonial Land System and the Building of
America
• Construction Surveying
• Geodesy for Engineers and Surveyors
• History of Surveying Instruments: Impact
and Accuracy
bounds The oldest known form of describing the perimeter of a
parcel of land. The method of describing the boundary of a
parcel of land in which the bearing and length of each
successive line is given. Lines may also be described as
following some apparent line, for example the bank of a stream.
MGA94 The Universal Transverse Mercator coordinates of
eastings, northings, and zones generated from GDA94 are
called Map Grid of Australia 1994 coordinates. Mosaic A
number of continuous aerial photographs overlapped and joined
together by way of 'best fit' to form a single non-rectified
image. Orthophoto Aerial photograph images transformed using
an 'orthophoto verification' process to remove distortions and
capable of registering perfectly with cadastral data. Overlay
Information recorded on a transparent medium, superimposed
and registered to one or more other records. Peg Used to mark
survey corners on smaller portions or acreage. The size of the
peg was determined by the 'Rules and Directions for the
Guidance of Surveyors' editions. These referred to various land
acts of the time from the 1860s onwards. Photogrammetry The
science of obtaining reliable measurements by photography.
Photolithography The process used in a semiconductor
operation, which transfers the pattern of an image held on a
photomask, onto a flat substrate surface. It follows similar
principles to conventional lithography. PLI The Property
Location Index is a database which provides a link between the
parcel identifier (lot on plan) and its location address. It is
considered the point of truth for location addresses.
Rectification The mathematical and calculated correction made
to an aerial photograph to show its true ground position at a
consistent scale. Rhumb line A straight line connecting two
points on the earth's surface which cuts all meridians at the
same angle. The line maintains a constant bearing. RIME The
Resource Information Management Environment provides for
the storage, management and dissemination of extensible digital
topographic data held within the Department of Natural
Resources and Water. It is a seamless, multi-scale environment
covering Queensland. Run A large area of land in which
squatters could depasture their stock without a lot of fencing
necessary. Employed shepherds looked after various areas of
the runs. Runs became consolidated pastoral holdings. Many of
the runs were about 25 sq miles in area and later became
parishes. Sahul This is the name given to the continent when
 • History of the Government Land Office Australia and New Guinea were a single landmass during the
Pleistocene era. During this period, sea levels were
• Improving Surveying Field Procedures approximately 150 metres lower than present levels.
using the Total Station Sandy Blight A layman's term for chronic infection of the eyes
• Improving Surveying Field Procedures with the trachoma organism, possibly leading to blindness. It is
using the Total Station believed early European settlers brought the trachoma to
• Land Surveying Ethics - Mississippi Australia. Their poor hygiene evident in the low standard
• Professional Ethics for the Kentucky Land housing conditions, along with the dirt, heat and flies, caused
Surveyor the disease to become widespread. As living conditions
• Professional Ethics for the Land Surveyor improved, Sandy Blight in Australia had all but disappeared by
• Rectangular Land System: Subdivision of the 1930s. SCDB The Survey Control Database is a
Public Lands computerised record of the State's geodetic survey control data.
• Role of Engineers and Surveyors in Surveyors place and connect to these survey control points. The
Geographic Information Systems geodetic network provides a spatial reference framework for all
• Soils for Pavements surveys.
• Standards of Practice for Surveying in Selection Runs were subdivided into selections for farming,
Alabama agriculture and grazing homesteads. After a period of yearly
• State Plane Coordinates rental payments, the selector could often obtain freehold
• Surveying with GPS (V05D hrs ownership. SMIS SmartMap Information Services is an
changed 05-01-07) electronic application that accesses, integrates and delivers
• Understanding Boundary Law - Case Law (through the SmartMap interface) data available from many
and Principles of Surveying Law land-related datasets. These include ATS, DCDB, CISP, PLI,
• Vertical Datums and Leveling SCDB, Place Names and Aerial Photography Databases. Spatial
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES information Data that has a geographical reference to a location
http://www.cinstate.cc.oh.us on the earth's surface. This includes latitude and longitude co-
Cincinnati State Technical & Community College ordinates, street address and lot number on plan. SunPOZ
- Engineering Technologies Developed within the Dept of Natural Resources and Water,
http://www.etsu.edu/scitech/gggs SunPOZ uses Virtual Reference Station technology by bringing
East Tennessee State University - Surveying
together GPS architecture, networked computers and mobile
and Mapping Science Program
http://www.tech.mtu.edu/ phone communications to output centimetre-accurate positions
Michigan Technology University - Surveying in real time. Survey post Posts used on corners of large rural
Program size blocks of land or town section corners. They were
http://www-ec.njit.edu/surveying/surveying.html sharpened to a point, buried in the ground and exposed
New Jersey Institute of Technology - Surveying
Engineering and Technology Program
approximately 3'6" out of the ground. Theodolite Instrument
http://www-ceg.eng.ohio-state.edu used by a surveyor for measuring horizontal and vertical angles.
