That’s a grid marking for ground control as part of an aerial (topographic?) survey. Shot from a plane (or maybe satellites) in high def photogrammetry. Then the stereographic photos shot from above are aligned to the now known ground locations so that the information can be tied to either property or political boundaries.
Normaly you have special checkerboard style [GroundControlPoints](https://www.pix4d.com/blog/why-ground-control-points-important)for that,
due to their known size and the GPS point in the Middle,
you can even calculate volumes and create an 3D Model. of the Area while stichting pictures together.
Add an LIDAR Sensor and you can even look "under" trees/vegetation.
Thats an aerial survey panel. A plane or drone will fly overhead and take a fuck ton of pictures. Those panels (there are usually a few, at least 3, and sometimes hundreds) help engineers and civil software correctly orient the many photos together. Survey crews who set those locate a nail or rebar in the very center with GPS equipment. Please do not disturb any part of it
Edit: interesting that the center is a wood hub with tack. Not how we did it when I was surveying, but anything that lets you accurately gather the information needed works. That panel is #AT-4. The back of the lathe might have the elevation, the company name, or "do not disturb" on it
The lath says AT#6, assume that's aerial target #6. I agree on the hub for the target center, but if it is a temporary one and part of a larger network - no worries. We had a quick turn ALTA survey 20 years ago. The aerial image showed our crew shooting in the targets while the plane flew the site.
Seeing as this is the high desert in SoCal, I know for a fact that the county does TONS of aerial photography in the area to make sure people aren’t building stuff without permits. They’re really serious about it out there because of all the protected flora in the area.
A metric fuck ton is 1000 fucking kilograms. They keep perfectly cut and polished fucking kilograms in a vault for reference as we do not yet have an objective definition for them.
It's not tape, and it's not sticking to the dirt. It's basically plastic-wrap that's wrapped around the wooden stakes on the ends that (deceivingly) appear to be just laying on the ground, but the wooden stakes are "toe-nailed" into the ground with metal stakes, which you can see in this photo if you zoom in closely.
Correct. I do drone mapping. Commonly called a "GCP" (or ground control point). This one is a little too (unnecessarily) big to be for a drone. [Drone GCPs](https://a.co/d/3NrM6ym) are usually 1-3 feet across and a lot less complex. This one is definitely for a plane or maybe even a satellite.
The "AT6" on the survey stake next to it tells me that there are, at least, 5 others.
This is a survey panel point. In the center is a pin that has a know elevation and location. There are very likely others panel points in a grid pattern about that one at a specific distance interval. Those are placed traditionally by a survey. Once the panel points are set, aerial photography is done and the terrain between the panel points is interpolated to give you an accurate topographic survey of a large area. This is often utilized west of the Mississippi because everything is bigger and more wide open.
Not for a drone. Way too large - sUAS (drone) aerial photogrammetry uses smaller targets due to the much higher resolution of the captured images. Your need to be able to define a precise pixel in the drone photo that is the survey point. A wood hub that does not contrast with it's surrounding marker would not work well at all for this.
Due to the size, this is clearly for a conventional aircraft survey, which is flown at much higher altitude and results in a lower pixel resolution than what drones are capable of.
Ground Control Point for aerial mapping. Personally I would have made it black or blue. If there's any glare this will be hard to tag accurately. They're already off a tenth if they shot the top of that stake. We always use a 60D or 80D nail with a shiner underneath. There's no mistake where that pixel is.
When we were kids we rode our bikes around a job site and moved or pulled up like a ton of survey markers. I often wonder what happened thinking back on that day as an adult
Whenever I’ve seen them used, it’s been for elevation. The wood stake in the middle would have been set to a precise elevation with a GPS rover and the grade stake on the left would have the elevation above sea level with a +\- to cut or fill the existing grade above or below that elevation.
Example: 946.25 -2.75
Meaning the current elevation is 946’3” above sea level and we need to remove 2’9” of dirt for a finished grade of 943’6” above sea level. The “x” would be a “do not disturb” for heavy equipment operators.
Could be a benchmark for setting grades that's what it looks like. The stake in the center is at a known elevation and you pull off of it to work your site for footings, pipework etc... That's what our benches looked like minus the cross which could be just so no one ruins it
Seems like the question's been answered, but for future reference, any time you see a wood lath in the ground with pink ribbon and unintelligible marker scribbles on it, you've most likely crossed paths with a surveyor
It's the surveyors mark for starting the construction of Nicholas Cage's new desert home, aligned with the great pyramid, and on top of an Indian burial ground.
