1. IGIC Cadastral, Boundaries, PLSS Workgroup
Co-Chairs
Lorraine Wright Rick Hill
Rock Solid GIS Indiana Geological Survey
5/9/2017

2. IGIC Cadastre-Boundaries-PLSS Workgroup
Workgroup Participates are From:
Indiana Geographic Information Council
Indiana Society of Professional Land Surveyors
Association of County Surveyors
County Surveyors and their staff
GIS Professionals
Individual member list in Annual Reports
5/9/2017

3. IGIC Cadastre-Boundaries-PLSS Workgroup
Mission:
To develop plans, standards, and technical implementation guidance for the IndianaMAP framework data layers.
5/9/2017

4. IGIC Cadastre-Boundaries-PLSS Workgroup
Objectives
Develop data standards and identify appropriate standards-based data schema.
Develop plans that include the following: Refine and maintain plans as necessary.
Inventory of existing data
Stakeholder data requirements
Data stewards
Costs
Work flow
Data transfer mechanisms (with support of Data Integration Workgroup)
Update frequency
Maintenance frequency
Refine and maintain plans as necessary.
Develop metrics and review status of framework data implementation as input to the biennial report published by the State Geographic Information Officer.
5/9/2017

5. IGIC Cadastre-Boundaries-PLSS Workgroup Projects
Surveyor’s Tie Card Project - Pilot completed
GIS County Boundary Project - Pilot completed
General Land Office (GLO) Historic Survey Records Preservation Project - Pilot completed
Go Fund Me Project - Marion County, IN
Title: Marion Co., IN - Making Current and Historic IN Surveying Data Available on IndianaMAP
Goal: Create current and historical IndianaMAP GIS layers using processes and standards developed during pilot projects. Data sources from Marion County, GLO. BLM and others.
5/9/2017

6. Grants Applications State Historical Restoration Board (SHRAB)
Received $5,000 for work on Original Land Records
Scanned State Archives documents available at the time
Additional documents found and need to be scanned
Not enough funds. Need to complete file naming and database with attribute information.
CLIR Proposal
Applied for but did not receive
5/9/2017

7. Grant Applications (cont.)
Indiana Professional Land Surveyors Fund (IPLSF)
2016 – Applied for grant, but did not receive funds for Cadastral, Boundaries, PLSS project.
IPLSF funds helped support IndianaMAP through a grant for three years.
2017 – Applied for grant – decision pending.
5/9/2017

8. Pilot Projects Accomplishments
Tie Card Project
Grid Point Layer – created state-wide grid of approximate locations of PLSS corners
Created state-wide Grid Point naming convention
Linked scanned County Tie Cards to Grid Points with state-wide naming convention
Tie Card Layer on IndianaMAP ( )
5/9/2017

9. Tie Card Project Grid Points are numbered 1-80 in each section
Approximation of
¼, ¼, ¼ corners

10. Tie Card Project Grid Points at NW Section Corner
Each section corner can have up to 4 grid points
The Grid point description depends on which section the PLSS corner was surveyed from
Each Grid Point
would have a
different
T,R, Section reference
2013

11. Grid Point Naming Convention
Tie Card Project
Developed State-wide
Grid Point Naming Convention
Grid Point File Naming Convention
(approximate section corner and section division corners )
IN02_T23NR06E03_08
State Name and Principal Meridian – IN02
Township Number – T23
Township Direction – N
Range Number – R06
Range Direction – E
Section – 03
Grid Number – 08 (Grid numbering system begins with 00 in upper left hand of section and ends in 80, bottom left corner)

12. 4 Possible Grid Point Names at Intersection of 4 Sections
Tie Card
Project
St. Joseph Co.
Sec. 36, TWP 35 N, RNG 8 E
LaGrange Co
Sec. 31, TWP 36 N, RNG 8 E
Grid Points
IN02_T36NR08E31_72
IN02_T36NR07E36_80 80 72 08 00
IN02_T35NR07E01_08
IN02_T35NR08E06_00
Sec. 06
St. Joseph Co.
Sec. 1, TWP 35 N, RNG 7
Noble County
Sec. 6, TWP 35 N, RNG 8 E

