I have been the surveying consultant for a rural electric co-op for a number of years now.?ÿ Over this time I have seen their engineering staff become equipped with some good 21st. century equipment and software.?ÿ However, their GPS is only mapping grade.?ÿ This became evident when a field engineer would stake a pole line in the field (and record its position for their ESRI records software) only to have the stakes destroyed.?ÿ A return trip to replace the stakes with their mapping grade equipment always proved frustrating, as you can imagine.
They have always called me with highway projects that require a precise staking of station and offset.?ÿ I don't mind it, but it's not my favorite type of work.?ÿ Well recently the co-op management decided to lease some good survey grade Trimble equipment so the field engineers could stake these highway jobs themselves and?ÿ I encouraged them to do so.?ÿ Most of the engineers are young and fairly savvy with the concept of "location" in respect to R/W.
They have procured the equipment and a MicroStation file of the seven mile long highway job.?ÿ Someone was even able to come up with project stations and offset for relocating the aerial plant.?ÿ The outfit leasing them the GPS equipment has even offered to provide them with some training.?ÿ It seemed as if they were all set.?ÿ And I am trying to stay as unattached to their scheme as I can.?ÿ There is no better way to learn how to swim than to get thrown in the water...
I get a phone call from them on Friday. "The guy training us says he needs a control file and a coordinate file for the proposed line....what's a control file?"
I explained the concept of data point files and localizing on a project coordinate grid.?ÿ The engineer wanted to know where he could get these files.?ÿ I told him the control file info was on two 24x36 sheets in the dgn file provided by the highway department.?ÿ As for the coord file for the proposed, I guessed someone would need to build ascii or text files of these points in an agreeable format.?ÿ I suggested he get with their records people and their ESRI software...they could probably be of some help.
I guess they managed to cobble together all their info.?ÿ?ÿThe last call I received was questioning the "control file"...which consists of close to a hundred section corners, quarter corners and various land ties on the seven mile long highway project prints.?ÿ?ÿThe engineer had called the highway dept. concerning the whereabouts of these control points.?ÿ Someone at the highway department told them, "You have to go out and find them".?ÿ
The engineer lamented to me that this is turning into "way too much work".?ÿ The management figured if they got a hold of some good GPS equipment then they could just dance out there and stick some lath in the ground where the GPS told them to.?ÿ I told them you can do that...but the prep work is more than some folks realize.
I just emailed the engineer all the "Certified Corner Records" he will need to recover the section corners for control on the project.?ÿ I signed the email "welcome to my world".?ÿ
I suspect the next call I get will be him wanting to borrow a pin-finder for a while.... 😉
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That is so true, many times a client never sees the boundary work, or figuring out where the easement is. They just see us getting out of the truck screwing the GPS antenna, and grabbing a bag full of wood. Some even comment I just paid you how much to do that. No, you paid me to get this in the correct location, you saw me stake it, but you didnt see the work I did last week to determine this location. Also I ripped a shirt on a barbwire fence, and also bleed some from cutting line to find a property corner, and worked half a day in wet socks.
I work for the dealer in question. I spent the better part of two days trying to get through his files to get what he wanted.?ÿ I kept asking questions and running into brick walls. I told his salesman that said engineer needed much more training than what I could deliver through phone calls and emails.
Keep in mind that I can train a monkey to push the buttons in a day. It takes years to learn the basics of surveying though.
I work for the dealer in question. I spent the better part of two days trying to get through his files to get what he wanted.?ÿ I kept asking questions and running into brick walls. I told his salesman that said engineer needed much more training than what I could deliver through phone calls and emails.
Keep in mind that I can train a monkey to push the buttons in a day. It takes years to learn the basics of surveying though.
"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." - Lao Tzu
I'm optimistic for the outcome with this one.?ÿ?ÿ They seemed to have digested all the info I've provided...with little or no regurgitation.?ÿ Although I may wind up recovering and verifying "control points" for them on these types of projects in the future.?ÿ That probably wouldn't be a bad thing and might usurp some amateurish costly mistakes.
We'll see how this turns out.?ÿ Color me "hopeful". ;)?ÿ?ÿ
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I have been doing similar work for a local electric coop for the last 5 years or so. They used to write their own easement descriptions, and they had some dooseys let me tell you. Then someone challenged one of their easements because it fell on the wrong property and they hired me to do their boundary/easement work. They stake it, I shoot their stakes and boundary evidence in the area, and write an easement description, including an exhibit map. About 20% of the time I have to fix issues in their staking like being on the wrong parcel, being in the county road right of way (when they don't want to be) etc. What was amazing to me is how quickly they learned how far they were in over their heads in the past. Bottom line they know what they don't know and that's a good thing. I figured it would take years to convince them that they shouldn't be writing descriptions, but their staff was very receptive. In fact I think they were relieved to no longer be doing things they didn't have any business doing. Now if I could just convince the other 2 electric coops in the area that they are incapable of writing a legal and my mission will be complete!?ÿ
I have been doing similar work for a local electric coop for the last 5 years or so. They used to write their own easement descriptions, and they had some dooseys let me tell you. Then someone challenged one of their easements because it fell on the wrong property and they hired me to do their boundary/easement work. They stake it, I shoot their stakes and boundary evidence in the area, and write an easement description, including an exhibit map. About 20% of the time I have to fix issues in their staking like being on the wrong parcel, being in the county road right of way (when they don't want to be) etc. What was amazing to me is how quickly they learned how far they were in over their heads in the past. Bottom line they know what they don't know and that's a good thing. I figured it would take years to convince them that they shouldn't be writing descriptions, but their staff was very receptive. In fact I think they were relieved to no longer be doing things they didn't have any business doing. Now if I could just convince the other 2 electric coops in the area that they are incapable of writing a legal and my mission will be complete!?ÿ
I've been with these folks almost 10 years.?ÿ I discovered their industry sends a lot of employees to regular seminars and one of the recurring topics is R/W and the pitfalls of poorly prepared easement docs.?ÿ This became a good "shot in the arm" for the surveying profession.?ÿ?ÿMost of the rural co-ops around here have surveyors they use for R/W and various other work.?ÿ Some surveyors see the work as minimal or repetitious and trivial, but it's good work I've found.?ÿ I get a turn-around time of about 10 to 15 days on my monthly invoices.?ÿ That in itself makes it all worthwhile.
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Yep, this one sends me 20-30 jobs per year, pays bills 2x per month, and never complains about the price. One of my better contracts for sure.
