Activities are updated after IGIC board meetings, roughly once per quarter.
If you'd like more information about a specific project or initiative in the interim, feel free to contact
one of the workgroup leaders/co-chairs or the
Jill Saligoe-Simmel and Jim Sparks conducted a meeting of the Workgroup on February 7th. The meeting was also
broadcast via a Webinar to make it more accessible to individuals that would have had prohibitively long travel times.
Topics included:
January 17, 2008
The newly reorganized workgroup had its first organizational meeting on December 18, 2007 at the Indiana Government
Center South Conference Center in Indianapolis. For those unable to attend the meeting in Indianapolis, a Webinar
was available and participants could view the meeting and submit questions on-line. If you missed the meeting you
can view the Webinar at
http://www.webinar.in.gov/p48089499/.
Several more counties expressed interest in participating in the Tie Card Project. The next meeting is tentatively
scheduled for February 7, 2008 1-3:00 pm based on room availability.
November 15, 2007
The newly formed Cadastre, Boundaries, and PLSS Workgroup will hold its first meeting in late November
or December 2007. A preplanning meeting was held on November 2, 2007 to identify stakeholders and
discuss a Parcel Framework business case.
The Bartholomew County Tie Card layer is being updated monthly at the county level and the Indiana
Geological Survey website should be updated soon.
September 20, 2007
The Tie Card Project, PLSS and all other activities associated with the efforts under the Geodetic Framework
Workgroup prior to August 2007 are being moved to the newly formed Cadastre, Boundaries and PLSS Framework Workgroup.
The original Geodetic Framework Workgroup is now newly reorganized into two Workgroups:
- Elevation and Geodetic Control Framework Workgroup
- CORS – Continuously Operating Reference Stations (horizontal control)
- Height Modernization (vertical control)
- Cadastre, Boundaries, and PLSS Framework Workgroup
- Parcels
- Boundaries
- Public Land Survey System
Tie Card Project
The Bartholomew County Tie Card Project is being updated monthly. County staff is able to
complete the entire process of scanning, renaming, linking the Tie Cards to the points on the
map using GIS, and utilizing the GIS Tie Card Project in house. The County is also able to
complete the process of sending the Tie Cards and the geodatabase (used to create the GIS map)
to IGS for updating the IGS website. The August updates were sent to IGS and should be posted to the website soon.
July 19, 2007
After the meeting of the IndianaMap Committee on July 11th, it was decided to combine the geodetic control and elevation
workgroups into a single entity. Tom Mahon of Woolpert and ISPLS has agreed to chair the new group. An introductory meeting will
be scheduled no later than September to begin developing these framework layers for the IndianaMap.
March 12, 2007
The Tie Card GIS Layer for three counties (Bartholomew, Newton, and Jennings) was posted to the GIS
Atlas for Indiana on Tuesday, January 23, 2007. Lorraine Wright, IDEM, developed instructions on
how to use the Tie Card and associated layers to get the most out of the website. They will be
posted on IGIC's website soon. Feedback on the Tie Card layer has been very positive.
Lorraine also prepared draft instructions for creating a GIS project using the renamed Tie Cards and ESRI's ArcMap.
Ray Sheldon, Bartholomew County, tested the process by creating a project for internal use and maintenance of the
Bartholomew Tie Card layer. Based on his feedback, the instructions are being revised, and will be tested again
on March 2nd.
Floyd County has joined the project, and the Indiana Society of Professional Land Surveyors (ISPLS) is
coordinating with Lorraine to increase participation among other counties.
Gary Kent, Schneider Corporation, and Lorraine Wright, will present a workshop at the Indiana GIS Conference
on Tuesday, March 13, 2007. The topic will be "The Public Land Survey System GIS Framework: How it Applies
to Surveyors, Assessors, Recorders and the General Public".
January 18, 2007
There was a delay in getting the Tie Card Layer posted to the web in December. The new deployment
date is tentatively January 22, 2007 (possibly sooner).
Indiana Geological Survey revised the Tie Card Metadata to be fully compliant with the national standards for Metadata;
it will be available on the IGS website.
Lorraine Wright continues working with Bartholomew County to help them implement the process of updating their own Tie
Card layer in GIS. Lorraine is developing a page for the IGIC website that will help explain how to use the "Tie Card Layer"
once it becomes available on the Indiana Geological Survey website.
Jill Saligoe-Simmel was asked to present information about IGC at the Indiana Society of Professional Land Surveyors
conference on January 17, 2007. She will demonstrate the new Tie Card Layer using the IGS website (if deployed) or
the demonstration test site to show Indiana Surveyors how to use site.
