Patent Publication Number: US-2015076221-A1

Title: System, method and monument for land surveying

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority as a continuation application to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/784,918 filed May 21, 2010, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/180,562 filed May 22, 2009, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/224,297 filed Jul. 9, 2009, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention is related to systems, methods and structures usable in surveying or geographic information sciences. 
     2. Related Art 
     Surveyors have been using monuments to at least semi-permanently mark geographic positions for many years. Traditional survey monuments have been made of granite, concrete, wood and/or metal. Traditional survey monuments may include a large permanent magnet. The large permanent magnet allows a surveyor to locate the monument using a magnetic locator, such as those available from Schonstedt Instrument Company of Kearneysville, W. Va. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSED EMBODIMENTS 
     While traditional survey monuments are useful for marking a physical location, they typically are not useful for storing or providing any further information. For example, while the survey monument may be adorned with various text and/or insignia that can identify the monument and/or the surveyor who placed the monument, this information may not be available without removing the monument from the ground and/or displacing the soil around the monument. Not only can this be difficult and time consuming, it also presents a possibility of the monument being moved and/or loosened from its position and/or orientation. Likewise, simple engraved information (e.g., text, insignia, etc), can be forged with simple engraving tools and thus may not be reliably accurate. 
     Further, it can be difficult to identify one survey monument from another, or even from other metallic and/or ferrous objects. For example, metal conduits, unexploded ordinance, buried metal (e.g., rebar) and other objects that are often buried under ground, can present difficulty when trying to locate a survey monument. If such objects are buried near a survey monument and exhibit a magnetic field, they may be confused for the survey monument when attempting to locate the monument with a magnetic locator. As such, a surveyor, or any other individual attempting to locate the monument for the purpose of geographic reference, may be mislead to believe that the survey monument is located in a different place than it actually is. 
     Misidentifying a desired monument (e.g., erroneously locating the wrong monument or erroneously identifying a non-monument, ferrous object as the desired monument), can result in various safety, legal and/or other problems. If, for example, an individual attempts to locate a monument as a point of reference for determining safe and/or unsafe digging locations, a misidentified monument may result in an unsafe location being deemed safe and vice-versa. Likewise, a misidentified monument may result in a landowner miscalculating a boundary line of a property. 
     Additionally, as outlined above, traditional survey monuments generally include simple engraved markings and/or insignia, if they include any markings at all. These traditional markings and/or insignia may not be useful for updating any information associated with the survey monument and/or may be limited in the amount or the type of information that can be shown. For example, traditional survey monuments may be engraved with a serial number and/or a name or insignia of the individual or organization that placed the survey monument. This information alone may have only limited usability and may not be readily accessible if the survey monument is buried below ground. 
     In various exemplary embodiments, a survey monument according to this invention can be readily identified in relation to other survey monuments and/or nearby ferrous objects. In various exemplary embodiments, the survey monument can be readily identified without requiring a line of sight between the user and the survey monument. In various exemplary embodiments, the survey monument can be uniquely identified. 
     In various exemplary embodiments, the survey monument is usable to at least help store information about the survey monument and/or a location around the survey monument. In various ones of these exemplary embodiments, the information includes an identification number that correlates to one or more data entries in one or more databases. 
     In various exemplary embodiments, the survey monument has a main body that is primarily metal. In various ones of these exemplary embodiments, at least a portion of the main body is permeable to RF signals within a desired range of wavelengths. 
     In various exemplary embodiments of a survey system according to this invention, the survey system includes a survey monument, an electronic reader and a server. In various exemplary embodiments, the server includes a database that stores information associated with one or more survey monuments. 
     In various exemplary embodiments of a survey system according to this invention, the survey system includes one or more survey monuments, each having one or more electronic tags, a reader usable to read the one or more electronic tags of the one or more survey monuments and a server that includes a database usable to store information associated with at least one of the one or more survey monuments. In various exemplary embodiments, a user uses the reader to identify a survey monument to determine if it is a desired survey monument. In various exemplary embodiments, the reader may then send identifying information of the identified survey monument to the server. In return, the server may send at least some of the information associated with the identified survey monument to the reader to display to the user. 
     In various exemplary embodiments, the reader may interact with the electronic tag and/or the server with a two-way communication stream. For example, the reader may send information (e.g., data queries) and receive information back from the electronic tag or server (e.g., alphanumeric data responses). Additionally, the reader may include a transceiver for interacting with the electronic tag and a separate processor for processing the data received from the electronic tag and/or server. The transceiver and the processor may be connected via suitable known or later-developed wired or wireless communication bus or protocol. 