The Ohio State University - Dept. of Civil and Tindale, Norman A well known Australian anthropologist born
Environmental Engineering & Geodetic Science in 1900. He was the curator of anthropology at the South
http://www.oit.edu/eit/sur Australian Museum for over 30 years. He is remembered for his
Oregon Institute of Technology - Surveying
Program work with the Australian Aborigines where he undertook the
http://surveying.wb.psu.edu task of mapping Aboriginal Australia into language and
Penn State Wilkes-Barre - College of territory groups along with the recording of numerous
Engineering and Surveying Program Aboriginal genealogies. Topographic map A detailed
http://www.purdue.edu/odos/srbank/sreng.htm representation of cultural, hydrographic relief and vegetation
Purdue University - School of Civil Engineering features. These are depicted on a map on a designated
http://rangerschool.esf.edu
Suny - ESF Ranger School
projection and at a designated scale. Transverse Mercator
http://www.sci.tamucc.edu/gis Projection A projection similar to the Mercator projection, but has
Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi - Dept. of the cylinder tangent at a particular meridian rather than at the
Computers & Mathematics equator. Trigonometrical survey A concise method of surveying
http://ses.uwyo.edu/occc/degree.html
in which the stations are points on the ground located at vertices
University of Wyoming - Civil and Architectural
Engineering of a chain or network of triangles. The angles of the triangles
http://www.sur.ufl.edu/gsa are measured instrumentally and the sides are derived by
University of Folorida - Geomatica Student computation from selected sides termed as baselines. True north
Association The direction to the Earth's geographic North Pole. VRS Virtual
LAND SURVEYING HISTORY Reference Station. See SunPOZ Weichsel glaciation The last
glaciation of the ice age. An ice age is known as a period of low
Virtual Museum of Virtual Archive of Wild
temperatures in the earth's climate causing an expansion of the
Surveying Heerbrugg
earth's polar ice sheets and mountain glaciers. There have been
Tesseract - Antique approximately four distinct ice ages during the earth's history.
The Compleat Surveyor
Scientific Instruments LAND SURVEYORS UNITED ELSEWHERE ON THE WEB
Vimeo
World Boundaries -
Cadastral,com Vox
Walter J. Robillard
Lingr (chat)
Smithsonian Institute The Gemmary Myspace
USHistory.org Whipple Museum Openzine
Youtube
Ohio History Central -
Rittenhouse Journal Surveying Jobs
Thomas Hutchins
Scribd
Mount Diablo Flickr
Surveyors Historical AmericanArtifacts.com Facebook
Society SURVEYING BLOGS
AnimatedAtlas.com
AUTODESK BLOGS
Autodesk University Blog (BLAUG)
LEGAL RESEARCH Autodesk University Blog (BLAUG)
Vermont Statutes Between the Lines
http://www.leg.state.us/statutes/statutes2.html Beyond the Paper
VT Supreme Court Opinions Heidi Hewett's Blog
http://www.dol.state.vt.us/www_root/000000/html/ It’s Alive in the Lab
supct.html(VT Reports 161-169) Knowledge Base
Knowledge Base
US Supreme Court Opinions Knowledge Base
http://www.supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/ LT Unlimited
index.html(1990
to Present) Lynn Allen's Blog
Cornell Law Library The Dirt
http://www.law.cornell.edu
Self Help Law Through the Interface
http://www.nolo.com CAD RELATED BLOGS
Self Help Law
http://www.lectlaw.com AECnews.com
VT Bar Association AutoCAD Tips Newsletter
http://www.vtbar.org AutoCADder
VT Law School AutoCAD� GUI Test
http://www.vermontlaw.edu Beside the Cursor...
EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS Beth's CAD Blog
Padding are passed to p, h1 and h3. blog nauseam
• Occupational Outlook Surveyors, CAD - DRAFTING - CORNER
— Surveyors,
Technicians CAD Insider
Cartographers, Photogrammetrists, CAD Monkeys
and Surveying Technicians CAD Shack
• World's Most Popular GPS Information CAD-e-Corner
Resource— Mostly for consumer CADDHELP
grade gps users CADDManager Blog
• Surveying Units and Terms — list of CADDManager.com Blog
units of measure, surveying terms, CADing && Coding
surveyors' slang and abbreviations Caveat emptor.
• CIA World Factbook — provides CG Users Blog
national-level information on Circle Around (Ralph S)
countries, territories, and Deelip Menezes
dependencies, but not subnational Gizmos Grabowski
administrative units within a HyperPics: Beyond the UI
country. JTB World Blog
• Global Positioning System (GPS) Kenneth Wong Blog
Resources — GPS Resources Knowing What You Don't Know About CAD
• Make your own Graph Paper LT is still AutoCAD
• FEMA Elevation Certificate and Map 3D and Murphs Law
Instructions (pdf format)—
Download Mistress of the Dorkness
the revised FEMA Elevation NOVEDGE Newsletter - February 2008
Certificate - mandatory January 01, OpenDCL
2007 Outside The Box
• FEMA Elevation Certificate (doc format) Rockmaster's CAD Resources
— Download the revised FEMA The CAD Geek Blog
Elevation Certificate - mandatory The CAD Industry
January 01, 2007 The Lazy Drafter
• NGS Datasheet Page — Datasheets, The LT Side of Things
ShapeFiles, Tidal Benchmarks, The Mad Cadder
Recovery Sheets… The Source TLConsulting
Using Raster Design with AutoCAD
• Partial Index to Articles Authored or Co- Will render for food...
Authored by Knud E. Hermansen — WorldCAD Access
Aticles by Knud hermansen
covering a variety of subjects, all of SURVEYING IMAGES AND MAPS ONLINE
value to the practicing Land • Aerolist Photographers Online Photos
Surveyor • BLM Oregon and Washington GLO Plats
• Set Up a Wireless Network in a Small • Digital Globe
Office— Microsoft's excellent • EarthaMaps
tutorial on Wireless Network Setup • Earth From Space
• NGS Manual- State Plane Coordinate • Globe Explorer
— The Official NGS
System 1983 • Imagery Intelligence Gallery
Document in pdf format • Land Survey Information System
• BLM 1973 Surveying Manual — If you • Map of Principal Meridians
don't have a hard copy of this • MapQuest
manual, read or download a pdf • Maps.com
copy here • MapTech Map Server
• Restoration of Lost or Obliterated Corners • Nebraska State Survey Maps
—A
and Subdivision of Sections • NOAA EVP
retyped copy of the original • TerraFly
document in pdf format.. see • Microsoft TerraServer
disclaimer • NASA Photo Gallery
• Virtual Museum of Surveying — • NIMA Geospatial Engine
consists of exhibits which cover a • National Atlas of the United States
variety of topics related to • Terra: The EOS Flagship
surveying history. • TerraServer.com
• Museum of Surveying — The Museum • TopoZone
of Surveying is the only museum in • University of Texas Map Library
North America dedicated solely to • University of Wisconsin Satellite Images
the surveying and mapping • US Census TIGER Maps
profession. • USGS EROS Center
• Land Surveyor Rules & Regulations — • USGS GISDATA Map Studio
Compiled by Land Surveyors • USGS Mapping
Reference Page - very good • Visible Earth
reference • Yahoo Maps
• MIT Free Online Courses — Free • Washington Shoreline Aerial Photos
Surveying, Engineering, Math and USENET NEWSGROUPS OF INTEREST TO SURVEYORS
Science Classes by MIT • sci.engr.surveying - Surveying Newsgroup
• POB - rpls.com — The first and the • sci.geo.satellite-nav - GPS Newsgroup
best online forum for Professional • comp.infosystems.gis - GIS Newsgroup
Land Surveyors • sci.engr.civil - Civil Engineering Newsgroup
• comp.cad.autocad - AutoCAD Newsgroup
 • Surveying and Mediation: New SATELLITE TRACKING
Opportunities in an Old Role— Jerry D. • Sam Wormley's (Iowa State)GPS/Glosnass Satellite
Taylor, P.S., J.D. Tracking Page
• A collection of geodesy and related • NASA Satellite Tracking -- for IBM PC
— Michael R. Craymer,
resources • Satellite FAQ
Ph.D., Geodetic Survey Division, • Photos of the GPS Satellites (Block IIa)
Geomatics Canada
MISCELLANEOUS LAND SURVEYING LINKS
UNITS OF MEASURE • Civil Engineering Resources
• Acre - The (English) acre is a unit • Purdue University - Land Surveying Engineering
• Autocad Shareware
of area equal to 43,560 square feet,
• U.S. Geographic Name lookup -Locate creeks and other
or 10 square chains, or 160 square
features named in deeds
poles. It derives from a plowing
• U.S. GenWeb - Gateway to local history and genealogy
area that is 4 poles wide and a
• Cyndi's List of Land Record Sites - An excellent list of
furlong (40 poles) long. A square
related sites
mile is 640 acres. The Scottish acre
• FindLaw - Legal resources, including Property Law
is 1.27 English acres. The Irish acre
• Search US CENSUS Bureau
is 1.6 English acres.