November 16, 2006
All efforts since the September update have been directed toward getting the website ready to go live. A pilot with
three participating counties - Bartholomew, Jennings and Newton - was posted for review on October 25, 2006. The
Indiana Geological Survey (IGC) made changes to the test site based on committee and county feedback. Lorraine
Wright provided training on how to use the site. The pilot counties approved the launch of the live site on November 3.
The Metadata for the Tie Card layer was completed by Lorraine and sent to IGS on November 1, 2006. The metadata is
undergoing IGS internal review. It is anticipated that the Tie Card layer will be on the IGS website as early as mid-December.
Lorraine is also working with Bartholomew County to help them implement the process of updating their own Tie Card layer in GIS.
We are investigating ways to disseminate information to the public on how to utilize the Tie Card layer to achieve
maximum benefits. Lorraine will display a Tie Card Poster during the State's GIS Day poster display.
September 21, 2006
Committee members continue to encourage County Surveyors to
participate in the Tie Card Project.
The "Cookbook" (instructions for using the Renaming Software) was revised and is posted on the IGIC website.
There were four counties participating in the Tie Card Project first quarter, 19 counties in the second quarter,
and third quarter we now have 22 counties either interested in starting or in various stages of scanning,
renaming, linking to the Grid Point layer, in maintenance mode or have the capability to have data linked from a County website.
Ray Sheldon (Bartholomew County) and Lorraine Wright (IDEM) met with the Indiana Geological Survey (IGS)
representatives on June 1, 2006 and again on September 14, 2006 to set up the process of linking and displaying
data on the IGS website. IGS representatives, Ray, and Lorraine are working on the data and processes that will
enable the Tie Card/Grid Point layer to be viewed. We anticipate having three counties (Bartholomew, Newton, Jennings)
data viewable on the IGS website in approximately two weeks. The three counties will be able to view the data before
becoming live on the internet to make sure the information is correct. Allen and Wayne county data are next in line for
completion and linking.
July 20, 2006
The Workgroup last met on February 16, 2006. All efforts are being directed at encouraging County Surveyors to
participate in the Tie Card Project. Steve Murray (Tippecanoe Surveyor) sent a letter to all 92 Counties encouraging
participation in the Tie Card Project on behalf of the County Surveyor's Association. The "Cookbook" (instructions
for using the Renaming Software) was revised and should be posted on the IGIC website by July 21, 2006.
There were four counties participating in the Tie Card Project last quarter. There are currently 19 counties either
interested in starting or are in various stages of scanning, renaming, linking to the Grid Point layer, in maintenance
mode or have the capability to have data linked from a County website.
Ray Sheldon (Bartholomew County) and Lorraine Wright (IDEM) met with the Indiana Geological Survey (IGS)
representatives on June 1, 2006 to set up the process of linking and displaying data on the IGS website.
IGS representatives, Ray, and Lorraine are working on the data and processes that will enable the Tie Card/Grid Point
layer to be viewed on the web soon.
A digital version of the "Indiana Boundaries" book is posted on the
Geodetic Workgroup pages.
The Workgroup, the Indiana Society of Professional Land Surveyors,
the Office of the Indiana State Geodetic Advisor, and the Indiana County Surveyors would like to thank the Indiana
Historical Bureau, the Indiana State Library, and the IUPUI University Library for providing the digital version of
this historical document. The book can be downloaded as a single PDF, or as individual chapters (listed by county).
May 18, 2006
The last Geodetic Workgroup Meeting was held on February 16, 2006, when a strategy for collecting survey quality coordinates
for the Indiana PLSS was discussed.
Tie Card Project
Work continues on the Tie Card Project. Bartholomew, Jennings, and Newton Counties tie cards have been scanned and
renamed and the counties are using the GIS versions of the project. Bartholomew and Newton counties are using the
ArcReader project delivered to them. Jennings County is using their County's GIS version.
Bartholomew County is continually updating their Tie Cards. Ray Sheldon, Bartholomew County is helping to fine tune the
process of keeping the project current. The Tie Card Project Cookbook (instructions) is being updated based on what we
have learned to keep the project current. Bartholomew County participation has been extremely valuable.
Lorraine met with staff from the Lake County Surveyors Office to help them with the process of linking their Tie Cards to a
GIS. They already had coordinates for their section corners, so they are now able to link to a map using their County naming
convention. Lorraine provided the renaming software and instructions on how to use it. They plan to link the statewide
naming convention to their data.
Lorraine is also working with the Indiana Geological Survey to post the tie card data on the GIS Atlas for Indiana.
Steve Murray, Tippecanoe County Surveyor, is working with Lorraine to encourage participation in the project by other counties.
