Land Surveying Resources Handbook

A Resource Pool for Members of Land Surveyors United

Land Surveying Resources Handbook.................................................. 1A Resource Pool for Members of Land Surveyors United ........................... 1

SURVEYING EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS ......................................... 2HOME---> SURVEYING RESOURCES ................................................ 2

LAND SURVEYING LINKS AND RESOURCES FROM AROUND THE WEB ..... 2ONLINE SURVEYING MAGAZINES....................................................... 4SURVEYING SOFTWARE MANUFACTURERS .......................................... 2GPS BOOKS .................................................................................... 5GOVERNMENT GIS INFORMATION (CANADA)....................................... 5STATE LAND SURVEYING BOARDS AND ORGANIZATIONS ..................... 3GIS INFORMATION (GENERAL) .......................................................... 6SURVEYING ASSOCIATIONS INTERNATIONAL...................................... 6INTERNATIONAL SURVEYING COMPANIES DIRECTORY ......................... 6PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS ........................................................ 4GOVERNMENT GPS LINKS ................................................................. 5GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATIONS .......................................................... 5SURVEYING RELATED PATENTS ......................................................... 6CADASTRAL SURVEYING................................................................... 7SURVEYING METHODS ..................................................................... 7

DYNAMIC OR KINEMATIC GPS ........................................................ 7STATIC GPS ................................................................................. 7DIFFERENTIAL POSITIONING.......................................................... 8

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS ......................................................10ASSOCIATIONS INTERNATIONALES ..................................................10GLOSSARY OF SURVEYING AND MAPPING TERMS ................................ 8SURVEYING SCHOOLS, COLLEGES AND TRAINING ..............................10SURVEYING EDUCATION SCHOOLS ...................................................11EDUCATION IN LAND SURVEYING.....................................................13ONLINE SCHOOLS FOR CERTIFICATION.............................................13

AUBURN UNIVERSITY ...................................................................13COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES .........................................................14LAND SURVEYING HISTORY .............................................................15LEGAL RESEARCH ...........................................................................15EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS...............................................................16UNITS OF MEASURE........................................................................18LAND SURVEYORS UNITED ELSEWHERE ON THE WEB .........................15SURVEYING BLOGS.........................................................................15AUTODESK BLOGS..........................................................................15CAD RELATED BLOGS......................................................................16SURVEYING IMAGES AND MAPS ONLINE............................................17SURVEYORS' SLANG........................................................................21USENET NEWSGROUPS OF INTEREST TO SURVEYORS .........................17SATELLITE TRACKING .....................................................................18MISCELLANEOUS LAND SURVEYING LINKS ........................................18SURVEYORS' ABBREVIATIONS..........................................................23

HOME---> SURVEYING RESOURCES

LAND SURVEYING LINKS AND RESOURCESFROM AROUND THE WEBThis page is starting to become themost comprehensive list of land surveyorlinks available on the web. Don't forget tobookmark this page! [Ctrl+D]Submit a link to us herePlease report broken links here

Surveyor Support Groups By Location

▪ NorthAmerica

▪ SouthAmerica

▪ Africa▪ Asia▪ Australia▪ Europe▪ Russia

▪ Antarctica▪ US States▪ India▪ Carribean▪ Canada▪ Puerto

Rico▪ Jamaica

Surveyor Support Based onEquipment Manufacturer

▪ SokkiaSupport

▪ TrimbleSupport

▪ MicrosurveySupport

SURVEYING EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS• 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• Sokkia• Berntsen Survey Markers• Carhartt Work Clothes• Chicago Steel and Tape• David White Levels• Dunham & Morrow• Dutch Hill Performance Tripods• Jobcom Radios• Laser Technology• Leica Geosystems• Mark-It• Motorola Portable Radios• Nikon• Pacific Crest• Topcon Survey• Schonstedt Magnetic Locators• Seco• Silva Compasses• Silver Shield• Surv-Kap• Suunto Compasses• Trimble• West Coast Shoe Co. Heavy-Duty Boots• White's Boots

SURVEYING SOFTWARE MANUFACTURERS•

◦ Abykus Surveying Spreadsheets◦ ACA Ltd. ALERT Deformation Monitoring System◦ Autodesk◦ Bentley Systems (Microstation)◦ Boston Harbor Software

▪ TopconSupport

▪ NavcomSupport

▪ AltusPositioning

▪ AshtechMagellan

▪ NikonSupport

▪

▪ JuniperSystemsSupport

▪ HandheldSupport

▪ Traverse PCSupport

▪ MagellanSupport

▪ SpectraPrecisionSupport

▪ TDSSupport

▪ CarlsonSupport

Surveyor Support Groups Based onTheme

▪ Job SearchGroup

▪ UnemployedSurveyors

▪ Resume Review▪ Surveyors

Online Toolbox▪ Student

Surveyors▪ Archeaology▪ City Surveyors▪ Government

Surveyors▪ GIS and

Surveying▪ Mobile Phones

Support▪ Endangered Art

of Chaining▪ LSU Field

Support Group▪ Robotics For

Land Surveyors▪ KML for

Surveyors▪ aw Enforcement▪ Aerial

Photogrammetry

▪▪ Machine

Control forLandSurveyors

▪ SurveyingHow To

▪ LSI or FSIStudyMaterials

▪ Party Chiefs▪ Raw Data▪ Seismic

Surveyors▪ Surveyors

Connect▪ Construction

Surveying▪ 3D Scanner

Support▪ One Man

Show▪ Public

WorksGroup

▪ PHDResourcesGroup

▪ Cadastral

◦ BW Muncy Deed Plotting Software◦ Carlson Software◦ CAD Warehouse◦ Corvallis Microtechnology◦ CvlSoft Inc.◦ Direct Line Software DeedMapper◦ Eagle Point Software◦ ESRI GIS Mapping Software◦ FREE SURVEYING SOFTWARE!◦ GeoMagix◦ GeoSurface Technologies◦ HP 48 Software Archive◦ Infycons◦ Innerspace Technology◦ Intergraph◦ Microsearch GeoLab◦ MicroSurvey Software, Inc.◦ Project Tracker Pro◦ PC Survey◦ PCI Geomatics◦ Ptbase◦ Quick Cogo◦ RAMSS Inc.◦ Simplicity Systems, Inc.◦ Softree Terrain Tools◦ SRH Least Squares◦ The Complete CAD Catalog/AutoCAD