• Arpent - Unit of length and area
American Congress on
used in France, Louisiana, and
Surveying and Mapping
Canada. As a unit of length,
www.acsm.net
approximately 191.8 feet (180 old
French 'pied', or foot). The (square) National Society of Professional
arpent is a unit of area, Surveyors
approximately .845 acres, or 36,802 www.nspsmo.org
square feet. Michigan Technological
• Chain - Unit of length usually University Surveying Program
understood to beGunter's chain, but www.tech.mtu.edu
possibly variant by locale. See also
Ferris State University
Rathbone's chain. The name comes
Surveying/Engineering Program
from the heavy metal chain of 100
www.ferris.edu/cot/surveying
links that was used by surveyors to
measure property bounds.
• Colpa - Old Irish measure of land
equal to that which can support a
horse or cow for a year.
Approximately an Irish acre of good
land.
• Compass - One toise.
• Engineer's Chain - A 100 foot
chaincontaining 100 links of one
foot apiece.
• Furlong - Unit of length equal to 40
poles (220 yards). Its name derives
from "furrow long", the length of a
furrow that oxen can plow before
they are rested and turned. See
Gunter's chain.
• Ground - A unit of area equal to
2400 sq. ft., or 220 sq. meters, used
in India.
• Gunter's Chain - Unit of length
equal to 66 feet, or 4 poles.
Developed by English polymath
Edmund Gunter early in the 1600's,
the standard measuring chain
revolutionized surveying. Gunter's
chain was 22 yards long, one tenth
of a furlong, a common unit of
length in the old days. An area one
chain wide by ten chains long was
exactly an acre. In 1595 Queen
Elizabeth I had the mile redefined
from the old Roman value of 5000
feet to 5280 feet in order for it to be
an even number of furlongs. A mile
is 80 chains.
• Hectare - Metric unit of area equal
to 10,000 square meters, or 2.471
acres, or 107,639 square feet.
• Hide - A very old English unit of
area, a hide was of variable size
depending on locale and the quality
of the land. It was the amount of
land to support a family, and ranged
from 60 to 180 acres. After the
Norman conquest in 1066 it became
standardized at around 120 acres.
• Hundred - An adminstrative area
larger than a village and smaller
than a county. In England it was
100 hides in size, and the term was
used for early settlements in
Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware.
• Labor - The labor is a unit of area
used in Mexico and Texas. In Texas
it equals 177.14 acres (or 1 million
square varas).
• League (legua) - Unit of area used
in the southwest U.S., equal to 25
labors, or 4428 acres (Texas), or
4439 acres (California). Also, a unit
of length-- approximately three
miles.
• Link - Unit of length equal to 1/100
chain (7.92 inches).
• Morgen - Unit of area equal to
about .6309 acres. It was used in
Germany, Holland and South
Africa, and was derived from the
German word Morgen ("morning").
It represented the amount of land
that could be plowed in a morning.
• Out - An 'out' was ten chains. When
counting out long lines, the chain
carriers would put a stake at the end
of a chain, move the chain and put a
stake at the end, and so on until they
ran "out" of ten stakes.
• Perch - See pole .
• Point - A point of the compass.
There are four cardinal points
(North, South, East, West), and 28
others yielding 32 points of 11.25
degrees each. A survey line's
direction could be described as a
compass point, as in "NNE" (north
northeast). To improve precision,
the points would be further
subdivided into halves or quarters as
necessary, for example, "NE by
North, one quarter point North". In
some areas, "and by" meant one half
point, as in "NE and by North".
