Standard Operating Procedure CT02 Establishment of Benchmarks, Transects, and Geodatabases

This standard operating procedure illustrates and describes in detail the types of survey monuments that are needed to conduct the GULN coastal topography protocol (Bracewell 2016). Benchmarks or survey monuments are permanent and long-lasting structures used to mark the transect locations in the field and that provide a robust basis for long-term monitoring. They allow for the systematic and repeated collection of topographical data starting at a fixed location and along pre-defined transect lines. Besides the network of transect benchmarks established along the shoreline at each of the parks, each park will also have high-accuracy control benchmarks to establish the GPS base station, to be used in the Real-time Kinematic (RTK) surveying. Methods of installation of new survey monuments are described, as well as the method for creating the associated transect lines and the auxiliary files for post-survey Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC). The information on the network of survey monuments within each park, the respective transect lines and the auxiliary files will be stored in two complimentary formats: a GIS database and field booklets with adequate description of the locations and attributes of each survey benchmark.