Shareware◦ TerraModel◦ Traverse PC◦ Tripod Data Systems◦ UGL Software◦ XYZ Works

STATE LAND SURVEYING BOARDS AND ORGANIZATIONS

• Alabama - http://www.aspls.org• Alaska - http://www.ptialaska.net/~aspls/• Arizona - http://www.gci-net.com/~users/S/sowens/

default.htm• Arkansas - http://www.asps.ar-business.com/• http://www.state.ar.us/pels/• California - http://www.dca.ca.gov/pels• http://www.ca-surveyors.org/• http://www.celsoc.org/• Colorado - http://www.dora.state.co.us/engineers_surveyors/• http://www.plsc.net/• Connecticut - http://www.ctsurveyor.com/• Delaware - http://www.delsurvey.com/• Florida - http://www.fsms.org/• Georgia - http://www.samsog.org

▪ Law forSurveyors

▪ CreativeConstruction

▪ Geodetic/GPS▪ Out of Plumb

Fans

▪ ProductReviews

▪ HP48Calculators

▪ ComputerHelp forSurveyors

▪ Formulasthat Work

▪ FemaleLandSurveyors

▪ History ofSurveying

▪ CartographyandMapping

▪ Odd orFunnySurveyingStories

ONLINE SURVEYING MAGAZINES• Point of Beginning — The Oldest of

the Surveying Magazines• American Surveyor Magazine — A paid

subscription print magazine - Justbecame free…subscribe now

• GPS World — The latest GPS newsfor surveyors and other professions

• GeoPlace — GPS in the News• Cadalyst — Cad Information - Hugh

AutoLisp library• Professional Surveyor — addresses the

processes and tools of position andmeasurement as well as the role ofthe surveyor

• Earth Observation Magazine — EOMprovides up-to-date coverage ofdevelopments with satelliteimagery, digital aerial photography,digital topographic datasets andmore!

• GIS Monitor (weekly) — GIS Monitortakes a fresh look at GIS software,

• Hawaii - http://www.iav.com/~hals• Idaho - http://www.state.id.us/ipels/index.htm• Illinois - http://www.prairienet.org/iplsa/• http://www.iplsa.org/• Indiana - http://www.ispls.org/• Kansas - http://www.ksls.com/• Kentucky - http://www.kaps1.com• Louisiana - http://www.lsps.net/• http://www.lapels.com/• Maine - http://www.msls.org/• Maryland - http://www.marylandsurveyor.org/• Massachusetts - http://www.engineers.org/malsce/index.html• Michigan - http://www.misocprofsurveyors.org/• Minnesota - http://www.mnsps.com/• Mississippi - http://www.pepls.state.ms.us• Missouri - http://www.rollanet.org/~eksi/marls/• Montana - http://www.marls.com/• Nevada - http://www.nv-landsurveyors.org/• New Hampshire - http://www.state.nh.us/jtboard/home.htm• http://www.atc.unh.edu/NHLSA/• 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• North Carolina - http://home.earthlink.net/~ncss• http://www.ncbels.org• Ohio - http://www.peps.state.oh.us• Oklahoma - http://www.osls.org/• Oregon - http://www.plso.org• http://www.osbeels.org• Pennsylvania - http://www.psls.org• Rhode Island - http://www.rispls.org/• South Carolina - http://www.scspls.com/• Tennessee - http://www.taps-inc.com/• Texas - http://www.tsps.org/• http://www.txls.state.tx.us• Utah - http://www.ucls.org/• Virginia - http://www.vasurveyors.org/• http://www.state.va.us/dpor• Washington - http://www.lsaw.org/• http://www.wa.gov/dol/bpd/engfront.htm• Wisconsin - http://www.wsls.org• West Virginia - http://web.mountain.net/~wvals

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS• National Surveyor's Hall of Fame — by South dakota

Society of Professiona Land Surveyors• FSMS - Florida Survey and Mapping Society

data, GPS, location-based services,wireless and other industries andtechnologies that touch the locationtechnology arena

GPS BOOKS• GPS for Dummies by Joel McNamara —

Introduction for Beginners• GPS Made Easy by Lawrence Letham —

A good book for those consideringbuying a GPS

• Geocaching for Dummies by JoelMcNamara— Find a high-tech hobbyin the great outdoors! Dig into thisfast-growing detective sport

• The Essential Guide To Geocaching byMike Dyer — Caches or stashes ofprovisions, hidden along a routewere a common occurrence inLewis and Clark�s day when

• GPS for Land Surveyors by Jan Van Sickle— Written by a land surveyor, forland surveyors

• GPS Mapping by Rich Owings —Learning to use a GPS is fairlystraightforward; choosing whichsoftware to use is not. GPSMapping � Make Your Own Maps

• GPS Satellite Surveying by Alfred Leick— updated to cover emergingprecise-point position technology

• Introduction to GPS by Ahmed El-Rabbany— includes an in-depthdiscussion on the errors and biasesthat affect GPS measurements,along with guidance

GOVERNMENT GIS INFORMATION(CANADA)

• BC Land Title & Survey - OnLineCadastre

• BC OnLine - BC E-GovernmentServices

• 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. — Societyfor North Carolina Land Surveyors

• National Society of Professional Surveyors - NSPS — NationalSociety of Professional Surveyors - NSPS

• American Association for Geodetic Surveying - AAGS —professional society of scientists and otherprofessionals overseeing the development and use ofEarth-referencing system

• The CURTA Calculator Page — Everything you want toknow about the CURTA Calculator includingsimulators

GOVERNMENT GPS LINKS• US Coast Guard (official GPS site)• 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 TopoMaps, Geological Pub, Digital Products etc

• New Zealand: Land Information New Zealand -- officialgovernment 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 ASSOCIATIONSINTERNATIONAL

• 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 COMPANIESDIRECTORY

[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 SurveyorsARGENTINA

• Federal Base Network Surveys — The Federal BaseNetwork provides spatial reference control that hassome 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 theNational Geodetic Survey.

• US Copyright Office — Copyright is a form of protectionprovided by the laws of the United States

• National Geodetic Survey — NOAA's National GeodeticSurvey (NGS) defines and manages a nationalcoordinate 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 andthe consumer

SURVEYING RELATED PATENTS• Laser Land Surveying Apparatus With Digital Display — A

land-surveying apparatus for use with a laser beamsource to obtain grade and range distances has a gradepole with a laser beam detection unit slidably mountedthereon

• Method and Apparatus of Computer Aided Surveying forobtaining Digital, 3D Topographic Information — Method ofsurveying for the compilation of digital files ofdetailed, three-dimensional, topographic data,consisting of co-ordinates of points in the terrain andthe corresponding topographic point

• Pole Tilt Sensor for Surveyor Range Pole — A surveyor rangepole, for example, equipped with a GPS receiver andantenna mounted at the top end, a battery mounted atthe bottom end to better balance the pole, a tilt sensorand a direction sensor

• Mertind Argentina S.A.• Miguel Angel Tous - Agrimensor• Lanari, Calza & Associates

AUSTRALIA• K F Murphy & Associates -

Consulting Surveyors• Data Survey Pty. Ltd.

