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Archive for the ‘Surveying’ Category
3-D Laser Scanning Technology
Friday, December 2nd, 2011
Blog by John V. Mettee III, Prof. LS
In a recent magazine publication called “811 – Damage Prevention Professional” Fall 2011 issue (click for article), is found an article entitled “As-built Surveys: The Benefits of 3-D Laser Scanning” under the Mapping & Technology Section. This article highlights the declining role of field surveyors on construction sites due to the proliferation and increased sophistication of today’s technology. The article goes goes on to say that 3-D Laser Scanning technology is a cost-effective way to assist with construction monitoring and verification as well as providing a means for capturing data for as-built surveys. I certainly agree that this is the reality of this technology. One is able to gather much more data in the same amount of time it takes for conventional means to gather just a few points. Even better yet, with this technology you can acquire a background photograph that is geo-referenced to further visualize where the data was gathered. The article discusses how the technology works and shares a sample project. It also goes on to highlight the benefits of using this great technology. However, it did not speak to the drawbacks.
After personal experience with this technology, I have found that the amount of data found in the “point cloud” can be overwhelming. With conventional technology, one would be concerned with having enough data and having the data in the right areas. With 3-D laser scanning technology, the concern is having too much data and the need to properly filter out unneeded or bad information. The data can be analyzed and filtered, but one needs to exercise care. Furthermore, in my experience a 3-D laser scanning project will require more instrument set ups than conventional technology. This is primarily due to items being hidden from the scope of the instrument by something blocking the view. Again this is not a problem, it just requires additional instrument set ups to gain the data that was not in view from the previous set up. The fact that this technology acquires data so quickly; certainly there is ample time in the day to make more set ups than usual.
Lastly, what was pictured in the article was a 3-D Laser Scanning Instrument that is manufactured by Leica. There are other manufacturers for this technology. Trimble makes a 3-D laser scanner. In fact, Trimble integrated the technology with conventional total-station technology in an instrument known as the Trimble VX Spatial Station (click for article).
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Surveying
Surveying
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Frederick Ward Associates Celebrates National Surveyor’s Week
Saturday, March 19th, 2011
National Surveyor’s Week will be celebrated between March 20th and 26th this year. NCEES (National Council of Examiners for Engineers & Surveyors) states that National Surveyor’s Week is “an occasion for professional surveyors throughout the US to bring attention to their profession.” This certainly is needed, as the roles of surveyors are so misunderstood in today’s society. When the word surveyor is mentioned, many might simply think of someone standing in a mall with a clipboard annoying customers with questions. Others think of someone standing on the roadside standing behind a tripod looking equipment taking pictures. So what is the role of a surveyor and what makes a good surveyor?
Yes, a surveyor works outdoors, but there is much that is done in the office as well and sometimes leads to the courthouse where he becomes an expert witness in a dispute. A surveyor at times is a mathematician, an investigator, and a historian as he attempts to resolve boundary lines of property. Land disputes have almost existed in society since the beginning of time. He deals with land law, works with computers and technology, and solves puzzles as he pieces different property boundaries together. A surveyor makes maps and drawings that many times are recorded in the Land Records Office.
Two famous surveyors by the name of Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon delineated the famous “Mason-Dixon” line between 1763 and 1767. They were charged with the resolution of the border dispute between British colonies in colonial America. This demarcation line involved four states: PA, DE, WV, and MD. This line also symbolized a cultural boundary between the northeast US with that of the southern US (Dixie).
Two of the most famous surveyors in American history were Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. Between 1804 and 1806, their commission by President Thomas Jefferson was an expedition mission to explore the Louisiana Purchase ascending the Missouri River, crossing the highlands, and following the best water communication to the Pacific Ocean.
