What Surveyors Need to Know About The Standard
Benefits of the Cadastral Data Content Standard
What Surveyors Do
Data Collection and Processing Technology Used By Surveyors

Much of what can be learned about the Cadastral Data Content Standard can be found in main module of this course.  In addition, Surveyors should know that:

• the Standard provides defined terminology for information commonly used by Surveyors, such as record boundary, parcel, lot, and monument.
• terms used by Surveyors are attribute values in the Standard.  For example, "Direction Type" refers to the basis of a bearing or azimuth, and "Direction Unit" refers to the units used for a direction.  Each of these are attributes in the Record Boundary entity in the Standard.
• the Standard provides a structure and terminology which can be used by Surveyors throughout the profession, across county lines and state lines, offering a consistent and stable source for national use.

Benefits of the Cadastral Data Content Standard to Surveyors

• Inter-departmental data sharing, such as between surveyors, recorders, assessors and treasurers, increasing efficiency, and reducing costs and duplication of data and mapping efforts.
• Data sharing among agencies working across administrative boundaries; promotes sharing and cooperation, and avoids redundancy in data development.
• Beneficial to database design, especially: (1) when just beginning to automate survey information, and (2) when already automated and the time comes to enter a new software/hardware life cycle.  That is, the Cadastral Data Content Standard supplies a logical model of definitions and terminology which can feed into the development of physical databases, and which can be accessed during historical searches and preparation for new surveys.
• Share methods and resources in data development; develop useful and consistent data structures.
• Spatial feature matching across administrative boundaries.
• Retain consistency in attributing across administrative boundaries, enabling attribute selections to work across boundaries.

What Surveyors Do

Land surveys can include a wide array of activities, including boundary surveys, mineral surveys, and lot and block surveys.  Descriptions of what cadastral surveyors do, from the public lands survey point of view, may be found in the Manual of Instructions for the Survey of the Public Lands of the United States 1973 (Bureau of Land Management Technical Bulletin No. 6).

In general terms, cadastral surveyors perform the following steps:

• Before a survey begins a complete background check is done, including but not limited to the review of all previous survey data that can be found from various government and private offices. This includes ownership, previous surveys, and interviews with people fimilar with the area to be surveyed.
• Armed with historical records and descriptive information the location work begins, searching for control monuments, i.e. geodetic control, and government, boundary or property corners, along with all topographic features pertinent to the project.
• Once all the field data is located an analysis is made as to what was found and what is to be done. If needed, perpetuation of Government corner locations is done.
• Documentation includes a graphic representation of the survey, survey notes and report, and the filing and recording of necessary documents with the appropriate parties.

Data Collection and Processing Technology Used By Surveyors

Surveyors make use of a wide range of hardware and software.  The lists below contain a sampling of the many types of tools currently in use.

GPS Equipment
GPS receivers for an array of purposes, such as surveying, real time sub meter location, 30-60 cm mapping, resource mapping/GIS, hydrographic surveying, reference station, positioning and data collection, vehicle tracking, positioning/navigation, geodetic control, GIS data collection, topographic surveys, boundary and stakeout surveys, control surveys, seismic.  This includes pluggers, data collectors, total stations with data collectors, resource grade GPS units, and amplifiers to boost GPS signals.

GPS Software
Uses include real time mapping, survey-grade and geodesy applications, data logging, GIS data collection, hydrographic data collection, aerial photo event labeling, download/upload, import/export, and attribute data collecting serving such detailed purposes as mission planning, processing, network adjustment, database management, and feature code libraries.

Other Software

• For handheld devices - for a wide range of functions, including traverse/inverse/sideshots, angle adjustment, intersections, curve solutions, curve layout, vertical alignment, pre-determined areas, coordinate transformation, volumes, resection, printing, radial stakeout, triangle solutions, leveling, and topography/data collection.
• GIS - including such products as Autodesk, ESRI (ARC/INFO, etc.), MircoStation GeoGraphics, Geographic Calculator, ER Mapper, ERDAS-ArcView Image Analysis, ERDAS IMAGINE, GeoMedia, Autocad (with georeference capability), GMM, COGO packages, CAD, and many others for map creation, terrain modelling, and analysis.