MA Land Surveyor flashcards
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33 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Monument controls over distance
- In boundary retracement, an original, undisturbed monument called for in the deed generally controls over courses, distances, and area stated in the deed.
- Adverse possession period
- Massachusetts requires 20 years of actual, open, notorious, exclusive, continuous, and hostile possession under G.L. c. 260 § 21 to acquire title by adverse possession.
- Mean high water line
- The boundary between private upland and Commonwealth-owned tidal flats in Massachusetts; the state holds title below this line subject to the Colonial Ordinance of 1641-1647.
- ANR plan
- An Approval Not Required plan endorsed by the planning board when a division of land does not create a new way or require subdivision approval under G.L. c. 41 § 81P.
- Combined factor
- The product of the grid scale factor and the elevation factor, used to convert between grid distances on the State Plane Coordinate System and ground distances.
- Curvature and refraction
- Correction to leveling or trigonometric leveling of about 0.0206 times the distance in kilometers squared, in meters, accounting for Earth curvature and atmospheric refraction.
- Latitude and departure
- Latitude equals distance times cosine of azimuth (northing change); departure equals distance times sine of azimuth (easting change) in a traverse.
- Compass rule adjustment
- A traverse adjustment distributing closure error in latitude and departure proportionally to the length of each course, also called the Bowditch rule.
- Horizontal curve tangent
- The tangent distance T equals R times the tangent of half the intersection angle, where R is the curve radius and the angle is the deflection between tangents.
- Degree of curve
- The central angle subtended by a 100-foot arc under the arc definition; D equals 5729.58 divided by the radius in feet.
- Vertical curve elevation
- Elevation equals PVC elevation plus g1 times x plus (g2 minus g1) times x squared divided by twice the curve length, with x measured from the PVC.
- Standard error of mean
- The standard deviation of repeated observations divided by the square root of the number of observations; it decreases as more observations are averaged.
- Least squares adjustment
- An adjustment method minimizing the sum of weighted squared residuals; the solution uses normal equations with the design matrix and weight matrix.
- Precision versus accuracy
- Precision is the repeatability of measurements; accuracy is closeness to the true value. Systematic errors reduce accuracy without necessarily reducing precision.
- Standardized residual
- A residual divided by its standard deviation in a least squares adjustment; values exceeding about 3 commonly indicate a blunder in the observation.
- NAD83 (2011)
- The current horizontal datum realization used in Massachusetts; coordinates must document the datum and epoch, and transformations from older datums must be recorded.
- NAVD88
- The vertical datum used for orthometric heights in Massachusetts; ellipsoid heights from GNSS are converted using a geoid model such as GEOID18.
- State Plane projection
- Massachusetts uses the Lambert Conformal Conic projection for its State Plane zones; grid distances differ from ground distances by the combined factor.
- RTK verification
- Real-time kinematic GNSS positions should be checked by a second occupation or independent control because multipath and canopy can degrade accuracy.
- Balanced sight distances
- In differential leveling, keeping backsight and foresight distances equal cancels curvature, refraction, and instrument collimation errors.
- Average end area method
- An earthwork volume method using the average of two cross-sectional areas multiplied by the distance between them; volumes in cubic yards equal cubic feet divided by 27.
- Prismoidal correction
- A volume correction of L/6 times (A1 plus 4Am plus A2) that improves accuracy over the average end area method for varying cross sections.
- Easement by necessity
- An implied easement arising when a parcel is landlocked by a common grantor's conveyance; it is limited to the reasonable access needs of the parcel.
- Prescriptive easement
- A right to use another's land acquired by 20 years of open, notorious, continuous, and adverse use in Massachusetts, limited to the use actually exercised.
- Boundary by acquiescence
- A doctrine fixing a boundary where adjoining owners treat a line as the boundary for a long period, even without the full statutory period.
- Avulsion versus accretion
- Gradual, imperceptible accretion moves a water boundary; a sudden avulsive change does not alter the boundary line.
- Proportionate measurement
- A method of reestablishing a lost corner by distributing the record distance proportionally along the line between found original monuments.
- Witness corner
- A monument set near a corner to reference it when the corner itself cannot be marked; the witness corner is not the legal corner.
- Land Court registration
- Massachusetts registered land system in which the Land Court approves plans and decrees title; registered boundaries are not altered by adverse possession.
- Subdivision Control Law
- G.L. c. 41 §§ 81K-81GG governs subdivision plans and requires planning board approval for divisions creating new ways or frontage.
- Wetlands Protection Act
- G.L. c. 131 § 40 and 310 CMR 10.00 define resource areas and buffer zones; surveys may need to locate wetland flags and limits.
- ALTA/NSPS survey
- A survey standard where Table A items are specified in the contract and the surveyor certifies to named parties as of a stated effective date.
- Seal and certification
- A Massachusetts surveyor signs and seals only work prepared or directly supervised, certifying accuracy to named parties within the surveyor's competence.