surveying
Enable an AI agent to recognise a surveying activity, assess whether its spatial evidence is fit for its intended use, and determine which further observations, checks or authorised deliverables are needed.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
Researched by: Codex + Grok
Purpose and description
Enable an AI agent to recognise a surveying activity, assess whether its spatial evidence is fit for its intended use, and determine which further observations, checks or authorised deliverables are needed.
Surveying is the professional practice of measuring, marking and documenting the positions of points and the geometry of features on, above or below the Earth's surface, relative to a stated reference frame, so that boundaries, control networks and constructed works can be established and legally or engineeringly relied upon.
It can be Identify missing observations and propose a survey method consistent with the target features, access and required tolerance.; Check compatibility of coordinate references, height references, units and epochs before combining survey results.; Trace a reported position or dimension back to observations, control, corrections and processing decisions.; Assess coverage and measurement uncertainty against the survey's stated acceptance criteria.; Flag suspect control, inconsistent observations or unverifiable setting-out marks for additional measurement.; Prepare a qualified deliverable or recommend withholding acceptance when required evidence remains unresolved..
Distinguishing features
The activity seeks measured spatial relationships of physical features; collecting people's answers alone does not satisfy this interpretation of surveying.
Results are tied to an explicit local or external spatial reference, allowing the agent to interpret what a position or elevation means.
The activity acquires or verifies spatial evidence; merely displaying existing features on a map is insufficient.
A setting-out survey transfers specified geometry to physical marks and verifies their placement; it does not itself determine the design geometry.
A boundary survey records measurements and boundary evidence while distinguishing those observations from any legally authoritative determination.
Scope
+ Survey purpose, geographic extent, target features and required spatial results
+ Coordinate references, vertical references, control points and transformations used by the survey
+ Field observations, instrument configurations and conditions affecting measurement
+ Reduction, adjustment, verification and uncertainty of survey results
+ Setting-out checks, survey deliverables and limits on their intended use
- Questionnaire design, respondent sampling and opinion polling
- Ownership rights, title registration and legal adjudication of boundaries
- Design of buildings, infrastructure or other works whose positions may be set out
- General map styling, cartographic publication and spatial database administration
- Manufacture and maintenance of surveying instruments
- General visual inspections that do not establish or verify spatial measurements
Characteristics
- Survey intent
- topographic capture | boundary evidence | engineering measurement | setting out | as-built verification | deformation monitoring | other declared intent Determines which observations, checks and deliverables are relevant.
- Survey extent and target population
- Surveyed area or corridor, target features, required inclusions and explicit exclusions Distinguishes complete coverage from unobserved or deliberately excluded features.
- Spatial reference framework
- Horizontal and vertical reference definitions, units, coordinate epoch where relevant, and links to control Prevents coordinates or heights from being combined under incompatible references.
- Required positional tolerance
- Declared length or angular units, component, acceptance rule and statistical interpretation Makes fitness for the intended use assessable rather than implied by numerical precision.
- Estimated positional uncertainty
- Declared length or angular units, reference basis, confidence interpretation and estimation method Supports comparison of the achieved evidence with the required tolerance.
- Observation method
- GNSS | angle-and-distance measurement | levelling | scanning | photogrammetry | depth sounding | combination | other declared method Identifies relevant error mechanisms, corrections and verification needs.
- Measurement time basis
- Observation timestamps, campaign interval and reference epoch where applicable Separates positional change from differences in observation time or reference treatment.
- Survey readiness
- planned | fieldwork incomplete | processing incomplete | verification pending | accepted for stated use | rework required | superseded Determines whether the agent should gather evidence, resolve checks or use an accepted result.
- Physical mark correspondence
- Links among observed features, control or setting-out marks, identifiers and recorded coordinates Allows a numerical result to be associated with the correct physical location.
Also called
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 6 bundles · 11 layers · 18 findings · 28 questions.
Survey intent and coverage Defines the spatial question the survey must answer and the physical features it must address.
A survey cannot be judged complete or useful without knowing which geometry was required and where.
Intended spatial decision
Connects the survey to the decision or physical operation its results will support.
