County On-line Databases

[+Klemmer]

There have been a few threads linking to useful county websites with on-line databases. I have looked at my county a few times (Orange County, CA), but found it difficult & not too useful. I kept digging and reading the instructions provided, and am finally getting out useful information.

 

Try to use the following format to add more county links and keep the post alive [CAN SOME MAKE IT "STICKY" so it stays on top?]:

 

STATE: CALIFORNIA

COUNTY: ORANGE

LINK: OC Geomatics Site

 

Can't say I have seen the word "geomatics" before, but whatever works.....

I will rate the site as somewhat difficult to master, but potentially very useful. ALL the county marks are in there, Horizontal & Vertical. Of course, only some of them are in the NGS database. My Firefox did not work, had to switch to Internet Explorer. Any OC'er needing help, drop me an email.

 

Here is why I found it useful: The county survey folks have found and used (re-surveyed) some NGS marks. They have updated the text "to reach" directions, and even provided "Reconnaisance" Lat/Long coords (their term, not mine) for scaled (vertical) bench marks, generally to 0.1 sec (!). Potentially more accurate than we need, and WAY better than the NGS scaled coords. I have 6 or 7 old marks (pre-1959) lined up that I should be able to recover with the OC data, that I have not been able to find with just the NGS data. Of course, I will update the NGS database if / when found.

[ArtMan]

Why reinvent the wheel?

 

Zhanna has more than 75 U.S. local and state resources listed on her site, plus several international ones. Your Orange County database is among them. I suggest that anyone locating additional resources please let Zhanna know; I am sure she will be happy to add them to her existing collection.

 

-ArtMan-

[+Zhanna]

Yes, I'd be more than happy to add to my site any new links you may find. Please keep them coming! You can e-mail me through my profile or via the link on my Local Control Monument Databases page.

 

~Zhanna

 

http://surveymarks.planetzhanna.com/

[+Kewaneh & Shark]

Fresno County, California still uses paper copies of their benchmark list. An online listing has been rumored for some time, but nothing as of yet. The City of Fresno does have an online listing.

 

State: California

County: Fresno

City: Fresno

Link: City of Fresno Benchmark Review

 

The terms Geomatics and Geomatic Engineering are newer buzzwords (to Americans) in some circles, particularly in the area of education. Most old school surveyors prefer the term Land Surveyor and/or surveying, but 'Geomatics' - which means 'World Measurement' - is catching on. 'Land Surveyor' is pretty much an American term. Most of the world, including Canada, calls surveyors 'Geometers', 'Geometres', or 'Geomaticians'. Geomatics, or Geometrics, is the practice of the measurement of land and the world, with the focus being more on the world aspect of it. In the U.S., Geodisists (like DaveD) have traditionally done the ultra-large, world measurement surveys. Land surveyors worked on a smaller (sometimes much smaller) level. Land surveyors have always concerned themselves with the methods used to perform large-scale surveys, and the current use of GPS has brought that concern into a surveyor's daily life. A small project can now easily be positioned on a global scale, making the fact that land surveyors really are 'world measurers', much more obvious than before.

 

Reconnaisance, or 'recon' is a term used by surveyors for fieldwork done prior to the actual measurement portion of the field work. It is done at the beginnings of a survey project, to locate existing field control, like benchmarks and tri-stations, to find local system benchmarks, to set initial project survey control, and to locate any possible obstacles that may be encountered during the survey. It is also sometimes used to determine which equipment to be used for which portions of the project. (GPS is always nice to use, however, many projects require more traditional survey methods such as theodolites and levels.) Site recon may only take a few minutes or it may take a few days (or weeks) depending on the size and complexity of the survey site. Some larger survey firms which specialize in larger projects, may have survey crews that only perform site recon, leaving the site measurements to another crew, and then, possibly, the stake-out portions of the project to yet another crew. In smaller survey and engineering firms, the same crew does every part of the project for recon & design, to execution and follow-up.

 

- Kewaneh

Edited June 2, 2006 by Kewaneh & Shark

[+Klemmer]

Thanks, ArtMan & Zhanna. Didn't know about Zhanna's website, or at least not the "county" page. I guess my "breakthrough" was finally figuring out how to use the OC site. Not at all obvious, and I'm usually pretty good with computers....

 

K&S: Thanks for the usual great info. You folks sure have interesting insights into all things to do with "geometrical" stuff.