GLOFieldNotes.com

How to Use GLOFieldNotes.com

A step-by-step walkthrough of the main features.

2. Find BLM Field Note Records

  1. Click on a BLM reference to see available field note volumes, survey plats, and title documents.
  2. For Oregon and Washington, field note records load directly within the app.
  3. For other states, follow the link to the BLM GLO Records website to download scanned pages.

3. Upload Scanned Pages

  1. Open a project and click the upload button to add scanned field note pages.
  2. Supported formats include JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and PDF.
  3. For best results, use clear scans at 200 DPI or higher.
  4. Each page costs one credit to process.

4. OCR & Review Results

  1. After uploading, the AI reads the handwritten text and extracts survey calls.
  2. The notes viewer shows the original scan side-by-side with the parsed results.
  3. Each call includes bearing, distance (in chains), and description fields.
  4. You can click on any call to edit or correct values if needed.

5. Call Index & Data Verification

  1. The call index shows all parsed calls across your project documents in a grid view.
  2. Color-coded indicators show the status of chain distances, GCDB codes, and descriptions.
  3. You can sort, filter, and edit calls directly in the grid.

6. Interactive Map View

  1. Survey calls are plotted on an interactive map with satellite, street, and topographic base layers.
  2. Section boundaries and corner positions are displayed as overlays.
  3. Click any marker for details about that call.

7. Corner Monument Street View

  1. Open any geolocated project. In the right sidebar, scroll down to the 'Corner Street View' panel.
  2. Each PLSS corner is listed with a colored dot: green means Street View coverage was found within 15 meters.
  3. Select a corner to load an interactive panorama aimed toward the corner location. Use the date dropdown to compare different capture years.
  4. The camera heading is calculated to point toward the corner from the nearest capture point — but it may not face it exactly. Pan left and right in the viewer to find the monument.
  5. Look for corner posts, rebar caps, aluminum survey disks, mounds of stone, or any disturbed ground near the GPS pin. Evidence is often subtle — a short post flush with the ground, or a cap partially buried in vegetation.
  6. Two static thumbnails below the viewer show a narrow 'Geometry' view aimed at the corner and a wider 'Context' view of the surroundings — useful for a quick sanity check before opening the full interactive viewer.

8. Walk the Surveyor's Line in Street View

  1. Geolocated calls — creeks, ravines, road crossings, ditches, corners — show a Street View button when imagery is found nearby. Look for the camera button next to a call in the Call Index, or click 'Street View' in any map marker popup.
  2. The camera opens pointed in the same direction the original surveyor was walking down the section line, so you see the ground exactly as they described it. Because most western roads follow section lines, imagery often exists within a few meters of the call.
  3. Click the flip button to turn the camera 180° and look back down the line. A compass badge shows which direction you're facing.
  4. Use the date dropdown to browse every Street View capture year at that spot — compare how a ditch or crossing looked in 2008 versus today.
  5. The ravines, roads, and trails described in 1800s field notes are often still visible on the ground today. A green badge on a call means imagery was found nearby; gray means no coverage within 15 meters.

9. Export Your Data

  1. Export your project data in multiple formats from the export page.
  2. KML and KMZ files can be opened in Google Earth or GIS software.
  3. CSV exports are compatible with spreadsheet applications.
  4. PDF generates a formatted transcription report with elevation profile and fraud summary.
  5. Section Profiles PDF produces one page per PLSS section with N/S/E/W elevation charts.

10. Historical Aerial Imagery

  1. Open any geolocated project and scroll down the right sidebar past Corner Street View.
  2. The Wayback panel automatically scans each PLSS corner for available aerial captures.
  3. A green dot means imagery exists at that corner — the count shows how many years are available.
  4. Select a corner and pick a year from the dropdown. Only years with actual new imagery at that location appear.
  5. Amber '≈field note' badges highlight vintages close to the field note survey date — useful for finding the original monument.
  6. Click the external link icon to open the ESRI Wayback Viewer at full resolution where you can compare years side-by-side or save the capture.

11. Your Files Are Always Available

  1. Uploaded scans are stored in cloud object storage the moment you upload them — a server restart cannot lose your files.
  2. Generated PDFs are cached in the cloud after the first download. The next time you or a colleague downloads the same PDF it arrives instantly.
  3. Running Geolocate on a project automatically clears the cached PDF so the next download reflects the updated survey call positions.
  4. Add ?force=1 to any PDF URL if you need to force a fresh render (e.g. after manually editing calls).

Ready to get started? Open the App