13. Bartholomew County Tie Card

14. Tie Card Hyperlink

15. Pilot Projects Accomplishments
Tie Card Project (cont.)
Originally had five Counties on the IndianaMAP Tie Card Layer
Technology has changed since we began
Removed the layer late year so we could implement a better way of keeping the layers updated by hyperlinking directly to County layers
5/9/2017

16. Pilot Projects Accomplishments
GIS County Boundary
Worked with five counties to create a County Boundary using the County Surveyors data to determine GIS County Boundary
Scanned original Indiana laws that defined County Boundaries.
Scanned documents and created shapefile of the legal Indiana southern boundary from a Court Case.
Compiled some information on river/stream boundaries
5/9/2017

17. Gibson - GIS County Boundary
Point
Line
Polygon
Gibson County
County data –
John Howe, March 5, 2014
Slide by Lorraine Wright, IDEM March 5, 2014

18. Pilot Projects Accomplishments GLO Survey Field Notes and Plats
What are GLO Notes and Plats
Surveying was the first step towards distributing the land
Deputy surveyors took their instruments into the wilderness and, under miserable conditions, compiled their field notes: the complete description of the border lines of each section and the monuments marking the corners of the rectangular grid (PLSS). These notes often included cursory evaluations of the land itself, its agricultural potential, access to water or timber, types of trees, stream meanders and so on.
From these notes, the surveyors compiled plats - or maps (graphic representations) of the field notes for every township, with each section delineated showing roads, trails, rivers and streams marked.
Source: BLM
5/10/2016 Lorraine Wright, Rock Solid GIS IGIC Cadastral, Boundaries, PLSS Workgroup

19. Pilot Projects Accomplishments
GLO Original Field Notes
Received $5,00 grant from SHRAB
Scanned documents from IN State Archives
Created file naming convention and collected metadata
Set up database with GLO Original Field Notes attributes
Still need to complete file naming and database
Provided scanned State Archive survey records to IN Northern Boundary Survey Project
Additional original notes were located, need to scan
Created a demonstration project on IndianaMAP
5/9/2017

20. Cover of Field Book GLO File Names New file name of digital copy of
5/10/2016 Lorraine Wright, Rock Solid GIS IGIC Cadastral, Boundaries, PLSS Workgroup

21. New effort to find funding to complete data layers for Workgroup.
Funding by County and Townships within Counties
5/9/2017
Original General Land Office Field Surveyor Notes

22. Plat MAP PM02 T13N R10W
5/9/2017
Prairie identified on Map

23. GLO Notes and Plats There are Four Sets of Note and Plats
Original Field Notes
Transcribed Federal
Transcribed State
Transcribed County
Due to transcription errors (all four sets are not exactly the same)
Important to have all sets for comparison when conducting surveying or reaching information
5/9/2017

24. T21N R4W -Tippecanoe County (Compared all four datasets)
GLO Notes
T21N R4W -Tippecanoe County (Compared all four datasets)
Example of a copy error:
5/9/2017
Source: Clayton Hogston
2/19/2016 Lorraine Wright, Rock Solid GIS
IGIC Cadastral, Boundaries, PLSS Workgroup

25. Results of Analyzed Notes
Results of study:
T21N-R4W contains
28 data conflicts
Total number of errors by set:
Original 3
Federal 9
State
County 21
Source: Clayton Hogston
5/9/2017

26. GLO Pilot Demonstration
Accomplishments
GLO Pilot Demonstration
on IndianaMAP
GLO Land Records
Documents canned and attached to Township/Range GIS Layer
1. Select Township/Range in the dropdown box on IndianaMAP
2. For Tippecanoe County: Type in “21N4W” in the Township/Range Box on the IndianaMap
demo link below.
5/9/2017

27. GLO Land Survey Notes Accomplishments Demo on IndianaMAP for
Tippecanoe Co
21N4W
5/10/2016 Lorraine Wright, Rock Solid GIS IGIC Cadastral, Boundaries, PLSS Workgroup

