Carroll
Cave Conservancy
Survey
Standards
Carroll Cave
Camden Co. Missouri
Version A 2002
(download
Version 1, dated Janurary 2001 in Word format here)
Introduction
Many seasoned cave surveyors will recognize that
the procedures and standards found on the following pages are not
uncommon or unlike any other large-scale project going on in this
country today. The generation of reliable, high quality survey data
requires the development and use of certain standards and procedures
designed for this specific task.
These standards are based on the combined
experiences of many different cavers over many years of organized
caving from projects around the world. Some of the procedures and
standards may seem a bit arbitrary or mundane. However, experience
has shown that these procedures and guidelines are necessary to
ensure that the quality and integrity of the survey is maintained at
excellence throughout the life of the project. These guidelines will
attempt to provide the best overall experience for all team
participants as well as meet the high demand for accuracy and
preservation.
The efficient, effective running of the Carroll
Cave survey is critical to its success. Often a successful survey is
defined by total numbers in footage. However, without adequate
preparation, cooperation and support it would be tough to
effectively produce any amount of accurate survey. The character of
each survey trip will vary according to several factors, these are
the combination of Project Manager, project participants, the
experience and determination of the participants, and the existence
(or lack thereof) of promising leads.
Typically, most grotto or regional survey projects
are filled with personnel familiar to one another and their
respective capabilities. The Carroll survey is different. It will
involve any person, from any grotto, from any country willing to
help survey the cave. We do not have the luxury as we hoped of for
knowing all the Missouri surveyors who are fully qualified to survey
in the cave. Occasionally participants may be teamed with other
cavers they are not familiar with and it may be difficult to predict
how well a team will work together once in the cave. Carroll surveys
will tend to be more structured than most cavers are use to. This is
required to meet the needs or the requirements of access and/or
conservation.
The survey team leaders are encouraged to provide
feedback at the end of every trip. Do not consider an idea or
suggestion to trivial, impractical or potentially unnecessary. The
situations, problems and events of each trip provide useful
information for future survey teams. The primary and all-important
mission for all survey teams entering Carroll Cave is the collecting
of quality survey data.
Synchronizing and standardizing everyone’s
surveying methods helps to control errors and facilitates the
gathering of quality data while impacting the cave as little as
possible. The Project Manager will work with each group that
requires it to bring their methods up to these standards. Bringing
everyone’s talents and capabilities together as one to reach the
common goal, the exploration of the Carroll Cave system by producing
an accurate map.
Project
Management
The Survey Committee is ultimately responsible for
the entire survey project as a whole and has the final word in all
planning and coordination of all survey particulars that can and do
arise. All teams will be managed in a professional manner so that
all obligations to Carroll Cave Conservancy and the team
participants are met to the highest degree possible. All project
participants are to be fully cooperative with the Project Manager or
any other Survey Committee appointed personnel. The Project manager
is responsible for reporting problems, infractions and questionable
behavior to the Conservancy board members for review.
The Project Manager will set the tone for the
project as a whole. An effective project manager is flexible,
expresses an open mind, and emphasizes teamwork. The project Manager
will be available to listen to team participants concerns. Most of
the Project Managers time is spent organizing teams and correlating
surveys, reviewing survey data and trip reports, coordinating leads
and drawing a working map. It is highly recommended that the Survey
Committee delegate responsibilities and make use of project
participants as necessary.
The
following is a description of these standards and policies.
- A survey team may have no
less than 3 and no more than 4 members on each team
- No team may enter
unexplored or unsurveyed passage without surveying as you go.
- Everything
humanly enterable shall be surveyed.
Bookman
In order to ensure that quality survey data is
collected only approved bookmen will be allowed to sketch in Carroll
Cave. Quality is of the highest priority and any group or individual
may participate in the survey as long as the required standards are
met and an approved sketcher is on each team.
The Bookman will be considered the survey team
leaders and will be referred to as such in all matters of the
survey. They have the most responsibilities regarding the survey
team and the survey trip as a whole. They are responsible for the
safety and location of the team once inside the cave and ultimately
will make all the decisions regarding the survey team that do
occasionally arise. They should be good for morale and have a
positive influence on other survey team participants to help create
a positive, efficient and effective working environment. They should
be always safety conscious and practice caution in all procedures
associated with cave exploration.