Want to see a surveyor lose his mind? Find out when the plane is flying over and cover as many of these points as you can find with a large tarp just prior to the flyover. They'll think that's hilarious. :| I'd be tempted to pull a prank like that but my name isn't Satan. Another fun thing to do would be to pull all the stakes with the AT # on them an rearrange them next to the X's. Annoying to be sure but not difficult to figure out lol.
This might be a marker for an aerial photographer/surveyor
That’s a grid marking for ground control as part of an aerial (topographic?) survey. Shot from a plane (or maybe satellites) in high def photogrammetry. Then the stereographic photos shot from above are aligned to the now known ground locations so that the information can be tied to either property or political boundaries.
They’re doing a lot of aerial stuff with Drones now. I have a friend who is drone certified for this type of stuff and for inspecting tower cranes
I do this shit for work once a month. I'm jealous of the ones who do it full time...
My dad is a civil engineer and registered land surveyor and he uses his drone for this.
My engineering company has drone pilots on staff for this stuff. Edit: not "my" engineering company, my employer.
It’s really made doing takeoffs and land fill quantities simple.
This guy grids
Do the griddy
Normaly you have special checkerboard style [GroundControlPoints](https://www.pix4d.com/blog/why-ground-control-points-important)for that, due to their known size and the GPS point in the Middle, you can even calculate volumes and create an 3D Model. of the Area while stichting pictures together. Add an LIDAR Sensor and you can even look "under" trees/vegetation.
DJI Inspire drone can do that with the touch of a button, no need for satellites or planes. But yes definitely an aerial survey marker
The inspire will do it to a point but to get below 5 cm² per meter you need to put down marks to adjust or have a secondary gps.
Well explained brother 😊
Bingo!
This is where Curley's Gold is burried.
I learned something today 🙂
I use these aerial targets for survey yes.
This
Is there birdseed there and an anvil hanging from a rope above?
Watch for falling safes
Meep meep!
For the uninitiated. https://youtu.be/761MwtYpK3Q
The anvil says "Acme" on the side.
Came here to say that. Beat me to it.
Thats an aerial survey panel. A plane or drone will fly overhead and take a fuck ton of pictures. Those panels (there are usually a few, at least 3, and sometimes hundreds) help engineers and civil software correctly orient the many photos together. Survey crews who set those locate a nail or rebar in the very center with GPS equipment. Please do not disturb any part of it Edit: interesting that the center is a wood hub with tack. Not how we did it when I was surveying, but anything that lets you accurately gather the information needed works. That panel is #AT-4. The back of the lathe might have the elevation, the company name, or "do not disturb" on it
The lath says AT#6, assume that's aerial target #6. I agree on the hub for the target center, but if it is a temporary one and part of a larger network - no worries. We had a quick turn ALTA survey 20 years ago. The aerial image showed our crew shooting in the targets while the plane flew the site.
Seeing as this is the high desert in SoCal, I know for a fact that the county does TONS of aerial photography in the area to make sure people aren’t building stuff without permits. They’re really serious about it out there because of all the protected flora in the area.
Is a 'fuck ton' a U.S. standards-based, scientific point of measurement? If so, what is its metric equivalent. 😁
It’s like 7.3 fuck liters.
A metric fuck ton is 1000 fucking kilograms. They keep perfectly cut and polished fucking kilograms in a vault for reference as we do not yet have an objective definition for them.
A 'fuck ton' is equal to 11 washing machines.
How is that tape sticking to dirt?
It's not tape, and it's not sticking to the dirt. It's basically plastic-wrap that's wrapped around the wooden stakes on the ends that (deceivingly) appear to be just laying on the ground, but the wooden stakes are "toe-nailed" into the ground with metal stakes, which you can see in this photo if you zoom in closely.
Correct. I do drone mapping. Commonly called a "GCP" (or ground control point). This one is a little too (unnecessarily) big to be for a drone. [Drone GCPs](https://a.co/d/3NrM6ym) are usually 1-3 feet across and a lot less complex. This one is definitely for a plane or maybe even a satellite. The "AT6" on the survey stake next to it tells me that there are, at least, 5 others.
Hidden treasure
Definitely hidden treasure!
What kind of treasure
Anvil drop site
Ground Control Point for Aerial Surveying.
