KS Land Surveyor flashcards

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

KSBTP

Kansas Board of Technical Professions, the state agency that licenses land surveyors, engineers, architects, geologists, and landscape architects, and enforces Kansas technical professions statutes and regulations.

Kansas surveyor minimum age

An applicant for Kansas land surveyor licensure must be at least 18 years old and hold a high school diploma or equivalent, in addition to education, experience, and exam requirements.

FS exam role

The NCEES Fundamentals of Surveying exam is the first national exam in the Kansas licensure sequence; passing it typically qualifies a candidate for surveyor-in-training status but not independent practice.

PS exam role

The NCEES Principles and Practice of Surveying exam is the final national exam required for Kansas licensure; candidates generally must have board-approved education and experience before sitting.

Kansas experience requirement

Kansas typically requires progressive surveying experience (commonly four years) under a licensed surveyor, with board-approved education substitutions; verify current KSBTP rules for exact credit.

Licensure by comity

A surveyor licensed in another jurisdiction may apply to KSBTP for Kansas licensure by comity; the board reviews education, NCEES exams, and experience and may require supplemental Kansas requirements.

Continuing professional competency

Kansas renewal typically requires continuing professional competency hours (commonly 30 PDH per two-year cycle, including HSW topics); confirm current hour and subject requirements with KSBTP.

Surveyor-in-training designation

After passing the FS exam, a Kansas candidate may be recognized as a surveyor-in-training or intern; this is not a license and does not authorize independent surveying practice.

Certificate of authorization

Kansas requires firms offering surveying services to hold a certificate of authorization from KSBTP; practicing through an unregistered firm can result in penalties.

Seal and signature rules

Licensed Kansas surveyors must seal and sign surveying documents they prepare or directly supervise; misrepresentation or sealing work not under their control is a disciplinary violation.

Application falsification

Providing false information on a KSBTP application, such as fabricated experience or transcripts, is grounds for denial, revocation, or other discipline under Kansas technical professions law.

KSBTP disciplinary authority

KSBTP may investigate complaints and impose penalties including fines, suspension, or revocation for incompetence, negligence, unethical practice, or violation of Kansas statutes and regulations.

FS exam format

The NCEES Fundamentals of Surveying exam is computer-based, about 110 multiple-choice questions in a 6-hour appointment with a scheduled break; there is no penalty for guessing.

FS exam specifications

NCEES publishes exam specifications listing knowledge areas and approximate percentage weights for the FS exam; candidates should use the current version to focus study.

Latitude and departure

In traverse computations, latitude = distance × cosine(bearing) and departure = distance × sine(bearing); sums of latitudes and departures reveal closure error.

Bowditch compass rule

A traverse adjustment method distributing closure error proportionally to leg length: correction = total error × (leg length / perimeter), applied to latitudes and departures.

Area by coordinates

The shoelace formula computes polygon area from coordinates: 2A = Σ(Xi·Yi+1 − Xi+1·Yi); the result is doubled area, so divide by two and take absolute value.

Horizontal curve tangent

For a circular horizontal curve, tangent length T = R × tan(Δ/2), where R is radius and Δ is the central deflection angle between tangents.

Horizontal curve length

Circular curve length L = R × Δ (with Δ in radians), or L = 100 × Δ/D when using degree of curve D; long chord LC = 2R × sin(Δ/2).

Vertical curve equation

Parabolic vertical curve elevation = PVC elevation + g1·x + ((g2 − g1)/(2L))·x², where x is distance from PVC, g1 and g2 are grades, and L is curve length.

Average end area volume

Earthwork volume by average end area = L × (A1 + A2)/2, where A1 and A2 are cross-section areas at the ends and L is the distance between them.

Prismoidal formula

Volume = L/6 × (A1 + 4Am + A2), where Am is the midsection area; it is more accurate than average end area for varying cross sections.

Geoid and ellipsoid

The geoid is an equipotential surface approximating mean sea level; the ellipsoid is a mathematical reference surface. Their separation is the geoid undulation used in GNSS height conversion.

State plane coordinates

A projected coordinate system dividing states into zones to limit distortion; Kansas uses zones based on transverse Mercator or Lambert projections, with scale and convergence factors applied.

Map projection scale factor

The ratio of map (grid) distance to ellipsoid distance; combined with elevation factor it converts ground distances to grid distances for state plane coordinates.

GNSS RTK positioning

Real-time kinematic GNSS uses a base station and rover radio link to resolve carrier-phase ambiguities, providing centimeter-level positions; accuracy degrades with baseline length and multipath.

Random vs systematic error

Random errors are unpredictable and reduced by averaging repeated observations; systematic errors are consistent biases (e.g., instrument calibration) that averaging does not remove.

Precision versus accuracy

Precision describes repeatability among observations; accuracy describes closeness to the true value. A precise set can still be inaccurate if systematic error is present.

Monument controls boundary

A legal boundary principle holding that original monuments established by the survey govern over distances, angles, or area stated in deeds or plats when conflicts arise.

Senior rights principle

When overlapping boundary descriptions conflict, the earlier (senior) conveyance generally prevails over a later (junior) conveyance, subject to intent and monument evidence.

Riparian boundary

A boundary along a watercourse; for non-navigable streams, the boundary typically follows the thread (centerline) and may shift with gradual accretion but not avulsion.

Photogrammetry and LiDAR

Photogrammetry derives measurements from overlapping imagery; LiDAR uses laser pulses to produce point clouds. Both support topographic mapping, with accuracy tied to control and resolution.