When To Use The Standard
If Your Office Is Automating Survey Data For The First Time
If Your Office Is Already Automated, And You Can't Afford To Convert To The FGDC Standard
When Not To Use The Standard

When To Use The Standard

• begin using the Standard if your office is at the beginning stages of transferring your surveying data to computer databases.  If your office is at the beginning stage of automation, this is the ideal time to develop data attributes, definitions, and logical relationships for your cadastral data which coincide with the Cadastral Data Content Standard.
• begin using the Standard when your office has already automated surveying data, and is in a phase of comprehensive computer system modernization.   That is, when your office is preparing for a completely new life cycle change in software uses, which will require major changes and upgrades to how your data is stored and queried, this is a good time to define your cadastral data so that it will comply with the Cadastral Data Content Standard.
• in either of the circumstances noted above, using the Cadastral Data Content Standard becomes more important when your office regularly exchanges cadastral data with other surveyors, Counties, Cities, Towns, and/or Federal agencies.

Each of the instances noted above offers the opportunity to take advantage of the benefits of using the Standard.

If Your Office Is Automating Surveying Data For The First Time

Wherever possible, when designing your database:

• use the exact terminology and logical relationships provided in the Standard for the entities and attributes in your office's database fields and spatial data attributes.
• in some cases your data may not correspond exactly to the Standard.   That is, your office may use elements not included in the Standard, and, vice versa, the Standard may include elements which you do not use.  But, where there is a correspondence between your data and the Standard, use the Standard's terminology.
• for example, if you collect and store information on the geographic (latitude/longitude) position of a corner, then use the Standard's terminology for that information by naming it Corner Point Measured Coordinate and adding attributes for that entity to include Y-Coordinate and X-Coordinate.
• if you cannot use the exact same terminology used in the Standard, then use your own terminology, but be sure to identify the data elements in your database which correspond to elements in the Standard.
• for example, if your data storage system uses a term such as "Geographic Point" for the latitude and longitude of a corner, then continue to use your own term, but make sure you can identify that "Geographic Point" means the same thing as "Corner Point Measured Coordinate" in the Standard.   This allows you to use the Standard as the way to establish links between your database and other databases.

If Your Office Is Already Automated, And You Can't Afford The Time And Effort To Convert To The FGDC Standard Data Definitions

An excellent solution to this dilemma is to add bridges or connections to your data, without changing your data structure.

• add fields to your database which will be in common with similar database fields used by offices with which you share information.
• use the Standard for these common fields.
• don't otherwise change your own database.

When Not To Use The Standard

• your office has not transferred cadastral data records to computer databases, and has no plans of doing so.
• your office has an established computer database which is in full use, and has no plans to comprehensively upgrade or change computer systems and database applications.
• your office seldom or never shares cadastral data with other Counties, Cities, Towns, Federal agencies, or businesses.