BRAZIL• Poligono Topografia, LTDA Promap

Topografia LtdaBULGARIA

• GEOCAD 93• SPOT

CANADA• Rudy Mak Surveying, LTD• Terra Pacific Land Surveying Ltd.• Derek G. Graham Limited• Isaac & Denchuk• Coote, Hiley, Jemmett Limited• Richard A. Preiss Surveying Ltd.• Taylor & MacKeen Surveys Limited• Robert T. Stephenson Surveying,

Inc.• Montieth & Sutherland Limited• Payette, Himma & Delorme, Ltd.• N.C.L. Geomatics• J.D. Barnes Limited• Butler Sundvick & Associates• Everest Geodetics• Klau Geomatics• Cadastral Geomatics International,

Inc.• Fairhall, Moffatt & Woodland

Limited, OLS• Jaques Caron, Arpenteur-Geometre• Browne Johnson and Associates• Burnham Land Surveys• Robert Allen and Company• Holstead & Redmond Limited• Eastern Land Surveys, Ltd.• Dhaliwal Oliver Wong Professional

Land Surveying, Inc.• McNeice Harvey D'Amico Surveyors,

LTD• Beninger Surveying, LTD• Hol & Associates• Marshall Macklin Monaghan Limited

GUAM & PHILIPPINES• Prudencio R. Balagtas & Associates,

Inc.

• Position Sensing System for Surveying and Grading — Aposition sensing apparatus and method useful forsurveying, marking, and grading implement sensingand control is disclosed

• Computer Assisted Video Surveying and Method Thereof —One embodiment of the invention is a method of usinga computer to assist a land based video survey. Initially,a video recording of a control location and a surveyarea is produced.

• High Speed Well Surveying and Land Navigation — A landvehicle navigation apparatus incorporates an inertialangular rate sensor on the vehicle and having asensitive axis, and an inertial acceleration or tilt sensor

CADASTRAL SURVEYING• Association of Canada Lands Surveyors

• Canadian Council of Land Surveyors

• Canada Centre for Cadastral Management - Natural ResourcesCanada

• Association of British Columbia Land Surveyors

• Association of Ontario Land Surveyors

• Lower Mainland British Columbia Land Surveyors GroupSURVEYING METHODS

DYNAMIC OR KINEMATIC GPS

Dymanic or Kinematic GPS is becoming the default method ofnavigation for small craft as the complex computationspreviously necessary are all performed on-board the receiver.They work independently of the weather, 24 hours per day ( butnot under trees or water), perform spheroidal calculations andautomatically convert between coordinate datums.

STATIC GPS

The highest level of accuracy obtainable with GPS requires useof two units, one as a base station and the other visiting thepoints of interest. It is then possible to compute the vector

• GeoAnalytika Technical andConsultancy Services

ITALY• Milano Antonio & Associates

INDIA• Geo Spatial Dimensions• SaNaS Technologies Pvt. Ltd.,• Secon Surveys• Arya Surveying Company• Goodland Surveys• Wasisht Engineers and Consultants• Hitech Surveys• A K R Surveying Company Pvt. LTD.• Theovel Surveys• Premier Consulting Engineers &

Surveyors PVT. LTD.• Pallavi Surveys

ISRAEL• Mashav Surveys, LTD• Tomer Civil Engineering Services &

Surveying• RGM Geodesy and Surveying, Ltd.

JAMAICA• J.R. Mais & Associates Ltd.

MALAYSIA• Ground Data Systems Sdn. Bhd.

NEW GUINEA• Niugini Surveys

SPAIN• OJEDA'S, Inc.

THE NETHERLANDS• GeoComp Nederland

NEW ZEALAND• Knight & Associates CKL Surveys

Ltd.NIGERIA

• Aero-Geodetic Services (Nig) Ltd• Oak Surveys

PAKISTAN• Geomatics and Engineering

Services Private Limited• A.W.MIR Associates• Chaudhery Brothers

PHILIPPINES• GENSON Surveying & Engineering

ConsultantsPOLAND

between these two units to a much higher degree of accuracythan we can compute absolute latitude and longitude.Practically all the systematic errors that can occur in GPSpositioning can be eliminated if we measure to a set of satellitessimultaneously from two receivers, a process known asdifferential positioning.

DIFFERENTIAL POSITIONING

The typical configuration for differential positioning is shownbelow, two units receiving signals from the same constellationof satellites at the same time. The relative position of the twounits can be determined to a very high accuracy, in many casesbetter than a centimetre. If one of these units was located over apoint for which we had ground control coordinates it is thentheoretically possible to obtain highly accurate coordinates forthe other point. This is indeed the case, providing all thecomputations are performed in the one coordinate system.

This technique can be also applied if one of the receivers is on amoving platform, or is moved between points of interest whilethe base station remains fixed and continues to observe to thesame satellites. This produces new procedures known as rapid-static positioning, kinematic positioning and pseudo-kinematicpositioning. In general the units store the observations to thesatellites and are downloaded to PC type computers at the endof the project. The differential solution is then computed usingthe complete set of data from all the receivers. The latesthardware systems can transmit the corrections between the basestation and the rover allowing the solution to be determined on-the-fly so that positioning accuracies of around 0.01m areavailable in real-time.GLOSSARY OF SURVEYING AND MAPPING TERMSAerial photography Photography of part of the earth's surface,but is not rectified to account for differences in scale throughoutthe photograph. Altitude The vertical angle between the planeof the horizon and the line to the object which is observed. Inphotogrammetry, altitude applies to elevation above a datum ofpoints in space. Aneroid barometer An instrument used toobtain heights above sea level by measuring atmosphericpressure. Since atmospheric pressure varies with the heightabove or below sea level, the height can be read directly from

• GEODOR Land Surveying ServicesBono 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,

HydrogragherRUSSIA

• The Laboratory of Inertial GeodeticSystems (LIGS)

SAUDIA ARABIA• RGF Surveys

SLOVAKIA• GAMO Ltd.