Survey purpose and acceptance
Record the requested spatial result, intended use and criteria for accepting it.
- Is this survey capturing existing geometry, investigating boundary evidence, setting out specified geometry or measuring change? definition
- What positional, dimensional and completeness criteria must the result meet for its stated use? measurement
Feature coverage
Separates required, observed, inaccessible and excluded portions of the survey.
Extent and observation gaps
Record the survey limits, required feature classes and spatial gaps that affect interpretation.
- Which area, corridor, surfaces and individual features fall within the required survey extent? boundary
- Which required features remain unobserved because of obstruction, access restrictions or insufficient sampling? measurement
Spatial reference and control Establishes how survey measurements acquire a consistent spatial meaning.
Apparently compatible coordinates may describe different locations when reference frames, heights or control are misunderstood.
Coordinate and height basis
Identifies the reference definitions needed to interpret and combine spatial results.
Reference definition and transformations
Record horizontal and vertical references, units, relevant epochs and transformations applied.
- What horizontal and vertical references, units and relevant epochs define the reported coordinates and heights? definition
- Which transformations or height conversions were applied, and what records establish their origin and applicability? provenance
Control and monuments
Connects reference coordinates to identifiable physical or service-based control.
Control identity and validity
Record control identifiers, adopted values, provenance and evidence that the control is suitable for this survey.
- Which control points, benchmarks or reference services anchor the survey, and where did their adopted values come from? provenance
- What checks address misidentification, disturbance, movement or inconsistency in the adopted control? measurement
Field observations and conditions Preserves how spatial evidence was acquired and the conditions under which it can be interpreted.
Reported geometry must remain distinguishable from raw observations, instrument assumptions and obstructed or degraded measurements.
Measurement configuration
Records the equipment, setup and method behind each relevant observation group.
Instrument setup and observation lineage
Link observations to equipment, setups, timestamps and method-specific parameters needed to reproduce their interpretation.
- Which instruments, setups and method-specific parameters produced these observations, including applicable instrument or target heights? provenance
- Which calibration or field-check records support using this configuration for the required tolerance? provenance
Observability and field effects
Captures conditions that alter measurement quality or prevent adequate feature capture.
Conditions and reobservation needs
Record relevant visibility, signal, surface, atmospheric or water-level conditions and their consequences for observations.
- Which field conditions affected the chosen method, and what evidence records their impact or applied corrections? measurement
- Which observations require repetition, an alternative viewpoint or a different measurement method? action
Reduction, adjustment and quality Tracks how observations become spatial results and how those results are checked.
An agent must distinguish a computed coordinate from a result supported by suitable processing and verification.
Observation to result
Preserves processing choices that materially influence derived geometry.
Processing and adjustment decisions
Record reductions, corrections, constraints, weighting and excluded observations where applicable.
- Which reductions, corrections and adjustment constraints were used to derive the reported positions or dimensions? provenance
- Which observations were rejected or down-weighted, and what recorded evidence justified those decisions? provenance
Verification and uncertainty
Assesses consistency, independent agreement and uncertainty against the intended use.
Quality evidence and acceptability
Record applicable closures, residuals, independent checks and uncertainty estimates without treating internal agreement as sufficient evidence of absolute accuracy.
- What do applicable closures, residuals and independent check measurements reveal about the survey results? measurement
- Does the estimated uncertainty satisfy the stated acceptance rule, and which components remain insufficiently verified? measurement
Spatial results and use Connects accepted survey evidence to deliverables, physical marks and permitted interpretations.
Survey results support consequential spatial actions only when their physical correspondence, status and limitations are explicit.
Result to feature correspondence
Ensures that reported geometry and placed marks refer to the intended physical features.
Measured, derived and set-out geometry
Distinguish observed geometry, interpolated or inferred geometry, and specified geometry transferred to physical marks.
- Which reported features are directly observed, derived from observations or transferred from a specified design? definition
- For setting-out work, which design revision, mark identifiers, offsets and verification measurements establish correct placement? provenance
Release and interpretation
Defines what the survey results support and what remains unresolved before use.