     These and other features and advantages of various exemplary embodiments of systems and methods according to this invention are described in, or are apparent from, the following detailed descriptions of various exemplary embodiments of various devices, structures and/or methods according to this invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       Various exemplary embodiments of the systems and methods according to this invention will be described in detail, with reference to the following figures, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a series of perspective views of survey monuments according to exemplary embodiments; 
         FIG. 2  is a side plan view of an exemplary monument fitted with an electronic tag according to an exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG. 3  is a side cross-sectional view of the monument shown in  FIG. 2  with the collar  230  positioned to expose an electronic tag; 
         FIG. 4  is a top plan view of the monument shown in  FIG. 3  with the cap removed; 
         FIG. 5  is a top plan view of an exemplary monument fitted with an electronic tag according to a second exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective partially exploded view of the monument shown in  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 7  is an assembled side plan view of the monument shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a monument with an upgrade sleeve according to an exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of an upgrade kit according to an exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG. 10  is a schematic block diagram of a system, which includes an exemplary monument, according to an exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view of another exemplary embodiment of a monument fitted with an electronic tag according to any suitable embodiment; 
         FIGS. 12-14  are a series of top cross-sectional views of monuments, such as the exemplary embodiment shown in  FIG. 11 ; 
         FIG. 15  is a side cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a monument fitted with electronic tags according to an exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG. 16  is a side cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a monument fitted with an electronic tag according to an exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG. 17  is a side cross-sectional view of the monument shown in  FIG. 16  fitted with electronic tags according to another exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG. 18  is a top plan view of the monument shown in  FIG. 17  with the cap removed; 
         FIG. 19  is a side cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a monument fitted with an electronic tag according to an exemplary embodiment; and 
         FIG. 20  is a side cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a monument including an electronic tag according to an exemplary embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     The following description relates to monuments usable as geographic markers (e.g., to mark the location of an asset). Generally, the monuments are provided at a substantially fixed location and can be used, for example, as reference points for determining other locations. It should be appreciated that, although some of the below-outlined embodiments are directed toward survey monuments and particular uses of survey monuments, the disclosed invention is usable with any object that has at least a substantially fixed, known location. For example, in various exemplary embodiments, instead of or in addition to using survey monuments, the disclosed invention may function as a monument to identify a bridge, a building, a portion of a rail road or a signpost. It should also be appreciated that the fixed location of the monument may be relative to a moving object (e.g., a monument may be provided for determining the settling of a structure or land). Likewise, the disclosed monuments may be utilized to identify the locations, specifications or other data relating to buried transformers, cables, conduits and the like. 
     As outlined above, traditional survey monuments can be difficult to locate and/or difficult to identify. Traditional survey monuments are typically identified using a magnetic locator. The magnetic locator emits an audible signal related to the strength of a magnetic field in the area of the locator. A surveyor can thus identify a magnetic object below the ground based on the signal emitted by the locator. However, survey monuments may not be the only buried objects in the area that exhibit a magnetic field. Generally, there is no simple way of identifying whether a specific object is a survey monument, as opposed to, for example, a buried cable, a buried conduit, a buried unexploded ordinance, or other buried ferrous objects. 
     In various exemplary embodiments of a monument according to this invention, the monument includes an electronic marker (e.g., an RFID tag), which may be utilized to help identify the monument. Such identification may be related to identifying the monument as a survey monument (as opposed to, for example, some other buried ferrous object) or identifying a specific monument (as opposed to any other monument). 
     In various exemplary embodiments, the electronic tag or marker is an RFID tag and includes an RFID transceiver and an antenna. In various exemplary embodiments, the RFID tag is a passive RFID tag and does not require a separate power source. In various exemplary embodiments, the RFID tag is an active RFID tag and includes its own power source (e.g., a battery, a photovoltaic cell, etc.). Such active RFID tags may be particularly useful for penetrating metal or other RF-resistant materials provided on or around the RFID tag. 
     The RFID tag may respond to a radio frequency (RF) signal (e.g., a series of radio frequency pulses) transmitted from an RFID reader. In response to the RF signal, the RFID tag may transmit an RF signal back to the reader. The RF signal transmitted by the RFID tag may include any information stored on the RFID tag. For example, the RF signal may include an identification number that identifies the specific RFID tag, and thus the specific monument or other asset associated with that RFID tag (e.g., a permanently locked alphanumeric number of a standard length), a geographic position of the RFID tag and/or the survey marker (e.g., GPS coordinates, latitude and longitude readings, Public Land Survey System (PLSS) coordinates, etc.), information about the date the monument was placed and/or updated, who placed the monument, who last updated the information associated with the monument and/or any other desired information. Additionally, the RFID tag may be able to receive information from the RFID reader and encode that information into a memory of the RFID tag. 
