Frequently asked questions.
Wouldn't a GIS program be better suited for perpetuating County Survey Corner Records ?
A GIS program would be an excellent choice, providing your County has the budget for it. Most rural Counties don't have the resources to acquire the necessary software licenses, training, equipment, etc. to implement a GIS program. Also, most County budgets don't allow for a full time GIS professional and/or GIS technician to run and maintain the GIS. A majority of our Counties here in Indiana have only a County Surveyor (which may be part time) and perhaps a deputy surveyor to help run the office. My program was made for these smaller County Surveyor Offices with their limited resources. My Section Corner program is a fraction of the cost of a GIS program and can be implemented immediately with the resources and personnel that the County Surveyor currently has available. A GIS program, without a database, is just a picture. My program can provide that data when you’re ready to incorporate a GIS program. My program can also export the records to various mapping programs providing a GIS type access to the records.
My Program also excels at dispensing the various records in the County Surveyor’s Office. Watch the video on how quickly the records can be retrieved and dispensed using my Program vs a GIS program.
Can this Program be used in non PLSS States ?
No. The main purpose of the Program is to perpetuate PLSS Section Corners.
Do I need any expensive equipment to run the Section Corner Program ?
No. The Section Corner Program will run on any desktop computer. A printer/scanner is needed. Optionally, a large format scanner would be needed for large records/plats. The scanning of large Plats could be outsourced initially if budget restrictions prevent the purchase of a large format scanner. In Indiana, the County Surveyor Corner Perpetuation Fund can be utilized for purchase of the Program and the computer system to run it.
We have very few corner records in my County and few surveyors come in looking for records. Why do I need a section corner Program ?
First of all, in Indiana, the law requires it. The County Surveyor is responsible for maintaining section corner records as per IC 36-2-12-11. Also, there will be more demand for records as your County develops. On the plus side, with just a few records the database can be set up rather quickly and you'll be in a great position as corner and survey records come in.
Is any special training needed to run the Program ?
No. Anyone with a minimum of computer skills can run the Section Corner Program and we are here for support. Common functions and features of the Section Corner Program are addressed in YouTube videos. A lot of these videos are in response to questions from the program users.
Our County Recorder’s office records all land surveys, so why does the County Surveyor’s office need them in their database records ?
The short answer is they don't. My home County chooses to work with their recorder's office and get a copy of any survey that is recorded at the time it is recorded for inclusion in the Section Corner Program.
This makes it easier for any local surveyor to find these surveys when they are doing their section corner research. I would also contend that navigating my Program (search wise) is easier than searching the County Recorder's software, as the software they use varies from County to County. My Program also allows these recorded surveys to be located on various mapping software (i.e. Google Earth, etc.)
One great benefit is the ability to archive and maintain records from former surveyors that have retired or passed on. Some of these older survey records will pre-date recording laws and may be the only copies in existence. County surveyors will often be able acquire these records and my program gives them a means to perpetuate and facilitate the retrieval of these older records for future surveyors to use.
But with that being said, the land survey record portion of the Program does not have to be utilized if you feel it is not needed.
How much does all this cost and how long before I can be up and completely running with all of my County Surveying records ?
First the easy part. Cost of the Section Corner Program is $2495.00 per copy with a $600.00 yearly maintenance/upgrade fee. This covers installation, support, and any future upgrades to the Program.
A second copy for a second computer in the same office with the backend database being placed on a common server (allowing two (2) people to work on the database at the same time) can be installed for half the price of first copy ($1247.00/$300.00)
As for how long it will take you to be completely up and running, it will depend on how many records you have and the time it takes you to get them all entered in the database. The Section Corner Program can not only perpetuate Section Corner Records, but also retain digital copies of the Original Notes, Subdivision Plats, and Land Surveys. If your County has a lot of these records, it could be some time before you have everything in the Program. It just depends on the resources and manpower you put into it. The good news is that once this is done, maintenance of the database becomes far easier as only new records have to be entered. At that time, your office will spend more time dispensing records than entering them in the database.
Comments from Section Corner Program Users:
“ I rely on the Section Corner Database Program to organize and access all our survey records. The Orange County Surveyor's Office has nearly 7000 records that are neatly organized and easily accessible in seconds. The program is structured in a way that allows for easy input, management and access to a wide variety of records. It allows surveyors to have confidence that they have access to all the available public survey records. This program allows instant access to a wider variety of survey documents than typically found in the Recorder's Office, including Original Government Notes, Legal Surveys, corner records, subdivision plats, and historic surveys. Because it just simply works for surveyors, we have built our workflow of organizing and archiving documents around the Section Corner Database Program.”
Matt Cooper PS, Orange County Surveyor
“ I have been a user of the Section Corner Database Program for many years and it has been a true time saver in the office! It is faster to locate Surveys, Subdivisions and Section Corners with just a few clicks. The organization of the program, files and locations make it easier to share information with surveyors and tax payers. Terry is amazing to work with as well. He really tries to tweak the program for my wants/needs.”
Emily Rodman, Washington County Surveyor
“ The Section Corner Database Program allows us to maintain and access corner records, not just the present record for a particular corner but also the history of the corner. It also makes quick work of accessing corner records for a whole section at a time in the form of a pdf file that is easy to share. The program is also great for easily searching for surveys and other records. Overall this program is great for managing all of your surveying records and Terry is great to work with…..”
Kyle Turpin PS, Deputy Martin County Surveyor