Certifying a CSD prepared by an unsupervised technician
A licensed cadastral surveyor is reviewing a CSD prepared by a graduate survey technician for a 12-lot subdivision. The field notes show two boundary marks were not placed because of a buried service; the technician instead computed their positions from an adjacent survey and copied coordinates from a 2018 CSD. The dataset has no record of the missing marks, and the 'survey report' is a one-line note. The client's project manager emails: 'Just sign it off - the marks aren't needed for title and we need to settle on Monday.' The licensed surveyor has not visited the site. The CSD is due for Landonline certification. The technician is competent but unsupervised.
1. What are your professional obligations before certifying this CSD?
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Certification is a professional act, not a clerical signature. Under the Cadastral Survey Act 2002 and the Surveyor-General's standards, you must have a reasonable basis for believing the survey is accurate and that the CSD complies with the rules. You cannot certify work you have not reviewed and supervised to an appropriate level. The missing marks are a red flag: if boundary marks were not placed, the CSD must explain why and show how the boundary is defined. Copying coordinates from a 2018 CSD without checking the underlying evidence is not enough. The one-line survey report does not demonstrate the required investigation. Before certification, you need to review the field notes, the source CSD, the boundary evidence, and the coordinate derivation. You may need to visit the site or have another licensed surveyor check the marks. If you cannot satisfy yourself, do not certify.
2. What quality assurance and field checks should be carried out, and what should the survey report contain?
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Check the two missing marks on site: confirm the buried service, determine whether a mark can be placed offline with a witness mark or whether an exemption or alternative boundary definition is justified. Verify the adjacent survey and the 2018 CSD coordinates against reliable marks; do not simply accept the copied values. Run independent check measurements to the new boundary and to the existing marks. Confirm that the CSD boundary is consistent with the approved subdivision and the underlying title. The survey report should describe the marks placed, the marks not placed and why, the source of any computed positions, the checks performed, the accuracy achieved, and any residual uncertainty. It should be specific enough for a later surveyor to retrace your reasoning. If the technician's work is deficient, correct it before certification and record the correction.
3. How do you respond to the project manager's demand to sign off by Monday, and what contract or risk issues arise?
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Tell the project manager that you cannot certify the CSD until the missing-mark issue and the coordinate source have been properly checked. Explain the risk in practical terms: if the boundary is wrong or the marks cannot be reinstated, the lots may be settled with defective survey information, and the error may not appear until a later boundary dispute or building consent. Check the contract for the supervision arrangement, the scope of the technician's work, and the client's obligation to allow reasonable time for checking. If the deadline requires extra resources, arrange them and issue a variation if the work is outside the agreed fee. Record the project manager's instruction and your response in writing. If the client insists on certification without the checks, decline and explain that you would be breaching your professional obligations. Do not let a commercial deadline determine the survey standard.