FORMAT.— Notes must be kept in the regular field  notebook  and  not  on  scraps  of  paper  for  later transcription.  Separate  surveys  should  be  recorded on separate pages or in different books. The front cover  of  the  field  notebook  should  be  marked  with the name of the project, its general location, the types of measurements recorded, the designation of the survey unit, and other pertinent informa- tion.   The   inside   front   cover   should   contain instructions  for  the  return  of  the  notebook,  if  lost. The  right-hand  pages  should  be  reserved  as  an index of the field notes, a list of party personnel and their duties, a list of the instruments used, dates  and  reasons  for  any  instrument  changes during the course of the survey, and a sketch and description  of  the  project. Throughout  the  remainder  of  the  notebook, the  beginning  and  ending  of  each  day’s  work should  be  clearly  indicated.  Where  pertinent, the  weather,  including  temperature  and  wind velocities,  should  also  be  recorded.  To  minimize recording  errors,  someone  other  than  the  recorder should  check  and  initial  all  data  entered  in  the notebook. RECORDING.—  Field note recording takes three  general  forms:  tabulation,  sketches,  and descriptions.  Two,  or  even  all  three,  forms  may be  combined,  when  necessary,  to  make  a  complete record. In  TABULATION,  the  numerical  measure- ments  are  recorded  in  columns  according  to  a prescribed plan. Spaces are also reserved to permit necessary  computations. SKETCHES  add  much  to  clarify  field  notes and  should  be  used  liberally  when  applicable. They may be drawn to an approximate scale, or important details may be exaggerated for clarity. A  small  ruler  or  triangle  is  an  aid  in  making sketches.  Measurements  should  be  added  directly on the sketch or keyed in some way to the tabular data.  An  important  requirement  of  a  sketch  is legibility. See that the sketch is drawn clearly and large  enough  to  be  understandable. Tabulation,  with  or  without  added  sketches, can also be supplemented with DESCRIPTIONS. The  description  may  be  only  one  or  two  words to clarify t he recorded measurements. It may also be  quite  a  narration  if  it  is  to  be  used  at  some future time, possibly years later, to locate a survey monument. ERASURES   ARE   NOT   PERMITTED   IN FIELD   NOTEBOOKS.   Individual   numbers   or lines recorded incorrectly are to be lined out and the correct values inserted. Pages that are to be rejected are crossed out neatly and referenced to the  substituted  pages.  THIS  PROCEDURE  IS MANDATORY  since  the  field  notebook  is  the book  of  record  and  is  often  used  as  legal  evidence. Standard  abbreviations,  signs,  and  symbols are used in field notebooks. If there is any doubt as to their meaning, an explanation must be given in  the  form  of  notes  or  legends. OFFICE  WORK OFFICE   WORK   in   surveying   consists   of converting the field measurements into a usable format.  The  conversion  of  computed,  often mathematical,  values  may  be  required  immedi- ately to continue the work, or it may be delayed until  a  series  of  field  measurements  is  completed. Although these operations are performed in the field during lapses between measurements, they can  also  be  considered  office  work.  Such  opera- tions  are  normally  done  to  save  time.  Special equipment,  such  as  calculators,  conversion  tables, and  some  drafting  equipment,  are  used  in  most office  work. In office work, converting field measurements (also   called   reducing)   involves   the   process   of computing,  adjusting,  and  applying  a  standard rule  to  numerical  values. Computation In any field survey operation, measurements are  derived  by  the  application  of  some  form  of mathematical   computation.   It   may   be   simple addition of several full lengths and a partial tape length to record a total linear distance between two points. It maybe the addition or subtraction of  differences  in  elevation  to  determine  the  height of  instrument  or  the  elevation  during  leveling. Then  again,  it  maybe  checking  of  angles  to  ensure that  the  allowable  error  is  not  exceeded. Office  computing  converts  these  distances, elevations,  and  angles  into  a  more  usable  form. The  finished  measurements  may  end  up  as  a computed  volume  of  dirt  to  be  moved  for  a highway  cut  or  fill,  an  area  of  land  needed  for a  SEABEE  construction  project,  or  a  new  position of  a  point  from  which  other  measurements  can be  made. In general, office computing reduces the field notes  to  either  a  tabular  or  graphic  form for  a  permanent  record  or  for  continuation  of fieldwork. 11-7