They must make every effort to keep a clean book as
well as keep accurate and complete notes. The Bookman will sketch to
a precise scale to bring consistency and reliability to everyone’s
sketches as well as provide a realistic means for blunder detection
and error control.
Team leaders should be familiar with the use of
lead lists, line plots and quad maps. The Survey Committee will
furnish all team leaders with this and any necessary information or
documents needed for exploration. All required survey documentation
should be filled out completely by the Team Leader. This includes
the Survey Cover Sheet, Trip Report, and The Lead List. All team
leaders should have the new survey designation codes before entering
the cave.
Cover
sheet
The Survey Committee will provide all teams with a
Survey Cover Sheet. All Survey Cover Sheets should be filled out
completely and accurately before any surveying begins. This can
usually be done outside before the trip begins and can be a shared
responsibility among all team members.
Trip
Report
The Survey Committee will provide each team with a
Trip Report Form. All Trip Report Forms must be filled out
completely and accurately and on file with the Survey Committee
before the next survey trip is allowed to take place. The trip
report should contain all relevant information about each survey
trip. It is highly encouraged to share this responsibility with all
the members of the team.
Recording Data
The sketcher‘s goal is to produce a quality
sketch that accurately depicts the passage that has been surveyed
and to record all necessary notes and numbers arranged according to
recognized practice. The success of the entire survey depends on
the accuracy and completeness of the recorded survey data.
Measurements and sketching should be entered as soon as they are
done to lessen the chance for errors.
Notes should be recorded like
the example:
Two types of drawings will be required for all
surveys within Carroll Cave. These are the plan and cross-sectional
views. Due to the lack of relief running profiles will not be
necessary. Only if it helps to clarify the sketch should a profile
view be drawn. All drawings should be sketched to a precise scale on
all weather paper. All original data will be considered property of
the CCC. No original data sheets will be allowed to re-enter the
cave, copies however are provided through the Survey Committee for
survey teams. The Bookman should sketch to an appropriate scale for
the size of passage being surveyed. Detail is good up to a point. Do
not clutter the sketch. Concentrate on the floor detail, then walls
and ceilings last. It needs to fit the page well. If the passage is
small to medium in size than use 20 to 40 feet to the inch. If the
passage is medium to extra large than 50 feet to the inch should
suffice. If during the course of your survey and you are forced to
change scale be sure to clearly indicate a scale change has taken
place on your sketch.
Once at the beginning of your survey, sketching
should begin at once. All sketches should be started before the
first survey station, not between the first and second stations.
This is very true at passage junctions. Do not assume another survey
team has previously sketched any junction you may come to, sketch
all junctions as you find them. It is far better to have multiple
sketches of the same junction than to have only one or worse yet
none, plus some overlapping helps the cartographer correlate the
different surveys. An overlap of two stations is recommended. A
survey station should be placed and flagged at every passage
junction. It should be located in a position to make locating it by
later teams for tie-in obvious. Make sure the stations are marked
clearly and accurately on all sketches. Heavy dots or small
triangles can be used to denote your survey stations on your sketch.
The bookman must strive to keep legible notes that are clean and
neat. Mud will always be a factor in Carroll Cave and will always be
an enemy to your sketch.
Plan
View
This drawing must be done using a small ruler and
protractor drawn to a precise scale on all weather paper. The plan
view should concentrate on mostly floor detail. Cave walls,
boulders, columns, flowstone, drops in the passage, ledges and water
features should be drawn in their proper positions and orientations.
Smaller features can be added as long as the clarity of the sketch
remains. The use of floor sloping symbols is sometimes necessary in
places but the composition of the floor should be apparent from your
drawing. Writing a general statement such as "all floor detail
is mud" is not acceptable.
All bookmen need to take the time to fill out all floor
detail on the plan view. If you are plotting your stations correctly
than major blunders will become self-evident as well.
Cross-
sections
Cross-sections are an important part of any sketch
and should be drawn anytime there is a significant change in the
character of the passage, or every 100 feet. You cannot have to many
cross-sections. They must be drawn to a precise scale alongside the
sketch that corresponds to that particular cross-sectional view.
Make sure the cross-section and view direction are clearly marked on
your sketch. They should depict all-important features that are
found while looking in cross-section at that particular point in the
passage. Obviously this should also include the general shape of the
passage.
