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CHAINLINK SURVEY
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Field data · COGO · stakeout

A survey data collector,
already in your pocket.

Import your existing points, set up over a known or assumed point, and shoot. ChainLink records your shots and works out coordinates in 2D or full 3D, then runs the COGO — inverse, intersections, resection, traverse adjustment, areas, and stakeout to points, lines, and curves. Works with no signal, with whatever total station you're running, and sends the file back to the office when you're done.

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A note from the maker

I work on a survey crew. My last outfit ran high-tech gear. Then I moved across the country to support family, and the field tool I was handed at the new job was an HP 48GX — a graphing calculator from the early '90s with survey programs loaded on it, far too antiquated for modern tasks, in my opinion. I had a smartphone in my pocket the whole time, but I couldn't find a single app that would record measurements and run COGO on a phone.

So I built what I wanted: something that runs on the phone already on me and works with no signal.

It's grown well past what I first needed. It works in 2D or full 3D, handles the heavier COGO — resection, intersections, traverse adjustment, areas with curved boundaries — and stakes out points, lines, and curves. It'll reduce two-face shots, average points for tighter control, apply atmospheric and scale corrections, and export to CSV, DXF, LandXML, or a PDF field book for the office. I hope it's useful for you.

— Michael P. Ross
What it is

How it works.

ChainLink is a single self-contained app — nothing to install, no account, and it keeps working with no signal once it's loaded. It turns the angles and distances from the gun into real coordinates, draws them on a plot you can see and edit, and does the layout math.

Whether you've never had a collector, yours just quit in the field, or you're laying out your own project with a borrowed or used gun — it's the same tool, and you don't have to be licensed to use it.

What it does

The tools it has.

›Turns your shots into coordinates, with the weather and prism corrections built in
›Distance and direction between any two points, and find points where lines cross
›Guides you to lay out a point, a line, or a curve — tells you which way to move the rod
›Draw lines and curves, get areas and acreage, work along a baseline
›Send your work to the office — CSV, DXF, LandXML, a PDF plot or field book
›Works with no signal. Pan, zoom, and tap the plot to fix anything
Install it

Add it to your device like an app.

ChainLink is a web app — open it once and add it to your home screen, then it launches full-screen and runs offline. No store, no download.

Android
  1. Open the app in Chrome
  2. Tap the ⋮ menu, top-right
  3. Tap Install app (or Add to Home screen)
iPhone / iPad
  1. Open the app in Safari
  2. Tap the Share button
  3. Tap Add to Home Screen
PC / Mac
  1. Open the app in Chrome or Edge
  2. Click the install icon in the address bar
  3. Click Install

Once installed, it keeps working with no signal — your data stays on your device.

⚠ iPhone & iPad — read this On Apple devices, some file features are limited (saving exports to a chosen folder isn't supported in Safari), and iOS may clear a web app's stored data after long periods without opening it. Export your jobs to CSV regularly so you always have a permanent copy — don't rely on the phone keeping them indefinitely.

No account, no card, nothing to sign up for — open it and it's yours.

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ChainLink is a field tool provided as-is. Always verify critical measurements against known control, and follow the procedures and regulations that apply to your work. It is not a substitute for licensed surveying where the law requires one.