SINGAPORE• LEE BOON HAW REGISTERED

SURVEYORSurveytech Pte LtdTHAILAND

• 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 Thearchaeological record exists as a repository. Inside lie thedecaying material remains of ancient beings and civilisations.As archaeologists approach their work, they encounter raw datafrom the archaeological record that serves as the source of theirevidence to interpret. ATS The Automated Title System is thecomputerised legal register of freehold land, State tenure landand Reserve land in Queensland. The system also automateselements of the document receiving, lodgement, tracking andregistration processes. Australian Height Datum The datumused to determine elevations in Australia. The AHD is based onmean sea level being zero elevation. Azimuth The horizontalangle measured from the meridian planes (a plane whichcontains the polar axis, being true north). Baseline A surveyedline usually several kilometres long. It is established with theutmost precision available at the time. Surveys refer to thebaseline for coordination and correlation. The baselineaccumulates distances throughout a triangulation network,extending to other baselines, providing further integratedcontrol. Beam compass A drafting instrument used for drawingcircles with a long radius. The point and scribe are separateunits, 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 elevationabove or below an adopted datum is known. Blaze A markcarved in a tree trunk at about breast height, signifying closeproximity of a survey line Cadastral A Latin term from'cadastre' referring to a registry of lands. Cadastral surveying isthe process of determining and defining land ownership andboundaries. Cadastral map A map depicting land parcels andassociated nomenclature. Cartography The art and science ofthe production of maps. This includes the construction ofprojections, design, compilation, drafting and reproduction.Chart Special purpose navigation maps chiefly used fornautical, aeronautical and mapping of the cosmos. CISP TheComputer Inventory of Survey Plans is a database that providescurrent and historical survey plan information. It includesimages of all survey plans registered in Queensland. ClinometerAn instrument used to determine the angle of elevation ordepression. A De Lisle's Pendent Clinometer was used bysurveyors and engineers to set out slopes and gradients in the

• BGM Engineers & Surveyors, LLCWEST INDIES

• Anthony G. A. Allison & Associates• Earl Cenac & Associates• Advanced Land Surveying• CANE Associates Co, Ltd.

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATIONSASSOCIATIONS INTERNATIONALES

• Association of ConsultingSurveyors,New South Wales, Australia

• Consiglio Nazionale Geometri (CNG),Italy (National Council of Surveyors) (inItalian)

• Council of European GeodeticSurveyors (CLGE) / Comit�� deLiaison des G��om��tresEurop��ens

• Institution of Civil EngineeringSurveyors (ICES), U.K.

• Institution of Surveyors, The, Australia• International Federation of

Surveyors / F��d��rationinternationale des g��om��tres

• International Federation ofSurveyors Commission 7 (FIG7)

• New Zealand Institute of Surveyors• Ordre des G��om��tres-Experts,

France• Royal Institution of Chartered

Surveyors (RICS), U.K.• Society of Chartered Surveyors

(SCS), Ireland• Spatial Sciences Institute, Australia• The Survey Association (TSA), U.K.• UKGEOforum, U.K.

SURVEYING SCHOOLS, COLLEGES ANDTRAINING

http://www.cinstate.cc.oh.usCincinnati State Technical &Community College -Engineering Technologies

http://www.etsu.edu/scitech/gggsEast Tennessee State University - Surveyingand Mapping Science Programhttp://www.tech.mtu.edu/Michigan Technology University - SurveyingProgram

construction of paths, tracks and roads. Compass The magneticcompass has a pivoting magnetised needle that always points tomagnetic north (geological features may influence readings).The compass circumference is divided into degrees from whicha bearing of a chosen direction from magnetic north can bedetermined. A compass magnetic bearing must be converted toa grid bearing for plotting on a map. Contour interval Thedifference in elevation between adjacent contours as delineatedon a map. Contours Lines joining points of equal height asshown on a topographic map. Contour lines that are relativelyclose together depict an area of steep terrain on the earth'ssurface. Crown land Land belonging to the reigning sovereign.Datum A mathematical representation that best fits the shape ofthe earth. Accurate mapping and coordinate systems must bebased on a datum. A new datum known as the Geocentric Datum ofAustralia (GDA) was introduced in 2000 to bring Australia in linewith the rest of the world's coordinate systems. GDA is alsototally compatible with satellite based navigation systems, forexample Global Positioning Systems (GPS). The previous datumused in Australia was known as the Australian Geodetic Datum(AGD). However, this was restricted because it was defined tobest fit the shape of the earth in the Australian region only. Thechange in datums had a major consequence to all coordinates.Both latitudes/longitudes and eastings/northings were shifted byapproximately 200 metres in a north-easterly direction. DCDBThe Digital Cadastral Database is the spatial representation ofevery parcel of land in Queensland. This is along with its legalLot on Plan description and relevant attributes. It provides themap base for systems dealing with land related information.Description of country As described in the 1916 'Rules andDirections for the Guidance of Surveyors': "Country, whetherundulating, broken, or rugged; timber, whether open, thick,heavy, or with undergrowth; scrubs, their character andsituation, should be specially noted in field-books, as the rate ofadditional payment that may be allowed on such account isbased on the information supplied". EDME Electronic DistanceMeasuring Equipment. This instrument measures distancesusing light or sound waves. Elevation The height above meansea level. ERTS Earth Resources Technology Satellite. Thiswas later renamed Landsat. GDA94 The geodetic coordinate oflatitude and longitude generated using GDA as the datum as at 1January 1994. Geocentric datum A datum which has its origin

http://www-ec.njit.edu/surveying/surveying.htmlNew Jersey Institute of Technology - SurveyingEngineering and Technology Programhttp://www-ceg.eng.ohio-state.eduThe Ohio State University - Dept. of Civil andEnvironmental Engineering & Geodetic Sciencehttp://www.oit.edu/eit/surOregon Institute of Technology - SurveyingProgramhttp://surveying.wb.psu.eduPenn State Wilkes-Barre - College ofEngineering and Surveying Programhttp://www.purdue.edu/odos/srbank/sreng.htmPurdue University - School of Civil Engineeringhttp://rangerschool.esf.eduSuny - ESF Ranger Schoolhttp://www.sci.tamucc.edu/gisTexas A&M University - Corpus Christi - Dept. ofComputers & Mathematicshttp://ses.uwyo.edu/occc/degree.htmlUniversity of Wyoming - Civil and ArchitecturalEngineeringhttp://www.sur.ufl.edu/gsaUniversity of Folorida - Geomatica StudentAssociationACSM Accredited Schools and Programshttp://www.acsm.net/abetlisting.htmlSURVEYING EDUCATION SCHOOLS