Passage
dimensions
The goal is to record numbers for the left wall,
right wall, floor and ceiling that best represent the actual passage
dimensions at that particular point of the survey. Occasionally a
station can be located in a position that is not indicative to the
passage itself and it will be assumed the station is in the middle
of the passage. In most cases, the distances from the L-wall,
R-wall, Ceiling and Floor will be an estimate in decimal feet. For
left and right wall, try to estimate the distance from the survey
station. Actually measure across the passage if it is feasible and
more helpful.
Large
rooms
When mapping a large room, you can both set a
station in the middle of the room and do a series of splay shots to
determine wall and feature locations. A perimeter survey would also
be an acceptable method. The liberal use of splay shots, radial
surveys or perimeter surveys can vastly improve the quality of the
sketch. Remember the goal of each survey team is to produce a
quality set of notes with minimal impact to the cave, so watch your
step while setting up splay shots in highly decorative or sensitive
areas.
Instrument reader
All instrument readers should have experience
reading the compass and inclinometer. The proficient use of such
instruments requires thorough understanding, patience and a
substantial amount of practice for success. Some individuals may
have physical limits (e.g. parallax) that may hinder their ability
to properly and accurately read these types of devices. It should
not take a particularly long time to get the shot. Individuals that
do take an unusual amount of time to read the instruments may be
showing a sign of uncertainty or eye fatigue and should consider the
option of trading off duties if possible for relief. This can cause
the momentum of the trip to sag as well as affect the morale and
performance of the team. Try to keep a good even pace yet still be
somewhat meticulous in the performance of your duties. If the
Bookman is always waiting on your shot than your pace is too slow.
The Instrument person must be using a set of tested
and approved instruments for all surveying in Carroll Cave. The
Project manager will supply you with a set of instruments that have
been approved. They are tested each month on the compass course that
has been built for that specific purpose. Readings should be read to
the nearest .25-degree. If an individual wants to use his own set
they must be tested for conformity to be approved by the Project
Manager. Then tested every time thereafter before each trip into the
cave. All loops must close to within 2% of predicted error.
Instrument readers who consistently show bad loop [closure] will not
be allowed to continue shooting instruments.
Back sights as well as foresights will be read
throughout the cave. The difference in the readings should be within
1 degree of one another regardless of how many sets of instruments
are being used. A discrepancy of more than 1 degree requires a
re-shooting until an agreement does exist. Remember quality
not quantity. Sometimes readings between the two will not agree and
no amount of re-shooting will alleviate the difference. The
Instrument reader should feel more confident about one of the two
shots. That shot should be circled by the Bookman to indicate to the
cartographer that it is to be the more reliable of the two. Every
effort should be made to achieve a back sight reading, sometimes
this can be a difficult task, tight crawlways and other
hard-to-get-to spots are good examples of such conditions, but this
does not relieve any team of the responsibility from getting the
back sight reading whenever possible. Once again the real push is an
accurate survey and as such it just takes time. Do not “correct”
a back sight to a foresight in the cave.
Record all numbers as taken, noting that the reading is a
back sight. Data is recorded in the cave, it is manipulated
after the trip.
Loop closer error greater than 2% of expected error
is considered unacceptable and may show a need [for not to be]
resurveyed. For anyone using a Suunto
compass, be sure to read this instrument with only one eye,
moving the eye up and down the sight line to accurately line up the
station.
It is important that the instrument person be
experienced and careful with the instruments. Caring for them always
by keeping them clean and functional.
Lead Tape
The position of lead tape is as important a duty as
any other position on the team. The Lead Tape has the responsibility
of determining the way to go unless overruled by the Bookman. It is
the duty of the Lead Tape to locate survey stations at optimal
distance from the previous station while planning ahead for the next
station. Flagging and accurately labeling all stations at all
junctions and leads. Flagging traverse stations every few hundred
feet is good practice for finding lost stations in later years. All
flagged stations must be marked with a permanent ink marker such as
a Sharpie. Stations placed
at leads or junctions should be placed in an obvious spot for easy
locating later. Keep in mind, stations should be chosen with the
idea that the instrument reader has to be able to read from that
point. Whenever possible every attempt should be made to make it
easy on your instrument reader to gain a comfortable position as
accuracy is easier with comfort. Do not hesitate to build a
temporary station if needed, keeping in mind not to damage or
destroy anything.
