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Field Note Seminar
Session 3
1
October 25, 2006
Manual of Standard
Practice Part C, Section 4
The only place where the
requirements for field notes is
documented today.
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October 25, 2006
Manual of Standard Practice
Part C, Section 4
General Standards and Procedures
FIELD NOTES
The following requirements pertain to compiling,
recording and retaining of hardcopy field notes
and digital returns that are made in conjunction
with all surveys.
4.1 .1 Systematic records shall be made of all field
measurements at the time of observation and
be identified as field notes.
.2 They shall be preserved permanently, in
original form and filed such that ready retrieval
is possible.
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October 25, 2006
4.2 The field notes shall give a clear and detailed
account of everything found, observed and
done in the course of the survey including:
.1 the date of observations, location, and
purpose of the survey;
.2 the type and identification of equipment;
.3 environmental conditions including
meteorological readings;
.4 the name of the person(s) making and
recording the observations;
.5 a complete description of the condition of
every monument found, restored
and placed and of every permanent
structure referencing that monument;
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October 25, 2006
.6 a record of all physical, documentary or
verbal searches made for evidence.
All lost monuments shall be identified.
.7 a diagram representing the survey.
4.3 Entries in field notes, either hardcopy
or digital shall not be erased, altered or
obliterated.
4.4 In addition, for surveys done partially or
completely using remote positioning
techniques, the field records shall
include the following:
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October 25, 2006
.1 observation procedures, raw data and
logistics;
.2 reduction procedures of the observed data,
including software versions.
.3 processed remote positioning data from
which cadastral survey measurements are
derived.
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October 25, 2006
In the Past
• Until the current Surveys Act was
proclaimed on June 9, 1988 the
requirements and standards for field notes
were written right into the legislation. The
requirements and content were law.
• Lets take a look at what the law said until
1988.
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October 25, 2006
Section 75 of the Surveys Act RSA 1970
c 358 s78 read:
75 (1) A surveyor shall keep exact and regular field
notes of all surveys made by him.
(2) The field notes shall show
(a) the date on which the survey was made,
(b) the astronomic bearing or angular
measurement of each line with some
other line of the survey,
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October 25, 2006
(c) the lineal measurements taken on each line,
(d) the nature, markings and location of each
post planted by him, and
(e) the nature of, and markings on, all original
monuments found by him on the ground, or if
the monuments are not found, the information
or evidence as to the original boundaries
taken as a basis for the survey, together with
angular and lineal measurements to all
existing surveys that may be intersected, and
all important topographical features of the
land surveyed.
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October 25, 2006
Aides to Field Notes
• Many or even most companies today have
preprinted field note cover sheets that
capture most of the MSP requirements for
Field Notes.
• Many companies have developed Field Note
checklists for staff, and most consider the
checklists as part of all field returns.
• Field note evidence report pages have also
been developed by many companies.
• ASCM Marker condition report forms on field
note size paper have also been created.
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October 25, 2006
SPR Checklist for Field Notes
2006
SPR Field Notes Checklist
Checklist Item Authorities Compliance
? Comments Score
1 2 3 4
1 Systematic records MSP(C)4.1.1
2 Identified as notes MSP(C)4.1.1
3 Original form and readily MSP(C)4.1.2
retrievable
4 Clear and detailed MSP(C)4.2
5 Date MSP(C)4.2.1
6 Location MSP(C)4.2.1
7 Purpose MSP(C)4.2.1
8 Equipment MSP(C)4.2.2
9 Environmental conditions MSP(C)4.2.3
10 Field personnel MSP(C)4.2.4
11 Monument descriptions MSP(C)4.2.5
12 Marker descriptions MSP(C)3.11
13 Evidence search for lost MSP(C)4.2.6
monuments
14 Diagram MSP(C)4.2.7
15 Sketch completeness N/A
16 Unaltered notes MSP(C)4.3
17 G.P.S. notes MSP(C)4.4
18 Descriptions of symbols and N/A
abbreviations
19 Job or file number N/A
20 North arrow N/A
21 Sufficient checks/redundancies MSP(C)1.4
22 Method clearly shown N/A
23 Information reflected N/A
on plan
24 Page numbering N/A
25 Evidence placed MSP(C)3.8;
SA 44, 45 & 46
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October 25, 2006
• Field Notes are the heartbeat of
any survey. Plans are drawn
based on the field notes, and the
field notes are the official record
of the survey.
