10 The Oregon Surveyor | Vol. 47, No. 2 Featured Article Back in the day...that was when surveyors had to do a lot of math...I was trained to do the work in such a way that the least math, the better. The less massaging of the numbers, the better. We worked with lots of numbers. It was easy to read the number incorrectly. It was easy to write the number incorrectly. It was easy to input the number incorrectly. “There was nothing worse than a dyslexic surveyor!” was what we used to say. So is it any different today? The field crew and the office tech do not have to read and write numbers the old way. We all have it made today. It goes from the total station or GPS into the field data file and into the office computer. Much better. Good for quality control. No human mistakes. But wait! I see some surveyors using procedures which will force massaging the data later. So my question is: why would we allow anyone to follow these procedures? I still think that the less massaging of the numbers, the better. Let me tell you what I want. When I pick up some field notes, I want them to match up with the CADD file. Point number 3782 in the notes is point number 3782 in the computer file. The level run elevations are the same as the elevations in the computer file. The raw data coordinates are the same as the computer file coordinates. This sure makes it easier to check later or to answer a question later. Let me tell you this story and you may see what I am talking about...The survey crew goes to a new site. They need elevations. Research shows a benchmark eight blocks away. Stop by on the way to the site and find the benchmark. Paint it up real big so everyone can find it easy—NOT! Proceed to job site and recon it. Set TBM. Break out level, set up notes, call elev. 100.00 and run level loop to BM and Working the Numbers back. Calc level loop. Adjust TBM to BM datum and we are good to go. Any of us could handle these calculations and adjustments, I am sure, but why? Why not start at the benchmark with the correct elevation and complete the level loop? All of the elevations in our notes are on the datum. Good procedure. Did you have a party chief who always used point 1000 and always used elev. 100.00 for topo? (That was my old party chief who found a better job because of all the pressure from his boss!) We had a project down in Hollywood where he used three different tbms that were all elev. 100.00. Could it get any worse? Sure. Hear me out. One setup used Pt 1000 w/elev. 100.00 on the monument in the well. One setup used Pt 1000 w/elev. 100.00 on the lid of the same well. One setup used Pt 1000 w/elev. 100.00 on a L&T in the curb. Why me? What a mess. It was even worse because the actual elevation of the project was 101. See what happens? Good procedure is always good procedure. You can’t beat it. After hours of massaging, we trashed the data and did the field work again. The less massaging of the numbers, the better. Recap: • Start level run at benchmark with real elevation. Remember: • Me, asserting a little control to gain quality. Luke out.
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