PROFSURV.TXT (c)1990

Professional Surveyors-

This is not a professional surveying system, nor will it pretend to be one.  It
is a preliminary survey.  For folks who are land shopping or contemplating a
sale, that's all they need.  And rural property around here (backwoods
Kentucky) is so worthless that most isn't worth surveying right.  It's either
survey it yourself, or nothing at all.  And you oughta take a look at some of
the land descriptions!!  When they need a professional job done, I hope that by
surveying it themselves they have made your job easier.  If not, then I'd be
interested to know the reason why.

You might consider this method as your reconisance.  It is so quick and simple
that even your office personnel can gather useful information.  I suggest that
you keep a Silva Ranger in every vehicle.  The Silva Ranger is available in
quadrants for those who use that system.  I have found quadrants to be much
more prone to blunder than the standard azimuth system.

If your present software makes a big production out of reducing preliminary
surveys, then look at CAVEMAP1.BAS.  You might find the data format a bit
unusual, or you might like it.  If you think that there is hope, I'll customize
the program for you.  It's just a whole lot easier if you make the tool fit the
operator than if you try to make the operator fit the tool.

The error of this method is about 1 per 100.  That's right, 1%!  Yes, I know
that if your crew brings back anything worse than 1 per 3000, then they
resurvey it on their own time.  That's fine, when you need that precision.  For
a preliminary survey, you don't.

This method was devised to survey caves.  And I mean wet, muddy, crawling
caves.  I prefer data with 1% error to no data with 0.001% error.  I wouldn't
take a transit into a cave if you were to give it to me.

I'm an analytical chemist, not a surveyor.  I would appreciate feedback from
professional surveyors.

Dave Beiter, CAVE Inc, 1/2 Fast Road, Ritner,  KY 42639.  606/376-3137.