Deliverable status and use limits
Record issued results, review status, limitations and any required professional or jurisdictional authority.
- What checks, reviews or applicable authorisations remain before these results can be issued or used for their intended purpose? action
- Which conclusions lie beyond the survey evidence, including unresolved boundary interpretations, inaccessible features or changes since observation? boundary
Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.
A model that cannot be lined up against existing standards, identifiers and practice cannot be adopted by anyone who already uses them.
Reported evidence
Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.
Kinds and varieties
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Cadastral / land-title / boundary surveying
- Geodetic surveying (national and project control, datum realisation)
- Topographic surveying
- Engineering and construction surveying (setting-out and as-built)
- Hydrographic surveying
- Mine and underground surveying
- Deformation and structural-monitoring surveying
- Photogrammetric, airborne and UAV surveying
- Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of surveying this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Identifiers and schemes
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- ISCO-08 - 2165 - Unit group Cartographers and surveyors; technicians are typically 3112.
- SOC (United States) - 17-1022 - Surveyors; mapping technicians are 17-3031.
- NAICS - 541370 - Surveying and Mapping (except Geophysical) Services.
- CIP (U.S. education) - 15.1102 - Surveying Technology/Surveying; engineering programmes also use 14.3801 Surveying Engineering.
- Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of surveying this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Standards and regulation
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- ISO 17123 series (field procedures for testing geodetic and surveying instruments) - International Organization for Standardization
- ISO 19111 (referencing by coordinates) and ISO 19152 (Land Administration Domain Model) - ISO/TC 211
- IHO S-44 Standards for Hydrographic Surveys - International Hydrographic Organization
- ALTA/NSPS Minimum Standard Detail Requirements for Land Title Surveys - American Land Title Association and National Society of Professional Surveyors
- Manual of Surveying Instructions - Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department of the Interior
- State or provincial licensing statutes and board rules for professional land surveyors - e.g. NCEES Model Law and Model Rules in the United States
- RICS Rules of Conduct and professional standards for surveyors - Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
- National cadastral laws and survey regulations (e.g. Torrens-title jurisdictions, German Vermessungsrecht, French ordre des géomètres-experts) - national legislatures and cadastral authorities
- Which of these standards and regulation hold for the sense of surveying this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Real-world use
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Retracing and monumenting property lines for sale, subdivision, mortgage or boundary dispute, then lodging a plat or cadastral plan with the land registry.
- Establishing a site control network and setting out foundations, gridlines, roads and utilities so that construction matches the design coordinates.
- Producing a topographic survey (contours, spot heights, visible services) as the base for civil or architectural design.
- Sounding and mapping seabed or inland waters for nautical charts, dredging volumes and pipeline routes under IHO orders.
- Monitoring dams, bridges, tunnels and slopes with repeated total-station, GNSS or levelling epochs to detect millimetre-level movement.
- Underground mine surveys for drive alignment, stope volumes and legal mining-lease boundaries.
- Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of surveying this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Typical measurements
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Horizontal position uncertainty (1σ, well-controlled GNSS RTK or total-station traverse) - 0.008-0.050 - m
- Height / orthometric or ellipsoid height uncertainty - 0.010-0.050 (precise engineering); 0.15-0.50 (mapping-grade GNSS) - m
- Total-station angular specification - 0.5-5 - arcsecond
- EDM distance (slope or horizontal) - 1-5000 typical field; specification often 1 mm + 1-2 ppm - m
- Geodetic levelling misclosure - 0.3-3 per square-root kilometre, depending on order - mm/√km
- Hydrographic depth accuracy (IHO S-44 special/order 1a vs order 2) - 0.25-1.0+ - m
- Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of surveying this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Failure modes and hazards
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Retracement onto the wrong monument or an unrecorded occupation line, producing a legally defective boundary.
- Mixing coordinate reference frames, epochs or linear units (notably U.S. survey foot versus international foot) so that design and field positions disagree by metres.
- Uncorrected instrument, refraction, collimation or GNSS-multipath error that is then built into the works.
- Setting-out blunder (wrong station, inverted bearing, ignored scale factor) that misplaces a structure.
