Once a reference set is on a site, every surveyed point in it becomes its own map layer — visible on your maps, grouped under the site and the set it came from. You can click any point to see exactly what was surveyed, and set its status so the rest of your team knows what's still standing.
This article covers:
finding your reference points in the Layer Panel
reading a point's surveyed attributes
what the icon shapes and colours mean
setting a point's status
using table view to see a whole set at once
Create a CSV or PDF report for your points
Note: Reference points come from GCP and prism reference sets, which require an Ultimate plan. See How to upload GCP and prism reference sets to a site in Birdi.
When to use reference points on the map
Checking control before a flight — see which GCPs are still active and which have been destroyed, before you drive out.
Verifying a survey — confirm the points your map was processed against are where you expect.
Planning a re-survey — find the points marked warning or destroyed that need re-establishing.
Monitoring prisms — see your prism network in context with the imagery.
Briefing a contractor — show exactly where control sits, on the map, rather than in a spreadsheet.
Step-by-step: working with reference points
1. Find your points in the Layer Panel
Open a map at a site that has reference sets. In the Layer Panel, your points are grouped under the site and then the set they belong to. Each surveyed point is its own layer.
2. Zoom to fit a set
To bring a whole set into view, use zoom to fit on the set.
This is the quickest way to see the spread of your control across a site.
3. Read the icons
You can tell a lot without clicking anything:
Icon shape shows the point type — so GCPs and prisms are distinguishable at a glance.
Icon colour shows the point's status — active, warning, destroyed or planned.
Type | Icon |
Prism |  |
GCP Locations |  |
Check Points |  |
Elevation Points |  |
Max Elevation |  |
Min Elevation |  |
TLZ Area |  |
Auscors Site |  |
PSM Location |  |
4. Select a point to see its details
Select any point to open its details. You'll see:
ID — the point's identifier from your CSV
Type — GCP or prism
Embankment (Prism only) — the embankment the point sits on, where recorded
Easting, Northing and Elevation — the surveyed coordinates
Coordinate system — the system the values were uploaded in
Source file — the CSV the point came from
Tip: The source file is the fastest way to confirm which survey a point on the map came from — useful when a site has several versions of a set.
5. Set a point's status
Set a point's status to record its condition on the ground:
Active — the point is in place and usable
Warning — the point is disturbed, damaged or questionable
Destroyed — the point is gone
Planned — the point is intended but not yet established
Note: A status change applies to the physical point, not to one map's copy of it. Mark a GCP destroyed once and it shows as destroyed on every map at that site that includes it. That's the point — one person updating after a site visit keeps everyone else correct.
6. Open table view for a set
Table view lists every point in a set with its attributes, so you can review a whole network at once rather than clicking through points one at a time.
Use it to:
scan the set for points marked warning or destroyed
check IDs and coordinates against your own records
get an overview before planning a re-survey
7. Export your points as a CSV of PDF report
From the table view export options or right click menu on a GCP or Prism set folder you can export a CSV or PDF report.
How re-surveys affect points already on a map
When you upload a new version of a reference set, points already on existing maps do not move. Those maps keep the survey they were added from.
This is deliberate:
A map you've already measured, annotated and reported against stays consistent.
Anything you've built on that map still lines up with the control it was processed against.
New maps pick up the current version of the set.
Status is the exception. Because status describes the physical point rather than a set of coordinates, a status change flows through to every map showing that point.
Best practice tips
Update status straight after a site visit. A destroyed GCP that's still shown as active sends someone on a wasted trip.
Use warning honestly. A disturbed point that still reads active is worse than no point at all.
Check control before you fly, not after — zoom to fit the set and scan the colours.
Use planned points for the next establishment round, so the field crew can see what's intended.
Keep point IDs consistent across re-surveys, so the same physical point is recognisable over time.
Cross-check the source file when a point looks wrong before assuming the survey is at fault.
Related articles
How to upload GCP and prism reference sets to a site in Birdi
How to use Sites in Birdi