What constitutes a "find?"

[+Web-ling]

I have a benchmark near me that is a water tower. The description says:

quote:

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... IT IS A SILVER PAINTED, 4 LEGGED, STEEL WATER TANK ABOUT 60 FEET HIGH. THE POINT INTERSECTED WAS THE BALL ON TOP OF THE TANK ...

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My question is, is the water tower the benchmark, or would one have to climb to the top to the little ball (which, obviously, would be illegal and stupid). Also, there is a high barbed-wire fence around the water tower with "no trespassing" signs. Is this benchmark legally findable? Would just getting as close to the tower as the fence permits count?

 

[Jeremy]

As long as you can see either the mark or the item it is attached to, my opinion is it is a "find." The spirit of the search is tracking down the items listed by the NGS, not necessarily being able to physically touch the mark.

 

Of course, use common sense. If I can see the peak of a mountain where the benchmark is, I don't exactly expect *that* to be considered a find. But the steeple of a church? Sure. What the heck.

 

Jeremy Irish

Groundspeak - The Language of Location

[+Web-ling]

It seems that since this is really a different game than geocaching, the rules would also be different. Whereas in traditional geocaching, there is a logbook to sign, there is no logbook in benchmarking. I think the "touch it if you can, otherwise at least get as close as you can and get a visual on it" rule makes sense for this game.

 

I think it would be wise to define a "find" now, rather than having endless debates on the forums about it later. Maybe there should be a different FAQ page for Benchmarking? Another issue that could be addressed would be the private property issue, which will be bigger with benchmarks than geocaches.

 

[+Maps-R-Us]

You'll notice that a lot of the 'markers' are on the top of water tanks, church steeples, rooftops, radio towers, etc. because those are points easily found looking at stereo aerial photos. I would guess that it will be nearly impossible to get to the rooftop ones but some of the tower ones may have the markers on the ground even if the 'point' they actually measured is up in the air!

[survey tech]

Hello everyone, Im here to promote, and to thank you for, your interest in Land Surveying.

 

Points identified as Intersection Stations on government data sheets are objects and have no brass cap marker. You may find a brass cap near a water tower, for example, but this is merely coincidental and the brass cap represents something else entirely. Intersection Stations are created mathematically, without ever having been visited by a surveyor. Prominent man-made features, believed to be permanent at the time, were chosen for their visibility from a long distance. Objects with lights attached were especially useful, since much of the survey work was done at night, and the lights made excellent targets in the dark. The term "intersection" refers to the fact that the object is located at the mathematical intersection of lines radiating from ground points lying in several directions, from which a surveyor observed the object. A point on top of a building with a flat roof is different. These points usually do have some type of mark, such as a brass cap, to be found.

 

For more information on Land Surveying, please feel free to visit rpls.com, the international professional surveyors site, and ask any questions you may have.