• Pole - Unit of length and area. Also
known as a perch or rod. As a unit
 of length, equal to 16.5 feet. A mile
is 320 poles. As a unit of area, equal
to a square with sides one pole long.
An acre is 160 square poles. It was
common to see an area referred to
as "87 acres, 112 poles", meaning
87 and 112/160 acres.
• Pueblo - A Spanish grant of less
than 1000 acres.
• Rancho - A Spanish grant of more
than 1000 acres.
• Rathbone's Chain - A measuring
chain two poles, or 33 feet, in
length.
• Rod - See pole
• Rood - Unit of area usually equal to
1/4 acre.
• Toise - Traditional French unit of
length equal to 6 old French 'pieds'
or feet, or 6.4 English feet.
• Vara - Unit of length (the "Spanish
yard") used in the U.S. southwest.
The vara is used throughout the
Spanish speaking world and has
values around 33 inches, depending
on locale. The legal value in Texas
was set to 33 1/3 inches early in the
1900's.
• Virgate - An old English unit of
area, equal to one quarter of a hide.
The amount of land needed to
support a person.
SURVEYORS' SLANG
• Balls - Slang for numeric .00, as in
4-balls (4.00)
• Beep - Verb. To use a magnetic
detector to look for iron pipe, etc.
• Boot - To raise the levels rod some
number of inches so as to be visible
to the instrument man, e.g. "Boot
6!" means "raise it 6 inches."
• Blue topping - In road or grading
work the surveyor sets stakes and
paints their tops blue to represent
the required elevation. Graders then
work to just cover the blue tops of
the stakes.
• Bug - To use a magnetic locator to
search for an iron pipe.
• Bullseye - Zero degrees of
inclination.
• Burn - See shoot
• Burn one - Measure from the one
foot mark on the tape rather than
from the end of the tape in order to
increase the accuracy of the
measurement.
• Cut line - To clear vegetation for a
line of sight between two survey
control points.
• Double nickel - Slang for .55, as in
6-double nickel (6.55)
• Dummy or dummy-end - The base
or zero end of a tape or chain, as in
"hold dummy at the face of the
curb."
• EDM - Electromagnetic Distance
Measurement device, the instrument
used by modern surveyors that
replaces the use of measurement
chains. It determines distance by
measuring the time it takes for laser
light to reflect off a prism on top of
a rod at the target location.
• Ginney - A wooden dowel 6-9
inches in length with a sharpened
end. Set in the ground to mark
survey points.
• Glass - The EDM prism.
• Gun - Originally, a transit, but
potentially any measurement
instrument in use, e.g.
theodolite,EDM, or Total Station.
 • Hours - Degrees
• Hub and Tack - A 2" by 2" stake
that is set in the ground and that
contains a nail ("tack") that
precisely marks the point being set.
• Jigger - Transit (Australia and New
Zealand)
• Legs - Tripod
• Pogo - Prism pole
• Punk - See railroad.
• Railroad - Slang for eleven, as in
42-railroad (42.11)
• Rodman - The person holding the
rod with theEDM prism. This
person is the modern version of a
chain carrier or chain man.
• Shoot - Measure distance with an
EDM
• Spike - Usually a 60 penny nail
used to mark survey points in hard
ground.
• Stob - In the southeast U.S., a
wooden stake or post, but in modern
surveying, a piece of rebar used to
mark a property boundary.
• Tie - To locate something with the
transit or other measuring device.
• Top - Slang for eleven. See
railroad.
• Trip - Slang for triple digits, as in
trip5 means 555, and 43trip7 means
43.777
• Turn - The rodman is told to stay in
place while the gun or level is
moved to a new location.
• Zero - Zero degrees, minutes, and
seconds. A perfect zero.
SURVEYORS' ABBREVIATIONS
B.R.L. - Building restriction line.
FD - Found
IPF - Iron pipe found
IRF - Iron rod found
L.O.D. - Limit of Disturbance. The area to
be cleared, graded, etc.
MAG - New concrete nails are magnetic
nails and are stamped with MAG on the
head and are easier to find with metal
detectors.
NPP - Nail in power pole
NTCFP - Nail on top of corner fence post
NTFP - Nail on top of fence post
PI - Point of intersection
PK - Point Known, PK nail
PK nail - A concrete nail made by Parker
Kaelon, stamped PK, that marks a survey
point. See also hub and tack.
SR - Steel rebar
SRS - Steel rod set (rebar or other steel)
WC - Witness corner
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