What do Lewis and Clark have to do with Maryland? Well, as a way to kick the National Surveyor’s Week, NSPS (National Society of Professional Surveyors) created a surveying event that is expected to eclipse the work of Lewis & Clark by its size. Surveyors across America will occupy and collect GPS data simultaneously (on Saturday, March 19, 2011 between 1 and 5 pm) on survey monuments. This data will be submitted to NGS (National Geodetic Surveys) through its OPUS portal (Online Positioning User Service) and a map of all the surveyed locations will be visible across the US. Now that’s the biggest survey ever!
We can’t discuss famous surveyors without including the Presidents of our nation that contributed to the tradition of surveying, such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln. Many surveyors, like our Presidents, were bi-vocational, such as the famous author, poet and surveyor Henry David Thoreau. Even the founder of Frederick Ward Associates, the late Frederick Y. Ward, left behind a legacy of giving back to the community in addition to his profession. In most cases, our lives will be summed up in one sentence. So I leave you this challenge, what will be your “life’s sentence?”
jmettee
Frederick Ward, Surveying
Surveying
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February 23 Is A Day To Celebrate Boundaries
Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011
February 23rd marks a day of celebration that many have completely lost sight of. Should anyone review the history of the Roman Empire, one would find that very similar to the Greeks, the Romans created and worshipped many gods. One god in particular arouses the interest of many surveyors. He is the Roman god known as “Terminus”, the Roman god of boundaries. “Terminus” is the Latin word for a boundary stone. Surveyors still today retrace boundaries that refer to ancient monuments, stone, and markers. It is only fitting then that the most recent ALTA/ACSM Standards for Land Title Surveys goes into effect on February 23, 2011.
As history is examined, the honor associated with the Roman god Terminus was celebrated annually with a festival celebrated on February 23 called “Terminalia.” This celebration involved practices that brought individuals to a place of reflection or “yearly renewal.” Neighboring families would come together at boundary markers and would garland their respective sides of their markers. They would worship Terminus and make offerings of crops, honeycombs and wine to him at an altar. Many ancient authors agree that the motivation for the worship of Terminus was to prevent of violent disputes over property. So in keeping with his character of peace, his earliest worship did not involve blood sacrifices. But then later, these markers became drenched in the blood of a sacrificed lamb or pig. And in the end, it was followed by a communal feast and the singing of hymns to his praise.
Surveyors throughout history have dealt with boundary disputes. People have been disputing boundary lines since the beginning of time. Ovid, a Roman poet, wrote: “O Terminus, whether thou art a stone or a stump buried in the field, thou hast been defied from days of yore…thou dost set bounds to peoples and cities and vast kingdoms; without thee every field would be a root of wrangling. Thou courtest no favour, thou art bribed by no gold; the lands entrusted to thee thou dost guard in loyal good faith.” Like Terminus, a good and prudent land surveyor marks boundaries fairly while taking into consideration all evidence found from their client’s deed and parcel as well as the neighboring properties.
Even Old Testament scriptures in the Bible speak to the importance of boundary markers and not moving them. It says in Deuteronomy 19:14: “Do not move your neighbor’s boundary stone set up by your predecessors in the inheritance you receive in the land…” Also, Deuteronomy 27:17 states, “Cursed is the man who moves his neighbor’s boundary stone.”
Another old custom relevant to boundary lines and markers is something called “beating the bounds.” This tradition, still kept in some parts of Britain, of marking the boundaries of a church parish by marching round them and hitting the ground, or certain boundary marks, with long sticks. The ceremony is performed once a year, usually on Ascension Day or before Easter. Thereby a tradition came about where boundaries were walked and a child beaten at corner points so as for him to remember where they were. This became popular during the transfer of lands from one generation to the next.
The ceremonies and traditions surrounding boundaries have gone by the wayside in our culture, but we can still value knowing where the boundaries of your property are. There is no need for beatings or sacrifices – simply walk your boundaries frequently. Sadly, many purchase property without much thought to where their corners are, but this February 23 is a great time to give it some extra thought.
jmettee
Surveying, Uncategorized
Surveying
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Surveying Standards
Tuesday, January 25th, 2011
At Frederick Ward Associates, our land surveyors use the ATLA/ACSM land title survey standards. Now, new standards go into effect on February 23, 2011 that will apply to all forthcoming commercial land transfers. What is most significant regarding these standards is they were not just updated, but are actually a substantial re-write of the original standards.
