Question 1

Can you map overgrown or abandoned cemeteries where many markers are hidden by vegetation?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Sentry Mapping can map overgrown or abandoned cemeteries even when headstones are buried in vegetation as long as the ground is clear enough for our GPR scanner to navigate the surface like a push mower would. We use ground penetrating radar cemetery surveys plus precision GPS to locate marked and unmarked graves without digging, then deliver a printed master map and an interactive web map your staff and visitors can search.

Sentry Mapping’s cemetery mapping is a strong fit for overgrown or abandoned cemeteries because we do not rely on visible headstones. Using ground penetrating radar cemetery scanning, we survey the grounds in a grid and pinpoint soil disturbance and voids that indicate burials, supporting unmarked grave detection even when markers are hidden, broken, or gone. The GPR scanner needs to roll across the ground much like a push mower, so if vegetation is too dense to navigate safely, you typically only need light trimming or mowing in the scan lanes — not excavation.

We then combine subsurface results with survey-grade GPS and drone mapping for a high-resolution aerial view of paths, sections, and remaining monuments. This produces practical, shareable deliverables: updated burial plot mapping, cemetery GIS mapping layers, and a clickable, searchable web map, plus a printed master map for the office.

For ongoing recordkeeping, you can manage everything in a cemetery management software program. We serve cemeteries across the 48 contiguous U.S. states.

Question 2

Do you provide training materials or handoff documentation so staff can confidently use and maintain the digital records?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Sentry Mapping includes a clear handoff so your team can run your digital cemetery mapping with confidence. You get a printed master map and a clickable web map for quick lookups. If you also choose Chronicle cemetery management software, your records are organized in a full management system with access to free Chronicle Learning Hub videos, templates, and ongoing support.

Sentry Mapping plans every cemetery mapping project with a practical handoff for day-to-day record keeping.

At Final Delivery, you receive a printed master map plus a searchable web map your staff can open from any device. This web map is a read-only cemetery GIS mapping tool in a user-friendly format, so staff can quickly find a name, lot, or section and answer visitor questions faster.

If you need full record-keeping capabilities beyond the web map, Chronicle cemetery management software is a separate option that lets you manage your burial plot mapping and records in one system where you can search, filter, and click a gravesite to see and edit details. This makes digitizing cemetery records much easier and helps reduce mistakes, especially when your project includes ground penetrating radar cemetery scanning for unmarked grave detection.

For training on Chronicle, your team can use the free Chronicle Learning Hub, which provides step-by-step videos and downloadable templates for topics like cemetery data audits, records management, and strategic mapping. Chronicle is designed so you do not need months of training and support is available when you need it.

Question 3

How long does it take to map a municipal cemetery from survey to web‑map launch?

Accepted Answer

Sentry Mapping’s cemetery mapping service instantly turns ground-penetrating radar and high-precision GPS survey data into a clean, scalable cemetery map. Every grave—including unmarked burials—appears in its exact location, and plot boundaries are redrawn automatically, giving you an accurate master map plus an interactive online version within a few days to a few weeks depending on the size of your cemetery.

Professional cemetery mapping with Sentry Mapping replaces time-consuming hand redrawing with automated digital drafting. After technicians scan your grounds with high-frequency ground penetrating radar, they capture accurate GPS points for each marked and unmarked grave. Those coordinates flow directly into GIS software, where AutoCAD-style routines auto-draft fresh lot lines, walking paths, and section labels. The result is a to-scale cemetery plot map that matches reality—no guesswork, no erasure marks.

Need to update a burial record later? Edits made in Chronicle cemetery management software immediately appear on both maps, eliminating duplicate data entry. Municipal GIS officers can also import the shapefiles and attribute tables directly into ArcGIS or QGIS, keeping citywide records in sync. Because the entire drafting workflow is automated from the original survey data, you avoid costly drafting fees and gain a future-proof, digital foundation for perpetual care, plot auditing, and heritage preservation.

Question 4

What are best practices for preserving heritage in historic cemeteries with missing records?

Accepted Answer

Sentry Mapping's cemetery mapping with ground-penetrating radar and easy software is the safest way to safeguard heritage when paper burial records are lost. First locate every marked and unmarked grave, digitize old ledgers and photos, create a searchable plot map, then share it online for staff and families.

Digital cemetery mapping protects fragile history even when ledgers are missing. Start with a non-invasive ground-penetrating radar cemetery survey to reveal every burial, marked or unmarked, without disturbing soil. Sentry Mapping crews couple high-frequency GPR with precision GPS for dependable unmarked grave detection and burial-plot mapping accurate to the inch. Drone imagery and headstone photographs are synced to each coordinate so caretakers see exactly what sits above and below ground in the cemetery GIS mapping portal.

Next, scan any surviving deeds, notebooks, or obituaries and import them into a cemetery management software program. The system links every document to the right plot, and its grave-locating search returns results in seconds, ending guesswork. Add oral histories while elders are still available, and flag cultural or veteran markers so maintenance crews can protect them.

Finally, publish a public-facing web map through Sentry Mapping that can be periodically edited to stay current, reducing staff calls and accidental plot reuse so descendants can find relatives online. If you need full record-keeping capabilities, we also offer a complete cemetery management software program.

Schedule an annual walk-through to capture new interments and condition photos; the GIS map updates in minutes, keeping heritage data alive. By combining GPR detection, digitization, and open GIS sharing you create a living record that respects the past and guides every future decision.

Question 5

Who retains legal ownership of the digital map data and raw GIS files once a municipal cemetery mapping project is complete?

Accepted Answer

In a municipal cemetery mapping project with Sentry Mapping, the municipality keeps legal ownership of the cemetery's digital map data and raw GIS files. Sentry delivers the maps and may host a web map, but the data remains yours.

With Sentry Mapping cemetery mapping for a municipal cemetery, you retain legal ownership of the digital cemetery mapping dataset and the raw GIS files that describe your plots and burials. The project deliverables from burial plot mapping and grave locating become part of your records and your GIS.

At final delivery, you should receive the completed cemetery GIS mapping layers (grave points, plot polygons, sections, roads, and searchable fields) plus a printed master map and a web map link your staff and the public can use. Your records and map layers stay under your exclusive ownership even while they are hosted online. This makes it easier to integrate the data into your city GIS and avoid vendor lock-in.

Sentry Mapping retains only its proprietary equipment and workflows used to collect and process ground penetrating radar cemetery scans and GPS observations.

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