2026 ASCE UESI Surveying Competition Symposia RFI #8
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Rules Section 9.1 - Detailed information has been collected for a large stretch of road and a gravel pathway adjoining the area of interest. Please define the expectations for displaying sufficient information of these narrow and lengthy areas within the required 24" x 36" sheet.
The area of interest for this project is that property contained within the provided legal description. Many times an additional 50' to 100' is shown outside of the boundary if the information is available.
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Rules Section 9.1 - Were wetland areas flagged prior to being recorded in the survey? Please clarify how these limits were determined and the expectations for displaying wetland delineation.
Wetland limits should be shown and labeled on the finished drawing.
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Rules Section 9.1 - Please clarify the difference between Fence Line (FL) and Fence Line Grd (FLG) points.
FL = fence line. Elevation not used in surface. Shot with the rod typically only for boundary purposes.
FLG points are on the ground. FL points are at a point on the fence line.
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Rules Section 9.1 - Not all existing buildings have height measurements (BLDG HT points). Why were some heights not recorded, and can the elevations from BLDG or BLDGL points be relied on to determine building height?
No building heights are required for this project. Do not assume that BLDG or BLDGL points can be used for building heights.
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Rules Sections 9.1 - Some building shots are labeled BLDG and others and BLDGL. What is the meaning and purpose of the additional "L" on these points?
BLDG = Building Corner. Usually shot with the prism either direct or offset. Elevations could be off on these so we typically don't include these in our surface.
BLDGL = Building Line. We typically shoot these with the direct reflect option on the total station. Basically you can point and shoot with the scope. Elevations are not used in surface. We'll take several building line shots down each building line, do a best fit line to establish the building line and then intersect those lines in CAD to establish the actual corner.
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Rules Section 7.4 - Should the contour map include surveyed points outside of the site boundary?
Generally, topographic surveys extend 50 to 100' outside of the boundary. Use this as a general guideline if the data is available.
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In the legal description, the end point of the excluded parcel is 2.65 ft. off of the True Point of Beginning. The excluded parcel boundary does not close. Please advise.
A typo was made in the provided legal description. The third call in the exception should be a distance of 300.00 feet, not 302.65 feet.
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Rules Section 9.1 - Should the property boundaries in the legal description perfectly close? If not, should any adjustments be made to address the misclosure?
Never make adjustments to legal descriptions. A typo was made. The third call in the exception should be 300.00 feet, not 302.65 feet.
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Rules Section 9.1 - Should the directions in the legal description create lines that perfectly align with the identified markers (ex. "Mag Nail being South 63o24'32" West, 72.96 feet of a Found 5/8" Iron Pin and Cap (Finn 7181)". If there is a misalignment, should the marker or the given bearing and distance govern the property line?
The bearings and distances in the legal description should hold. The existing monumentation should be shown where it was located in the field. Ties to the corners should be labeled to show the difference between the deeded location and the field location. This is typically done with a bearing and distance.
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Rules Section 8.4 – Materials and Equipment – Information request:
Please confirm whether surveying instruments (such as total stations, levels, and accessories) will be provided by the host institution, or whether participating teams are required to bring their own equipment for all field tasks.
Please check with your symposia host. Instruments will be provided for the Finals competition in June.
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Rules Section 8.2 – Field Tasks – Information request:
Please confirm whether a single team member is restricted to participating in a maximum of three (3) field tasks during the competition, and whether this limit applies regardless of team size.
There is a penalty for any team member competing in more than 3 field tasks regardless of team size. See section 7.3 Deductions. The topographic map project and presentation do NOT count as one of the tasks for any team member.
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Rules Section 9.1 - The provided property boundary appears to be the result of the conveyance of multiple properties. However, it does not seem to be a perfect consolidation of these properties. This creates "remnant" areas from the previous owners, which are no longer usable. Please clarify if this is the case, and if so, how this affects land development of the new property.
This is beyond the scope of this project. You are working with the field data and given legal description to create a topographic map.
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Rules Section 9.1 - As described in the legal description, the "excepting" ~1 acre area takes the shape of a parallelogram (opposite sides are parallel & equal in length). However, one pair of opposing sides is unequal in length (302.65' and 300'), resulting in a clear misclosure. Without any other documentation of this "excepting" area, what is the expectation for closing the boundaries of it?