Officially known as the Minimum Standard Detail Requirements for ALTA/ACSM Land Title Surveys but commonly referred to as the “ALTA standards”, surveyors view these as the “crème de la crème” of surveys for two reasons: 1) they require a very detailed survey of improvements as well as delineation of easements and other encumbrances relative to the title policy, and 2) the particular language required to be a part of the surveyor’s certification statement.
These standards define the standard of care, measurement standards, fieldwork required, research required, and the delivered product to the client. Most significant regarding these latest standards is the certification requirement. In the past, many lenders had their own certification language that they required on the survey map in place of the standard ALTA certification language. Now, the ATLA has standardized the certification process, requiring the same language across the board. This item alone will cause many discussions in the future between lenders, lender’s counsel, and surveyors.
Learn more about what our firm’s experienced surveyors do.
jmettee
Surveying
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Frederick Ward Associates Applauds New Miss Utility Law
Wednesday, October 27th, 2010
A new Maryland law went into effect October 1, 2010 that deals with how Miss Utility operates. Gov. Martin O’Malley actually signed Senate Bill 911 on May 20, 2010, which updated the Maryland Underground Facilities Damage Prevention Law. This new law is significant for design professionals such as Frederick Ward Associates.
Throughout the history of our industry, Miss Utility would not mark underground utilities for design purposes. The previous law focused on marking of utilities for excavation purposes only. The design profession needed to know where the location and depths are for underground utilities to provide for adequate designs that minimize the impacts to these existing utilities. This information is critical to the design process. And yet, the Miss Utility law previously did not permit markings for design purposes. As a way around this, many design professionals would conveniently arrange for soil borings to be conducted early in the process in order to show an attempt at excavation in order to have these markings take place. This circumvention of the approved processes was frustrating for Miss Utility.
Coupled with this was a federal evaluation on how individual states were performing in “locating and marking underground utilities”. It was reported that Maryland did not score very well in this evaluation. Hence, our state government set out to improve the program in Maryland.
So what does this mean for our design profession? The new law permits markings for the design industry. Now design professionals can contact Miss Utility to obtain a “design ticket” that is valid for 15 days and various utilities will be marked. Better yet, all of this can be tracked via online. This will make the design process much easier and more transparent for professionals like Frederick Ward Associates.
jmettee
Frederick Ward, Surveying
Frederick Ward Associates, land surveying
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Virtual Globes Assist in Land Surveying
Thursday, August 12th, 2010
Google Earth has popularized the concept of virtual globes, and the technology behind them is developing at an astounding pace.
Virtual Globes
These virtual globes, generated by 3D software, are helpful for viewing the existing conditions of properties and allow users to move freely around the properties, changing viewing angle, position, scale and data layers. Within the survey group, we rely on these 3D images as we develop survey budgets because it is a quick way to review the property. Using Google Earth we can determine how difficult or long it may take to traverse around the perimeter with our lines of sight due to the amount of foliage. Also, we can use it to determine the magnitude of improvements that will need to be located, i.e. fields, building, fences, parking lots, roads, etc.
Surveying Using 3D Images
When it comes time to actually execute the survey operations, these 3D images aid in communicating with the staff the scope of the project through visual representation. Additionally, these 3D images help us to identify possession lines and give clues on where to look for markers when performing boundary surveys and needing to recover boundary markers. While some will say that 3D images are not accurate enough yet, they can be a definite aid and tool to the surveyor who is inclined to use them, and the quality of high-resolution imagery is both substantial and growing on a rapid basis.
jmettee
Surveying
Google Earth, land surveying, virtual globes
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The Role of Maryland Board for Professional Land Surveyors
Friday, July 9th, 2010
We recently let you know that our very own John Mettee was appointed Chairman of the Maryland Board of Professional Land Surveyors. This organization is important to the general public in Maryland, considering the Board qualifies and licenses anyone seeking to practice as a professional land surveyor. This Board regulates the land survey profession and its reason for being is to protect the health, safety and welfare of Maryland consumers. In carrying out this duty, the Board reviews applicants, administers exams to those who qualify, enforces minimum standards of practice, and confirms “continuing professional competency” (CPC) at license renewals.
