Surveying Dictionary

Surveying is not only about field measurements, but also about many documents, decisions and specialized services that may sound foreign to those outside the industry. That’s why we’ve prepared a surveying dictionary that explains the most common terms in simple language. This will make it easier for you to understand what documents you need, when to use the services of a surveyor, and what formalities are involved in construction and investment.

A special map prepared by a surveyor, necessary when designing a building or project. Used in the process of obtaining a building permit.

A document created after construction, showing the actual location of facilities and installations. Required for building acceptance.

A basic map of a given area, including utility networks, landforms and infrastructure elements.

Shows the boundaries of parcels of land and registered numbers. Basis for ownership issues.

A fragment of the registration map issued by the office – often needed for court cases or land divisions.

Official document confirming the owner of the land plot, area and land use.

A summary of documents and measurements prepared by a surveyor – goes to the office as a basis for updating the data.

Confirmation that the surveying document has been accepted into the state resource and has the force of law.

Determination in the field of the place where the building is to be built, according to the project.

Checking and plotting the actual routing of utilities, connections and buildings upon completion of the work.

Reconstruction in the field of the boundaries of the plot on the basis of official documentation.

Proceedings to determine the disputed boundary between plots of land.

Separate from one property several smaller ones – for example, for sale or investment.

Reverse subdivision – combining several plots into one.

Accurate determination of the location of objects and terrain.

Measurement of height differences in the terrain – useful for design and construction.

A decision that determines what can be built on a site and how it can be built if a local plan is not in effect.

A municipality’s planning document that specifies the use of land (e.g., for development, services, greenery).

Official authorization to begin construction.

A simpler procedure than a permit – used for smaller investments.

The office where most surveying and construction matters are handled.

The institution where official surveying records are kept.

An accurate photo of the area taken from a drone and processed so that it has the properties of a map.

A collection of millions of 3D points mapping the surface of an area or object.

Digital representation of terrain surface (DTM) or terrain with objects (DSM).

A state-of-the-art method for rapid and precise field data acquisition.

Adjusting the drone’s camera parameters to increase the accuracy of measurements.

The process of assigning geographic coordinates to photos or maps.

Field pixel size – the smaller the value, the more accurate the photo.

GPS technologies to improve surveying precision to centimeters.

A line marking the central position of an object.

A fixed point in the field with precisely defined coordinates, used as a basis for measurements.

A reference point with a known elevation, used in leveling.

A reference system used in Poland to determine the location of points.

Proportion of land mapping on the map.

The way an object is represented on a technical drawing.