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Hand Signals Used in Land Surveying | Corona, CA

There are times on a jobsite when crew members may be too far away from one another to hear each other. In these situations, Land surveyors and construction workers use hand signals to communicate over distance and noise.

Duties of a Chaining crew member

During a typical chaining operation, it is possible that many and varied duties other than the actual chaining itself are to be undertaken as part of the whole process. To prepare the field chaining party for the task ahead, we shall present some of these duties, as applicable. In some cases, these duties can be modified or tailored, contingent upon the mission, terrain features, and other conditions that may affect the speed and accuracy of the operation.

Giving hand signals and voice signals

During fieldwork, it is essential that you communicate with the other members of the survey party over considerable distances. Some-times you may be close enough to use voice communication; more often, you will use hand signals.

Avoid shouting because it is the sign of a beginner. Standard voice signals between chain-men must be used at all times to avoid misunderstanding. There are also several recommended hand signals. Those shown are recommended, but any set of signals mutually agreed upon and understood by all members of the party can also be used. It is important to face the person being signaled. Sometimes, if it is difficult for you to see the other person, it helps to hold white flagging in your hand when giving signals. When signals are given over snow-covered areas, red or orange flagging is more appropriate.

To read more about using hand signals whilst surveying, click here.

To find out more about hand signals, please contact us at (800) CALVADA or visit www.calvada.com.

Calvada proudly serves Corona and all surrounding areas.

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What Is the Importance of a Topographical Survey? | Corona, CA

A topographic survey is different from other surveys by studying and measuring the surface of the land. Topographical survey measurements are carried out using both GPS or Global Positioning System and Electronic Distance Metering (EDM). The parcel elevation is shown on the map of the survey via contour lines representing the Earth’s surface’s contours and also via elevations at different spots on the map.

The topographic surveys refer to both natural and human-constructed surface characteristics such as storage walls, gas lines, wells, trees, lakes, closed spaces, buildings, utility poles, etc.

But who really needs a survey like this? Architects could use this type of survey for the construction of a 3D plot of their design. If a building site is limited by significant topographical challenges, such as steep grades, existing man-made structures or other problematic conditions, a topographical inspection is ideal in order to ensure that the design proposed will work under these conditions before construction starts.

Government agencies also use topographical surveys to produce, implement, evaluate existing infrastructure, carry out required revisions and consider environmental projects, and implement the Construction and Zoning Regulations.

And yes, these types of industries would definitely need something like this, but how about the average layman? Do these surveys come in handy? Yes. If you are planning a garden or what to do with some property you own, this survey aims primarily to gather data on the characteristics of the land and its altitude.

Topographic surveys for changes in ownership of the property or land, known also as contour surveys, must be conducted before the owner makes changes. Safety is also an extremely important reason for topographic surveys. Inaccurate, incomplete or old underground records may jeopardize your projects.

To find out more about topographical surveys, please contact us at (800) CALVADA or visit www.calvada.com.

Calvada proudly serves Corona and all surrounding areas.

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Acquiring a California Land Surveyor License | Corona, CA

Are you looking for a career change? Thinking about land surveying? Here is some information to keep in mind:

To become a licensed land surveyor, you have to meet a few requirements. You must have at least six years of full-time (or its equivalent) land surveying experience. This must include a year with responsible office training and a year with responsible field training.

You can use one of two alternatives to reach the required experience. One option is if you graduated from a board-approved curriculum that emphasizes land surveying. This can count for up to four years of experience. The other is if you studied a board-approved curriculum and didn’t graduate. You can get a half-year of experience for every year you studied.

You also have to pass multiple examinations, including the NCEES Principles and Practice of Surveying (PS) Exam, the California-Specific Professional Land Surveyor Exam, the NCEES Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) Exam, and the California Professional Land Surveyors State Laws and Board Rules Exam. The last one is completed at home. You must also be fingerprinted and pay a fee.

