Land Surveyor Blogs

I. Introduction to Colton's Illustrated World Map on Mercator's Projection

Overview of the Map and Its Creator:

Colton’s Illustrated & Embellished Steel Plate Map of the World on Mercator’s Projection stands as an exemplary 19th-century work in both cartographic skill and artistic presentation. Crafted by Joseph Hutchins Colton, a renowned American mapmaker, the map represents the era's peak in mapping and exploration. Colton was known for his keen attention to detail and commitment to accuracy,

I. Introduction

Overview of the Map by Philip Lea (1685)

In 1685, Philip Lea, a prominent English cartographer and publisher, produced A General Map of the Continent & Islands which be Adjacent to Jamaica, a detailed chart representing Jamaica and its surrounding territories. This map served as an essential tool for European powers, particularly the British, who were competing for dominance in the Caribbean. During this period, maps played an instrumental role in colonial expansion, exploration,

I. Introduction

Overview of Alcatraz Island's Transformation

Alcatraz Island, a small, rugged landmass situated 1.5 miles offshore in San Francisco Bay, has a storied history that reflects the evolving needs of American society. Originally an uninhabited outcrop known for its population of seabirds, Alcatraz was first documented by Spanish explorers in the late 18th century. Named "Isla de los Alcatraces" or "Island of the Pelicans," the island remained largely undeveloped until it caught the at

Navigating Tomorrow: The Role of Predictive Analytics in Surveying

In today's data-driven world, predictive analytics is rapidly emerging as a transformative force across various industries, and land surveying is no exception. Predictive analytics leverages historical data, statistical algorithms, and machine learning techniques to forecast future outcomes and trends. For the land surveying profession, this innovative domain offers significant potential to enhance decision-making, improve accura

Here is a typical Surveyor's Report attached to many of the jobs that I do. This particular Land Survey was extremely complex and difficult but I thought you might get a kick out of seeing how this is done. The names and other information have been altered to protect the innocent.

SURVEYOR S REPORT

DISCUSSION

The parent tract of the subject tract was originally described by Deed to Weldon L. Wells August 31, 1955 recorded in Volume 3014, Page 724 of the Deed Records of Harris County, Texas. The sub

Land Surveyors Have a Bright Future

This is something that I keep telling myself.  This is what my Dad (Skip Farrow) used to say whenever we hit a milestone with this community- and over the years, we hit a lot.  I've been putting off writing this post for almost a year.  It has simply been too difficult to write since my dad passed away last June.  Nevertheless, this is hopefully going to be a happy post in celebration of the life of a man who loved surveying, enjoyed helping surveyors accompli

Happy Birthday Land Surveyors United

9 Years ago today,during the absolute worst of times, my dad and I started Land Surveyors United in order to change the ways that land surveyors communicated, how they found support and the public perception of what a land surveyor does. With just 5 members and a hard drive full of knowledge base documents, we began doing what we believed to be impossible- creating a social support network for professionals who spend 90% of their time outdoors. Today, we ha

This semester, I am taking a comprehensive advanced business plan writing course, in which I am writing the plan for the long awaited new platform for Land Surveyors United.  As most of you know by now, my dad Skip Farrow passed away last June and because this network is something that we built together, I have been doing a lot of work on my own in attempts of getting the new site up and running.  While doing so a lot of time has been spent digging up pages and archived information about the sit

Click the link to read about the efforts of my company to handle an intricate survey in a delicate environment.

Surveying in an Inhospitable Environment: Grassy Lake, Arkansas

The text from the link is as follows:

Where will You Be on June 21 @Noon?

Survey Earth in a Day 3D is a global surveying event, which is open for any professional specializing in the use of survey grade GNSS equipment, and/or the analysis of the resultant data. Our only requirement is that measurements be made with survey grade GNSS equipment at noon on June 21. In order to give us a rough idea of where everyone will be making GNSS observations, first, double click and find the location where you will be gathering GNSS data from @n

I've been a member of Land Surveyors United since 2008 and I must say it has changed the way I survey, how I find information and how I learn.  There are a lot of features on the platform which took me a while to find and understand and one of those is the Advanced Search page.  Using this tool you can easily find other members on the network who use the same type of equipment you do.  I've made this easy for you by running all of the searches and made them into simple links to click.  

Find Memb

Professional Land Surveyors of the World UNITE!

As anticipated, the second annual International Surveyors Week begins now, once again uniting professional land surveyors on a global scale. During this week you will be accomplishing two important issues for land surveyors:

1) Educating the public regarding the importance of professional land surveyors to society and...

2) Cultivating a real global community for land surveyors to grow and thrive within. International Surveyors Week 2013 is an even

As you’ve probably noticed, we’ve made some big changes to Land Surveyors United, offering new ways to explore, engage with the network from any mobile device and be found in our upcoming global directory, which means new ways for all of your work to be discovered. Literally thousands of geospatial professionals are now using Land Surveyors United in new ways! Our traffic has doubled this month again and this means your reputation online has terrific visibility.

Here are 3 easy ways t

S t r i p p e r :  C o n f e s s i o n s  o f  a  L a n d  S u r v e y o r
B y  P e a n  C h e n e y i n g  P L S

(Originally published in Gulf Coast Surveyor, September 2011 under the column "Chain!")

PART 2

STRIP NAKED

Joe called saying he wanted a Land Survey to define a strip of land he was occupying next to the recorded lot he owned that he wanted to purchase from his adjoiner. He said he had read some positive reports about our firm and that is why he was contacting us. A current tax mosaic was

NOTE:  This is an update to an original post from 2011 on our 4th birthday

Hi. Its about time I reintroduced myself to all of the wonderful and talented surveyors in this community. My name is Justin Farrow and I have been creating and maintaining Land Surveyors United for exactly 10 years. Many of you may not be aware of this, as I do not make a huge deal out of birthdays, but March is Land Surveyors United's birthday month. This year, LSU turns 10 years old this week and to commemorate this o

Introducing The United States of America Land Surveyors Support Groups

Its been a long and interesting process, but I finally managed to get all 50 state-based social support groups up for the United States of America. The idea here is to create a place for every surveyor in the United States (and eventually the globe) to go and have all of their state based information all in one place-including the most up to date documents and events from their state board. And because state board websites