Survey Acronyms and Agencies

Question 1

What is ALTA?

Answer 1

American Land Title Association

Question 2

What is USGS?

Answer 2

United States Geological Survey

Question 3

What is NOAA?

Answer 3

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Question 4

What is NYES?

Answer 4

New York Education Department

Question 5

What is ACSM?

Answer 5

American Congress on Surveying and Mapping

Question 6

What is FGCC?

Answer 6

Federal Geodetic Control Committee

Question 7

What is FGDC?

Answer 7

Federal Geographical Data Committee

Question 8

What is USC&GS?

Answer 8

United States Coast and Geodetic Survey

Question 9

What is BLM?

Answer 9

Bureau of Land Management

Question 10

What is U.S.F.S.

Answer 10

United States Forest Service

Question 11

What is N.S.P.S.?

Answer 11

National Society of Professional Surveyors.

Question 12

What does ALTA do?

Answer 12

Helps manage the Title Insurance Industry, basis of ALTA survey.

Question 13

What is an ALTA survey?

Answer 13

Standard developed bye ALTA and NSPS, must include records review, must follow Minimum Standard Detal Requirements of 1962, updated 2016, original survey or historical documents scrutinized, location of physical monuments, or as reference monuments, all buildings geographical features, easements, ROWs, overlap of adjacents, survey must be titled “ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey”, scale directional arrow, legend, Surveyor contact information, license number, date of project.

Question 14

What does USGS do?

Answer 14

provides data on Earth’s water, energy, minerals, and ecosystems, 3d maps.

Question 15

What does NOAA do?

Answer 15

Weather forecasts, severe storm warnings, climate monitoring, Tidal stations for surveyors which help determine Mean High Water (MHW), Mean Low Low Water (MLLW), etc.

Question 16

What is FEMA?

Answer 16

Federal Emergency Management Agency

Question 17

What is FEMA FIRM map

Answer 17

FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map, highlights flood risk and determine flood insurance and building code requirements. Maps identify areas that are at high risk of flooding.

Question 18

Why should surveyors be concerned about NYES

Answer 18

Licensing requirements for NYS land surveyors, including managing license, adjacent to NCEES testing, testing for state specific exam through this.

Question 19

What is NCEES?

Answer 19

National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying

Question 20

What does NCEES do?

Answer 20

Administers exams for licensing, (Fundamentals of Surveying, FS).

Question 21

What was ACSM?

Answer 21

Was the American professional surveying association which mostly merged into NSPS, while the organization AAGS (American Association Geodetic Surveying) remained separate.

Question 22

What does FGCC do

Answer 22

Responsible for setting standards and specifics for Geodetic Control Networks

Question 23

What does Geodetic mean?

Answer 23

relates to Geodesy, the branch of mathematics dealing with the shape and area of the earth or large portions of it.

Question 24

What does FGDC do?

Answer 24

Coordinates and promotes use, production, and publication of geospatial data.

Question 25

What is the difference between FGDC and FGCC?

Answer 25

FGDC governs standards for geospatial data more broadly, while FGCC is a more specialized committee that deals with geodetic control data specifically.

Question 26

What did the USC&GS do?

Answer 26

First agency of U.S. to map and chart the country’s coasts, founded 1807. in 1970, the USC&GC became part of NOAA.

Question 27

What does BLM do?

Answer 27

Manages public lands for multiple uses while conserving natural, cultural, and historical resources

Question 28

What does the U.S.F.S. do?

Answer 28

manages public lands, particularly in national forests and grasslands, provides technical and financial assistance, and coordinates wildfire response.

Question 29

What does N.S.P.S. do?

Answer 29

monitors and comments on legislation, regulation, and policies that have potential impact on the activities of its members and their clients, and collaborates with a multitude of other organizations within the geospatial community on issues of mutual interest.