Surveyor News and Articles
Blueline Geo
Administrative Determination of Value
Nov 3rd
Administrative Determination of Value: This is not an appraisal and therefore there should be a commensurately lesser degree of investigation and analysis required. At a minimum, the property should be inspected and the preparer should secure basic comparable sales data. Sales verification and deed research should not be necessary. It is therefore anticipated that this format can be completed in an abbreviated time frame, in order to permit accelerated negotiations. It should be noted that owner accompaniment is not required, but may be accommodated by the preparer/ valuer, depending upon the situation and time permitting. Source Section 24.102(c) of 49 CFR.
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Control station, Coordinates, Origin of coordinates, Culture
Nov 3rd
control station
Point on the ground whose position (horizontal or vertical) is known and can be used as a base for additional survey work.
coordinates
Linear and (or) angular quantities that designate the position of a point in relation to a given reference frame.
coordinates, origin of
Points in a system of coordinates which serves as a zero point in computing the system’s elements or in prescribing its use.
culture
Features constructed by man that are under, on, or above the ground which are delineated on a map. These include roads, trails, buildings, canals, sewer systems, and boundary lines. In a broad sense, the term also applies to all names, other identification, and legends on a map.
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Control Mapping Definition
Nov 3rd
control mapping
Points of established position or elevation, or both, which are used to fix references in positioning and correlating map features. Fundamental control is provided by stations in the national networks of triangulation and traverse (horizontal control) and leveling (vertical control). Usually it is necessary to extend geodetic surveys, based on fundamental stations, over the area to be mapped, to provide a suitable density and distribution of control points. Supplemental control points are those needed to relate the aerial photographs used for mapping with the system of ground control. These points must be positively photoidentified; that is, the points must be positively correlated with their images on the photographs.
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Nautical Chart Definition
Nov 3rd
chart, nautical
Representation of a portion of the navigable waters of the Earth and adjacent coastal areas on a specified map projection and designed specifically to meet requirements for marine navigation. Included on most nautical charts are depths of water, characteristics of the bottom, elevations of selected topographic features, general configurations and characteristics of the coast, the shoreline (usually the mean high water line), dangers, obstructions and aids to navigation limited tidal data, and information about magnetic variation in the charted area.
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Cartography definition
Nov 3rd
cartography
Science and art of making maps and charts. The term may be taken broadly as comprising all the steps needed to produce a map: planning, aerial photography, field surveys, photogrammetry, editing, color separation, and multicolor printing. Mapmakers, however, tend to limit use of the term to the map-finishing operations, in which the master manuscript is edited and color separation plates are prepared for lithographic printing.
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Cadastral survey definition
Nov 3rd
cadastral survey
Survey relating to land boundaries, made to create units suitable for title transfer or to define the limitations of title. Derived from “cadastre” meaning a register of land quantities, values, and ownership used levying taxes, the term may properly be applied to surveys of a similar nature outside the public lands, such surveys are more commonly called “land surveys” or “property surveys.”
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Surveyor property appraisals
Oct 22nd
Formal property appraisals play a key role in the final determination of individual property values, and therefore in the final determination of parcel-specific ROW (right of way) costs. The most common and accepted valuation method is the sales comparison approach, which requires access to recent and relevant arms-length sales data. Other accepted valuation methods include the income and the cost approaches (FHWA, 2002a, Wurtzebach and Miles, 1991). The income approach may be used for commercial or investment properties, by considering gross rent, vacancy rates, and typical operating expenses, in order to estimate net income. The cost approach evaluates the replacement cost, and subtracts depreciation or obsolescence of the existing structure. This last approach is only used in cases where special purpose improvements develop the property to its highest and best use (FHWA, 2002a). In addition to being the most common and accepted method, the sales comparison approach is generally the easiest method to use. Comparable sales, listings, or rental data may be obtained from appraisal districts, title companies, private appraisers, and/or online data services. This method is most helpful in assessing the value of single-family residential properties and raw land, where sales data are plentiful (Wurtzebach and Miles, 1991). Sales data for commercial properties are relatively limited and more difficult to obtain (Carey, 2001, Gatzlaff and Geltner, 1998). This research enhances the literature by providing predictions of commercial property values, based on a large sample of commercial sales transactions for Texas’s major metro areas. These data are described in the Data Assembly section.