• Alfred State College• ASCE Distance Learning• Asheville-Buncombe Technical

College• Auburn University Distance

Learning• Austin Community College• Bates Technical College• Bellingham Technical College• California State Polytechnic

University• California State University -

Fresno• Central Piedmont Community

College• Cincinnati State Technical College• College of the Canyons• Columbus State Community

College• Community College of Baltimore

County• East Tennessee State University• Evergreen Valley College

at the Earth's centre of mass. This datum can therefore be usedanywhere on the planet and be compatible with the same datumanywhere else on the planet. Geodesy The science andmathematical calculations of the shape and size of the Earth.Geographical coordinates A point on a map given as latitudeand longitude readings. The values are given as degrees,minutes and seconds. Geographic Information Systems GIS isthe spatial capture of themed data layers and the storing,analysing and displaying of the geographically referencedinformation. A GIS also includes the procedures, software,hardware, operating personnel and spatial data associated withthe system. Global Positioning System GPS is a satellite basednavigation system originally developed by the United State'sDepartment of Defence. A GPS receiver calculates a positionby measuring distances to four or more satellites of a possible24. These orbit the Earth at all times. Graticule A network ofcrossing lines on a map representing parallels of latitude andmeridians of longitude as defined by the projection. Grid Agroup of parallel lines that run perpendicular to another groupof parallel lines to form a map coverage of squares. Gridcoordinates A point on a map given as an easting and northingreading. The values are given in metres. Grid north Thedirection of the vertical grid lines shown on a topographic map.The difference between grid north and true north is referred toas grid convergence. Gunter's chain A distance measuringdevice composed of 100 metal links fastened together withrings. The length of the chain is 66 feet. It was invented inabout 1620 by English astronomer, Edmund Gunter. Hunter-gatherer A member of a society who gains their subsistence inthe wild on food obtained by hunting and foraging.Hydrography Features including rivers, streams, lakes, swampsand other water related features. Hypsometric tinting The use ofdifferent colours to signify changing elevations on atopographic map. Latitude The angular distance along ameridian measured from the Equator, either north orsouth.LeClanche Cell The cell consists of a glass vessel intowhich a zinc rod and a cylindrical pot of porous earthenware isplaced. The earthenware pot holds a carbon plate. A mixture ofequal parts of carbon and needle binoxide of manganese ispacked around this plate. To set the cell into action, the glassvessel is nearly filled with a saturated solution of sal-ammoniac.A reaction takes place and a voltage of 1.46 volts is generated.

• 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• Michigan Tech. Distance Learning• 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 ofarchaeology and denotes a customary way of living, or a way oflife among people.Lithography This is based on the principle that water andgrease don't mix. After an image is drawn on limestone with agreasy medium, the stone is dampened and ink is applied with aroller. The greasy image repels the water and retains the ink.Paper is then pressed onto the surface. Lockspit Trenches dugbeside a peg or post along the survey lines from the corner of asubject parcel. An example clause taken from the 1916 'Rulesand 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 ... tobe dug in the direction of the surveyed line. On very stonylands, rows of stones placed in the direction of the surveyed linemay be substituted for dug-out lockspits. Log tables A set oftables used to abridge arithmetical calculations, by the use ofaddition and subtraction rather than multiplication and division.Longitude The angular distance measured from a referencemeridian, Greenwich, either east or west. Magnetic north Thedirection from a point on the earth's surface to the northmagnetic pole. The difference between magnetic north and truenorth is referred to as magnetic declination. Map Arepresentation of the earth's surface where constituancies andrelated nomenclature are portrayed to a specific format. Mapprojection A means of systematically representing the meridiansand parallels of the earth onto a plane surface. Map scale Therelationship between a distance on a map and the correspondingdistance on the earth's surface. Mark An object, for example animprinted metal disc, used to designate a survey point. It isusually associated with terms such as reference mark, azimuthmark or bench mark. Material culture A term that refers to thephysical objects created by a culture. This could include thebuildings, tools and other artefacts created by the members of asociety. Measuring scales Measuring scales allow the user torepresent a subject or drawing to a recognisable reduction orconstant ratio of the actual or proposed size. Many early scaleswere made of silver, ivory, bone or boxwood. Mercatorprojection A conformal cylindrical projection tangential to theEquator. Rhumb lines on this projection are represented asstraight lines. Meridian A straight line connecting the North andSouth 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 SURVEYINGEducation in Surveying: Why Go to College?In the formal surveying area, it is important tohave core mathematical skills such as algebra,geometry, trigonometry, and calculus.This article appeared in the November 2004issue of Professional Surveyor.Land Surveying Scholarships AvailableColleges and Universities Offering LandSurveying ProgramsABET Accredited Surveying/GeomaticsProgramsONLINE SCHOOLS FOR CERTIFICATION

AUBURN UNIVERSITY

• 2007 National Readjustment of the NorthAmerican Datum 1983

• ALTA/ACSM Land Title Survey (V06Ehrs changed 04-01-07)

• Colonial Land System and the Building ofAmerica

• Construction Surveying• Geodesy for Engineers and Surveyors• History of Surveying Instruments: Impact

and Accuracy

bounds The oldest known form of describing the perimeter of aparcel of land. The method of describing the boundary of aparcel of land in which the bearing and length of eachsuccessive line is given. Lines may also be described asfollowing some apparent line, for example the bank of a stream.MGA94 The Universal Transverse Mercator coordinates ofeastings, northings, and zones generated from GDA94 arecalled Map Grid of Australia 1994 coordinates. Mosaic Anumber of continuous aerial photographs overlapped and joinedtogether by way of 'best fit' to form a single non-rectifiedimage. Orthophoto Aerial photograph images transformed usingan 'orthophoto verification' process to remove distortions andcapable of registering perfectly with cadastral data. OverlayInformation recorded on a transparent medium, superimposedand registered to one or more other records. Peg Used to marksurvey corners on smaller portions or acreage. The size of thepeg was determined by the 'Rules and Directions for theGuidance of Surveyors' editions. These referred to various landacts of the time from the 1860s onwards. Photogrammetry Thescience of obtaining reliable measurements by photography.Photolithography The process used in a semiconductoroperation, which transfers the pattern of an image held on aphotomask, onto a flat substrate surface. It follows similarprinciples to conventional lithography. PLI The PropertyLocation Index is a database which provides a link between theparcel identifier (lot on plan) and its location address. It isconsidered the point of truth for location addresses.Rectification The mathematical and calculated correction madeto an aerial photograph to show its true ground position at aconsistent scale. Rhumb line A straight line connecting twopoints on the earth's surface which cuts all meridians at thesame angle. The line maintains a constant bearing. RIME TheResource Information Management Environment provides forthe storage, management and dissemination of extensible digitaltopographic data held within the Department of NaturalResources and Water. It is a seamless, multi-scale environmentcovering Queensland. Run A large area of land in whichsquatters could depasture their stock without a lot of fencingnecessary. Employed shepherds looked after various areas ofthe runs. Runs became consolidated pastoral holdings. Many ofthe runs were about 25 sq miles in area and later becameparishes. Sahul This is the name given to the continent when