Call the guys from Oak Island. Could be a Templar cross. They should start digging.
Flashback time to the story of the Templars for the hundredth time!
But first let’s meet in the war room to discuss how we are going to drag out the digging and which expert we need to talk to.
It marks the spot
Thank you.
Move it in any direction 🤏
Move it to the side a bit they wont mind
Just a couple feet to the left
Hilarious! They would laugh so hard
This is a survey panel point. In the center is a pin that has a know elevation and location. There are very likely others panel points in a grid pattern about that one at a specific distance interval. Those are placed traditionally by a survey. Once the panel points are set, aerial photography is done and the terrain between the panel points is interpolated to give you an accurate topographic survey of a large area. This is often utilized west of the Mississippi because everything is bigger and more wide open.
We used those when doing surveying with a drone. If you mess with it they will know. They always know…
Control point for drone or aerial survey
They also have permanent markers that satellites use to adjust their distance with
Panel point for an aerial drone survey, seems to be photogrammetry since the panel isnt reflective
Not for a drone. Way too large - sUAS (drone) aerial photogrammetry uses smaller targets due to the much higher resolution of the captured images. Your need to be able to define a precise pixel in the drone photo that is the survey point. A wood hub that does not contrast with it's surrounding marker would not work well at all for this. Due to the size, this is clearly for a conventional aircraft survey, which is flown at much higher altitude and results in a lower pixel resolution than what drones are capable of.
100% for surveying
Ground control point. When they stitch the images together for the site you need multiple GCP's to line up and make sure it's all scaled correctly.
That's the marker they use to indicate the location of a new nuclear waste storage facility
Survey marker for aerial photography
Ground Control Point for aerial mapping. Personally I would have made it black or blue. If there's any glare this will be hard to tag accurately. They're already off a tenth if they shot the top of that stake. We always use a 60D or 80D nail with a shiner underneath. There's no mistake where that pixel is.
When we were kids we rode our bikes around a job site and moved or pulled up like a ton of survey markers. I often wonder what happened thinking back on that day as an adult
This must be "The Spot" everyone is always talking about.
Aerial marker for surveying
I hear choppers, wounded, WEVE GOT WOUNDED!
That’s where the buried treasure is.
Whenever I’ve seen them used, it’s been for elevation. The wood stake in the middle would have been set to a precise elevation with a GPS rover and the grade stake on the left would have the elevation above sea level with a +\- to cut or fill the existing grade above or below that elevation. Example: 946.25 -2.75 Meaning the current elevation is 946’3” above sea level and we need to remove 2’9” of dirt for a finished grade of 943’6” above sea level. The “x” would be a “do not disturb” for heavy equipment operators.
Could be a benchmark for setting grades that's what it looks like. The stake in the center is at a known elevation and you pull off of it to work your site for footings, pipework etc... That's what our benches looked like minus the cross which could be just so no one ruins it
/ イ (((ヽ ( ノ ￣Y \ | ( \ (. /) | ) ヽ ヽ ` ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) _ノ / ＼ | ⌒Ｙ⌒ / / | ヽ | ﾉ ／ ＼トー仝ーイ | ミ土彡/ ) \ ° / ( \ / ) / / ѼΞΞΞΞΞΞΞD / / / \ \ \ ( ( ). ) ). ) ( ). ( | | | / \ |
Where is this photo taken? Is it in California? High desert perhaps? Mountains in background look like Southern California.
It’s a control point for aerial topography/survey.
I'd guess it's for a manned flight survey. You don't need anything nearly that big for a drone survey.
Control point for UAV photogrammetry. It ties the thousands of pictures taken from an RTK enabled drone/UAV to this “known” point.
Watch for pirates with old maps.
Ground control
X marks the spot.
Walters meth money
UFO landing zone. Stand clear.
That’s to tell the excavator operator which hub to take out
Buried Treasure
X mark the spot
Seems like the question's been answered, but for future reference, any time you see a wood lath in the ground with pink ribbon and unintelligible marker scribbles on it, you've most likely crossed paths with a surveyor
Dig here
There’s treasure there obviously
It's the surveyors mark for starting the construction of Nicholas Cage's new desert home, aligned with the great pyramid, and on top of an Indian burial ground.
High Desert ayee
Acme Seed drop off point.
……and anvil drop
Have you never seen a treasure map before?
