&nbsp; PLS Tool / Option&nbsp;&nbsp;

All Topo Maps: PLS Tool

If you use Township / Range / Section descriptions, then the PLS Tool will save you significant time and effort looking for maps and determining legal descriptions.

By combining a complete statewide database of section corners and the lightning fast All Topo Map PLS engine, All Topo Maps can now quickly find PLS locations and display cursor positions by Ľ Ľ section or corner offset.

If you use the Public Land Survey system (Township / Range / Section), then the new All Topo Maps: PLS Tool will save you time and help prevent costly georeferencing errors.

Using the PLS Tool

The PLS Tool is simple to install and use. Here is how the tool works:

After installing the PLS Tool option and entering the supplied activation code, enable the PLS Tool by checking the ‘Display Township Range Section’ on the ‘View’ menu bar:

The PLS Display will be activated on the screen. As you move any of the cursors, the PLS coordinate of the cursor’s crosshair are continuously displayed:

Double click on the PLS Display to select the PLS coordinate style. The PLS Tool can display Ľ Ľ section, or the footage offset from a chosen section corner, alternatively you can let All Topo Maps choose the nearest or highest precision section corner.

Just press Control-Z to copy the displayed PLS description to the Window’s clipboard for inclusion in a document or report.

Finding PLS Coordiantes

Knowing a PLS coordinate, it is easy to find the correct map and center a PLS location on the screen. Press the find location button to display the ‘Search for a Coordinate’ dialog.

Enter the Township / Range / Section, choose the Principal Meridian and press ‘Show Location’. The PLS Tool will find the correct map, display the position and mark the spot. Press the ‘Add as Waypoint and Show Location’ to automatically add the searched location to your current annotation file.

New Map Annotation Tokens

Several new annotation tokens make it easy to annotate maps with PLS coordinates. Just add one of these tokens:

%PLSQQ% %PLSBEST% %PLSNW% %PLSNE% %PLSSE% %PLSSW%
to your Waypoint description or note to include a PLS coordinate description on your maps:

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What is PLS?

In 1796 the United States Congress enacted a method of dividing public domain lands into theoretical six mile square units known as ‘Congressional Townships’. Townships are based from a central set of orthogonal axis, the North-South axis is called the ‘Principal Meridian’, the East-West axis is called the ‘Base Line’. Townships are consecutively numbered to the North and South and Ranges are numbered from East to West.

Each Township is divided into a six by six grid of 1 mile squares called sections. Sections are numbered in a serpentine fashion from the North East corner of the township. If perfect, each section would encompass 640 acres. Sections are additionally divided in to 160 acre quarters, and then into 40 acre quarter quarters.

Since the meridians and base lines are not truly parallel, no townships are perfectly square. Where different axis meet there are very significant errors. Early surveying errors added additional imperfections.

In spite of all the errors, the Public Land Survey system still accurately defines a point-on-the-ground or parcel by Principal Meridian, Township, Range, Section and offset.

The various scales of topographic maps have traditionally shown sections and townships. On a released 7˝ minute quadrangle, township and range are identified in the map collars.

Using traditional digital products it is difficult to pan to the edge of a map and find the Township and Range for a given section. Many digital products de-collar the maps (seamless maps) which makes determination of Township and Range impossible.

Striping collars removes Township/Range information!

Most All Topo Map standard edition state sets are searchable by Township and Range. This makes viewing the map that contains a Township/Range/Section coordinate very easy. The All Topo Maps: PLS Tool adds a huge database of section information and provides real-time-display of the cursor’s position to Ľ Ľ section, or as a footage offset from a section corner. Displayed cursor PLS coordinates can be copied directly to the Window’s Clipboard for subsequent pasting to other applications. The PLS Tool also adds searching by Township / Range / Section for quickly finding and annotating features by legal coordinate.

While not accurate enough for survey or land division, the PLS Tool is great for locating maps and determining / displaying approximate legal coordinates.

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What The PLS Tool Does

The PLS Tool includes a large database that describes the circumference of every section in the state. Data is collected from government sources, and supplemented with hand digitized coordinates from the 1:24,000 scale USGS quadrangles.

Once installed, the PLS Tool is enabled by selecting 'View, Display Township Range Section' from the main menu:

a new display box appears on the toolbar:

The displayed position will change as the cursor is moved over the map. Double-click within this box to choose the coordinate display style:

Choosing 'Offset from South East Corner' yields a footage offset from the South East corner:

Press Ctrl-Z to copy the PLS description '1303W 1799N from SE Sec 19 T 23N R 6E PM New Mexico' to the Window's Clipboard (for insertion into another document).

The PLS Tool also adds an extended search by location tool:

Several new waypoint tokens allow automatic coordinate annotations by Township / Range / Section / Ľ Ľ or offset:

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How the PLS Tool Data is collected and interpreted

1. BLM GCDB databases are mined for section corner data:

T09SR43E 20 MT
ORIGIN .0000 .0000
100600 445941.0432 1063118.8203 3800.00 37 37
100640 445946.1402 1063118.8203 3800.00 37 37
100660 445959.1898 1063118.8197 3800.00 37 37
100700 450012.2395 1063118.8190 3800.00 37 37

2. Townships are inspected by hand and computationaly checked for consistency. Missing and incomplete townships are hand snapped to 1:100K base maps:

3. Section corners (and Ľ Ľ quarters if needed) are hand snapped on 7˝ minutes quadrangles:

4. Completed, verified township data is integrated into a proprietary database format that enables high speed translation from geographic coordinates (Lat/Lon, UTM) to Public Land Survey coordinates:

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