Field survey checklist: 25 real checks before RTK, stake-out and delivery
Good surveying is not only about good equipment; it is about good habits. Many field errors start small: wrong project, old DXF, antenna height, zone, battery, missing photo or no backup.
Field takeaways
- A checklist saves time by catching expensive field mistakes early.
- CRS and control points must be checked before the instrument becomes the focus.
- Critical observations need antenna height, fix status, time and notes.
- Open the exported file before delivery and check location.
- Data without backup is almost as risky as data never measured.
1. Before leaving the vehicle
- Is the correct project file open?
- Do the coordinate system and EPSG/zone match the project specification?
- Is the current design file loaded — not last month's DXF/KML?
- Are the GNSS receiver, phone/tablet and power bank charged?
- Pole, bipod, tape, paint, stakes, nails and reflector all present?
2. Before the first measurement
- Does the antenna height match the actual pole height?
- Is the receiver getting corrections from the right mountpoint or base?
- Is the solution fixed, is PDOP reasonable, are there enough satellites?
- Is the difference at a known control point inside tolerance?
- Do the layer names describe the day's work?
3. During the survey
- Are critical points measured twice?
- Is the pole held vertical — bipod out when the wind picks up?
- Are multipath risks near metal, vehicles, facades and water noted?
- Does every important point get a photo or a short description?
- At stake-out points, are the tolerance and the set mark recorded?
4. Before calling it a day
- Was the starting control point checked again?
- Any missing corner, open polygon, wrong layer or absurd Z value?
- Was the export reopened on the device and its position checked?
- Does the DXF/KML/GeoJSON/CSV carry its coordinate system note?
- Is the data backed up to a second place?
5. After the handover
- Has the recipient opened the file and verified one known point?
- Are the method, the coordinate system and the accuracy noted in the report?
- Were out-of-tolerance points reported separately?
- Did the photos of the set marks reach the archive?
- Could the next crew find the same point from this record?
Wiring the list into the app
Work project by project in MapLab Survey, split layers by work item, keep control points separate, and do a visual map check before every export. Hand this list to the crew as the short field procedure — the best technology only produces value when it meets a good habit.
Try these steps on your own phone.
MapLab Survey handles RTK/GNSS point capture, drawing, area and volume calculations and coordinate conversion, then exports to DXF, KML/KMZ, GeoJSON, Shapefile, GeoPackage, NCZ or CSV. Capture, calculation and export work offline. Live NTRIP corrections and online basemaps need a connection.
Frequently asked questions
Who is this checklist for?
Survey technicians, engineers, site crews, RTK users and stake-out teams.
What is the most critical check?
CRS and known control point.
Should every point be repeated?
Not every point, but critical corners, stake-out points and elevation points should be checked.
How does MapLab Survey help?
It keeps project, layers, notes, photos, transformations and export in one workflow.
Technical references
The field guidance in this article is aligned with the technical and official references below.
Related: Stake-out report · RTK GNSS field accuracy · Stake-out · MapLab Survey