Because Montana based most of its cadastre upon the Bureau of Land Management's Geographic Coordinate Database (GCDB, a digital representation of the locations of the Public Lands Survey System corners), the process for improving the spatial accuracy of the GIS cadastre first requires upgrades to the accuracy of the GCDB.

Montana's surveyors play a significant role in the GCDB enhancement projects where the ultimate goal is to improve the spatial alignment of GIS layers. This article discusses the surveyor's role in making GIS better.

Rj Zimmer is Director of GIS and Mapping for DJ&A, PC of Montana, an engineering, surveying, and mapping consulting company.

You can read the full article online or download a high-resolution PDF at Amerisurv.com