Cited from (http://www.ce.utexas.edu/prof/kockelman/public_html/TRB04ROW.pdf)
By Jared D. Heiner
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Right of way Acquisition
Oct 22nd
Right of way (ROW) acquisition for highway and transportation projects can be very expensive and time consuming. The federal government spent nearly one billion dollars for ROW in fiscal year 1999, at an average federal cost of $36,400 per parcel (FHWA, 2003). States and local agencies spent $1.8 billion in the same year, on projects subject to federal acquisition regulations. An additional $100 million in federal and state funds was paid to displaced business and property owners for reestablishment and relocation assistance (FHWA, 2003). The federal totals represent approximately 4 percent of total federal funding for highways in 1999 (AASHTO, 2002). Accurate ROW cost estimation can be key to project budgeting and completion.
Texas ROW administrators report a number of challenges routinely encountered in ROW cost estimation (Kockelman, anticipate the extent of takings based on limited information. Second, administrators often have limited time to prepare estimates, thus restricting the amount of research that can be undertaken for complex parcels. Third, they typically prepare ROW estimates several years in advance of actual ROW acquisition, during which time significant inflation and speculation can occur, resulting in property and damage appreciation. Administrators (both urban and rural) report that this time interval is typically three years, but it may stretch to seven years in some cases (Kockelman, et al., 2003). First, early estimates are based on planning-level maps, so project administrators mustet al., 2003). These factors can easily combine to bias ROW cost estimates low.
Cited from (http://www.ce.utexas.edu/prof/kockelman/public_html/TRB04ROW.pdf)
By Jared D Heiner
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IRWA Membership October
Oct 12th
ATTENTION: If you are a non-member or have an employee that needs to join, the best time to join is NOW. Consider the benefits; if you join now, you can enjoy being a member for the rest of this year and all of next year for one price; you can save money as members on the Conflict Management class being offered by our chapter in November; and you can save even more money on the SR/WA exam prep class being offered November 16-18. For our current members, please continue to invite potential new members to our luncheons.
Feel free to email me at mboyd@pinnaclegroup.biz if you have any questions regarding mem-bership, need your information changed on our chapter website, never received a badge with your name on it, or if you just want to email me.
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October Legal Surveyor question
Oct 12th
QUESTION:
From David Smith of U.S. Right of Way: We have all heard the 2009 Texas
Legislature was very active regarding right of way and eminent domain
issues. What did they actually do?
ANSWER: One law that did pass involves pipelines and public rights of
way. This involves pipeline routing. The Texas Department of Transportation revised its prior policies and decided to oppose pipelines (existing or new) along public rights of way. H.B. 2572 (Gonzales-Toureilles,
D-Alice) establishes that oil and gas operators can install pipelines and gathering lines along a public road, railroad, railroad right-of-way, municipal road, canal, or stream. The bill also stipulates that if a pipeline must be moved (e.g., due to road construction), the state must cover the cost of the
move if the operator owns the pipeline easement. Likewise, if the state owns
the easement, the operator must pay to move the line.
Another significant law that passed involved Eminent Domain. The eminent domain process in Texas has received significant attention in the past three years, especially in North Texas and the Barnett Shale. Refining the eminent domain process was a priority for Gov. Rick Perry and it consumed considerable energy from a diverse coalition of industry and public entity representatives. As a result of a collective effort, the Legislature passed House Joint Resolution 14 (Corte, R-San Antonio), which calls for a
constitutional amendment that prohibits a governmental entity from condemning a property primarily for the purpose of economic development or enhancement of tax revenues. However, for various reasons, the
Legislature failed to pass comprehensive eminent domain reform legislation. Thirdly, through negotiations and input from various interest groups, the Legislature also passed a bill to crack down on so called “bad actors” who attempt to influence land negotiations by inappropriately threatening the use of eminent domain. H.B. 3346 (Farabee, D-Wichita Falls) makes clear that if any non-utility or right of way agent for the non-utility indiscriminately threatens eminent domain, that entity stands to lose its non-utility status.
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