This article discusses the method by which the author designed a survey to characterize the differential distribution of artifact types across the entire 450 hectare surface of Tell al-Hiba (ancient Lagash) in southern Iraq. As a guide to the ongoing excavations of the Lagash Archaeological Project (LAP), geographic information systems (GIS) and mobile GIS were employed in a manner that maximized the speed, reliability, and consistency of the survey. An extensive survey, with complete collection of artifacts and ecofacts at preset nodes on a site grid, a small group of surveyors completed the data collection and the processing of those collections within two field seasons. Reliance on GNSS-enabled tablets on which were installed a minimalist and bilingual data collection form, reduced in-field recording errors and the variability between surveyors to the greatest extent possible. Importantly, the tools and process proved simple enough that new surveyors were quickly trained and integrated into the team. And though the LAP surface survey used QGIS, ArcGIS Field Maps, and Apple iPads, the process could be replicated with other software and/or hardware, or adapted to meet different goals.