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A Cooperative Program developed
between
The Florida Department Of
Environmental Protection
Florida State
University (Freac), and
The University of Florida
Geomatics Program
The University
of Florida Geomatics
Team:
David
W. Gibson, Program Director and Principal Investigator (P.I.)
Paul
H. Dukas, PSM, Research Coordinator, and Co-P.I.
Michael
R. McLaughlin, PSM, Research Coordinator, and Co-P.I.
Cristian
Fenex, PSM, Research Assistant
Brad
Stockham, Assistant
Brief
review of Public Land Surveys - Role of FDEP / BLM:
The
Florida Public Land Survey System (FLPLSS) was established by the United
States Government Land Office (GLO, now re-organized under the Department
of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, BLM) beginning in 1824, with
the establishment of the Initial Point in Tallahassee. This system of
rectangular survey grids was gradually extended through the remainder of
the 1800's eventually covering the entire state, dividing all the public
lands first into six mile by six mile areas (Townships), then subdividing
these Townships into one mile by one mile regions (Sections). Physical
survey markers, or monuments, were placed every half mile on these section
lines to delineate the surveyed lands. Monuments were also placed at points
on the section lines where they intersected bodies of water or previously
occupied (private) lands.
These
surveys, with their attendant field notes and Township Maps, provided the
means for legally describing land and transferring property from the public
trust into the private domain. The majority of titles to land in Florida are related
to and depend upon these original cadastral surveys and the monuments set
to perpetuate them. Information regarding the FLPLSS is thus considered a
valuable historic and economic resource to Florida. The Florida Department of
Environmental Protection, Division of State Lands, Bureau of Surveying and
Mapping (BSM) currently maintains such information and administers the
"Florida Public Land Survey Restoration and Perpetuation Act"
(Florida Statute 177, Part III). As a part of these mandated duties, the
Bureau is responsible for the "identification, restoration , and
preservation" of the FLPLSS controlling corner monuments and all
information associated with them.
Records
Automation - FLPLSS GIS Project & Benefits:
In
order to more efficiently organize and disseminate such information, the
BSM has instituted a program of records modernization and automation, including
the transfer of paper maps and records into digital format. The integration
of this information into a state-wide, seamless database and Geographic
Information System (GIS) was perceived as an important step in this
continuing effort. Accordingly, a FLPLSS GIS Project was designed to
establish a unique naming and numbering system for all the original survey
corners, (Points or Nodes in the GIS). This Project also designed and
populated a database of information related to these uniquely numbered points.
This FLPLSS layer will be made available to the Federal Government, State
Agencies, Regional Planning Councils, Water Management Districts, County Governments, other Local
Jurisdictions and the public.
Some immediate benefits from
this project development are the creation of a standard naming and
numbering convention which will allow sharing of FLPLSS information across
jurisdictional boundaries, where the standard is adopted. This should
eliminate the confusion of multiple numbering systems and reduce costs per
agency to develop this data. This project will also allow more widespread
distribution of information tied to FLPLSS corners, such as field surveyed
State Plane Coordinates which are contained on some Certified Corner
Records (CCR's) submitted by state-registered surveyors. With the advent of
Global Positioning Systems (GPS) technology and Florida's leadership role
in densifying geodetic control within many counties throughout the state,
more section corners are continually being tied into the State Plane
Coordinate System. Since land parcels are related to the section surveys by
legal description, this allows the incorporation of the ownership parcel
into the State Plane Coordinate System. This will permit GIS parcel maps
using this coordinate system to more accurately reflect the position of the
PLSS layer and associated parcel polygons.
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