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by bendauphinee 904 days ago
Fun fact, we actually use the NAD83 coordinate reference system (CRS) in North America. This is a plate fixed CRS, that kind of mostly can map to WGS84, but will be different in places due to continental drift and other factors.

Here's my actual parcel description:

All that certain lot, piece or parcel of land situate, lying and being on the southeastern side of the XXX Road, in AREA NAME, in the Parish of PARISH, in the County of COUNTY and Province of New Brunswick bounded and more particularly described as follows:

Beginning at a point on the southeastern boundary of a Crown Reserved Road known as the XXX Road; said point of beginning being located at a distance of ONE DISTANCE NUMBER (###) metres measured southwesterly along the southeastern boundary of the XXX Road from its intersection with the southwestern boundary of the OTHER PROPERTY OWNER NAME property by document number ##### registered in the COUNTY County Registry Office in book ### at page ###; said boundary being the southwestern grant line of Lot # originally granted by the Crown to PERSON NAME.

Thence in a southwesterly direction following the southeastern boundary of the XXX Road a distance of ONE DISTANCE NUMBER (###) metres to a point at a corner at the intersection of the northeastern boundary of the PROPERTY OWNER NAME property by transfer number ###### registered in Land Titles for the District of New Brunswick on DATE.

Thence in a southeasterly direction parallel to the southwestern grant line of Lot #, the OTHER PROPERTY OWNER NAME property following the northeastern boundary of the PROPERTY OWNER NAME property a distance of THREE DISTANCE NUMBER (###) metres to a point at a corner.

Thence in a northeasterly direction on a line parallel to the southeastern boundary of the XXX Road a distance of ONE DISTANCE NUMBER (###) metres to a point at a corner.

Thence in a northwesterly direction parallel to the southwestern grant line of Lot X, the OTHER PROPERTY OWNER NAME property a distance of THREE DISTANCE NUMBER (###) metres to the point of beginning.

The so-described parcel of land contains an area of SOME (###) hectares more or less and is located in Lot # originally granted by the Crown to AN ORIGINAL OWNER.

BEING the same lands and premises (PARCEL NAME) conveyed to LTD CORP by Transfer duly registered at the Provincial Land Registration Office in the District of New Brunswick on DATE, as number #######.

1 comments

Fascinating, thank you!

I find it interesting that the boundaries are defined by a combination of physical land features and other property boundaries.

I guess this means that there's the error could potentially accumulate when you reference against property boundaries. Then you come up against some physical reference and have to resolve the inconsistency somehow.

And on top of the fact that a lot of boundaries outside the city have been low resolution for a long time (land grants may have been from like.. 1902 for some farmer with 400 acres, and then just parceled over time with no further survey). The fact that I shifted everyone 140' by pinning my one line shows how it can be, and I'd bet there are areas that are worse because they're less developed / further out / nobody cared to ask).
TBH, looking into the history of surveying in the US is fascinating. The level of accuracy they were able to achieve over such long distances so long ago is awesome. I fell deep down this rabbit hole when I started flying a LIADR unit on a drone and working with PLS.