The Development and Implementation of a GIS System for Sunde Land Surveying, LLC.

Ryan R. Bormann1,2 1Department of Resource Analysis, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, Winona, MN 55987. 2Sunde Land Surveying LLC., Bloomington, MN 55420.

Keywords: Geographic Information Systems, ArcReader, ArcGIS, Autodesk Land Desktop 2004, CAD, Competitive Advantage, Microsoft Access

Abstract

This paper outlines the exploration of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) being used by land surveying managers. Using ArcGIS 9.0 (ArcView), ArcCatalog, Autodesk Land Desktop and other mapping software, a survey identification application was created for Sunde Land Surveying, LLC. in Bloomington, MN. The goals of this project were to create a server based application that would give Sunde Land Surveying managers the ability to view and query information about past surveys, and secondly, to demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency that is gained from having such an application.

Introduction accomplished in the 8-county metropolitan area of Minneapolis and The evolution of surveying technology is Saint Paul. These counties include truly remarkable and exciting. In recent Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, years the surveying industry has Ramsey, Scott, Washington and Wright witnessed rapid change and because of counties. evolutions like the total station and GPS, The amount of survey work data acquisition times have been completed in this area has translated to substantially decreased (Gibson, 2006). an increased volume of field notes and This rapid growth in technology has half section breakdowns. A half section placed increased pressure on surveyors breakdown is an 11 x 17 sheet of paper to have a GIS system that is capable of that shows a half section. An example is containing and organizing all of the the north half of section 5, township 27, aforementioned information. Sunde range 24. Increased paperwork and field Land Surveying, LLC., is one such notes require a lot of office space and company that has recognized the good organization to ensure that items competitive advantage that can be are filed away correctly. The reason for gained from a fully integrative GIS incorporating all of this information into system. a GIS is so Sunde Land Surveying Sunde Land Surveying managers managers can have quick access to all of believed that an interactive map that their past survey records. Having an could visually represent every one of the interactive map that contains all past surveys Sunde Land Surveying has surveys and their attribute information completed since its incorporation could would allow Sunde Land Surveying help save time. A majority of Sunde project managers to make quick and Land Surveying’s work has been accurate bids to potential clients because

Bormann, Ryan. 2006. The Development and Implementation of a GIS system for Sunde Land Surveying, LLC. Volume 9, Papers in Resource Analysis. 7pp. Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota Central Services Press. Winona, MN. Retrieved (date) from http://www.gis.smumn.edu

they would have the ability to quickly number of different data sources. This access information about surveys that process was simplified by making a list have already been conducted in a given of the data that would be required and area. This is important because many possible sources of the data. Details of times potential clients want fast answers the data requirements and steps to about how long a job will take and how organize and format the data are much it is going to cost. If a survey described in the following sections. company is able to give a quick and accurate bid, the chances of receiving Projection the job are improved. All data analyzed was projected using Background the following projection: Projection: Transverse_Mercator Sunde Land Surveying was established Parameters: in 1975 by Edward H. Sunde. Over the False_Easting: 500000.000000 years, Sunde Land Surveying has grown False_Northing: 0.000000 in size and in work capacity. Since 1975 Central_Meridian: -93.000000 Sunde Land Surveying has been Scale_Factor: 0.999600 involved in over 13,000 projects. Latitude_Of_Origin: 0.000000 Today, Sunde Land Surveying is Linear Unit: Meter (1.000000) recognized as an industry leader and was Geographic Coordinate System: recently named Minnesota’s preferred Name: GCS_North_American_1983 land surveying vendor for the year of Angular Unit: Degree 2006. (0.017453292519943299) Prime Meridian: Greenwich Software (0.000000000000000000) Datum: D_North_American_1983 For this project, a number of software Spheroid: GRS_1980 packages were used. ESRI’s Semimajor Axis: (Environmental Systems Research 6378137.000000000000000000 Institute) ArcView 9.0 and ArcReader Semiminor Axis: 9.1, including the ArcPublisher 6356752.314140356100000000 Extension, were utilized for map Inverse Flattening: creation and distribution of data 298.257222101000020000 resources. Autodesk Land Desktop 2004 was used to isolate and extract boundary Data Collection and Assembly shapefiles. Microsoft Access was used to store and manage survey project A number of different sources were used information. Microsoft Excel was used to acquire data for this project. Much of to convert information in Microsoft the basemap information was Access to a recognizable GIS format. downloaded from the Minnesota DNR Data Deli (Figure 1). These data layers Preparation of Data included: township and section boundaries, rivers, lakes, streets, major In the initial stages of this project it was roads, railroads, and municipal apparent that there would be a need for a boundaries. Aerial photos were acquired

