CT Land Surveyor flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Retracement survey

A survey that re-establishes an existing boundary from record evidence and field monuments, following the original surveyor's footsteps rather than creating new lines.

Order of evidence

The hierarchy used to resolve boundary conflicts: natural monuments first, then artificial monuments, then courses and distances, and finally area or quantity.

Adverse possession period

In Connecticut, adverse possession requires 15 years of continuous, open, notorious, exclusive, and hostile use of another's land under C.G.S. § 52-575.

Proportionate measurement

A method of distributing a known misclosure in a deed's distances among all courses in proportion to their record lengths, preserving relative geometry.

Bearing to azimuth

Conversion by quadrant: NE equals bearing; SE equals 180 minus bearing; SW equals 180 plus bearing; NW equals 360 minus bearing.

Latitude and departure

Latitude equals distance times cosine of bearing; departure equals distance times sine of bearing. Their sums must close to zero in a closed traverse.

Shoelace formula

Twice the area equals the sum of X sub i times Y sub i plus one minus X sub i plus one times Y sub i, taken absolutely and divided by two.

Law of cosines

c squared equals a squared plus b squared minus 2ab times cosine of angle C; used to solve triangles when two sides and included angle are known.

Angular misclosure

The difference between the sum of measured interior angles and (n minus 2) times 180 degrees for a closed polygon traverse.

Compass rule

A traverse adjustment method that distributes latitude and departure errors in proportion to each course length, also called the Bowditch rule.

EDM error formula

Total EDM error equals plus or minus (a plus b parts per million times distance), combining constant offset and scale error components.

RTK accuracy

Real-time kinematic GNSS typically achieves horizontal accuracy of about 8 millimeters plus 1 part per million of baseline distance.

Constructive notice

Recording a deed in the town clerk's office gives the world legal notice of the interest, binding subsequent purchasers regardless of actual knowledge.

Quitclaim deed

A deed that conveys whatever interest the grantor may hold without warranties of title; it carries no covenants of seisin or quiet enjoyment.

Prescriptive easement

In Connecticut, 15 years of adverse, open, notorious, and continuous use of another's land without permission creates an easement by prescription.

Connecticut subdivision threshold

Under C.G.S. § 8-18, a subdivision is any division of land into three or more lots within ten years, subject to municipal regulation.

NAD83 (2011)

The current horizontal geodetic datum for Connecticut and the United States, replacing NAD27 and earlier realizations of NAD83.

NAVD88

The North American Vertical Datum of 1988, the current orthometric height datum used for Connecticut survey control and benchmarks.

Geoid height

The separation between the ellipsoid and the geoid; orthometric height equals ellipsoidal height minus geoid height.

Connecticut State Plane

The CT00 zone uses a Lambert Conformal Conic projection with standard parallels near 41 degrees 52 minutes for the entire state.

Photograph scale

Scale equals focal length divided by flying height above ground for a vertical aerial photograph, expressed as a representative fraction.

Relief displacement

The radial shift of an elevated object on a vertical photo, equal to radial distance times object height divided by flying height.

Ground sample distance

GSD equals pixel size times flying height divided by focal length; it defines the spatial resolution of an orthoimage or point cloud.

NDVI

The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index equals near-infrared minus red divided by near-infrared plus red, indicating vegetation vigor.

Curve length formula

Arc length equals radius times central angle in radians; tangent equals radius times tangent of half the central angle.

Cut and fill

Cut is existing elevation minus design elevation when positive; fill is the negative difference. Volumes use average end area or prismoidal formula.

Lot area by coordinates

Compute area using the shoelace formula on the closed polygon of lot corners, then convert square feet to acres by dividing by 43,560.

Construction staking

Field layout of design elements such as alignments, grades, and structures using stationing, offsets, and elevations referenced to control.

Seal and signature

Under C.G.S. § 20-300b, only a licensed land surveyor may sign and seal survey maps, certifying personal responsibility for the work.

Conflict of interest

A financial or personal interest that could bias professional judgment; it must be disclosed to the client and avoided when possible.

Record retention

Field notes, computations, and final maps should be retained for the period required by state law and professional standards, typically at least seven years.

Connecticut licensing statute

C.G.S. § 20-299 et seq. governs licensure of professional engineers and land surveyors through the State Board of Examiners.