Hanging or floating stations are not acceptable and
should never be used.
This position is also responsible for flagging
trail around sensitive areas encountered during the course of the
survey.
The fiberglass tape should not be neglected or
abused. It should not be walked on or pulled through areas that may
damage it or the cave. It should be re-spooled as soon as it is no
longer being used. The tape can be a valuable asset to the sketcher
as well. Many bookman use the tape as a sight line to help align
their sketch. The greatest challenge is in keeping it clean. It is a
very important piece of equipment and should be treated as such. It
should be read as accurately as possible to the nearest tenth in
decimal feet. For example 57.2 feet.
Survey
Markers
Survey stations should be easy to locate and
identify by later teams. Some must endure literally many years to
come, so station marking should be on a somewhat semi-permanent
basis. Not every survey station will be or should be flagged, only
stations specifically needed to remain known for later tie-ins or
navigational purposes. Colored flagging will be used to properly
identify and label each flagged station at junctions or leads.
Orange will indicate primary traverses. Pink will be for unsurveyed
leads. All survey station flags should be accurately labeled using
the proper survey designation codes using a permanent marker such as
a Sharpie. The flagging
should be kept as clean and dry as possible and should not be placed
where others may walk or crawl over it. Any Illegible or decomposed
survey station flagging encountered during the course of the trip
should have a new flag made and attached along with the old
flagging.
Do not remove survey flagging from any survey
station at any time.
Every effort should be made to use an adequate
amount of flagging to properly and accurately label each station.
Please keep in mind too much flagging can be considered offensive,
not enough makes it difficult to locate stations. When terminating
the survey in going passage for that day prominently mark the last
survey station with a double or triple flag.
Conduct
Exploring Carroll Cave is a privilege bestowed upon
us from the land owners above. All project participants must respect
and care for the land they are exploring under. Years of work went
into what we are enjoying today. Do not participate in any conduct
unbecoming a caver.
Grievances
If at any time a concern arises about any event,
which occurred in, cave or out the concerned should write a full
detailed report about said matter and send it to the Survey
Committee and it will be forwarded to the CCC officers for review
and possible action. All reports should state facts only and not
personal opinion.
Dismissal
of project participant
The Survey Committee has the authority to dismiss
any project participant for being unprepared, negligent, and/or
uncooperative. Obvious disregard for NSS, or CCC policies, overall
lack of fitness, and/or inability to cave safely. The decision to
dismiss a project participant is not taken lightly. After reading
the reports and discussing the matter with the individual as well as
the CCC a decision for dismissal could result.
Trips
The Survey Committee has authority regarding teams
and trips. Teams and trips are arranged to maximize productivity of
the survey while impacting the cave as little as possible. Team
leaders should offer suggestions if they have specific ideas or team
arrangement or areas for survey.
Organizing
Teams
Logistics, dynamics and teamwork are key points in
creating a successful exploration of a large cave system. When
organizing survey teams the Survey committee must:
• Confirm that a qualified
Bookman is on each team and has all the essential materials to
perform his duties.
• Confirm no more than one
rookie per team.
• Confirm that each team has
no more than 3 no less than 4 members.
• Confirm a set of approved
instruments is with each team.
Team rosters need to be filled out completely
before entering the cave. This will include names, address, email,
phone numbers and their position on the team. Teams should be
comprised of cavers that have the same abilities and speed while
exploring and traveling through the cave. Size and age of cavers may
also be an important consideration at times. Due to the extensive
length of passage in Carroll long trips comprising 36+ hours may be
needed. Choose these teams carefully. An error in this area can
often affect the performance and effectiveness of a good team.
Team
return times
A team is not considered out until all members of
the team are at base camp. The project manager will assign each team
an out time that every effort should be made to adhere to.
Exiting the cave is simplified by staggering the teams so they do
not bunch up at the bottom. Allow 20 minutes per caver to ascend the
entrance shaft. All required information on the sign in/out sheet
located in the register at the bottom of the entrance shaft must be
filled out completely and accurately. There is no problem if a team
returns early however, a team late for their exit time has 6 hours
grace period. After 4 hours a rescue team will be put on alert. Do
not abuse your out time.
Tom Lounsbury
Chairman Survey Committee
May 2002
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