IN Land Surveyor key terms

A physical object set by a surveyor or original government survey and cited in a recorded document, whose position and character control the boundary as described in that record.

Acquisition of title by open, notorious, exclusive, hostile, and continuous possession of another's land for the statutory period, which in Indiana is generally twenty years.

A settled line established when adjoining owners, uncertain about the true location of their common boundary, agree on a line and treat it as binding on themselves and successors.

A boundary along a watercourse or lake, generally following the thread or ordinary high water mark, and subject to change by accretion, reliction, erosion, or avulsion.

Gradual and imperceptible addition of land by natural water action, which normally moves the riparian boundary with the water and benefits the adjacent owner without a new deed.

Sudden or perceptible change in a watercourse channel, such as a flood cutoff, which ordinarily does not move existing property boundaries; the old channel remains the boundary.

A right to use another's land acquired through open, adverse, continuous, and uninterrupted use for the statutory period, without the owner's permission and without exclusive possession.

An easement arising when a landowner permits another to use land in reliance on that permission, the user materially changes position, and denying the right would be unjust.

A reference framework defining the size, shape, and position of the earth, including an ellipsoid and origin, to which horizontal coordinates and elevations are tied.

The North American Datum of 1983, a geocentric reference system based on the GRS80 ellipsoid, used for horizontal coordinates in Indiana and updated through later realizations.

The North American Vertical Datum of 1988, a vertical reference based on a single tide gauge at Father Point, Quebec, and realized through the geoid model and leveling networks.

A mathematically defined surface approximating the earth, characterized by a semi-major axis and flattening, on which geodetic latitude, longitude, and ellipsoid heights are computed.

The equipotential surface of the earth's gravity field that approximates mean sea level, used as the reference for orthometric heights and related to the ellipsoid by the geoid separation.

A system of conformal map projections dividing each state into zones so that plane coordinates can be used for surveying while keeping distortion small.

A mathematical transformation of positions on the curved earth onto a plane, inevitably introducing scale, angular, or area distortion that must be accounted for in surveys.

The ratio between a distance on the projection grid and the corresponding distance on the ellipsoid at a point, varying with position within a state plane zone.

The ratio of the ellipsoid distance to the horizontal ground distance, computed as the earth radius divided by the earth radius plus height above the ellipsoid.

The product of the grid scale factor and the elevation factor, used to convert between ground distances and grid distances in state plane computations.

The comparison of computed ending position with a known or starting position in a traverse, expressed as a linear misclosure and a precision ratio such as 1:10,000.

A statistical method distributing random errors among observations so that the sum of squared residuals is minimized, yielding adjusted coordinates and estimates of their precision.

The difference between an observed value and its adjusted or computed value after a least squares or other adjustment, used to assess observation quality and detect blunders.

A traverse adjustment method distributing latitude and departure misclosure in proportion to the length of each course, also called the compass rule.

An electronic instrument combining an electronic distance meter with a theodolite to measure horizontal and vertical angles and slope distances to a target in one setup.

Real-time kinematic global navigation satellite system positioning, in which a base station broadcasts corrections so a rover can compute centimeter-level positions in the field.

A series of differential leveling setups returning to the starting benchmark or closing on another known elevation, allowing misclosure to be computed and distributed.

The federal rectangular system established by the Land Ordinance of 1785, dividing land into townships, ranges, sections, and aliquot parts referenced to principal meridians and baselines.

The first official survey of a public land area by federal deputies, whose corners and lines control later retracements and are not to be moved by subsequent surveys.

A corner of a PLSS section, whether a standard, quarter, or meander corner, whose original location and monument govern the boundaries of the section it defines.

A fractional subdivision of a PLSS section described by halves and quarters, such as the northeast quarter of the southwest quarter, normally containing forty acres.

The professional practice of preserving or restoring original corner evidence, including setting accessories and filing a corner record when the monument is disturbed or destroyed.

A person licensed by the Indiana State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors to practice land surveying in the state after meeting education and examination requirements.

A signed and sealed drawing prepared by a licensed surveyor depicting boundary lines, monuments, and related information, often recorded to provide public notice of the survey.

The degree of care and skill ordinarily exercised by competent surveyors in similar circumstances, which defines the duty owed to clients and the public.

A situation in which a surveyor's personal, financial, or other interest could improperly influence professional judgment, requiring disclosure or withdrawal from the engagement.

Boundary interests arising without a deed, such as by adverse possession, prescription, agreement, or estoppel, which a surveyor must investigate and disclose when found.

The comparison between a distance stated in a deed or plat and the distance measured between monuments, where monuments generally control over the record distance.

An easement created when a landowner's conduct leads another to reasonably rely on a right of use, and enforcement is necessary to prevent injustice.

A network of precisely positioned and monumented points, such as NGS horizontal and vertical control stations, used to reference and validate survey measurements.