Question. We have a group that is doing bridge inspections and utilizing a small GPS enabled puck that gets depths to produce maps that show contours below the bridge and across the river channel that they are inspecting both above water and below water. The inspection report produced calls it a bathymetric survey. Elevations are tied to the top of water with coordinates being raw lat and long. I have my opinion but what is the communities thoughts on weather this should be performed by a surveyor? If not, then what should it be called? Just bothers me to call it a survey. What they are doing is pretty cool and the inspection side of it is one of a kind but the word "Survey" in the report seems wrong.?ÿ
The answer may depend on what state it is in and what falls under their definition.?ÿ I see you are licensed in multiple states.
I am currently researching that now. With these rivers it also depends what bank you took off from to get the soundings.?ÿ
What state is the work being performed in?
@ariddle I am not gonna lookup your state regulations.
bathymetric surveys as you describe are kinda old hat out west, and they are done by land surveyors.
More than likely needs to be a Land Surveyor or Certified Hydrographic Surveyor.
In New Jersey it is surveying
Maryland:
??Practice land surveying? means any service, work, documentation, or practice, the performance or preparation of which requires the application of special knowledge of the principles of mathematics, the related physical and applied sciences, and the requirements of the relevant law, as applied to:
(i) measuring, platting, and locating lines, angles, elevations, natural or artificial features in the air, on the surface of the earth, in underground work, and on the beds of bodies of water for the purpose of determining and reporting positions, topography, areas, and volumes;
Missouri, Iowa, Illinois
The bank you depart does not control the regulated activity. The state you are in does. That is controlled by the boundaries established by congress.
Missouri:
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??ÿ327.272.?ÿ?ÿPractice as professional land surveyor defined. ???ÿ1.?ÿ?ÿA professional land surveyor shall include any person who practices in Missouri as a professional land surveyor who uses the title of ??surveyor? alone or in combination with any other word or words including, but not limited to ??registered?, ??professional? or ??land? indicating or implying that the person is or holds himself or herself out to be a professional land surveyor who by word or words, letters, figures, degrees, titles or other descriptions indicates or implies that the person is a professional land surveyor or is willing or able to practice professional land surveying or who renders or offers to render, or holds himself or herself out as willing or able to render, or perform any service or work, the adequate performance of which involves the special knowledge and application of the principles of land surveying, mathematics, the related physical and applied sciences, and the relevant requirements of law, all of which are acquired by education, training, experience and examination, that affect real property rights on, under or above the land and which service or work involves:
??ÿ(1)?ÿ?ÿThe determination, location, relocation, establishment, reestablishment, layout, or retracing of land boundaries and positions of the United States Public Land Survey System;
??ÿ(2)?ÿ?ÿThe monumentation of land boundaries, land boundary corners and corners of the United States Public Land Survey System;
??ÿ(3)?ÿ?ÿThe subdivision of land into smaller tracts and preparation of property descriptions;
??ÿ(4)?ÿ?ÿThe survey and location of rights-of-way and easements;
??ÿ(5)?ÿ?ÿCreating, preparing, or modifying electronic or computerized data relative to the performance of the activities in subdivisions (1) to (4) of this subsection;
??ÿ(6)?ÿ?ÿConsultation, investigation, design surveys, evaluation, planning, design and execution of surveys;
??ÿ(7)?ÿ?ÿThe preparation of any drawings showing the shape, location, dimensions or area of tracts of land;
??ÿ(8)?ÿ?ÿMonumentation of geodetic control and the determination of their horizontal and vertical positions;
??ÿ(9)?ÿ?ÿEstablishment of state plane coordinates;
??ÿ(10)?ÿ?ÿTopographic surveys and the determination of the horizontal and vertical location of any physical features on, under or above the land;
??ÿ(11)?ÿ?ÿThe preparation of plats, maps or other drawings showing elevations and the locations of improvements and the measurement and preparation of drawings showing existing improvements after construction;
??ÿ(12)?ÿ?ÿLayout of proposed improvements;
??ÿ(13)?ÿ?ÿThe determination of azimuths by astronomic observations.
??ÿ2.?ÿ?ÿNone of the specific duties listed in subdivisions (4) to (13) of subsection 1 of this section are exclusive to professional land surveyors unless they affect real property rights.?ÿ?ÿFor the purposes of this section, the term?ÿ??real property rights??ÿmeans a recordable interest in real estate as it affects the location of land boundary lines.?ÿ?ÿThe validity of any document prepared between August 27, 2014, and August 28, 2015, by a provider of utility or communications services purporting to affect real property rights shall remain valid and enforceable notwithstanding that any legal description contained therein was not prepared by a professional land surveyor.
??ÿ3.?ÿ?ÿProfessional land surveyors shall be in responsible charge of all drawings, maps, surveys, and other work product that can affect the health, safety, and welfare of the public within their scope of practice.
??ÿ4.?ÿ?ÿNothing in this section shall be construed to preclude the practice of architecture or professional engineering or professional landscape architecture as provided in sections 327.091, 327.181, and 327.600.
??ÿ5.?ÿ?ÿNothing in this section shall be construed to preclude the practice of title insurance business or the business of title insurance as provided in chapter 381, or to preclude the practice of law or law business as governed by the Missouri supreme court and as provided in chapter 484.
?ÿ
(L. 1969 S.B. 117, A.L. 1981 S.B. 16, A.L. 1999 H.B. 343, A.L. 2010 H.B. 1692, et al., A.L. 2014 S.B. 809, A.L. 2015 H.B. 1052, A.L. 2016 S.B. 833)
Point taken.?ÿ
