AY Honor Land Surveying Requirements
1. What is land surveying?
2. Identify and have a basic understanding of the purpose of the following land surveying equipment:
- a. Tripod
- b. Levels and transit levels
- c. Theodolite
- d. Plumb bob
- e. Hubs and nails
- f. Grade poles
- g. Measuring tapes
- h. Field books
- i. Total station
- j. Flagging, survey markers and marking paint
3. Know the basics of keeping a survey notebook and recording.
4. Demonstrate conversion of survey units of measurement to other units:
- a. Length: Engineer’s chain, foot, furlong, Gunter’s chain, kilometer, link, meter, mile, pole (perch or rod) and yard
- b. Area: Acre, hectare and square mile
5. Demonstrate your ability to approximate distances by pacing a distance more than 100 feet (30 m) and be accurate within 5% accuracy.
6. Identify the surveying system or adaption that is prevalent in your area. Do one of the following:
- a. Demonstrate your understanding of the surveying system or adaptation that is prevalent in your area by reading a legal property description in your area and drawing the subject property to scale.
- b. Be able to answer and complete the following about the Public Land Survey System (PLSS):
- What are Principal Meridian Lines and Base Lines?
- What are Township Lines and Range Lines?
- What is a Township?
- What is a Section? How many are in each township? Know the method used to identify a section.
- Sketch the numbering of sections in a PLSS grid (or adaptation as used in your location).
- Demonstrate your ability to locate any parcel within a section.
7. Interview a licensed land surveyor and learn about the role of a surveyor, types of projects that they work on, types of equipment that they use, and what it took to become licensed.
- a. Demonstrate your understanding of the surveying system or adaptation that is prevalent in your area by reading a legal property description in your area and drawing the subject property to scale.
- b. Research the rules and laws in your area to determine the process to become a licensed professional land surveyor in your area. What activities require that one be a licensed professional land surveyor?
8. Demonstrate your ability to use surveying equipment, keep good survey notes and establish an elevation by working as a 2 to 4-person survey crew to set 5 benchmarks at a minimum distance of not less than 50-feet apart (15 m), and close your circuit within +/- 1 inch (2.5 cm).
9. The Bible contains many references to surveying. Answer the following questions about "spiritual surveying":
- a. All surveying starts with a good benchmark as a point of beginning or initial point. Who is our initial point / point of beginning? Discuss how we as Christians are all connected back to the "initial point."
- b. Find a verse in the Bible that talks about a corner stone "initial point."
- c. Plumb lines are mentioned several times in the Bible. Find two examples and discuss why its mention is important.
- d. Find two verses in the Bible that mention land boundaries and discuss the importance of boundaries in Bible times and in our lives today.