Primary evidence for spatial responsibility and boundary validation.
The following authorities share a consistent, global consensus: Web-based maps and non-geodetic spatial tools are referential and carry no legal authority for professional use.
| Authority Body | Stated Limitation | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Google / Tech | Assumption of user risk; actual conditions differ. | View Canon |
| USGS / National | Not the legal record; no authority for boundaries. | View Canon |
| NGA / Defense | Unacceptable for mission-critical operations. | View Canon |
| GSI / OS / Regional | Positional variation; no responsibility accepted. | View Canon |
"When you use Google Maps/Google Earth's map data, traffic, directions, and other content, you may find that actual conditions differ from the map results and content, so exercise your independent judgment and use Google Maps/Google Earth at your own risk."
Primary Source (External —Content maintained by the originating authority):
https://www.google.com/help/terms_maps/"GIS base maps are referential. They are not the legal record of original survey measurements. ... As such, GIS maps do not carry legal authority to determine a boundary or the location of fixed works."
Primary Source (External —Content maintained by the originating authority):
https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2002/of02-370/joffe.html"the use of Web Mercator and other non-WGS 84 spatial reference systems may cause geo-location / geo-coordinate errors up to 40,000 meters. ... This erroneous geospatial positioning information poses an unacceptable risk to global safety of navigation."
Primary Source (External —Content maintained by the originating authority):
NGA Advisory via GPS World"It is not possible for Ordnance Survey to replicate the exact position of each physical feature on the ground. ... No responsibility can be accepted for any actions carried out by users using information on this website [GSI]."
Primary Sources (External —Content maintained by the originating authorities):
Presence of these coordinates does not constitute professional validation. You must reconcile these outputs against the Citation Canon above before use in legal or engineering projects.
Return to Coordinate Tools →Professional engineering and surveying transformations from state-specific conformal grids to GPS WGS84.
Because the North American Plate moves ~2cm/year, NAD83(2011) and WGS84(G1762) currently diverge by over 2.2 meters. Using a "standard" GPS WGS84 coordinate for a high-precision NAD83 cadastral staking has triggered $50,000 Professional Liability claims for foundational rework and utility misplacement.