Land Surveying Simplified

Book excerpt: This is a book about boundary surveying. It is written for anyone who is interested in learning about how boundary surveys are performed. The book will provide the reader with a background on basic boundary surveying techniques and some of the common legal issues encountered during boundary surveying. This is the second edition of the book which substantially enlarges upon the first edition. A chapter on easements has been added. There is more detail on Global Navigational Systems (GNSS or GPS). Lower cost survey grade GNSS receivers are now widely available so surveyors are now able to take advantage of this technology. GNSS can save considerable time and cost while increasing the reliability and permanence of surveys. Nevertheless, use of GNSS has certain limitations which cannot be ignored, and this book discusses some of these issues. The second edition also goes into more detail on state plane coordinate systems which are an integral part of GNSS surveying. Prior to the widespread use of GNSS connecting a survey to state plane was often cost prohibitive but now that GNS is commonly used it is easy and commonplace to have surveys tied to state plane. The second edition discusses the state plane coordinate system and the benefits of using it. At the college level, Land Surveying is usually taught in civil engineering departments. In many ways this makes sense because there is a close relationship between the disciplines of civil engineering and land surveying. In fact, many practicing civil engineers are also licensed as land surveyors. However, there are substantial differences between the professions, particularly with regard to knowledge of the laws relating to real property which all boundary surveyors must understand. For this reason, many states make it unlawful for licensed civil engineers to practice boundary surveying unless they are also licensed as a land surveyor. In many respects boundary surveying has more to do with the legal studies division of a university than the engineering division. In fact, when prospective surveyors take the licensing exams at both the national and local levels, substantial portions of these examinations are legal questions relating to boundaries, easements, professional practice and other legal issues that a lawyer, rather than a civil engineer, may feel more comfortable with. You can't learn to be a competent surveyor by taking a course, acquiring a degree or reading a book - although all of these things help to provide the necessary foundation. Boundary surveying includes the disciplines of mathematics, engineering, science and law. Becoming a licensed boundary surveyor requires years of experience. Although no book can hope to provide this experience, my hope is that this book will provide the reader with some insight into the techniques which surveyors use and the issues which surveyors face on a daily basis. Boundary locations are sometimes difficult to establish with a high level of certainty. With modern electronic measuring devices, surveyors can measure thousands of feet within fractions of a foot simply by pressing a button or clicking on a computer screen. And it only takes a few seconds to get the measurement. It may seem paradoxical that even with this ability surveyors are sometimes unable to determine the actual extent of ownership within several feet - and, occasionally, a great number of feet! This book will help the reader to understand why such uncertainties exist. We will also consider what remedies and solutions may be available to a surveyor.