       FIG. 1  shows a series of perspective views of exemplary survey monuments. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the survey monuments may include, for example, a drivable monument  102  (e.g., a survey monument that has a housing of a form (e.g., shape) that is particularly useful for driving into the ground using any known or later-developed methods and tools usable by a person having ordinary skill in the art); an anchored monument  104 , which may have a housing that includes one or more flared flanges  105 ; a breakaway monument  106 , which may have a housing that includes a portion  107  that may break away from the rest of the housing if the monument is forcibly removed from the ground or otherwise disturbed from its location; a low profile monument  108 ; a disc-shaped monument; and/or any other known or later-developed types and/or shapes of monuments usable for surveying, asset management and/or geographic sciences. Additionally, objects that are not traditionally identified as monuments may be utilized. In general, the monument may be any object that maintains a substantially fixed geographic location (relative to the earth or any other desired reference point) and is subsequently desirably located and/or identified. 
       FIGS. 2-4  show a series of views of a portion of a monument  200  (e.g., a drivable monument generally similar to survey monuments  102 ,  104  and  106  shown in  FIG. 1 ) fitted with an electronic tag  300  according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the monument  200  comprises a housing  205  having a generally tube-shaped body or body portion  210  and a cap  220 . In various exemplary embodiments, the tube-shaped portion  210  is a hollow, metal cylinder or pole with an internal void  212  (as shown in  FIG. 4 ). The monument  200  also includes a cover  230 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , in various exemplary embodiments, one or more slots  216  are provided in the tube-shaped portion  210  of the monument  200 . It should be appreciated that the slots  216  may be created during the formation of the tube-shaped portion  210 , cut out of the tube-shaped portion  210  at some later time, and/or provided in any other known or later-developed manner. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the monument  200  includes a magnet  222 , which may be supported, incorporated into or otherwise associated with the cap  220 . As outlined above, the magnet  222  is usable to help locate the monument  200  using any known or later-developed equipment and/or method for locating magnetic objects (e.g., buried survey monuments). The electronic tag  300  (e.g. an RFID tag) is provided in the internal void  212  of the tube-shaped portion  210 . In an exemplary embodiment, the electronic tag  300  includes a metal backing plate or bracket  310 . As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , one or more rivets, bolts, screws or the like may be provided that extend between two of the one or more slots  216  and through the electronic tag  300  and/or bracket  310  to secure the electronic tag  300  and/or bracket to the housing  205  (e.g., to the tube-shaped portion  210 ) of the monument  200 . It should be appreciated that any known or later-developed fastener, adhesive, or the like may be used to secure the electronic tag  300  to the bracket  310  and /or the housing  205  of the monument  200 . For the purposes of this application, all such fasteners, adhesives or the like will be considered part of the housing of the monuments. 
       FIG. 5  shows a top view (with the cap  220  removed) of a second exemplary method for securing the electronic tag  300  to the housing  205  of the monument  200  (e.g., to the tube-shaped portion  210 ). As shown in  FIG. 5 , the electronic tag  300  may be glued or otherwise secured to one or more of the slots  216  of the tube-shaped portion  210  of the monument  200 . It should be appreciated that the electronic tag  300  may be any suitable size or shape. Likewise, two or more electronic tags may be provided in the one or more slots  216 . It should also be appreciated that the slots  216  may act as wave guides to promote the penetration of signals (e.g., RF signals to and/or from the electronic tag  300 ). 
     In various exemplary embodiments, the electronic tag  300  may be positioned such that it is flush to an external surface of the tube-shaped portion  210  and/or other portions of the housing  205  of the monument  200 . It should be appreciated that it may be desirable for the electronic tag  300  to be flush with the external surface of the tube-shaped portion  210  to permit the electronic tag  300 , or an antenna of the electronic tag  300 , to be optimally exposed to external RF or other electronic signals. 
