Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 10
Starting Field Work
Once the research is complete, or nearly so, the surveyor's next step is to go into
the field to find monuments, to run survey lines, to locate evidence, and finally, to
set lot corners. Sometimes, as the field work progresses, it will become apparent
that more research is required. If the survey is a retracement survey, the surveyor's
first order of business is to find the monuments called for in the record informa-
tion. Even if the survey is to be an original survey, the surveyor will need to find
some original monuments such as the street or highway bounds of the road which
the property abuts.
For many surveyors, field work is one of the more enjoyable phases of perform-
ing a boundary survey. It rarely fails to be interesting. One never quite knows what
to expect when in the field. Sometimes the weather is pleasant and other times
it is rather unpleasant. Surveyors are routinely attacked by bees, gnats, mosqui-
tos, ticks and, when property lines are contentious, sometimes their own kind.
When working along roads and highways, vehicles are a nuisance at best and a
hazard at worst. Working on farms and ranches, surveyors often have to contend
with domestic animals (Fig.
10.1
). Cows and horses are curious creatures and are
attracted to instrument and prism tripods, often using them for scratching posts. A
1,000 pound animal has little difficulty tipping over a $25,000 robotic total station.
This is likely to turn the surveyor's total station into an expensive mantel piece—a
constant reminder never to leave the instrument unattended. Where large animals
are free to roam in the vicinity of the survey crew, the person running the instru-
ment must remain at their post at all times. Having equipment insured is some-
times a prudent investment.
Boundary surveyors rarely perform field work alone. Many surveys will require
traversing, so three tripods with two prisms and a total station will be the minimum
equipment required. Carrying all of this equipment around would waste too much
time if a single person were to attempt it. There is also quite a bit of other equipment
to be carried such as a prism pole, machete, hammer or hatchet, wooden stakes and
other markers. Normally, a crew will consist of two or three persons, and sometimes