- Physical harm from traffic, open excavations, underground workings, water and overhead services while occupying control.
- Destroyed or disturbed marks with no redundant ties, so the survey cannot be reconstructed.
- Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of surveying this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Regional variation
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- United States: 'land surveyor' is a state-licensed title; ALTA/NSPS governs many commercial title surveys; Public Land Survey System township/section/range dominates most states, while metes-and-bounds dominate the original colonies.
- United Kingdom and much of the Commonwealth: 'chartered surveyor' is a broad RICS title that includes quantity, building and valuation practice as well as geomatics; cadastral work is a narrower 'land surveyor' / geomatics specialism.
- Continental Europe: cadastral measurement is often a state-regulated monopoly or a named office (e.g. öffentlicher bestellter Vermessungsingenieur, géomètre-expert); angles are still commonly recorded in gon (grad) rather than degrees.
- Australia and New Zealand: registered/licensed cadastral surveyors under Torrens title, with survey plans that themselves create or alter title.
- Linear unit split in the United States: some states still legislate the U.S. survey foot for State Plane, others the international foot, which is a recurring source of grid-shift errors.
- Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of surveying this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Quantity surveying - Quantity surveying measures construction cost, contracts and bills of quantities; it does not determine geospatial positions or legal boundaries. Same English word, different profession (RICS QS versus geomatics).
- Geodesy - Geodesy is the science of Earth's figure, gravity field and global reference frames; surveying applies those frames at project or cadastral scale. A survey that realises or densifies a national datum is geodetic; a lot survey that merely occupies it is not.
- Cartography / mapping - Cartography is the representation of already-determined positions; surveying is the determination. A map can exist without a new field survey; a cadastral survey can exist without being published as a map.
- Marine (hull/cargo) surveying - Marine surveyors inspect vessels, cargo and insurance condition. Hydrographic surveying measures water depth and seabed geometry. The shared word 'surveyor' is the only overlap.
- Navigation - Navigation estimates the moving observer's own position in order to travel; surveying establishes the positions of marks and features so others can rely on them later.
- Remote sensing / photogrammetry as a stand-alone imaging product - Imagery yields coordinates only after control, interior orientation and a stated CRS are applied. Without ground or GNSS control tied to a survey frame, it is mapping-grade remote sensing, not a survey of record.
- Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of surveying this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Sources
- ISO 17123 series: Optics and optical instruments - Field procedures for testing geodetic and surveying instruments - Instrument classes, field test procedures, and the quantities (angle, distance, height) that surveying actually records.
- ISO 19111: Geographic information - Referencing by coordinates - Coordinate reference frames, projections and the requirement that every survey position be stated in a defined CRS.
- IHO S-44: Standards for Hydrographic Surveys - Hydrographic surveying as a distinct kind, with order-based depth and position accuracy requirements.
- Minimum Standard Detail Requirements for ALTA/NSPS Land Title Surveys - U.S. cadastral/title-survey practice, table-A optional items, and how land-title surveys are specified in commerce.
- Manual of Surveying Instructions - U.S. Public Land Survey System methods, monumentation and the legal status of original surveys versus retracement.
- Definition of the Functions of the Surveyor - International Federation of Surveyors statement of what the surveying profession covers (cadastre, geodesy, engineering, hydrography, valuation-adjacent work).
- International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO-08), unit group 2165 Cartographers and surveyors - Occupational identifier and the distinction between professional surveyors and surveying technicians.
What the second pass must settle
- Does the registry intend surveying to mean spatial measurement, or does this entry also encompass questionnaire surveys, condition surveys or other systematic examinations?
- Does an existing Vercy world model already own this concept or a substantial part of it, requiring a link rather than a separate model?
- Which specialist activities, such as cadastral, hydrographic, underground and deformation surveying, belong within this entry rather than neighbouring registered things?
- Which authoritative sources and jurisdiction-specific requirements should govern acceptance, professional sign-off and boundary-related interpretations for each intended use?
- Which method-specific uncertainty and verification records are essential for recognition and decision-making without turning the model into an instrument data schema?