As far as qualifications are concerned, The Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists waives the requirement to pass the NCEES Fundamentals of Surveying Exam in a few situations. This can be the case if you have an LSIT Certificate from a different state or a valid California Civil Engineer License. It also applies if you graduated from a four-year curriculum for land surveying and have at least 15 years of qualifying experience. The final exemption is if you graduated from a non-approved curriculum for land surveying with a Bachelor’s of Science or its equivalent and have at least 17 years of experience.

To find out more about a career in land surveying, please contact us at (800) CALVADA or visit www.calvada.com.

Calvada proudly serves Corona and all surrounding areas.

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Are Satellite-Based Correction Services the “Next Utility”? | Corona, CA

By Robert L. Green, PS | 06.20.2021

In the summer of 1978, I worked as a rodman/chainman for Boston Survey Consultant (now the BSC Group). My crew partnered with the engineering staff to conduct soil percolation tests for septic system design. At one point, our boss informed us he had just attended a meeting at our corporate office in Boston on the status of the GPS satellite constellation. Little was known about this technology as the first GPS satellite (NAVSTAR 1) had only been launched months earlier. He told us that within a few years you would be able to put a “magic black box” on the surface of the earth and obtain XYZ coordinates. As an 18-year-old kid, it was impossible for me to comprehend as we were in the process of locating the percolation test holes with a turn of the century K&E transit, a handheld magnifying glass to read the vernier, a Philly stadia rod for distance interpolation, and a machete for cutting line. As I reflect on this story, I realize how lucky I am to have witnessed all these measurement technology enhancements over the last four decades.

Entrepreneurs and innovators like Charlie Trimble, Javad Ashjaee and Dr. Benjamin Remondi (the father of GPS kinematic principals) capitalized on this technology. The cost for one GPS receiver when they hit the market in the late 1980s was about $100,000. Three GPS receivers, software and state-of-the-art computers were needed since most of the survey applications required GPS static survey methodology, creating a half million-dollar investment on equipment alone and resulting in only a handful of companies adopting this emerging technology. But those who did became pioneers and industry leaders.

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To find out more about GPS, please contact us at (800) CALVADA or visit www.calvada.com.

Calvada proudly serves Corona and all surrounding areas.

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Do You Know Famous Land Surveyors? | Corona, CA

You’re watching Jeopardy and the topic is infrastructure – ‘These are famous land surveyors throughout history.’ Do you have an answer? Are there ANY famous land surveyors? Yes, there are famous land surveyors, and their names might surprise you (at least three U.S. presidents). Let’s take a look at a few of the more notable surveyors through history, just in case you ever make it on the show:

George Washington. In 1749, at the age of 17, young Washington was appointed as the Surveyor General in Virginia. Washington wasn’t just our first President; he became the first Registered County Surveyor in America.

Benjamin Banneker. Benjamin Banneker, a self-taught African-American mathematician and surveyor, was appointed in 1789 by President George Washington to survey the area which would become Washington D.C., a project completed between 1791 and 1793.

Thomas Jefferson. Another Founding Fathers, Thomas Jefferson, was appointed County Surveyor for Albermarle County in Virginia in 1773. One of Jefferson’s most famous presidential acts was to organize the Lewis & Clark Expedition to explore and survey the vast expanse of land known as the Louisiana Purchase.

Other famous land surveyors. Daniel Boone, another historical figure famed for his pioneering and exploration, was a land surveyor who resolved settlers’ claims to land titles. British explorer Captain James Cook not only sailed into every ocean, but he also surveyed the lands he found along the way. The surveying efforts of Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon survive in the “Mason-Dixon Line”, is still identified today as the unofficial boundary between the South from the North. Abraham Lincoln was working as a land surveyor when he was first elected to the Illinois legislature—making him the third presidential land surveyor.

To find out more about hiring a land surveyor, please contact us at (800) CALVADA or visit www.calvada.com.

Calvada proudly serves Corona and all surrounding areas.