       FIG. 6  shows a partially exploded, perspective view of a portion of the monument shown in  FIG. 5 .  FIG. 7  shows a side plan view of a portion of the monument shown in  FIG. 5  (after assembly). As shown in  FIG. 6 , a cap  220  (e.g., a conventional brass cap similar to those used on traditional survey monuments) may be placed over the end of the tube-shaped portion  210  of the monument  200  and may cover at least a portion of the one or more slots  216 . It should be appreciated that, in various exemplary embodiments, at least a portion of the electronic tags  300  will be visible below the bottom of the cap  220 , such that at least an antenna of the electronic tag  300  is exposed through the slot  216 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , in various exemplary embodiments, a cover  230  is provided over the outer surface of a portion of the housing  205  (e.g., around the tube-shaped portion  210 ) of the monument  200 . As shown in  FIG. 7 , the cover  230  may separate the one or more slots  216  from the external environment. In various exemplary embodiments, the cover  230  helps provide a hermetic seal that protects the electronic tag  300  from the conditions of the external environment (e.g., moisture). It should be appreciated that the cover  230  is generally made of an RF permeable material (e.g., a material that allows RF waves of a desired wavelength to pass through the material). In this manner, the electronic tag  300  may be sealed from the external environment, yet accessible for communication with electronic equipment using RF waves of a desired wavelength. 
     It should be appreciated that the cover  230  may be a single piece (e.g., a sleeve around the tube shaped portion  210 ) or may be comprised of one or more portions (e.g., the portions  230  and  232  shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 ) that interconnect to separate the one or more slots  216  from the external environment. Likewise, it should be appreciated that multiple covers may be provided to separate any one or more of the one or more slots  216  from the external environment. 
       FIG. 8  shows an exemplary embodiment of a monument  200  (e.g., an anchored monument similar to the anchored survey monument  104  shown in  FIG. 1 ) with an upgrade sleeve  400 . The upgrade sleeve  400  is usable to attach an electronic tag (not shown) to a housing  205  of a pre-existing monument  200 . It should be appreciated that the monument  200  may be any of the herein-outlined or other known or later-developed exemplary embodiments of monuments. It should also be appreciated that the electronic tag may be incorporated into a portion of the upgrade sleeve  400  and/or secured between the upgrade sleeve  400  and the monument  200 . For example, the electronic tag may be provided on the outer surface of the housing  205  of the monument  200  and the upgrade sleeve  400  provided over the electronic tag. As such, the upgrade sleeve  400  helps to attach the electronic tag to the housing  205  of the monument  200  (e.g., to a tube-shaped portion  210  of the monument  200 ) and/or to protect the electronic tag without requiring significant structural changes to the monument  200 . It should be appreciated that the upgrade sleeve  400  may be shaped or adapted to conform to the outer surface of any portion of the housing  205  of the monument  200 . 
       FIG. 9  shows an exemplary embodiment of the upgrade sleeve  400 . The exemplary upgrade sleeve  400  includes one or more portions  410  and one or more ties  420 . In the exemplary embodiment shown in  FIG. 9 , the portions  410  can be combined to provide a cylindrical collar that fits around the housing  205  (e.g., the tube-shaped portion  210  or an outer surface) of the monument  200 , as shown in  FIG. 8 . The one or more ties  420  are usable to secure the portions  410  together around the monument  200 . It should be appreciated that the ties  420  may be replaced with any appropriate known or later-developed material, apparatus or method that is usable to connect the portions  410  of the upgrade sleeve  400  together (e.g., in a ring around the monument  200 ). For example, the ties  420  may be replaced with screws, nuts, bolts, glue, epoxy, sonic welding, a tongue and groove style connection and/or any other material, apparatus or method usable to connect the portions  410  together. Likewise, the upgrade sleeve  400  may be a single cylindrical-shaped sleeve that fits around, and secures to, the housing  205  of the monument  200 . Once so secured, for the purposes of this application, the upgrade sleeve  400  becomes a portion of the housing  205 . It should be appreciated that, in various exemplary embodiments, the upgrade sleeve  400  may not encircle or surround the monument  200 . In various exemplary embodiments, the upgrade sleeve  400  may be attached to one side of the monument  200  and may include a U-bolt, clamp or the like that secures and incorporates the upgrade sleeve  400  as part of the housing  205  of the monument  200 . 
       FIG. 10  shows a block diagram of a location system  800 . As shown in  FIG. 10 , the location system  800  includes at least one monument  810 , which may be any of the herein-disclosed monuments and/or any other known or later developed suitable monuments. The monument  810  is placed in a desired location which is to be later located and/or identified (e.g., buried at the location of an asset, attached to an asset, buried at a desired reference point, etc.). In general, the monument  810  is usable to mark a location and/or an object (e.g., by being buried at a desired location, attached to a desired object, or embedded in a desired structure). The monument  810  includes a magnet  812  and an electronic tag  814 . In various exemplary embodiments at least one of the magnet  812  and the electronic tag  814  is attached to a housing of the monument  810 . In various exemplary embodiments at least one of the magnet  812  and the electronic tag  814  is contained within the interior of the housing of the monument  810 . 