January 17, 2006
Tie Card Project
The Bartholomew County Tie Card Pilot Project was completed and delivered to Bartholomew County Surveyor's
office on November 22, 2005. The delivery included:
- 3,413 scanned images of Bartholomew Counties Tie Cards.
- Renaming Software (created by (Brian Wood). The tie card names include Prime
Meridian, Township, Range, Section, and Grid Number.
- Grid Points - Points on a map that the Tie Cards can be linked to (not surveyed points).
- Database that includes information about each tie card (generated from using the Renaming Software).
The database includes the Counties names used for the Tie Cards.
- An easy to use Geographic Information System (GIS) Free Viewer that the county can use.
The viewer allows the county to pull up aerial photos showing grid points that are linked to the scanned
Tie Card image(s). It also contains the numerous GIS layers created by other agencies, including the
Public Land Survey System Township, Range and Section Grids.
We are currently working with Bartholomew County to develop a process for maintaining and updating their
information so that the project can be kept current. The Guidance documents (ex: Cookbook on how the
process works) are being revised to reflex the changes needed as a result of the Pilot Project.
Two other Counties are also participating in the Tie Card Project: Newton and Jennings Counties have
scanned and renamed their tie cards. The next step with these two counties is to develop the linking
to the GIS viewer. First will be Newton and then Jennings.
November 17, 2005
Tie Card Project
The Tie Card Pilot Project for Bartholomew County will be delivered the week of November 7, 2005. Bartholomew
County will review the project and can begin using the data.
Two other counties, Newton and Jennings, participated in the project by scanning and renaming their tie
cards. Their projects will be the next to be delivered. We wanted to make sure all the processes were
working properly on the pilot before we proceeded with the delivery of the other counties.
Indiana Boundaries Book
The Geodetic Workgroup requested a digital copy of the Indiana Boundaries Book from the Indiana State Library.
The book is part of the Indiana Historical Collections. It provides descriptions of the county boundaries
and how they changed over time. The Indiana State Library in cooperation with IUPUI scanned the Indiana
Boundaries Book for our workgroup. The book will be distributed to the individual counties for their use.
The State Library and IUPUI worked with the Geodetic Workgroup to make sure the book could be accessed
as one PDF document and also by individual sections.
USGS Benchmarks
The Geodetic Workgroup is working with USGS and DNR to obtain a complete set of the USGS Benchmark
(elevation control) information for the State of Indiana. Discussions will also involve the IU Geology Library.
September 22, 2005
We have a new website at www.in.gov/igic/committee/geodetic.html. We posted meeting minutes, agendas,
Tie Card Project, and equipment checkout information. Suggestions and comments are welcome. To access our
webpage from the main INGISI website, click the box (on the left) "Committees", then click the link,
"Framework Data Committees", and then click the link, "Geodetic Control".
Good news. We will be acquiring a scanned copy of the Indiana Boundaries book. The Workgroup will be
notified once the digital version becomes available.
June 28, 2005
Tie Card Project
Completed - Phase one required that we come up with a naming convention for the scanned tie cards that could be
utilized Statewide. Therefore, the file name needed to incorporate the Prime Meridian, Township/direction,
Range/direction, Grid number. Originally we planned on using the ¼, ¼, ¼, naming convention for the grid number.
It became apparent that there were too many ways to name a point depending on which direction it was derived from.
We ended up using point grid based on 0-80.
Completed - The second phase of the project required a point grid map that could be used in a Geographic
Information System to link the scanned tie cards to. DNR had a point grid map we could use based on ¼, ¼, ¼
designations, but we decided to use a different grid numbering system (0-80). The 0-80 grid numbering system
will speed up the file renaming process once the documents are scanned. Brian developed the point grid map that
we will be using.
The grid point map file was created by dividing the Public Land Survey Section (PLSS) Map (created by Indiana
Geological Survey) into an equally divided grid. The grid points were created for the purpose of attaching the
scanned tie cards to.
Brian also created a tie card naming software that we will use that provides a user friendly screen that
enables the computer users to see the scanned tie card and rename it very quickly and easily.
Completed - The third phase of the tie scanning project is complete. There were 3,384 Bartholomew County tie
cards scanned in just under three hours. This was possible only with the help of E. R. Gray, Ray Sheldon, and
Brian Wood. We couldn't have done this without their help. E. R. Gray, Bartholomew County Surveyor, allowed
us to take the tie cards off site for scanning. E. R. talked with the State Board of Accounts to find out if
we could remove the documents for scanning and he took the steps needed to do so. Ray and I worked with Brian
Wood, Paul I. Cripe to do the scanning. Brian allowed the use of his company's high end scanner/ copier to scan
the documents.