28. Utilize Processes, Lessons Learned and Standards Developed from Pilot Projects
Not enough funding to complete state-wide projects
Need to break up projects into more management pieces
Create a pilot project for a County and seek funding to complete the GIS layers for that County
Determine layers needed for current and historical County Land Records Layers
Raise funds for the County Pilot Project
Create the layers and post the information on IndianaMAP
5/9/2017

29. IGIC Go Fund Me Project Accomplishment as of 5/8/2017 - raised $1,170
5/9/2017

30. IGIC Go Fund Me Project Why is this project so important?
The information is useful to a wide variety of people and professions, but it is not always easy to find nor easily accessible.
Currently, the documents can be gathered (with some difficulty) from multiple sources, in various locations, and in various formats.
Our goal is to provide a state-wide public resource where all these documents are digital and easily accessible from a single source (IndianaMap) by simply pointing to a location on the map.
Historical Land Records need to be preserved and accessible
5/9/2017

31. Survey Land Records Framework
– Clarks’ Grant surveys
1804 – Land Survey Record Time frames
Original Field Notes
Second Principal Meridian (PM02) Adopted
Majority of Indiana
Governing surveys -Illinois and Indiana.
Initial Point - Latitude , Longitude
First Principal Meridian (PM01) Adopted
Small portion of Eastern Indiana
Governing surveys - Ohio and Indiana
Initial Point - Latitude , Longitude
5/10/2016 Lorraine Wright, Rock Solid GIS IGIC Cadastral, Boundaries, PLSS Workgroup

32. IGIC Go Fund Me Project Title:
“Marion County, Indiana - Making Current and Historic Indiana Surveying Data Available on IndianaMAP”
First County Project in a state-wide effort to have IndianaMAP Access to current County Surveyor Data and Historic Land Records identified by their location.
Funds raised and not used on Marion County will go toward a new County project.
5/9/2017

33. Go Fund Me Project Marion County covers 16 different Townships
PLSS Townships in Indiana
5/9/2017

34. Go Fund Me Pilot Project Marion Co. Layers
County Geospatial Information Resource Layer
Government websites and contacts plus links to various government resources
Grid Point Layer
Computer generated Grid Points showing the approximate location of Public Land Survey System (PLSS) points used to geo-reference scanned documents
5/9/2017

35. Go Fund Me Project - Marion Co.
Tie Card Layer
Grid points linked to scanned County Surveyor Tie Cards with state-wide naming convention. Click on Map for Tie Card PDF.
General Land Office (GLO) Layer(s)
Field Notes and Plats Layer (Original, and transcribed Federal, State, and County notes and plats)
GLO Land Patents Layer
Link to GLO Patents documents by which land was sold to private individuals (source BLM)
5/9/2017

36. Go Fund Me Project - Marion Co.
Timeline Layer
Traces Indiana history of land records: PLSS, GLO, GLO Districts, Treaties, and related Congressional Acts. Need this for locating historical records.
GIS County Boundary Layer
Created from County Surveyor's Office data to provide best available GIS layer to support creation of seamless statewide GIS layers
5/9/2017

37. Workgroup - Current activities
Monthly Webinar Meetings (listed on IGIC calendar)
Identify Possible Grants and Apply for them
Continue Raising Funds for Project:
Go Fund Me Marion County, IN Historical Survey Data Project
Working with LaPorte Co. to host their Tie Cards on IndianaMAP
5/9/2017

38. We Need Your Help
Need volunteers on the Cadastral, Boundaries, PLSS Workgroup
Volunteers to help in soliciting donations or identifying grant opportunities
Volunteer to help write grants
Volunteers to help accomplish 2017 goals
Need Donations for IGIC’s Go Fund Me Project
5/9/2017

39. IGIC Cadastre-Boundaries-PLSS Workgroup 2017 Goals and Objectives
General
Update IGIC Cadastral, Boundaries, and PLSS Website
Post activities to IGIC blog
Continue to make presentations to:
the County Surveyor’s Association, ISPLS’s, and IGIC’s GIS community regarding projects and standards.
Fund raising for all projects
5/9/2017