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Figure 1. 8-County Metro Overview Map.

from the United States Department of available on a county by county basis, Agriculture National Aerial Imagery was created using the append tool. Program. Parcel data and all attributes were obtained from various county GIS Survey Polygon Creation offices including Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, Two major steps were taken to create the Washington, and Wright. All of the survey shapefiles. The first of these layers acquired from the DNR Data Deli steps was to extract the boundaries of all and counties consisted of ESRI’s Sunde Land Surveying jobs completed shapefile format. Once all of the data on a county coordinate basis. This task was acquired, a number of steps were involved opening up each Autodesk taken to form the base map. The base Land Desktop drawing and checking to map for this project was created by see if it had an assumed or a county selecting the aforementioned 8 counties coordinate system. This was important out of the statewide county shapefile and to determine, because if a survey was not exporting them to a new shapefile. The completed on a county coordinate basis, 8-county shapefile was used to clip the it would not project correctly into the remaining statewide data layers GIS. If a drawing had coordinates that including the township and section were on a county coordinate system, the boundaries, rivers, lakes, major roads, boundary for that survey was isolated railroads, and municipal boundaries. and exported to a shapefile format The streets layer, which was only (Figure 2).

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Figure 2. Boundary shapefile extracted from AutoLand Desktop.

After extracting the specified Survey Point Creation boundaries from the Autodesk Land Desktop drawings, the next step was to The second step involved creating a open ArcCatalog and project the point shapefile for all of the other shapefiles to their county coordinate surveys that were not completed on a system. Once the shapefiles were county coordinate basis. Sunde Land projected, a text field called project Surveying uses color coded half-section number was added and populated with books to visually display all of their past that survey’s unique project number. survey areas. Within the shaded areas in Attributing each shapefile with a project these half-section books, project as well number field allowed SLS’s Microsoft as book and page numbers are listed. In Access database to be joined to each order to incorporate this information into individual survey polygon. The Access the GIS, a point shapefile with fields database was added to the survey called project number, dwg, and link polygon shapefile by exporting the were created. The next step was to go Access database into an excel through each half section book and plot spreadsheet. This Excel spreadsheet was a point in the GIS wherever a survey was then converted into a database file, shown. After each point was plotted, the DBASE IV format. Ultimately, a project number as well as a link to the polygon shapefile was created that most recent Autodesk Land Desktop included all survey information for each drawing was added to the project individual polygon, as well as a number and link fields. Once all the hyperlink which opens the most recent points were plotted and attribute data Autodesk Land Desktop drawing for that was updated, the database file was particular survey area. joined to the shapefile. This completed

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the initial creation of the data for the extension which allows “.pmf’s” GIS. (publish map file) to be created. With the use of the extension, a map of the 8- Analysis county metro region was created (Figure 3). While testing the searching Search Application Development capabilities of this application, problems were encountered which would cause the The final piece for the GIS was to create ArcReader application to freeze, forcing an affordable application that could be the user to close out of the ArcReader usable for all members of Sunde Land program. Initially it was thought that Surveying. The solution was a free this problem was being caused by downloadable program found on the incompatibilities between the ArcGIS ESRI website called ArcReader 9.1. 9.0 map file and the ArcReader 9.1 This program had all of the appropriate published map file, but after further functionality requirements needed for troubleshooting it was found that the Sunde Land Surveying employees to published map files storage size was the make effective use of the maps. root of the problem. This problem was Important functionality that was needed solved first by indexing each shapefile was the ability to query and identify by its dominant searchfield. Indexing specific features of the map as well as the shapefile was completed in having the ability to link to drawing files ArcCatalog by right-clicking the in Auto Land Desktop. ArcReader is appropriate shapefile and selecting only able to read published maps. As a properties. Once properties were result, Sunde Land Surveying made the selected, information about indexing is decision to purchase the ArcPublisher found. Indexing each shapefile by its