• One day your field notes may be
relied upon in court.
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October 25, 2006
In Court
• Courts always want to see the official
records, which in our case would be the
Field Notes.
• The information collected, measurements
made, searches for evidence and survey
evidence used are the main points a court
would be interested in examining during
judicial proceedings relating to a survey.
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October 25, 2006
Field Notes In Court
• Ask yourself if the Field Notes you
currently make would stand up to scrutiny
if your Field Notes suddenly become
documentary evidence in court.
• Remember the standard for Field Notes
from the MSP. If your notes meet or
exceed that standard the court will not be
critical of the Field Note evidence.
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October 25, 2006
Verbal Evidence
Section 13 of the Surveys Act allows Land
Surveyors to take verbal evidence in
matter relating to the survey of land.
It reads:
13 (1) For the purposes of this Act, an
affidavit or oath made pursuant to this
Act may be taken before a surveyor.
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October 25, 2006
Section 13 continued
(2) A surveyor may
(a) examine witnesses under oath with
respect to all matters relating to the
survey of land, and
(b) administer an oath to every person
the surveyor examines in relation to
those matters.
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October 25, 2006
Compelling Attendance of a witness
Under Section 14 of the Surveys Act if a
surveyor has reason to believe that a
person has some knowledge regarding a
corner or boundary and that person does
not allow themselves to be examined
under oath by the surveyor, the surveyor
can apply for a subpoena. Continued
failure to provide the evidence could lead
to an arrest warrant.
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October 25, 2006
What the Surveyor does with verbal evidence
Section 15 of the Survey Act says:
15 (1) A surveyor shall record in writing all evidence
taken by the surveyor, and shall read the written
record to the person giving the evidence.
(2) The person giving the evidence shall
(a) sign the written record of the evidence, or
(b) if the person cannot write, acknowledge the written
record as correct before 2 witnesses, who shall sign it,
and the surveyor shall also sign it.
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October 25, 2006
Section 15 continued
(3) The evidence shall be filed and kept and
any document or plan prepared and sworn
to as correct by a surveyor with reference
to a survey performed by the surveyor
shall be filed and kept by the surveyor or a
practitioner as defined in the Land
Surveyors Act, subject to being produced
as evidence in court.
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October 25, 2006
I have compiled 7 rules for Land
Surveyors that I think covers
most of what we do including
Field Notes.
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October 25, 2006
Lyall’s Rules for Land Surveyors
1. Search and search well. If it’s there find
it. If it isn’t there be able to say with
certainty “It isn’t there.”
2. Liability results when a surveyor fails to
do correctly the very thing he is paid to
do.
3. Err on the side of safety. Always try to do
a little more than the average surveyor
would do under the circumstances.
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October 25, 2006
Lyall’s Rules for Land Surveyors
4. Be a fact finder. Go out on the land armed
with all of the documentary evidence
available. After assembling all of the field
evidence reach your conclusions based on
the facts.
5. Never re-establish a corner that disagrees
with the improvements and lines of
occupation until you are satisfied you could
prevail in court if necessary.
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October 25, 2006
Lyall’s Rules for Land Surveyors
6. Discovery of another surveyor’s monument
placed in re-establishment of the original,
does not relieve a surveyor of the obligation
to search further.
7. Document your findings well, (Read Field
Notes here) as future generations of land
surveyors will assign you a reputation based
on your documentary evidence.
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October 25, 2006
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