• History of the Government Land Office

• Improving Surveying Field Proceduresusing the Total Station

• Improving Surveying Field Proceduresusing the Total Station

• Land Surveying Ethics - Mississippi• Professional Ethics for the Kentucky Land

Surveyor• Professional Ethics for the Land Surveyor• Rectangular Land System: Subdivision of

Public Lands• Role of Engineers and Surveyors in

Geographic Information Systems• Soils for Pavements• Standards of Practice for Surveying in

Alabama• State Plane Coordinates• Surveying with GPS (V05D hrs

changed 05-01-07)• Understanding Boundary Law - Case Law

and Principles of Surveying Law• Vertical Datums and Leveling

COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIEShttp://www.cinstate.cc.oh.usCincinnati State Technical & Community College- Engineering Technologieshttp://www.etsu.edu/scitech/gggsEast Tennessee State University - Surveyingand Mapping Science Programhttp://www.tech.mtu.edu/Michigan Technology University - SurveyingProgramhttp://www-ec.njit.edu/surveying/surveying.htmlNew Jersey Institute of Technology - SurveyingEngineering and Technology Programhttp://www-ceg.eng.ohio-state.eduThe Ohio State University - Dept. of Civil andEnvironmental Engineering & Geodetic Sciencehttp://www.oit.edu/eit/surOregon Institute of Technology - SurveyingProgramhttp://surveying.wb.psu.eduPenn State Wilkes-Barre - College ofEngineering and Surveying Program

Australia and New Guinea were a single landmass during thePleistocene era. During this period, sea levels wereapproximately 150 metres lower than present levels.Sandy Blight A layman's term for chronic infection of the eyeswith the trachoma organism, possibly leading to blindness. It isbelieved early European settlers brought the trachoma toAustralia. Their poor hygiene evident in the low standardhousing conditions, along with the dirt, heat and flies, causedthe disease to become widespread. As living conditionsimproved, Sandy Blight in Australia had all but disappeared bythe 1930s. SCDB The Survey Control Database is acomputerised record of the State's geodetic survey control data.Surveyors place and connect to these survey control points. Thegeodetic network provides a spatial reference framework for allsurveys.Selection Runs were subdivided into selections for farming,agriculture and grazing homesteads. After a period of yearlyrental payments, the selector could often obtain freeholdownership. SMIS SmartMap Information Services is anelectronic application that accesses, integrates and delivers(through the SmartMap interface) data available from manyland-related datasets. These include ATS, DCDB, CISP, PLI,SCDB, Place Names and Aerial Photography Databases. Spatialinformation Data that has a geographical reference to a locationon the earth's surface. This includes latitude and longitude co-ordinates, street address and lot number on plan. SunPOZDeveloped within the Dept of Natural Resources and Water,SunPOZ uses Virtual Reference Station technology by bringingtogether GPS architecture, networked computers and mobilephone communications to output centimetre-accurate positionsin real time. Survey post Posts used on corners of large ruralsize blocks of land or town section corners. They weresharpened to a point, buried in the ground and exposedapproximately 3'6" out of the ground. Theodolite Instrumentused by a surveyor for measuring horizontal and vertical angles.Tindale, Norman A well known Australian anthropologist bornin 1900. He was the curator of anthropology at the SouthAustralian Museum for over 30 years. He is remembered for hiswork with the Australian Aborigines where he undertook thetask of mapping Aboriginal Australia into language andterritory groups along with the recording of numerousAboriginal genealogies. Topographic map A detailed

http://www.purdue.edu/odos/srbank/sreng.htmPurdue University - School of Civil Engineeringhttp://rangerschool.esf.eduSuny - ESF Ranger Schoolhttp://www.sci.tamucc.edu/gisTexas A&M University - Corpus Christi - Dept. ofComputers & Mathematicshttp://ses.uwyo.edu/occc/degree.htmlUniversity of Wyoming - Civil and ArchitecturalEngineeringhttp://www.sur.ufl.edu/gsaUniversity of Folorida - Geomatica StudentAssociationLAND SURVEYING HISTORY

Virtual Museum ofSurveying

Virtual Archive of WildHeerbrugg

The Compleat SurveyorTesseract - AntiqueScientific Instruments

Cadastral,comWorld Boundaries -Walter J. Robillard

Smithsonian Institute The Gemmary

USHistory.org Whipple Museum

Rittenhouse JournalOhio History Central -Thomas Hutchins

Mount DiabloSurveyors HistoricalSociety

AmericanArtifacts.com

AnimatedAtlas.com

LEGAL RESEARCHVermont Statuteshttp://www.leg.state.us/statutes/statutes2.htmlVT Supreme Court Opinionshttp://www.dol.state.vt.us/www_root/000000/html/supct.html(VT Reports 161-169)

US Supreme Court Opinionshttp://www.supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/index.html(1990 to Present)Cornell Law Libraryhttp://www.law.cornell.edu

representation of cultural, hydrographic relief and vegetationfeatures. These are depicted on a map on a designatedprojection and at a designated scale. Transverse MercatorProjection A projection similar to the Mercator projection, but hasthe cylinder tangent at a particular meridian rather than at theequator. Trigonometrical survey A concise method of surveyingin which the stations are points on the ground located at verticesof a chain or network of triangles. The angles of the trianglesare measured instrumentally and the sides are derived bycomputation from selected sides termed as baselines. True northThe direction to the Earth's geographic North Pole. VRS VirtualReference Station. See SunPOZ Weichsel glaciation The lastglaciation of the ice age. An ice age is known as a period of lowtemperatures in the earth's climate causing an expansion of theearth's polar ice sheets and mountain glaciers. There have beenapproximately four distinct ice ages during the earth's history.LAND SURVEYORS UNITED ELSEWHERE ON THE WEB

VimeoVoxLingr (chat)MyspaceOpenzineYoutubeSurveying JobsScribdFlickrFacebook

SURVEYING BLOGS

AUTODESK BLOGSAutodesk University Blog (BLAUG)Autodesk University Blog (BLAUG)Between the LinesBeyond the PaperHeidi Hewett's BlogIt’s Alive in the LabKnowledge BaseKnowledge BaseKnowledge BaseLT UnlimitedLynn Allen's BlogThe Dirt

Self Help Lawhttp://www.nolo.comSelf Help Lawhttp://www.lectlaw.comVT Bar Associationhttp://www.vtbar.orgVT Law Schoolhttp://www.vermontlaw.eduEDUCATIONAL MATERIALSPadding are passed to p, h1 and h3.