Figure 3. Sunde Land Surveying ArcReader. 5

dominant searchfield is important After the viewer was up and operational, because it helps to guide a query towards Sunde Land Surveying’s management the information that is being searched was interested to learn what type of (ArcGIS Help, 2005). The second part effectiveness and efficiency was being of the solution was creating a subset of gained from the viewer application in maps for each individual county. After comparison to their older method. The these two adjustments were made there older method involved locating the was a visible difference in the correct address. This was completed by functioning speed of the application. opening the counties website and searching their parcel viewer. After Viewer Enhancement locating the address a person would then walk to the half section book where Several improvements were made to the completed survey information including published map files in order to increase book and page as well as project number processing speed when viewed in the could be found. The effectiveness and ArcReader browser. The first efficiency of the viewer was tested by enhancement made was by choosing to using a stopwatch. In order to use scale dependent rendering. This accomplish this, the older method was seemed to be a logical step such that if a tested first. It was determined after three user zoomed in to a large scale, small timed trials that the average time it took scale layers would not be drawn. This to derive the information about a was most evident with the digital ortho potential survey area after knowing only quadrangle’s (DOQQ). Each of the its address was nearly twelve minutes. DOQQ’s was approximately 140 In comparison three timed trials were megabytes (MB) in size. This is a lot of completed using the viewer application. data for the server and application to The same criterion of knowing only the interpret and draw. For this reason, the address was used for the viewer image catalog was set to only be visible application. Upon receiving the address at a scale less than or equal to 1:20,000. of the proposed property it took the One other change made to the datasets viewer application an average of two was deleting unnecessary fields from minutes and thirty-five seconds to locate some of the shapefiles. An example was the necessary information about the the Carver county parcel layer, which same potential survey area. Based on contained seventy-two fields. Of these this information, analysis was done to seventy-two fields, only a few contained see what the cost benefit is to having the relevant information that Sunde Land ArcReader application (Table 1). Surveying needed to search information by. The fields that were needed included Table 1. Time Trial Chart. owners name, owners address, plat Old New Time name, and parcel identification number. Method Method Saved Many of the other fields that were Trial 1 10:28 1:57 8:31 deemed unnecessary for the purpose of Trial 2 13:46 2:55 10:51 the application were deleted. Trial 3 11:45 2:22 9:23 Totals 35:59 7:14 9:35Avg. Cost Analysis

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It is projected that Sunde Land GIS can be a very useful tool. The Surveying’s application over the course interactive maps allow all individuals in of a year will create a time savings of the organization to have equal access to $12,500 (Table 2). the information contained within the GIS. Every department of Sunde Land Table 2. Time Savings Chart. Surveying is realizing benefits from the GIS. Field crews like the ability to Average Time 1 hour 58 minutes quickly create maps so that they are able Saved Per Day 20 seconds to visually see an overhead photo of the Average Salary of $25.00 area they are surveying. The CAD User Per Hour Draftpersons like the GIS because they # of Work Days 254 are able to use it to help them interpret Per Year the areas they are drafting. The third Total Time $12,500 group benefiting from the GIS is the Savings Sunde Land Surveying managers. The *Note Projections based on 3 Project managers benefit from the fact that they Managers using the application a total can not only see all past surveys on a average of 12 times per day. single map, but that they also have the ability to find information on any survey Data Maintenance through the use of GIS. This project has shown that there is a great deal of Even though occasional problems were potential growth for GIS within the encountered with both the data and the surveying community. The application software, data maintenance should prove explored in this paper is just one to not be a problem. If changes and example of what impact a GIS can have updates were continually made to the in the surveying community. GIS is sure records within the Access table, the to become an important part of all viewer application shapefiles could surveying organizations in the future. easily be updated. Updates are made by adding new points and polygons to their Results respective master shapefiles. The attributes of project number and link will During the course of this project, a always be added to the new points and number of problems with data and polygons, at which point the shapefiles software were encountered. Despite can be rejoined to the updated access these problems, the initial delivery of database table. The final step of the Sunde Land Surveying’s GIS proved to updating process was to replace the old be successful. The managers of Sunde shapefiles in the ArcGIS 9.0 map file Land Surveying have found the with the new shapefiles containing ArcReader application to be a very updated attribute information. beneficial tool. The application has helped to expedite researching of past Discussion projects by a quarter of the time. In terms of product development, this This project shows how GIS can be used project has proved that using ArcReader to visually represent and analyze data. as a forum for GIS delivery is very Sunde Land Surveying is realizing that efficient and cost effective.

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Dr. McConville for his guidance and continued support throughout my time at Saint Mary’s. I would like to thank John Ebert and Patrick Thorsell for all of their patience in the learning process. I would like to thank Sunde Land Surveying for giving me the opportunity to undertake this novel project. Finally, I would also like to thank all of my classmates at Saint Mary’s who made my learning experience a truly memorable one.

References

Gibson, T. 2006, August. Diving Into Surveying. Professional Surveyor. 4. ESRI ArcGIS 9 Help File. 2005. Environmental Systems Research Institute INC. (ESRI) Redlands, CA

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