A typo was made in the provided legal description. The third call in the exception should be a distance of 300.00 feet, not 302.65 feet.
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Rules Section 9.1 - The topographic mapping rubric has a required table of contents, with the note "Additional pages as needed (not to exceed 3 sheets total)". Does the "3 sheets total" include Pages 1 and 2, or are we allowed 3 pages in addition to these first two sheets for a maximum of 5 sheets?
Sheet sets should be a maximum of three (3) pages total. Additional sheets will not be reviewed.
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Section 8.2 - The rules state "judges will randomly select team members for each task...random selection will occur with all teams regardless of the number of team members." Last year, they let us choose our members for one of the events and almost made one of our members go all 4 events. This year, are we allowed to choose again for any of the tasks? Additionally, if we notice one of our members is about to do over 3 field tasks before starting, are we allowed to speak up about it? Please answer and clarify for both questions.
Yes, please say something if a judge is about to cause you to have a deduction due to using a team member too many times.
The judges will randomly select team members for each task.
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Section 9.3.6 and all applicable field tasks - For all the field tasks, like for Sewer Depth and Cut last year, will there be a highlighted portion specifying what we're supposed to look for? Otherwise, will there be clear instructions about what to look for?
Each symposia will have their own final information for each task since every symposia site is different. Clear instructions about what to look for should be distributed at the competition.
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Section 9.3.2 - What format will the provided set of distances and directions be in? If possible, can you give an example?
There are many formats that distances and directions may be given in. Directions may be given by bearing, azimuth, or angle. Distances may be given in any customary Imperial or Metric unit.
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Section 9.3.7 - What equipment can we expect to be provided to work with for "Calculate Area and/or Volume" this year?
Please check with your symposia host for this answer.
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Section 9.2 - The rules state that teams should address the "best uses for the property" and any limitations to development. Could you please clarify what is meant by "best use" in this context? Specifically, are teams expected to propose a particular type of development or land use scenario, or should the discussion remain conceptual and focused on how topographic features support or constrain potential uses?
The discussion should remain conceptual and focus on how topographic features support or constrain potential uses.
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Rules Section 9.1 - The rules state "Each team will be expected to comply with all required items listed in the specifications."
What are these specifications? Will these be found on the Judging Form or should we expect to find the scope of the project somewhere else? Are there specific pages that we should have within our allotted five pages besides the 1-foot contour map?
9.1 Topographic Mapping Project Plans
Plans shall be submitted by 5:00 pm EST, Monday, February 23, 2026. A point file in a comma-delimited text format of PNEZD and a legal description of the map boundary will be provided by ASCE UESI on the ASCE UESI Surveying Competition Collaborate Site by (5:00 pm EST, Monday, January 5, 2026) replace with actual date. Each team will prepare a 1-foot contour interval topographic map with details specified by the competition rules committee. The final submittal will consist of a single PDF file and a landXML. Each team will be expected to comply with all required items listed in the specifications.
Specifications are listed in the judging form. Teams will be evaluated on the map accuracy, aesthetics, and completion of required items. Teams may include up to five (5) (change to three(3)) sheets, including a cover sheet, in the PDF file to present their mapping project. The required PDF sheet size for each sheet is architectural D-size, 24 inches by 36 inches. In the event that more than five (5) (replace with three (3))pages are submitted, only the first five (5) (replace with three (3)) pages of the set will be reviewed.
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RFI # 7 - 3
Rules Section 8.4 - The rule states that "the use of any civil design software is recommended for the topographic mapping project." Please, could we use other mapping and computer aided drafting software alongside for better visualization (such as ArcGIS Pro and Surfer for this task), or must it necessarily be civil design software alone?
Other software are allowed as long as the Toppographic Map are generated by students to fulfill the specific requirements in the judging form. Civil design software is a suggestion based on popularity and free academic licensing provided for most universities.
ADDED: Along with the PDF, files must also be submitted in a format that can be opened by Civil 3D.
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Christopher Chiu M.ASCE
Civil Engineer (Hydraulics)
Fort Worth TX
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