Rocque's "Exact Survey of the City and Suburbs of Dublin" commenced in the autumn of 1754 and was published in four sheets just two years later. The map was drawn to a similar scale to his London plan upon 24 sheets, of two hundred feet to an inch, and portrayed "all publick buildings, dwelling houses, ware houses, stables, courts, yards &c'". Also depicted are numerous places of worship including Anglican churches, "Roman chappels", French churches, Presbyterian, and Quaker meeting houses, together with warehouses ad areas of manufacture.

At the time of printing Dublin's population was around 100,000; the city having greatly expanded from its mediaeval walls. Numerous churches and chapels crowd the medieval city, with the castle dominating to the right; not far to the south is St Patrick's cathedral, where Jonathan Swift was dean. To the right of the plan are Trinity College Dublin, Parliament House, and the fashionable St. Stephen's Green to the south. To the left the Barracks, Royal Hospital and the City work house are clearly marked.

Although first published in 1756, the Exact Survey was subsequently subject to various minor, piecemeal revisions, some of them corrections, others to take account of some of the new developments. These revisions continued after Rocque's death in 1762 until at least 1769. A second edition, with more extensive revisions by Rocque's brother-in-law Bernard Scalé, the present example, was issued by the London publisher, Robert Sayer, in 1773.

Rare we are only able to trace one institutional copy dated 1773: in the BNF in Paris.