MO Land Surveyor flashcards

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

Original monument

A monument set by the original surveyor that is accepted as the best evidence of a boundary corner, controlling over later measurements and deed distances.

Priority of evidence

The hierarchy in boundary retracement: natural monuments, then artificial monuments, then courses and distances, then area, used to resolve conflicts in deed descriptions.

Adverse possession period

In Missouri, the statutory period for adverse possession is typically 10 years under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 516.010, requiring actual, open, notorious, exclusive, hostile, and continuous possession.

Accretion vs avulsion

Accretion is gradual deposit of soil that changes a river boundary and belongs to the riparian owner; avulsion is a sudden change that does not alter the boundary.

Proportionate measurement

A method to reestablish a lost corner by proportioning the record distances between known corners along the line, used when original evidence is insufficient.

20 CSR 2030-16

The Missouri regulation containing the minimum standards for property boundary surveys, including requirements for contracts, plats, and monumentation.

Missouri survey plat

A document prepared by a licensed surveyor showing the boundary, monuments, basis of bearings, area, and the surveyor's seal, signature, and date.

Monumentation requirement

Missouri minimum standards require setting monuments at all property corners unless impractical, in which case the reason must be stated on the plat.

Continuing professional competency

Missouri license renewal requires continuing education hours as set by the Board in 20 CSR 2030-13.010, covering technical and ethical topics.

NAD83

The North American Datum of 1983, based on the GRS80 ellipsoid, is the current horizontal datum for Missouri and the basis for the State Plane Coordinate System.

Missouri State Plane zones

Missouri has two State Plane zones, East and West, both using the Lambert Conformal Conic projection, with coordinates defined in Mo. Rev. Stat. § 60.401 et seq.

Combined factor

The product of the grid scale factor and the elevation factor, used to convert between grid distances and ground distances in State Plane coordinates.

Geoid undulation

The separation between the ellipsoid and the geoid, denoted N, used to convert GNSS ellipsoid heights to orthometric heights: h = H + N.

Map projection scale factor

The ratio of grid distance to ellipsoid distance at a point; for Lambert Conformal Conic, it is exact on the standard parallels and varies elsewhere.

Traverse linear misclosure

The distance between the computed and known endpoint of a traverse, calculated as the square root of the sum of the squares of the latitude and departure misclosures.

EDM accuracy specification

Expressed as ±(a mm + b ppm), the error in distance measurement increases with distance; for example, ±(2 mm + 2 ppm) at 1 km gives ±4 mm.

Prism constant

A systematic offset in EDM distances due to the prism design; it must be set correctly on the total station, with common values of 0 mm or -30 mm.

Temperature correction

A tape correction applied for thermal expansion: L × α × (T - T0), where α is the coefficient of thermal expansion for steel, about 0.00000645 per °F.

GNSS RTK accuracy

Real-Time Kinematic GNSS typically provides horizontal accuracy of 1-2 cm and vertical accuracy of 2-5 cm, depending on baseline length and satellite geometry.

PLSS township

A public land survey unit nominally 6 miles square, containing 36 sections of 1 square mile each, numbered in a boustrophedon pattern.

Fifth Principal Meridian

The principal meridian that governs most of the Public Land Survey System in Missouri, running north from the baseline near the Arkansas border.

Section subdivision

The division of a PLSS section into quarter sections (160 acres), quarter-quarter sections (40 acres), and smaller aliquot parts for legal descriptions.

Missouri Plat Act

Chapter 445, RSMo, which requires subdivision plats to be prepared by a registered land surveyor and approved and recorded by the governing body.

Lost corner reestablishment

The process of restoring a lost PLSS corner using proportionate measurement and the rules in the Manual of Surveying Instructions (2009).

Contour interval

The vertical distance between adjacent contour lines on a topographic map; index contours are heavier and labeled with elevation.

Cut and fill

The difference between design elevation and existing ground elevation; cut is positive when ground is above design, fill is negative when ground is below design.

Average end area method

A volume computation method using the formula V = L × (A1 + A2)/2, where A1 and A2 are cross-sectional areas at the ends of length L.

Breakline

A line collected in topographic surveying that marks a change in slope or surface, such as the top or bottom of a slope, used to build an accurate terrain model.

As-built survey

A survey performed after construction to document the actual horizontal and vertical locations of improvements and compare them to design plans.

Missouri Code of Ethics

The ethical rules for Missouri land surveyors in 20 CSR 2030-4.020, covering obligations to the public, clients, and the profession, including competence and conflict of interest.

Responsible charge

The direct supervision and control of professional surveying work by a licensed surveyor, who must seal and sign the final documents.

Contingent fee

A fee based on the outcome of a survey, such as a percentage of the value of the land; this is generally considered unethical for professional surveyors.