An analysis of technical standards for cadastral field surveys and considerations for the development of a model law

Several organizations are now in the process of creating a new "code of practice" for land surveying practitioners. Included in this code of practice will be a section dedicated to the technical standards for cadastral field surveys. The primary objectives of this paper are to illustrate the need for homogeneity, in the criteria and in the methods, by which we judge the quality of a survey; and additionally, to suggest an alternative approach to be used in devising such a standard.

The paper reviews the recent history of organized efforts toward the development of a uniform code which seeks to govern the conduct of cadastral field surveys. It presents a brief summary of the current state minimum technical standards for field surveys in terms of their type, their classification scheme, and their specifications. The paper also reviews the various methods for analyzing and assessing the quality of a survey. It inspects the positional error concept as it applies to survey standards. It outlines and discusses the components which are vital to the viability of any technical standard and which should be considered ultimately in any model act.