     A magnetic locator  820  is usable to perceive (e.g., detect or measure) a magnetic field  822  emitted by the magnet  812 . As outlined above, by perceiving the magnetic field  822  of the magnet  812 , the magnetic locator  820  may be used to locate the monument  810  even if the monument  810  is not visible (e.g., as when the monument  810  is buried below ground). In various exemplary embodiments, the magnetic locator  820  can be used to quickly determine a location where the emitted magnetic field  822  is at its maximum and which relates to a location of the monument  810  (e.g., the magnetic field  822  will generally be larger when the magnetic locator  820  is closer to the monument  810  and thus will reach a maximum when placed directly above a buried monument  810 ). 
     An electronic transceiver  830  is usable to send and receive electronic signals  832  to and from the electronic tag  814 . In various exemplary embodiments, the electronic tag  814  is an RFID tag and the electronic transceiver is an RFID reader. In such exemplary embodiments, the RFID reader sends a signal (e.g., a series of pulses) to the RFID tag and the RFID tag responds with a signal. It should be appreciated that the RFID tag may be a passive RFID tag (e.g., powered by the signal sent from the RFID reader) or an active RFID tag (e.g., an RFID tag that includes its own power supply). 
     The electronic transceiver  830  is in communication with a handheld computer  840 . In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 10 , the electronic transceiver is connected to the handheld computer  840  via a wired connection  834 . However, it should be appreciated that in various other exemplary embodiments the electronic transceiver  830  may be wirelessly connected to the handheld computer  840 , while in still other exemplary embodiments, the electronic transceiver  830  and the handheld computer  840  are the same device or elements of the same device (e.g., the handheld computer  840  may include the electronic transceiver  830 ). 
     The handheld computer  840  is in communication with a server  850 . In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 10 , the handheld computer utilizes wireless link  842  to communicate with the server  842 . It should be appreciated that the wireless link  842  may be any known or later-developed wireless communication link (e.g., a cellular data network, a Bluetooth connection, etc.). Likewise, the wireless link  842  may be replaced with a wired connection such as, for example, an RS-232 serial connection, an I2E serial connection, and/or any other known or later developed connection suitable for providing communication between the handheld computer  840  and the server  850 . Additionally, it should be appreciated that the server  850  may be combined with the handheld computer  840  in a single device. That is, rather than a traditional external server, the handheld computer  840  may utilize internal memory, processing, data storage and the like to perform the functions of a server  850 . 
     In the exemplary embodiment shown in  FIG. 10 , the server  850  includes a database  852 . The database  852  may be usable to store information via any known or later-developed architecture. In various exemplary embodiments, the database  852  will store information that relates to one or more monuments  810  that can be located with the magnetic locator  820  and communicated with via the electronic transceiver  830 . In various exemplary embodiments, a unique identification number is stored on the electronic tag  814  of one or more monument  810 . In such exemplary embodiments, the unique identification number may be usable to query relevant information stored in the database  852  of the server  850 . For example, in various exemplary embodiments, the database  852  may contain information about the service history of several monuments  810  including a unique identification number for each monument  810 . In such exemplary embodiments, when the electronic transceiver  830  receives the unique identification number from the electronic tag  814  of a particular monument  810 , the handheld computer  840  may be used to query the service history of that particular monument  810  by sending the unique identification number of the particular monument  810  to the server  850 . 
     In an exemplary method of using the location system  800 , a user probes a desired area (e.g., an area with one or more buried monuments  810 ) with the magnetic locator  820  until the magnetic locator  820  registers a maximum of a magnetic field (e.g., when the magnetic locator is directly above a buried monument  810 ). The user then utilizes the electronic transceiver  830  to confirm the identity and send a signal to the electronic tag  814  of the located monument  814 ). The electronic tag  814  responds with a signal that relates to desired information about the located monument  814  (e.g., a unique identification number). In turn, the handheld computer  840  communicates with the server  850  to retrieve relevant information about the located monument  814 . 
     It should be appreciated that any desired information may be stored on the server  850  and/or in the database  852 . For example, the server  850  and/or the database  852  may store information related to a service history (e.g., install date, maintenance records, projected removal/replacement date, etc.) of the monument  810  and/or an object related to the monument  810 . Likewise, the server  850  and/or the database  852  may store information about the location of the monument  810  and/or an object associated with the monument  810 . For example, in an exemplary embodiment, the monument  810  may be attached to, or otherwise associated with, a bend, junction, valve, or the like provided in a buried pipe, conduit, or the like. In such exemplary embodiments, a service technician may be able to locate the bend, junction, valve or the like by utilizing the magnetic locator  820  to locate the monument  810  as outlined above. The service technician may then verify that the correct bend, junction, valve, or the like has been found by sending and receiving a signal to and from the electronic tag  814  using the electronic transceiver  830  in order to determine an identification number of the located bend, junction, valve or the like. The service technician may then query the server  850  and/or database  852  using the identification number to determine a service history of the bend, junction, valve or the like. Likewise, the service technician may send information related to the bend, junction, valve or the like to be stored on the server  850  and/or database  852 . For example, the service technician may send the date, time and results of an inspection of the bend, junction, valve or the like to be stored in the server  850  and or database  852  to be accessible by later users inspecting the bend, junction, valve, or the like. 
