IN Land Surveyor flashcards

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

Rule of monument control

Written calls for natural or artificial monuments prevail over courses, distances, and area in a deed, so a surveyor locates the monument rather than holding the record distance.

Adverse possession period Indiana

Indiana statute sets ten years of actual, open, notorious, exclusive, continuous, and hostile possession under claim of right to acquire title to land.

Boundary by acquiescence

A doctrine recognizing a visible boundary line treated as the true line for at least twenty years in Indiana, based on the adjoining owners' conduct and mutual recognition.

Thread of the stream

The centerline of a non-navigable stream that forms the boundary between riparian owners; the state owns the bed of navigable waters instead.

Prescriptive easement Indiana

A right to use another's land acquired after twenty years of adverse, continuous, and open use, distinct from the ten-year period for adverse possession of title.

Deed ambiguity construction

Ambiguous deed language is construed against the grantor, with specific calls controlling general ones and monuments controlling distances and quantity.

Datum versus reference frame

A datum defines the model relating coordinates to the Earth, while a reference frame is the physical set of stations realizing that datum, such as NAD83(2011).

Indiana state plane zones

Indiana uses the Transverse Mercator projection with two zones, Indiana East (FIPS 1301) and Indiana West (FIPS 1302), each with its own central meridian.

Combined factor formula

Combined factor equals the map projection scale factor multiplied by the elevation factor R/(R+h), converting between grid distance and ground distance.

Geoid height relation

Ellipsoid height h equals orthometric height H plus geoid height N; GNSS provides h while leveling provides H, so N links the two height systems.

Grid versus geodetic azimuth

Grid azimuth differs from geodetic azimuth by the convergence angle, which is zero along the central meridian and grows with distance from it.

Minimally constrained adjustment

An adjustment holding the minimum control fixed, one station and one azimuth, so the network's internal geometry is tested without forcing it to exterior control.

EDM accuracy specification

Distance accuracy stated as plus or minus a fixed millimeters plus parts per million times distance, so uncertainty grows with the measured length.

Prism constant mismatch

Using a prism constant that does not match the prism adds a fixed offset to every distance, producing a systematic error visible in closure.

Traverse closure ratio

Total traverse length divided by the linear error of closure; a ratio of 1:10,000 over 2,000 feet allows about 0.2 foot of misclosure.

Curvature and refraction correction

For a horizontal sight, the combined correction is about 0.0675 times K squared feet, where K is the sight distance in thousands of feet.

RTK vertical accuracy

Real-time kinematic GNSS vertical positions are generally two to three times less accurate than horizontal, so check shots on known control before accepting elevations.

Balancing leveling sights

Keeping backsight and foresight distances equal cancels refraction and curvature error and reduces instrument setup error in differential leveling.

Latitude and departure

Latitude equals distance times cosine of azimuth and departure equals distance times sine of azimuth; both must sum to zero in a closed traverse.

Area by coordinates

Twice the area equals the sum of E times next N minus next E times N around the traverse; take the absolute value and divide by two.

Compass rule adjustment

Misclosure is distributed among courses in proportion to course length, correcting latitudes and departures before computing final coordinates.

Horizontal curve tangent

Tangent length equals radius times tangent of half the intersection angle; curve length equals radius times the intersection angle in radians.

Least squares reference variance

The adjustment minimizes weighted squared residuals; a reference variance near 1.0 indicates observation weights are consistent with actual errors.

Map scale position error

At 1:24,000, one inch on the map equals 2,000 feet on the ground, so a 0.02-inch plotting error represents about 40 feet.

PLSS township and section

A township is six miles square with 36 sections of 640 acres each, numbered from the northeast corner and proceeding boustrophedon across the township.

Correction lines and standard parallels

Lines run at intervals, commonly every 24 miles, to absorb meridian convergence; guide meridians run north and close on the standard parallels.

Meander line meaning

A meander line marks the water's edge for computing area but is not a boundary of title; title extends to the water as state law provides.

Single proportionate measurement

A lost corner between two known corners is restored by proportioning the record distances to the measured distance between the accepted corners.

Government lot origin

Fractional lots arise where regular section subdivision meets a meander line, reservation, base line, or other irregular boundary, and are numbered in the plat.

Indiana surveyor licensure

Indiana licenses land surveyors through the Professional Licensing Agency and the Board of Registration for Land Surveyors after education, experience, and examination.

Seal and signature duty

A licensee's seal certifies personal responsibility for the work; sealing plans not prepared or reviewed under direct supervision violates board rules.

Conflict of interest disclosure

A surveyor must disclose in writing any interest that could bias the work and may not accept pay from multiple parties for one service without informed consent.