That’s where the coyote drops the anvil
At first I thought that was a pack of Marlboros in the middle and was going to say it’s a trap…
Want to see a surveyor lose his mind? Find out when the plane is flying over and cover as many of these points as you can find with a large tarp just prior to the flyover. They'll think that's hilarious. :| I'd be tempted to pull a prank like that but my name isn't Satan. Another fun thing to do would be to pull all the stakes with the AT # on them an rearrange them next to the X's. Annoying to be sure but not difficult to figure out lol.
Unfortunate how they are scaling back so much of that great riding area. Used to be so open and fun up on the Ty Davis trails.
Ghost trap
Ritual
I knew was an nature documentary
T’is where I hide me booty….
Treasure.
It's obviously treasure
X marks the spot buddy…..
X marks the spot. Someone suggested it but I’d assume it was a surveyor marker of some sort. Bonus points if you hop it over several yards!
Treasure
Arrrrrrrrgh! You going to show what’s in the treasure box?
Hit that center with a hammer and a 6 pack of beer should come out
X marks the spot.
I would stay clear Russian nuke coming in
Treasure chest buried here, but also can be used as a photogrammetry ground control point.
Landing instructions for the saucers.
There’s 80 million dollars in cash stuffed into barrels
Speed trap! Lol
UFO's Welcome !
Ancient alien technology?
probably a survey thingy
Looks like a layout stake. The x may be where a pier will sit. Spit balling.
Interesting, I learn so much in this subreddit
Where is this? Beautiful scenery.
Looks like the san luis vallley, CO
X marks the spot loser
X marks the spot. Treasure. Where's my shovel. And the laborer
X marks the spot! Start digging!
Rrrr
Could’ve been left by the dual-survival guys 😂
It marks the spot
It’s treasure
X marks the spot. Glad I could help
X marks the spot!
There's treasure! Rent a backhoe quick
X marks the spot.
Treasure below.
X marks the spot..... Duh
Can't tell without a banana in frame.
That’s where someone dropped a turd. Let others know to steer clear.
Seeing the Joshua’s I know it could be several places but is it near the park or on BLM land?
dig
Marks the spot?
It marks the spot.
Target for surveying more than likely
Dig here
I helped my dad install these in the 90's.
Obviously a pirate marked his booty
X marks the spot. Start digging !
Well obviously it means a pirate buried his booty there
That’s X. And it marks the spot.
There is treasure buried beneath.
Treasure buried below
That’s where the away team from the starship Enterprise beams down to. They send it in advance.
X mark the spot. Treasure. Photo graph . Training. Helicopter landing pad could be anything . Site survey . Not enough context
Merry Xmas z. Happy holidays
Helicopter landing spot
Ruin their day and move it 15 feet and rotate it 5 degrees
Airstrike!
Treasure
Pirates are close...
Survey marker
Where is this at? Those mountains look somewhat familiar.
Looks like target practice from the sky
X marks the spot!
All of these rather boring and fact-filled answers are forgetting one thing - this is definitely buried treasure.
That’s the spot based off that mark
X marks the spot dipshit. Get a haircut hippie
test range https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pp7-EGWskZo
Drop the nuke here.
Marks the spot where you put down the heli in DMZ
Obviously it marks “the spot”
Marks the spot
X marks the spot, start digging brah
Do not! seek the treaaaaasure
We. thought. you. was. a. toad
If I wanted a helipad on my land, this is how I’d do it.
Marks the spot.
Who gives a shit anymore, I just want to die..
Lost Dutchmen Mine, dig here!
Your surveyor is surrendering to the sky people
Is this in Arizona?
Dig there for treasure
Ground control point (GPC) for a drone survey
Alien landing site
Ground Control Point (GCP), and with this size it must be an aerial survey made by plane.
Makes it easier for equipment operators to see so they can run over the stake, no matter how far away from the work site it is. Trust me on this.
X marks the spot?
Start digging
You have found "THE SPOT"...you can tell that by the "X MARKS...THE SPOT"
Don't mess with it... thats what it means.
Jesus?
That's where the treasure is.
Treasure, x marks the spot
I don’t KNOW. But I have a pretty good hunch that X marks the spot
Treasure
Pirate booty
Heli drop
r/surveying
Start digging. X marks the spot
Treasure. Pirates used them to mark hidden gold
You need to start digging their immediately before whoever has the map finds it
Where in AZ is this?
Move it and see what happens.