       FIG. 11  shows another exemplary embodiment of the monument  200 . In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 11 , the housing  205  of the monument  200  includes one or more holes  216  (e.g., in the pole-shaped portion  210  of the body  205 ). In various exemplary embodiments, the holes  216  allow RF signals to penetrate the monument  200 . In this way, if an electronic tag is placed in the internal void of the monument  200 , the RF signals will be able to reach the antenna of the electronic tag. 
     It should be appreciated that the monument  200  may include any number of slots or holes  216 .  FIGS. 12-14  show an exemplary embodiment including four holes  216 . It should be appreciated that the shape and/or size of the slots or holes  216  may be chosen such that the slots or holes  216  act as waveguides and direct RF signals of a desired wavelength into the interior void of the monument  200 . As such, if an electronic tag is placed in the interior void of the monument  200 , the RF signals will be able to reach an antenna of the electronic tag. As shown in  FIG. 11 , a cap  220  may be provided over at least a portion of the tube-shaped portion  210  of the monument  200 . It should be appreciated that, in various exemplary embodiments, the cap  220  may extend over at least a portion of one or more of the slots or holes  216 . In various exemplary embodiments, at least a portion of the cap  220  is RF permeable and allows RF signals of a desired wavelength to pass through the cap  220  and the holes  216  and into the interior void of the monument  200 . 
       FIGS. 12-14  show a series of cross-section views of monuments, such as the exemplary embodiments shown in  FIGS. 2-7  and/or  11 . An electronic tag  300  is shown in the internal void of the tube-shaped portion  210  of the monument  200 . It should be appreciated that the electronic tag  300  may be attached to the housing of the monument (e.g., to the tube-shaped portion  210 ) according to any of the above-outlined or other exemplary embodiments. As shown in  FIG. 12 , the shape of the slots or holes  216  may include approximately parallel walls, such that an internal width of a given slot or hole  216  is approximately the same as an external width of that slot or hole  216 . Alternatively, as shown in  FIG. 13 , the slots or holes  216  may include divergent walls, such that the external width of a given slot or hole  216  is smaller than the internal width of that slot or hole  216 . As shown in  FIG. 17 , in yet another alternative embodiment, the slots or holes  216  may include convergent walls, such that the external width of a given slot or hole  216  is larger than the internal width of that slot or hole  216 . 
       FIG. 15  shows a partial cross-section of an exemplary breakaway monument  500 . As shown in  FIG. 15 , the breakaway monument  500  has a housing  505  that includes a seated body portion  510 , a neck  520  and a head  530 . In use, the breakaway monument  500  may be buried in the ground such that the seated body portion  510  is securely embedded in the ground. If the breakaway monument  500  is disturbed (e.g., pulled out of the ground, pushed horizontally, etc.), the breakaway monument  500  may break at its neck portion  520  such that the head  530  of the breakaway monument  500  follows the disturbance while the seated body portion  510  remains in place. It should be appreciated that a tube-shaped portion (e.g., the above-outlined tube-shaped portion  210 ) may be provided between the upwardly opening portion  540  of the neck  520  and the head  530  of the breakaway monument (e.g., as in the breakaway survey monument  106  shown in  FIG. 1 ). 
     The seated body portion  510  of the housing  505  of the breakaway monument  500  includes a base plate  512  and one or more wings  514 . The base plate  512  and/or wings  514  may help secure the seated body portion  510  of the breakaway monument  500  within the ground when the breakaway monument  500  is buried. An electronic tag  300  is secured to the base plate  514  of the housing  505  of the breakaway monument  500 . In the event that the breakaway monument  500  is disturbed such that the breakaway monument  500  breaks leaving only the seated body portion  510  behind, the electronic tag  300  may continue to provide the desired information relative to the breakaway monument  500  and/or the environment around the breakaway monument  500 . A metal backing plate  320  is provided beneath the electronic tag  300 . In various exemplary embodiments, the backing plate  320  helps improve reception and/or transmission of electronic signals by the electronic tag  300 . In various exemplary embodiments, the backing plate  320  reflects some of the RF signals that pass past the electronic tag  300  back toward the electronic tag  300 . Additionally, a magnet  516  is provided in the seated body portion  510  of the housing  505  of the breakaway monument  500 . The magnet  516  may help locate the seated body portion  510  of the breakaway monument  500  after the monument or the overlying soil has been disturbed according to the above-outlined process. 
