Land Surveying

The Survey Section of the Spokane County Engineer's Office maintains the Latah, WA GPS site. Click on one of the images for a larger view.

   

Virtual Reference (VRS) Network for Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho

A VRS Network is being established that will cover all of Spokane County and parts of Northern Idaho. The network was established through an interagency agreement between Spokane County, City of Spokane, Pend Oreille County and the Eastern District of Washington Department of Transportation.

Spokane County’s VRS Station is up and running. Our station is located near the town of Latah. The exact coordinates for Point Latah (LTAH) are: 47° 16' 56.718296'' N, 117° 9' 50.043635'' W, and 737.229 meters.

The signal goes from a Trimble NetRS to a US Robotics 56K modem into an analog phone line to the Survey office, into another 56K modem. From there it goes into a Lantronix converter, into our network and over to the Washington State Reference Network (WSRN).

You can review the status of Point Latah and other station in the WSRN by going to: www.prsn.org.  Once there, sign in as a guest and select “Satellite Tracking”.

For more information about how a VRS Networks works go to: www.trimble.com/gps.

Station Update

• WSDOT is building two base stations.
• City of Spokane is building one station.
• Spokane County is building one station.
• Pend Oreille County is building one station.

Three Base Stations are currently up and running

• WSDOT at the City of Sprague
• WSDOT just south of Chewelah, WA
• City of Spokane at the Waste to Energy Plant

Pend Oreille County station has been built. Their station is on hold, they need to dig a trench for power and communication line.

A new GPS monitoring station is being built at the Coeur d’ Alene Airport. That station may be operational by the middle of September 2006.

For more information about the Eastern Washington VRS Network contact Jim McLeFresh: jmclefresh@spokanecounty.org

Washington Council of County Surveyors

The Washington Council of County Surveyors provides a one-page guide to consumers seeking to obtain a land boundary survey. The pamphlet provides guidance on selecting a land surveyor, contracts, professional services provided and much more.

To view or download the brochure, click here: Land Surveying - Questions and Answers