• Occupational Outlook Surveyors,Technicians — Surveyors,Cartographers, Photogrammetrists,and Surveying Technicians

• World's Most Popular GPS InformationResource — Mostly for consumergrade gps users

• Surveying Units and Terms — list ofunits of measure, surveying terms,surveyors' slang and abbreviations

• CIA World Factbook — providesnational-level information oncountries, territories, anddependencies, but not subnationaladministrative units within acountry.

• Global Positioning System (GPS)Resources — GPS Resources

• Make your own Graph Paper• FEMA Elevation Certificate and

Instructions (pdf format)— Downloadthe revised FEMA ElevationCertificate - mandatory January 01,2007

• FEMA Elevation Certificate (doc format)— Download the revised FEMAElevation Certificate - mandatoryJanuary 01, 2007

• NGS Datasheet Page — Datasheets,ShapeFiles, Tidal Benchmarks,Recovery Sheets… The Source

Through the InterfaceCAD RELATED BLOGS

AECnews.comAutoCAD Tips NewsletterAutoCADderAutoCAD� GUI TestBeside the Cursor...Beth's CAD Blogblog nauseamCAD - DRAFTING - CORNERCAD InsiderCAD MonkeysCAD ShackCAD-e-CornerCADDHELPCADDManager BlogCADDManager.com BlogCADing && CodingCaveat emptor.CG Users BlogCircle Around (Ralph S)Deelip MenezesGizmos GrabowskiHyperPics: Beyond the UIJTB World BlogKenneth Wong BlogKnowing What You Don't Know About CADLT is still AutoCADMap 3D and Murphs LawMistress of the DorknessNOVEDGE Newsletter - February 2008OpenDCLOutside The BoxRockmaster's CAD ResourcesThe CAD Geek BlogThe CAD IndustryThe Lazy DrafterThe LT Side of ThingsThe Mad CadderTLConsultingUsing Raster Design with AutoCAD

• Partial Index to Articles Authored or Co-Authored by Knud E. Hermansen —Aticles by Knud hermansencovering a variety of subjects, all ofvalue to the practicing LandSurveyor

• Set Up a Wireless Network in a SmallOffice — Microsoft's excellenttutorial on Wireless Network Setup

• NGS Manual- State Plane CoordinateSystem 1983 — The Official NGSDocument in pdf format

• BLM 1973 Surveying Manual — If youdon't have a hard copy of thismanual, read or download a pdfcopy here

• Restoration of Lost or Obliterated Cornersand Subdivision of Sections — Aretyped copy of the originaldocument in pdf format.. seedisclaimer

• Virtual Museum of Surveying —consists of exhibits which cover avariety of topics related tosurveying history.

• Museum of Surveying — The Museumof Surveying is the only museum inNorth America dedicated solely tothe surveying and mappingprofession.

• Land Surveyor Rules & Regulations —Compiled by Land SurveyorsReference Page - very goodreference

• MIT Free Online Courses — FreeSurveying, Engineering, Math andScience Classes by MIT

• POB - rpls.com — The first and thebest online forum for ProfessionalLand Surveyors

Will render for food...WorldCAD Access

SURVEYING IMAGES AND MAPS ONLINE• Aerolist Photographers Online Photos• BLM Oregon and Washington GLO Plats• Digital Globe• EarthaMaps• Earth From Space• Globe Explorer• Imagery Intelligence Gallery• Land Survey Information System• Map of Principal Meridians• MapQuest• Maps.com• MapTech Map Server• Nebraska State Survey Maps• NOAA EVP• TerraFly• Microsoft TerraServer• NASA Photo Gallery• NIMA Geospatial Engine• National Atlas of the United States• Terra: The EOS Flagship• TerraServer.com• TopoZone• University of Texas Map Library• University of Wisconsin Satellite Images• US Census TIGER Maps• USGS EROS Center• USGS GISDATA Map Studio• USGS Mapping• Visible Earth• Yahoo Maps• Washington Shoreline Aerial Photos

USENET NEWSGROUPS OF INTEREST TO SURVEYORS• sci.engr.surveying - Surveying Newsgroup• sci.geo.satellite-nav - GPS Newsgroup• comp.infosystems.gis - GIS Newsgroup• sci.engr.civil - Civil Engineering Newsgroup• comp.cad.autocad - AutoCAD Newsgroup

• Surveying and Mediation: NewOpportunities in an Old Role— Jerry D.Taylor, P.S., J.D.

• A collection of geodesy and relatedresources — Michael R. Craymer,Ph.D., Geodetic Survey Division,Geomatics Canada

UNITS OF MEASURE• Acre - The (English) acre is a unit

of area equal to 43,560 square feet,or 10 square chains, or 160 squarepoles. It derives from a plowingarea that is 4 poles wide and afurlong (40 poles) long. A squaremile is 640 acres. The Scottish acreis 1.27 English acres. The Irish acreis 1.6 English acres.

• Arpent - Unit of length and areaused in France, Louisiana, andCanada. As a unit of length,approximately 191.8 feet (180 oldFrench 'pied', or foot). The (square)arpent is a unit of area,approximately .845 acres, or 36,802square feet.

• Chain - Unit of length usuallyunderstood to beGunter's chain, butpossibly variant by locale. See alsoRathbone's chain. The name comesfrom the heavy metal chain of 100links that was used by surveyors tomeasure property bounds.

• Colpa - Old Irish measure of landequal to that which can support ahorse or cow for a year.Approximately an Irish acre of goodland.

• Compass - One toise.• Engineer's Chain - A 100 foot

chaincontaining 100 links of onefoot apiece.