     The head portion  530  of the housing  505  of the breakaway monument  500  includes a cap  534  that separates an internal void of the monument  500  from the external environment. The head  530  of the breakaway monument  500  may also include a magnet  532  and/or an electronic tag  300 . 
       FIGS. 16-19  show exemplary embodiments of low profile monuments. As shown in  FIGS. 16 and 17 , an exemplary low profile monument  600  has a housing  605  that includes a cap  610  and a base plate body  620 . The low profile monument  600  also includes a magnet  630  located within the housing  605  of the low profile monument  600 . In various exemplary embodiments the base plate body  620  may include one or more holes  622 . The holes  622  may help secure the low profile monument  600  to buried conduits, cables, pipes or any other known or later-developed object that may be desirably located. In the exemplary embodiment shown in  FIG. 16 , the base plate body  620  also includes one or more projections  624  (e.g., a nail, spike, or the like). The one or more projection  624  may be useful for securing the low profile monument  600  to a desirably located object. As shown in  FIG. 16 , an electronic tag  300  and a metal backing plate  320  are attached to the cap  610  of the housing  605  of the low profile monument  600 . As outlined above, the metal backing plate  320  may help improve the reception and or transmission of electronic signals to and/or from the electronic tag  300 . It should be appreciated that the electronic tag  300  and/or the backing plate  320  may be secured to the cap  610  in any suitable known or later-developed way. In various exemplary embodiments, the electronic tag  300  is secured to the backing plate  320  (e.g., using one or more rivets, epoxy, adhesive, or the like) and the backing plate  320  and/or the electronic tag  300  is secured to the cap  610  (e.g., with adhesive or the like). 
     As shown in  FIGS. 17 and 18 , one or more electronic tags  300  and/or a metal backing plate  320  may be secured to the base plate body  620  of the housing  605  of the low profile monument  600  in addition to or instead of being secured to the cap  610 . It should be appreciated that the one or more electronic tags  300  may be attached to the housing  605  of the low profile monument  600  by securing the one or more tags  300  to a backing plate  320  (e.g., an aluminum or stainless steel washer) and then securing the backing plate  320  to the base plate body  620 . It should be appreciated that while the one or more electronic tags  300  are shown in  FIGS. 16 and 17  on either side the magnet  630  (with the magnet  630  being centrally located on the base plate  620 ), in various exemplary embodiments, the magnet  630  may be offset to one side of the base plate  620  and backing plate  320 , and the one or more electronic tags  300  may be offset to the middle or an opposite side of the backing plate  620 . The magnet pocket in the base plate body  620  and the magnet opening in the backing plate  320  would be likewise offset to whatever position is desired for the magnet  630 . 
       FIG. 19  shows another exemplary embodiment of a low profile monument  700 . As shown in  FIG. 19 , the low profile monument has a housing  705  that includes a metal backing plate  320  and a cap  710 . The low profile monument  700  also includes a magnet  720  and an electronic tag  300  secured to the housing  705  of the low profile monument  700 . In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 19 , the electronic tag  300  is secured to the metal backing plate  320  and/or the cap  710  of the low profile monument  700  and is provided within the housing  705  of the low profile monument  700 , while the magnet  620  is secured to the backing plate  320  and provided outside of the housing  705  of the low profile monument  700 . The low profile monument  700  may be particularly useful as a survey monument which can be buried in the concrete or asphalt of a highway or parking lot extending over a unique geographical point, such as a section corner, where it can be quickly located by use of a magnetic locator and identified and updated without breaking up and excavating the concrete or asphalt overlay by sending an electronic signal to the electronic tag of the monument and reading and updating the information on the tag. 
       FIG. 20  shows another exemplary embodiment of a monument  200  comprising an electronic tag  300  having an outer body portion  302  which comprises a portion of a housing  205  of the monument  200 . As shown in  FIG. 20 , a reflector plate  320  is secured to the lower surface of the housing  205 . A cap  226  is attached to the housing  205  and a magnet  224  is provided within the cap  226 . In various exemplary embodiments, the magnet  224  is also attached to the body portion  302  of the housing  305  of the electronic tag  300 . 