The Professional Land Surveyor Licensing Exam
In order to assist applicants with their application process, the Board directed and supported another organization (The Maryland Society of Surveyors) with development of the “Mentoring Program.” The Mentoring Program pairs applicants with licensed surveyors. These surveyors act as mentors, enabling applicants to understand and fulfill exam requirements. This program helps applicants establish a file with the Board to compile credentials. In other words, applicants don’t have to wait until the application for licensure filing to try and get references from each past employer.
The Maryland Society of Surveyors: Seminars and Networking Opportunities
Vince Burke and Bob Banzhoff of the Maryland Society of Surveyors are offering seminars to applications. These meetings offer a great chance for applicants to meet mentors, as well as learning about the application process and programs.
Visit the Maryland Society of Surveyors for more information on the Mentoring and Portfolio Building Programs.
jmettee
Surveying
land surveying, liscensing, Maryland Board of Professional Land Surveyors, Maryland Society of Surveyors, Mentoring and Portfolio Building
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Land Surveying Equipment
Wednesday, March 24th, 2010
The role of technology in surveying, as in all business, has become increasingly important over the last few years. What does this mean for us? A lot.
About ten years ago, I wrote an article for the ACSM Bulletin about using integrating technology into everyday surveying. At that time, FWA was “convinced that GPS technology is for the every day surveyor and should already be included in his or her ‘tool box’”. I found that accuracy and productivity increased, saving both time and money. However, at the time, it wasn’t something that everyone had adopted.
Well, technology has grown and expanded over these past ten years, and we are more sure than ever that it must have its place in a surveyor’s tool box. The old school ways of map tables and alidades have stepped aside for the computer and laser revolution. Landsurveyors.com says that to be truly competitive, surveyors must embrace new technologies. Federal law may even require it. The old school ways have moved over for the computer and laser revolution.
Technology is great for us. It continues to make our work more accurate and efficient. It helps us communicate our findings to our clients much faster and easier. It even lets us write about our findings here. So embrace it, we will.
Read more about changing technologies in surveying.
jmettee
Infrastructure, Surveying
Clinometers, Contractor Survey Instruments, Land Survey Instruments, land surveying, Theodolites
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Land Surveys: Why You Should Get One
Saturday, March 20th, 2010
In recent times, it seems that the need for land surveys has diminished. Although this is a myth, most people are under the impression that a survey isn’t a necessary part of purchasing property.
Here are Frederick Ward Associates, we disagree. We say that surveys have a tremendous benefit. Surveys provide assurance that you are using the most up to date information when purchasing new property. Even more so, a survey can establish boundaries and reveal other rights affecting property, such as easements, rights of way, etc. These can help a purchaser become informed.
Even more so, a survey is useful for legal reasons. Each commercial land transaction is (or should be) anchored with a land survey and title insurance policy. And to ensure surveys are done properly, there are standards for surveyors set in place by organizations like the American Land Title Association or the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping. In addition, having an up-to-date and thorough survey can keep property owners out of a legal dispute, should one ever arise over property questions.
With that being said, take the time to get a proper survey done. It is an investment that can ensure proper property purchasing and holding, and will help avoid any trouble that may arise in the future.
See Frederick Ward Associate’s surveying options.
jmettee
Infrastructure, Surveying
American Congress on Surveying and Mapping, American Land Title Association, commercial land transaction, land surveys, property rights, purchasing new property, title insurance policy
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