Ongoing (nearly complete) - The fourth phase of the project is renaming the files with the standardized file
naming convention. The file name will include the Prime Meridian, Township, Range, Section, and Grid number. The
grid numbering system is 0-80. Lorraine is renaming of the Bartholomew County scanned tie cards. This phase
should be completed by the next meeting.
Next step - The fifth phase is to link the scanned (PDF documents) to a GIS system so you can click on a point
on the map and the scanned tie card will popup. Lorraine should also have this completed by the next meeting.
Insurance for equipment - Neither the Indiana Geographic Information Council nor ISPLS have insurance on the
computers and printer/scanners that were purchased for this project. The Dell computers have a 4 year limited
warranty and 4 years of technical support. The HP copier/scanner/printers have a 3 year warranty. The attendees
voted and determined that we would not pursue getting insurance for the equipment. General maintenance or repair
will be covered by the warranty(s). The person borrowing the equipment would be responsible if the equipment
was stolen or damaged due to inappropriate handling.
Equipment Disposition - ISPLS needs a letter from IGIC stating the equipment would be transferred to ISPLS once
the maintenance/warranty runs out.
Historical Tie Cards
The workgroup discussed ways to be able to access the historical tie cards for each corner once the current
tie cards are scanned.
The historical tie cards can also be scanned as PDF documents. The scanned historical tie card (PDF document)
can be merged into the current PDF tie card document using a software package (this would have to be purchased).
Each county would want to purchase at least one copy of the most current version of the Adobe software that
allowed one to merge PDF documents together. The software purchase would be for maintaining the PDF document
for each corner.
We envision the end product to be one PDF document per corner. Each PDF document would contain a several
pages. The first and second page of the PDF document would contain the current tie card (front and back)
and then additional pages would include the historical information about the corner. This way all the
information about a particular corner would be merged into one PDF document. When new tie cards were created
they could be scanned and then merged into the specific corner PDF document as the new page one and two of the
PDF document. Then the subsequent pages already in the tie card document would become part of the historical
information about the corner.
Tie Card File Storage
The scanned tie cards will be at the County Surveyor's office.
I was asked to find a location where we could store a copy of the scanned tie cards at no cost to the Counties.
Indiana University has a Mass Data Storage System and has agreed to provide a website that could be used to store
all the scanned tie cards statewide. The scanned tie cards would be located in a folder by County. Counties
that do not have computers and/or web access could utilize the IU Mass Data Storage System for their main storage.
The County would maintain their data and could send the complete data set to an IU web address when it was updated.
The IU Mass Storage site would automatically save the files to the appropriate County folder. The County
could set up a schedule so that they could update the IU website when they determine. As new tie cards are
created or history files are added, the County would scan, rename, and/or merge the new tie cards into their
complete dataset. The County designated person would be the only one that could make changes to the County
folder on the IU website. The County designee could provide the complete revised County files to the IU Website
by copying the complete County tie card files, sending it to the IU website and the new County file would
replace the old County file. The County's data would be the main and current source of the scanned tie cards.
We can work out the processes needed to help Counties that don't have computer capabilities. That is where the
loaner computer and printer/scanner could be loaned to Counties if they need them.
The Workgroup would work with Counties to help develop a document that Counties could use that describes the
process of updating and maintaining the scanned tie card documents and how to send the files to the IU Mass
Storage Web site.
Indiana Boundaries GIS Framework Layer
County boundaries - Dr. van Gelder provided a source for a book containing the legal county boundaries that
could be utilized for the Indiana County Boundary GIS Framework Layer. The document is called "Indiana
Boundaries". The book contains chapters that describe the legal county boundary and it history. We are
trying to get a digital copy of the book. Once we get scanned copies of the Counties boundaries descriptions
they could be linked to County boundary map and provided to the Counties. The County would be able to click
on the County Boundary and the legal description and its history would pop up.
State boundaries - Bob Wilkinson has access to the Indiana-Kentucky boundary court case that contains
coordinates and a map. This will also be utilized in the Indiana Boundary Framework layer.
INDOT CORS
There will be three stages in the proposed Indiana CORS project.
Stage 1. Primary stations - 17 stations will be located at INDOT facilities and will be under direct control
of INDOT. There will be network connections with large monuments (like ODOT) collecting data for post
processing. The Bloomington station will make up the 18th station in the network.
Stage 2. Densify the network with 40 addition monuments. The receivers will be bolted to stationary objects.
They will be VRS Networked RTS solutions. They will be networked back to the facility. Four servers will run
the VRS. It would allow cellar or digital phone or modem internet capabilities. This would give International
Reference (ITR) coordinates. It would be a global reference system where everything is constantly in motion to
due movement of the earths crust.
Stage 3. Proposed Geoid model height modernization project. They will send data to NGS.