Control Networks

Simply put, a control network is a series of well-spaced and interconnected markers in the ground which have accurately determined positions, or coordinates, and elevations.

Ever hear the expression "Before you can get where you're going, you have to know where you are"? For example, if you give directions to a friend so they can locate your house, you always start them off from a point they can easily identify such as a place, a building or a road. Well, control networks do the same thing for all types of surveys and positioning systems.

What Is It Used For?

Control networks provide fixed or anchor points on which to base or "reference" surveys for:

• Mapping our natural resources,
• Locating International and Provincial Boundaries,
• Navigation over land or water,
• Producing topographic maps,
• Planning and building highways, pipelines and other major engineering projects,
• Mining and funneling operations, and
• Building construction

In order for us to locate or position features, we need to start from a known point. In some cases, we want to know where, exactly, these features are located on the face of the earth. In other cases, we may only need to know where they are relative to each other. In the first case, the more accurately we know where we are starting from, the more accurately we can position the features. The accuracy of all features in either case generally depends on the method and equipment we use to position the features.

How Does It Benefit Me?

Chances are pretty good that you will never directly use or even see any of the vast number of physical markers that make up the control networks in place across the country today. However, the odds are extremely high that you have already indirectly benefited from these networks. Just drive down a highway, walk in a building or find your way in the woods with a map and you've indirectly benefited from one form or another of a control network.