You are correct that someone could set a pin etc. But you are certifying to that on a field run date. So what happens if someone did a survey a few weeks before you re certify to something you did months ago and they set a different monument than what you called last time. I think this all falls under a morale and professional compass. At the bare minimum a nice afternoon stroll with old plat in hand examing that everything is as it was. But we always re ran the traverse even if same old points found and re observed all the corners. Usually some hard ties like bldg corners a few other items and check and re check all parking and utilities as it was shown. Power poles get replaced and not always in same spot by feet. As they set the new one move lines to it before pulling the old one.
I have arrived at numerous section corners and found zero of the corner tie records that were filed with the State and County to be valid DESPITE another surveyor filing identical ties one or two months prior to my arrival that are repeats of the same corner ties on every filing for the past 15 years. Every "permanent" item that was used to reference the corner is gone. Power pole with nail has been removed and replaced several feet away. Chiseled "X" in old concrete hubguard is now a shiny new corrugated metal pipe. Nail in top of corner post has been replaced with an 8" iron pipe filled with concrete. Etc., etc., etc. And, it is clearly obvious that most missing tie monuments have been missing for years. Once upon a time the record corner ties were valid. A pair of state plane coordinates were assigned to the corner monument by the surveyor. The surveyor has simply used their old coordinates and assumed the monument to still be there. As I posted recently, we found the distance between a quarter corner and a section corner to have expanded by over two feet during restoration following a highway improvement project. Did one move? Did the other one move? Did they both move?
So what happens if someone did a survey a few weeks before you re certify to something you did months ago and they set a different monument than what you called last time.
Well sure, you'd want to keep the window where something like that could happen to within reason.
I have arrived at numerous section corners and found zero of the corner tie records that were filed with the State and County to be valid DESPITE another surveyor filing identical ties one or two months prior to my arrival that are repeats of the same corner ties on every filing for the past 15 years.
That's plain old fraudulent surveying and the solution to that should be pretty straightforward.
The old saying. If I do this I make this much money. If I do this I make this much. This is all it boils down to. If you don’t do due diligence to check your own work. The arguments to not go check your own work and ASSUME boils down to making money. I love to make money but not at the level of a professional status. This is why I walked away from a company after only 6 months. Because of professionalism period. I am not a licensed surveyor and when I do get my license the money is secondary not the primary reason of my existence. If that is the case the. The professional side has gone out the window and now it is all about the money. The very basis for the difference between a profession and a non profession is not only higher education. It is that no matter what the work is done regardless of profit. Yes you can make bank by short stroking a survey. But that’s not professional. Just like I received a trav today. It’s busted sure I can fix it and make assumptions and least squares it scale it to make it look purdy but guess what. Someone is re-running some of it next week . Why because the LS I report to understands both money and professionalism. I cannot comprehend a surveyor a licensed surveyor paper whipping a survey period. This is an issue that still causes issues in GA today and other places many acres and areas never ground run just pencil whipped . We learn this in basic middle school history. Same with many other states. Do what needs to be done in order to make a good determination that it is what it was. @HollycoW is on to more than one can see.
Don’t say something is the same as at some earlier time unless you know for a fact that it is.
100% on this one.
