ATP-3-09-02 Field Artillery Survey Download
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Survey Operations 16 February 2016 ATP 3-09.02 3-17 celestial observations. However, the desert environment can cause unique problems for the surveyor. Some of the problems encountered are described below. EQUIPMENT 3-78. Optical instruments operated in extreme heat can have some major interior and exterior physical problems. Experience has shown that at 100°F, the survey instrument leveling vials increase about 2 graduations past the true center. Therefore, at 120°F, the instrument operator may not be able to level the instrument because of bubble expansion. To counter this, instruments should always be shaded. The direct rays of the sun can and will cause optical distortion and internal stress. Before moving to a desert environment, operators and supervisors must ensure that proper maintenance is performed and lubricants are applied to and maintained in the instruments. The scoring effects of sand and grit on the instrument optics require that the instrument lens covers be in place when the instruments are not being used. The major problems in desert operations are caused by heat waves. Distances between stations are severely limited because of heat wave distortions. Consistent readings at occupied stations are nearly impossible to achieve. Operator eye fatigue is common and necessitates frequent operator changes. Because of heat wave distortion, IPADS or IPADS-G operations requiring optical transfer should be avoided. SURVEY CONTROL 3-79. Survey control in the desert is very fleeting in nature. The lack of definable natural and manmade objects increases the problem of permanent control. Geodetic surveyors must make every effort to provide starting control for the FAB, DIVARTY, or BCT survey teams. Established survey control dates from the desert colonial periods and, although scarce, it is accurate. However, control that can be identified and located one day may be obscured by sand the next. If these control points are constructed of anything valuable (for example, metallic substances of any kind), local civilians will dig up and carry off the station markers. In establishing control, efforts must be made to camouflage or immobilize control points. Using the existing road networks and road junctions is another way of ensuring that control is available when it is required. Burned-out armored vehicles and destroyed fortifications also can be used as control points. When operating in the desert, the surveyor should ensure that all control possible within the zone of operations is recovered and verified. It should be understood that control in the desert is, at best, only temporary in nature. For more information on desert operations see FM 90-3. JUNGLE AREAS SURVEY OPERATIONS 3-80. Survey operations in the jungle pose many problems not encountered in other environments. Some of these are the foreboding appearance of the jungle, the oppressive humidity and heat, the unfamiliar noises, and the loneliness one feels in the jungle. In addition to the physical and psychological effects of working in the jungle, the FA surveyor will be aware immediately of the lack of adequate maps. The maps that are available often are inaccurate except for locations of coastlines and principal rivers. For a more detailed discussion of jungle operations, refer to FM 90-5. SURVEY CONTROL 3-81. Because of the inaccessibility of jungle areas and since adequate maps do not exist for most areas, establishing survey control and the common grid is a primary consideration of the commander. 3-82. The extension of survey control should not depend on pre-established control, which in most jungle areas is minimal and at best difficult to recover and identify. One solution is for the survey planner, using available maps or map products, to assume control; use the IPADS or IPADS-G, for direction; and to initiate the common grid. Each unit will convert to common control when it ties into the survey control net. Map spotting with available maps or photomaps may have to suffice for position control at firing unit locations.