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I recently begun using Google Earth to maintain a database of control points and PLSS points tied.

I have records of surveys going back to 1945. For the last 5 years, we have indexed all of the plats in the vault, geo-referenced projects and have begun taking the data bases we have created and applying them to GIS as a quick reference when on the phone with a price shopper.
This has not been a cheap process. The manhours are the biggest expense. It takes time to get it right and we are not done with it yet. It has helped keep our staff employed, but only at minimal hours when jobs are slow to come in.
The resistance you refer to is probably because of the costs involved. It is non billable time.

SD

yea, something like that. Can i ask you why you started doing that?

yes ur right about the resisitence.
in these last 5 years where all these projects done in your local state plane? and if so how did you get ur control on the grid? OPUS or just relative?

We archive parcels, monuments, benchmarks, plats and references in ArcGis with field notes and surveys hyperlinked. It did take a ton of time to log in 97 years worth of records, but it is very quick and easy to update current projects..maybe 5 minutes to update each project. Good Luck.

One reason is that I found it an effective way to communicate amongst different crews what had gone on with a job.

Another reason is that I like to put together a control report, in the form of a pdf, for certain jobs and GE was an effective way to produce a site sketch.

FWIW, these control reports usually include a point listing, a brief description of the datum, measurement units, and method employed, the NGS data sheets or OPUS reports used, the LS adjustment report, raw data printouts, and field notes. And a sketch, commonly based on a screen cap from GE.

We maitain a network in every town/area we do a significant amount of work in. All start with a static network tied out to NGS monuments and expand from there to more individual static ties and lots of RTK ties. In smaller towns we keep all mon ties and static data in one TGO file while in larger areas we keep only the main control and the section corners in one file.

In small towns we also maintain a central cogo database in CAD that contains all the row and parcel work we have done.

Its all been a work in progress with a few hiccups along the way mainly due to point numbering and keeping things up to date.

I have wanted to integrate this all into ArcGIS somehow but havent found time or effort to make that happen.

WA_ID, it seems you are heading in the direction i desire.
Do you use OPUS or do u post process it urself?
And the Networks that you have built apon has it helped with bids, deliniating NEW boundary, stake-outs, etc?
And the larger areas where you networked the control and section corners... were you able to see patterns of the original surveyors?

> WA_ID, it seems you are heading in the direction i desire.
> Do you use OPUS or do u post process it urself?
> And the Networks that you have built apon has it helped with bids, deliniating NEW boundary, stake-outs, etc?
> And the larger areas where you networked the control and section corners... were you able to see patterns of the original surveyors?

We never use OPUS, we post process it all using NGS mons as the starting static points. We rarely bid on anything as 95% of our work is selection based or existing clients. For existing clients it helps alot becuase they are usually expanding water, sewer or road projects in the same 'area' so it allows us to work quite efficiently. This obviously can be a benefit for new clients as well.

No, we can't really see any original surveyor patterns. It seems like almost all of the section corners around have been well monumented/perpetuated (at least in ID, WA is a different story) for decades.

We operate primarily in one small county in Florida. Approximately 10,000 individual surveys. Started using GPS in mid 1990's, and by 1998-99 every survey was done in state plane. Approximately half of our surveys are in state plane. Currently have about half of all sections (Florida is a PLSS state) in the county broken down in state plane coordinates. About two thirds of all highway centerline is also tied to state plane. I have one very large AutoCad master drawing showing all monumentation, section breakdowns, centerlines, etc., as well as the boundary lines of each surveyed tract drawn in state plane position. Also, aerial photos are on layers which mostly remain off, but if needed can be switched on. Also, I have a separate cogo file for all points situate within each individual section. Whenever I wish to work (draw, calculate, etc.) within a given section, I just make that particular cogo file current. A typical cogo file would be named Section 29-45-35.crd (e.g. for Section 29, Township 45 South, Range 35 East). Inside that file would be all points situate within Section 29-45-35. I use Carlson and AutoCad. It takes someone very disciplined to keep the map updated. The young bucks in my business have never seen the advantages, so I have had to just accept the fact that if I don't do it it won't get done.

My alternate project is to eventually have all of my hand drawn copies scanned, and then placed at their approximate state plane position (lacking rotation).

One other thing, on my master drawing within each enclosed boundary I list the job number of the survey. Also, over the years I have concluded that numerical (job nummer) is the way to file away work folders rather than alphabetic.

Not for everybody, I'm sure. And, there are likely many who have a better plan than mine. But, it works for me.

Are you related to C.K. Dexter Haven?

Not that I know of...you been having?:-)

thanks WA-ID you have been alot of help.

I do like the way you have organized....
Do you post process the data or use OPUS......or did you just use an assumed position in a job file that was set up in state plane?

I use everything...OPUS, traditional Base/RoverRTK, free Fla.DOT Network, static post processed...but, without exception everything is in State Plane position. I am fortunate however, we are at/near sea level, and benefit from a very small scale factor.