Establishing points and reference lines for locating details (such as boundary lines, roads,
buildings, fences, rivers, bridges, and other existing features).
Staking out or locating roads, buildings, landing strips, and other construction projects.
Establishing lines parallel or at right angles to other lines.
Extending straight lines beyond obstacles, such as buildings.
Performing other duties that may require the use of geometric or trigonometric principles.
Measuring differences in elevations and determining elevations for the purpose of-
Establishing reference points (bench marks).
Obtaining terrain elevations along a selected line for plotting profiles and computing grade
Staking out grades, cuts, and fills for construction projects.
Conducting topographic surveys where horizontal and vertical measurements are combined.
Making soundings in bodies of water for preparing charts for navigation or for developing
maps for waterfront structures.
Recording field notes to provide a permanent record of the fieldwork.
Surveying measurements will be in error to the extent that no measurement is ever exact. Errors are
classified as systematic and accidental. Besides errors, surveying measurements are subject to mistakes
or blunders. These arise from misunderstanding of the problem, poor judgment, confusion on the part of
the surveyor, or simply from an oversight. By working out a systematic procedure, the surveyor will
often detect a mistake when some operation seems out of place. The procedure will be an advantage in
setting up the equipment, making observations, recording field notes, and making computations.
1-9. Field Notes. The surveyor's field notes must contain a complete record of all measurements made
during the survey, with sketches and narration when necessary, to clarify the notes. The best field
survey is of little value if the notes are not complete and clear. They are the only record that is left after
the field surveying party leaves the site.
a. Field-Note Types. The following are the four basic types of field notes: tabulations,
sketches, descriptions, and combinations. The combination method is the most common method
because it fits so many overall needs.