Sustainable Land Development Today - June 2008 - (Page 38)

SURVEYING The Process of Completing a Land Survey By Daniel E. Beardslee, PLS This is the second of a three-part series on land surveying. The first article described the task of what land surveying really is. This article explains how the surveying process works. The final installment will explain how to find and hire a competent property surveyor. Surveying, with the exception of new innovations in equipment, has not really changed much over the centuries. The same mathematics is still used as were used in biblical times. The methods and systems are much the same as they always have been. The surveyor’s job is made much easier now with the advent of theodolites, electronic distance measuring equipment, and computers. However, hacking a line through the brush is still hacking a line through the brush. No one has yet invented a tool that will alleviate this drudgery. The modern surveyor’s biggest technological advance has probably been the electronic distance meter (EDM). This device allows measurement from mountaintop to mountaintop, across canyons, over water, and impassable ground. It also has many advantages over the old standard steel chain or tape. Long distances can be measured with much more precision and much more quickly. Angles are still measured with a surveyor’s instrument, such as a transit or theodolite, although much advancement has been made in this field as well. The standard transit is read by observing a vernier that is marked off in some increment of a 360-degree arc, typically, one minute. The theodolite is normally an instrument that has an enclosed vernier, and is easier to read, and requires less expertise to handle. Most instruments on the market today have digital readouts that require no interpolation whatsoever, and these are a great advancement in terms of precision. The typical instrument of today is called the “total station” or some similar term. These devices measure both distance and angle, and have many, many features that make them extremely efficient surveying tools. Many have data collectors that interface directly with computers and virtually eliminate the need for recording measurements in the field. This is important since it eliminates one source of error in the process of surveying. The most recent important advance in field technology is GPS (Global Positioning System). This method of surveying involves the observation of satellites placed in particular orbits by the Department of Defense. The technology was created to allow precise positioning for military purposes, but surveyors now routinely use this technology for certain applications. The equipment and train- ing is expensive, but the results are very impressive. In the office, the surveyor has all types of various devices that allow dramatic improvements in efficiency. There are computers, of course, and they save thousands of hours of time compared to even 20 years ago, when the standard calculator was a mechanical rotary type, and had no memory whatsoever. Most of the surveyor’s work involves trigonometry, and just the computer’s ability to automatically compute trig functions has enormously increased the ability to make swift and accurate calculations. The new equipment does not, of course, relieve the surveyor of interpretive duties. Decisions must still be based on experience and good judgment, weight of evidence, location of old corners, interpretation of old surveys, document research, and the general exercise of professional judgment. These things cannot be computerized and that’s probably for the better. Let’s take a look, then, at how the surveyor goes about performing a property survey. Assuming that a 2.5-acre tract is to be surveyed that is described as a portion of a section by subdivision, we will follow the procedure generally required to accomplish the task. After entering into the agreement, the surveyor must acquire copies of the client’s deed description and those of all the adjoining property owners. The ad joiners must be examined to determine if there is the possibility of an overlap or a gap (hiatus). Often the deeds of parcels 38 June 2008 Sustainable Land Development Today

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Sustainable Land Development Today - June 2008

Sustainable Land Development Today - June 2008 Contents Our Voice Editorial Board SLDT Resources Where Rubber Meets the Road Integrated Planning: The Key To Developing Sustainable Planned Communities Win-Win For College and Community Industry Spotlight: Transoft Unique Organization, Unique Opportunity New Preferred Provider Comments from the Austin Conference Welcome New Members New Knowledge Project Articles Books Going Green Business Management Risk Management Surveying and Mapping Industry News Products/Services Showcase Advertiser Index Classifieds The Last Word

Sustainable Land Development Today - June 2008

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