LAND SURVEYING

LAND SURVEYING 

    With the introduction of Geodetic Engineering as the profession, the scope of the profession of surveying has become vast and varied. But it is my estimate that ninety percent of the registered Geodetic Engineers practice Land Surveying, more than any of the activities enumerated in R.A. 8560. It is for this reason that I wish to share this article which is lifted from WIKIPEDIA, to refresh us on what is Land Surveying. More over reading this article will show young surveyors how important and critical the profession, is.

THE LAND SURVEYOR
   The job of the Land Surveyor is to retrace legal descriptions from the deed belonging to the subject property by locating actual reference monumentation and verifying its correct position. Over time, development, vandalism ans acts of natured often wreck havoc on monuments, so the land surveyor is often forced to consider evidence such as fence locations, flood lines, monuments on neighboring property, parole evidence and other evidence.   Reference monumentation refers to actual physical points (marks) on the ground that define location of boundary lines that divide neighboring parcels as well as their respective corners. They are made of different materials, such as concrete, rods or pipes, nails or aluminum alloys, and have the common property of being durabl, stable ans as "permanent" as possible. The aim is to provide sufficient marks so some marks will remain for future re-establishment of boundaries. The material and marking used on monuments placed to mark boundary corners are often subject to state laws.   The job of retracing legal descriptions comprise of several stages. The first stage is to research relevant records such as land titles (deeds), easement, survey monumentation (marks on the ground) and any public or private records that provide relevant data. The next stage is to make measurements on old boundary marks and other marks that could lead to determining the exact location of boundary corners.    The data is then analyzed and comparisons made with existing records to determine evidence that can be used to establish boundary positions. The bearing and distance of lines between the boundary corners and the instrument station positions are calculated and used to set out and mark the corners in the field. Checks are made by measuring directly beteewn pegs placed using flexible tape. Subdivision of land generally requires that the external boundary is re-established and marked using pegs, and the new internal boundaries are then marked.
The Art of  Surveying
   Many properties have considerable problems with regards to improper bounding, miscalculations in past surveys, titles easements and wildlife crossings.Also many properties are created from multiple divisions of a larger piece over the course of years, and with every additional division the risk of miscalculations increases. The result can be abutting properties not coinciding with adjacent parcels, resulting in hiatuses (gaps) and overlaps. The Art plays a role when a surveyor must solve a puzzle using pieces that do not exactly fit together. In these cases, the solution is based upon a surveyors research and interpretation, along with established procedures for resolving discrepancies.
The Land Surveyor an Investigator
  A land surveyor is an investigator of evidence. The Land Surveyor creates evidence on and under the ground to reference/ preserve/ per petuate existing evidence. It is not the position of a land surveyor to make legal determinations; instead, the surveyor provides evidence that can be ruled on by a judge  in a court of law (regarding legal decisions as to boundary lines). Evidence found and set by the land surveyor can be filed of record to be used for decisions as to land boundaries. In most States, It is the first one to the court house with that evidencethat wins a boundary dispute unless other evidence is found with senior importance to the contrary. In most circumstances, the survey marker is of the highest priority as evidence exists to show it was moved.  I has become more common for title companies to try forcing a surveyor to change the measured distances and bearing; to match existing documentation. If the title company is invested in the closing and promoting a faster "close" to avoid the cost of record corrections, this is a conflict of interest. Title company employees may not understand the importance of a bearing base and measured boundary, based on points found and missing points set, and based on the best fit provided by the surveyor. This has become more and more of a problem with the lack of common knowledge of the importance of land surveying evidence. The survey boundary based on field evidence, especially measured boundary markers, should overrule written documentation that does not include the descriptions of the survey markers found by the land surveyor.  Many do not understand the true meaning of a " metes and bounds" boundary description. The "bounds" or physical location and relationship of the survey markers has priority over the "metes" or measurements in the recorded description of a boundary. For example, an old measurement of 420 yards at a bearing of 120 degrees does not take priority over the actual position of the survey markers on both ends, unless a marker is missing and needs to be re-set using that information. Other evidence that will verify the position of the missing marker, based on the senior evidence nearby as first priority, is preferred in such a case. (Wikipedia, January 30, 2011) By: JAMES P. HERNANDO Past President (GEP Regional Division 3) 

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