The Texas General Land Office has launched a new self-service platform that allows land surveyors to request and download Working Sketch symbols and Computer-Aided Design (CAD) blocks online, the agency announced in a news release.
According to the GLO, Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham announced the platform, which comes from the agency’s Surveying Department. The GLO demonstrated the update at the Texas Society of Professional Surveyors Convention & Tech Expo, held Oct. 7-10, 2026.
The agency said the platform makes it easier for surveyors to use the GLO’s Working Sketch symbols and CAD blocks for tasks ranging from preparing for the exam to become a Licensed State Land Surveyor in Texas to interpreting historic maps and compiling maps together with original land grant descriptions.
Previously, land surveyors had to request CAD blocks by emailing staff, who then sent files manually, according to the release. The GLO said that process was inefficient for agency staff and created unnecessary waiting time for busy surveyors and surveying students. Now, the agency said, the surveying community can independently access and download CAD blocks from the GLO website and integrate them into their workflows.
The GLO explained that CAD blocks are essential to land surveying and drafting in general. They can serve as standard symbols representing recurring features such as utility poles, fire hydrants, utility handholes, water valves and property boundary markers, the agency said. They can also denote trees and other vegetation on topographical and site plans, create standardized map annotations and build map legends.
“The Texas General Land Office (GLO) is the oldest state agency, and surveying has been a vital part of the GLO since it was established in 1836,” Buckingham said in the release. “Today, GLO surveys define the boundaries of Permanent School Fund land supporting Texas public education in all 254 Texas counties, and Texas itself.”
“I am excited to provide land surveyors with an additional way to access the GLO’s vast resources with our new, self-service online platform,” Buckingham said. “The GLO will continue working to support the surveying community and advancements in one of the agency’s longest-held traditions.”