     In various exemplary embodiments, each of the above outlined electronic tags (e.g., the electronic tag  300 ) includes a memory that stores an identification number of that electronic tag. In various exemplary embodiments, the identification numbers of each RFID tag are associated with information stored in a database. The database may include information about the tag and/or the geographical location around the tag. For example, the database may include information about land rights (e.g., boundaries of ownership), global positioning system coordinates of the monument, other known buried objects in the area (including other ferrous objects), information regarding previous inspections of the area and/or any other known or later-developed information. 
     In various exemplary embodiments, some or all of the information stored on the electronic tags is electronically locked (e.g., permanently or via one or more security protocols) to, for example, reduce or prevent counterfeiting and/or tampering. 
     Additionally, the identification number of the electronic tag can be used to verify that an individual visited the site. For example, the reader used by a surveyor may keep records of recently read monuments to verify that the surveyor in fact actually visited the location of the surveying monuments. Likewise, individuals that are required to patrol various locations (e.g., border patrol, security guards, etc.) may carry a portable or vehicle-mounted reader that locates and automatically interacts with asset monuments in the vicinity of the individual and stores information obtained from those monuments. After completing the required patrol route, the identification numbers or other information can be used to verify that the individual traveled through the required area. 
     In various exemplary embodiments, the reader is connected (e.g., via wired or wireless network, such as, for example, over a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, wireless internet connection or the like) to a server that includes the database. In various exemplary embodiments, the reader can display information received from the server and related to an electronic tag read by the reader. 
     In one exemplary embodiment of a method for interacting with a survey monument that includes an electronic tag, a surveyor locates the general location of a survey monument using, for example, a land survey map. The surveyor may then quickly locate and identify the survey monument using a magnetic locator aimed in the general location of the survey monument. He may then confirm the identity of the monument by sending an electronic signal to the monument using an RFID transceiver (RFID reader). The RFID reader may then display useful information to the surveyor, such as, for example, the type of survey monument, the location of the monument, as identified by a global navigation satellite system (e.g., GPS, Galileo, etc.), the location and type of other known objects (ferrous and/or otherwise) in the area, such as objects that may interfere with a magnetic locator, land rights, property boundary lines, easement boundaries and the like for the area and/or any other known or later-developed types of information desirably related to or associated with the location of the survey monument. 
     The surveyor may then take any appropriate action as dictated by the information received from the server, may update information on the server in response to observed or otherwise known changes in the area associated with the surveying monument and/or may update information stored on the electronic tag of the surveying monument. 
     In other exemplary methods for interacting with a located monument that includes an electronic tag, such interaction may be related to, for example, inspection, record keeping and/or verification of site visits. For example, that interaction may be related to bridge inspections, tunnel inspections, rail inspections, dam monitoring, telephone pedestal monitoring, gas transmission monitoring, elevator maintenance, traffic light maintenance, highway sign record keeping, forestry record keeping, commodity record keeping (e.g., crops, petroleum, natural gas, mineral exploration, etc.), HVAC servicing, parks and recreation site visits and the like. 
     Likewise, any service, technology or industry that can utilize location-based information may utilize variants of the above outlined surveying systems. In various exemplary embodiments, the information stored in the database may be related to other city-planning, civil engineering and/or geographic management services. For example, business models may utilize location-based markers to identify local community needs and services in relation to population. 
     Further, in various exemplary embodiments, the above-outlined surveying system is incorporated into and/or includes other geographic information systems (GIS) and/or software. For example, the above-outlined surveying system may be incorporated into or otherwise compatible with known or later-developed GIS software such as that available from ESRI of Redlands, Calif. 
     A surveying system includes a monument with a permanent magnet and an electronically accessible tag or memory, a magnetic locator, an electronic reader and a server. The magnetic locator is usable to quickly locate the monument. The reader is usable to identify the monument by electronically interacting with the tag or memory. The reader is also usable to receive information from the tag or memory. The reader is in communication with the server. The server includes at least one database that stores information related to the monument. The reader is usable to send the information received from the electronic tag or memory of the monument to the server and in return receives information related to the monument from the server. The reader may also be usable to add to, subtract from and/or alter the information stored in the electronic tag or memory. 
     A server includes at least one database. The database includes information related to a geographical location or fixed asset identified by at least one monument. Upon receiving information identifying one such monument, the server outputs at least some of the information related to that monument and/or the geographical location or fixed asset identified by that monument. 
     While this invention has been described in conjunction with the exemplary embodiments outlined above, various alternatives, modifications, variations, improvements and/or substantial equivalents, whether known or that are or may be presently foreseen, may become apparent to those having at least ordinary skill in the art. Accordingly, the exemplary embodiments of the invention, as set forth above, are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention is intended to embrace all known or earlier developed alternatives, modifications, variations, improvements and/or substantial equivalents.