GLOSSARY OF TERMS

To make sure that our discussions are meaningful and directed toward the same outcome, the Cadastral Work Group will clearly define the words and phrases that may cause confusion. Hopefully, this will lead to a better understanding within the group.

Cadastral Reference is the set of information that allows parcel level information to be registered to other data themes and to be tied to features on the ground. It is the fishnet of section and subdivision lines that we tie our parcel data to.

Control is the term we use to describe a PLSS corner that has had coordinate values attached to it by some physical means, i.e., aero triangulation via aerial photography, conventional survey ties to horizontal control (triangulation stations), GPS observations, or digitized from USGS 7-½ minute topographic quadrangle maps (recovered PLSS corners indicated with a bold tick).

GCDB the Geographic Coordinate Database (GCDB) is a program in the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) that supports the management of public lands, principally in the western state by managing coordinate values on Public Land Survey System (PLSS) corners and special survey areas.

GCDB PLSS is the GCDB-derived PLSS digital map layer used for parcel mapping.

24K PLSS is the rectangular, section level grid shown on USGS 1:24K quadrangle maps and digitally available through Digital Line Graphs (DLG) and SDTS (Spatial Data Transfer Standards)

Accuracy is the degree of conformity of a measured or calculated quantity to its actual (true) value on the ground.

Precision characterizes the degree of mutual agreement among a series of individual measurement, values, or results; repeatability.

Reliability of coordinates is used to express the expected positional accuracy, relative to the earth’s surface.