40. IGIC Cadastre-Boundaries-PLSS Workgroup 2017 Goals and Objectives
Surveyor’s Tie Card Project – (Current locations)
Definition: Tie cards describe PLSS Section Corners.
Owner: Tie Cards are maintained by County Surveyors and hosted on Counties' websites.
Continue to work on this multi-jurisdictional effort with County Surveyors’ and GIS staff to scan, geo-reference, hyperlink, and publish Surveyors’ data.
Our long term goal is to hyperlink to all County Tie Cards and make them available on IndianaMAP (PLSS Surveyor Tie Card Layer).
5/9/2017

41. IGIC Cadastre-Boundaries-PLSS Workgroup 2017 Goals and Objectives
GIS County Boundary Layer Project
Continue to work on this multi-jurisdictional effort with County GIS Coordinators and their County Surveyors to develop 92 authoritative GIS county boundary files. This new GIS County Boundary layer will be used to match (stitch) together other local government GIS layers that cross these boundaries.
5/9/2017

42. IGIC Cadastre-Boundaries-PLSS Workgroup 2017 Goals and Objectives
GIS County Boundary Layer Project (cont.)
Definition- Create a GIS County Boundary composed of County Surveyor or best available data resulting in an improved seamless GIS layer.
Continue to work with the five GIS County Boundary pilot Counties (Allen, Gibson, Marion, Noble and Wayne) as well as other Counties wanting to participate.
Work with IGS to post the new GIS County Boundary layers for the five pilot counties on IndianaMAP.
5/9/2017

43. IGIC Cadastre-Boundaries-PLSS Workgroup 2017 Goals and Objectives
GIS County Boundary Layer Project (cont.)
Develop How-to Documentation
Record an Informational Webinar for Counties developing and maintaining their new GIS County Boundary Layers using best available data.
Request County Surveyor participation in determining common County Boundaries with adjacent counties.
Update IndianaMAP website with this new content.
5/9/2017

44. IGIC Cadastre-Boundaries-PLSS Workgroup 2017 Goals and Objectives
Government Land Office (GLO) Historic Survey Records Preservation Project
Scan State Archives GLO Original and State records. Focus on Marion County as the GFM Pilot.
Continue document naming using our naming convention standard and the processes for scanning the original notes, the transcribed Federal, State and County GLO notes.
5/9/2017

45. IGIC Cadastre-Boundaries-PLSS Workgroup 2017 Goals and Objectives
Government Land Office (GLO) Historic Survey Records Preservation Project (cont.)
Work with IGS & UITS to publish and demonstrate Marion County GLO Pilot on IndianaMAP and Indiana Spatial Data Portal.
Record a Webinar regarding the new data on IndianaMAP and the ISDP.
Update web site with this new content.
5/9/2017

46. IGIC Cadastre-Boundaries-PLSS Workgroup 2017 Goals and Objectives
Government Land Office (GLO) Historic Survey Records Preservation Project (cont.)
Continue to identify donation and grant funding opportunities for publishing the remaining Original, State, Federal and County data layers on the IndianaMAP.
5/9/2017

47. New Datum's coming INDOT - INCORPS Datum 2020
Still need GLO original records because they are based on the actual physical location on the earth’s surface
5/9/2017

48. We Need Your Help
Need volunteers on the Cadastral, Boundaries, PLSS Workgroup
Volunteers to help in soliciting donations or identifying grant opportunities
Volunteer to help write grants
Volunteers to help accomplish 2017 goals
Donations to our Go Fund Me Project
5/9/2017

49. IGIC Cadastral, Boundaries, PLSS Workgroup
You are Invited to Join our IGIC Workgroup
and Participate in our Projects
Contact
Co-Chairs
Lorraine Wright, CPG, GISP Rick Hill
Rock Solid GIS Indiana Geological Survey
5/9/2017

50. References Indiana PM02 T2S R3W Sec 14 Section is 1 mile by 1 mile
Township is
6 miles by 6 miles or
480 Chains by 480 Chains
Indiana PM02 T2S R3W Sec 14
5/10/2016 Lorraine Wright, Rock Solid GIS IGIC Cadastral, Boundaries, PLSS Workgroup

51. Tie Card Counties On IndianaMap Bartholomew Newton Jennings Marion
Wayne
2013