SATELLITE TRACKING• Sam Wormley's (Iowa State)GPS/Glosnass Satellite

Tracking Page• NASA Satellite Tracking -- for IBM PC• Satellite FAQ• Photos of the GPS Satellites (Block IIa)

MISCELLANEOUS LAND SURVEYING LINKS• Civil Engineering Resources• Purdue University - Land Surveying Engineering• Autocad Shareware• U.S. Geographic Name lookup -Locate creeks and other

features named in deeds• U.S. GenWeb - Gateway to local history and genealogy• Cyndi's List of Land Record Sites - An excellent list of

related sites• FindLaw - Legal resources, including Property Law• Search US CENSUS Bureau

American Congress onSurveying and Mappingwww.acsm.net

National Society of ProfessionalSurveyorswww.nspsmo.org

Michigan TechnologicalUniversity Surveying Programwww.tech.mtu.edu

Ferris State UniversitySurveying/Engineering Programwww.ferris.edu/cot/surveying

• Furlong - Unit of length equal to 40poles (220 yards). Its name derivesfrom "furrow long", the length of afurrow that oxen can plow beforethey are rested and turned. SeeGunter's chain.

• Ground - A unit of area equal to2400 sq. ft., or 220 sq. meters, usedin India.

• Gunter's Chain - Unit of lengthequal to 66 feet, or 4 poles.Developed by English polymathEdmund Gunter early in the 1600's,the standard measuring chainrevolutionized surveying. Gunter'schain was 22 yards long, one tenthof a furlong, a common unit oflength in the old days. An area onechain wide by ten chains long wasexactly an acre. In 1595 QueenElizabeth I had the mile redefinedfrom the old Roman value of 5000feet to 5280 feet in order for it to bean even number of furlongs. A mileis 80 chains.

• Hectare - Metric unit of area equalto 10,000 square meters, or 2.471acres, or 107,639 square feet.

• Hide - A very old English unit ofarea, a hide was of variable sizedepending on locale and the qualityof the land. It was the amount ofland to support a family, and rangedfrom 60 to 180 acres. After theNorman conquest in 1066 it becamestandardized at around 120 acres.

• Hundred - An adminstrative arealarger than a village and smallerthan a county. In England it was100 hides in size, and the term wasused for early settlements inVirginia, Maryland, and Delaware.

• Labor - The labor is a unit of areaused in Mexico and Texas. In Texasit equals 177.14 acres (or 1 millionsquare varas).

• League (legua) - Unit of area usedin the southwest U.S., equal to 25labors, or 4428 acres (Texas), or4439 acres (California). Also, a unitof length-- approximately threemiles.

• Link - Unit of length equal to 1/100chain (7.92 inches).

• Morgen - Unit of area equal toabout .6309 acres. It was used inGermany, Holland and SouthAfrica, and was derived from theGerman word Morgen ("morning").It represented the amount of landthat could be plowed in a morning.

• Out - An 'out' was ten chains. Whencounting out long lines, the chaincarriers would put a stake at the endof a chain, move the chain and put astake at the end, and so on until theyran "out" of ten stakes.

• Perch - See pole .• Point - A point of the compass.

There are four cardinal points(North, South, East, West), and 28others yielding 32 points of 11.25degrees each. A survey line'sdirection could be described as acompass point, as in "NNE" (northnortheast). To improve precision,the points would be furthersubdivided into halves or quarters asnecessary, for example, "NE byNorth, one quarter point North". Insome areas, "and by" meant one halfpoint, as in "NE and by North".

• Pole - Unit of length and area. Alsoknown as a perch or rod. As a unit

of length, equal to 16.5 feet. A mileis 320 poles. As a unit of area, equalto a square with sides one pole long.An acre is 160 square poles. It wascommon to see an area referred toas "87 acres, 112 poles", meaning87 and 112/160 acres.

• Pueblo - A Spanish grant of lessthan 1000 acres.

• Rancho - A Spanish grant of morethan 1000 acres.

• Rathbone's Chain - A measuringchain two poles, or 33 feet, inlength.

• 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 "Spanishyard") used in the U.S. southwest.The vara is used throughout theSpanish speaking world and hasvalues around 33 inches, dependingon locale. The legal value in Texaswas set to 33 1/3 inches early in the1900's.

• Virgate - An old English unit ofarea, equal to one quarter of a hide.The amount of land needed tosupport 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 visibleto the instrument man, e.g. "Boot6!" means "raise it 6 inches."

• Blue topping - In road or gradingwork the surveyor sets stakes andpaints their tops blue to representthe required elevation. Graders thenwork to just cover the blue tops ofthe stakes.

• Bug - To use a magnetic locator tosearch for an iron pipe.

• Bullseye - Zero degrees ofinclination.

• Burn - See shoot• Burn one - Measure from the one

foot mark on the tape rather thanfrom the end of the tape in order toincrease the accuracy of themeasurement.

• Cut line - To clear vegetation for aline of sight between two surveycontrol points.

• Double nickel - Slang for .55, as in6-double nickel (6.55)

• Dummy or dummy-end - The baseor zero end of a tape or chain, as in"hold dummy at the face of thecurb."

• EDM - Electromagnetic DistanceMeasurement device, the instrumentused by modern surveyors thatreplaces the use of measurementchains. It determines distance bymeasuring the time it takes for laserlight to reflect off a prism on top ofa rod at the target location.

• Ginney - A wooden dowel 6-9inches in length with a sharpenedend. Set in the ground to marksurvey points.

• Glass - The EDM prism.• Gun - Originally, a transit, but

potentially any measurementinstrument 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 thatcontains a nail ("tack") thatprecisely marks the point being set.

• Jigger - Transit (Australia and NewZealand)

• 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. Thisperson is the modern version of achain carrier or chain man.

• Shoot - Measure distance with anEDM

• Spike - Usually a 60 penny nailused to mark survey points in hardground.

• Stob - In the southeast U.S., awooden stake or post, but in modernsurveying, a piece of rebar used tomark a property boundary.

• Tie - To locate something with thetransit or other measuring device.

• Top - Slang for eleven. Seerailroad.

• Trip - Slang for triple digits, as intrip5 means 555, and 43trip7 means43.777

• Turn - The rodman is told to stay inplace while the gun or level ismoved to a new location.

• Zero - Zero degrees, minutes, andseconds. A perfect zero.

SURVEYORS' ABBREVIATIONSB.R.L. - Building restriction line.FD - FoundIPF - Iron pipe foundIRF - Iron rod found

L.O.D. - Limit of Disturbance. The area tobe cleared, graded, etc.MAG - New concrete nails are magneticnails and are stamped with MAG on thehead and are easier to find with metaldetectors.NPP - Nail in power poleNTCFP - Nail on top of corner fence postNTFP - Nail on top of fence postPI - Point of intersectionPK - Point Known, PK nailPK nail - A concrete nail made by ParkerKaelon, stamped PK, that marks a surveypoint. See also hub and tack.SR - Steel rebarSRS - Steel rod set (rebar or other steel)WC - Witness cornerg