PENNSYLVANIA ORIGINAL LAND RECORDS SERIES FOR YORK COUNTY, PA

Software version 4.09, copyright 1999

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: IBM or compatibles; 486+; Windows 95, 98 or NT; 3 1/2 floppy drive; 8mb RAM; mouse; color monitor; all Windows printers are supported; plotter supported.

FEATURES:

Complete, full featured on-line help.

Numeric keypad data entry for those who enter large amounts of data.

Accepts directions, distances and curve data to obtain a scaled map that can include multiple tracts and structures.

Optional entry of x,y coordinates and latitude / longitude accepted, but not required.

Editing of deed call data now includes Cut, Copy and Paste.

Permits user selected scale and "zooming."

Determines area, net area, closure and precision.

Accepts bearings, azimuths, deflections, interior angles, feet, meters, varas, chains, rods, poles, perches and links.

Special curve editor provides powerful curve handling capabilities.

Distances can be converted to unw units in any order, at any time.

Can be put into metric mode for the inputting and bringing of metric data.

Individual deed call can be omitted on the printout.

Many metes and bounds descriptions can be read directly if inputed from your word processor. Very nice feature.

Text can be added to your map; Text can be sized and rotated.

Files saved individually.

Number of deed calls, tracts and notes limited only by available memory and by a maximum editor size of 32,500 characters. The disk file may contain 62,500 bytes. (I think we're talking several thousand connected surveys - this can handle a huge file.)

Accepts reference to standard government sections and permits direct entry of rectangular surveys.

Uses a "?" feature to solve missing line, curve or radias. A fabulous feature!

Selection, translation (shifting) and rotation of a tract easily accomplished by "clicking" the mouse.

Tracts can optionally be rotated by an editor command. Mouse rotation is also permitted.

Finds direction and distance from any point on a property line to any other visible point.

Overlaps and gaps can be directly measured.

All tracts and text can be moved as a single unit on the paper.

Menu selectable items: broken lines, colored lines, bold lines, hatching, deed call labeling, circling corners, labeling corners and toggling section view.

Data, including date and title, can usually be included in a "data box" on the same sheet as the map.

.DXF files can be exported for use with CAD and GIS programs.

.WMF files can be saved to file for use by most word processors.

Unscroll menu option will quickly undo previous scrolling.

A powerful "Analyze Menu" option helps solve tracts that have poor closure. Can also be used to help solve a faulty non-tangent curve.

Balancing be be used to adjust all boundary lines in a tract so as to force closure.

An easement and right-of-way solver accepts a baseline of centerline description of constant width. Easement will then become visible on your may and area of easement will be computed.

The mouse can be used to create text. The calls will be placed in the text editor.

Keeps and Exceptions can be color-coded and net area calculated.

DR. HIVELY'S REVIEW:

Deed Plotter+ comes self-contained on a 3 1/2 floppy, and printed manual.

Installation was very easy and straightforward. Hard Drive space required is minimal, just over 1 MB.

The "windows help," coupled with a printed manual are a huge plus. Whether one cares to follow 'on screen' helps, or read from a printed page, both formats are provided. Deed Plotter +'s Windows Help has a number of fine attributes. First, when it opens, the entire file index fills the screen to be viewed at one glance.

The tutorial in the manual is straightforward and uncomplicated. Moving around within the various components of the program is carefully explained.

I input my "standard" test survey so quickly that I was surprised that it was completed as soon as it was. The software auto-computes acreage.

For printing, Deed Plotter+ has a very nice "Print Preview" feature that allows the user to see the entire page on screen before it is printed. This allows one to change scale, fiddle with the look of the page, or add other text documentation to get your printout just right the first time.

Multiple "connected-draft" surveys are possible from any existing tract corner.

Export files supports .DXF and .WMF for generic CAD or word processing meta files. Both of these file extensions are industry standard: DXF for Auto-CAD and most other major CAD programs; WMF for "Windows Meta Format" - inclusion in text documents.

Deed Plotter+ files are proprietary and use a ".DES" file extension. My comment here is pandemic of almost all survey plotting software. Most deed / survey software have their "own" file extensions, that are incompatible with generic or more popular file formats. Should one require import of a file produced with another program, this software does not allow for it.

Two superb features:

First, Deed Plotter+ has a "Conversion" sub-menu that has the ability to read and convert well written text from a word processor deed description automatically into standard metes and bounds. If your deed or survey is described already and in computer text language, then "Deed Conversion" may be able to automatically read, convert and plot the tract. This is a very nice feature.

Second, one that I particularly find neat. Many colonial or older deed descriptions are full of errors by transcription, due to the condition of the document (paper creases, age or water spots, faded text, etc.) or simply illegible. Deep Plotter+ has an "Analyze Tract" feature that will identify faulty line calls that affect closure, or look for lines that are too long or too short, or bearings that have transposed digits, are in the wrong quadrant or are reversed in direction. This feature becomes a computerized detective as to what may be wrong with the tract description and offers suggestions in descending priority as to what may be the culprit. Another very nice feature.

Editing of text, line, line types, colors, auto-line labeling, rotation of text, tract, and a host of other useful features are offered.

The printed manual has very nice sections on "Introduction to surveying principals" and "Fundamentals of Surveying law." If you do much of this kind of work, or have more than passing interest on how it all works, the folks at Greenbriar have done a first-rate job with their documentation.

This is one software program that has "advanced features" that the novice may not require, but they don't get in the way, either. It allows for expanded possibilities as one's expertise, knowledge and requirements may expand.

The memory size of the program (about 1 MB) and the RAM requirement for usage (8 MB) make this a very good choice for laptop users and others who don't have, or don't care to use up a lot RAM and hard drive space.

Altogether, Deed Plotter+ is a very fine deed / survey plotting program.

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