Profession

See also: Geomatics, Surveying in North America, and Surveying in Oceania

Head and shoulders portrait of Nain Singh Rawat.

The pundit cartographer Nain Singh Rawat (19th century) received a Royal Geographical Society gold
medal in 1876, for his efforts in exploring the Himalayas for the British

Four women pose with a theodolite, a plane table and two levelling staves.

An all-female surveying crew in Idaho, 1918

The basic principles of surveying have changed little over the ages, but the tools used by surveyors have
evolved. Engineering, especially civil engineering, often needs surveyors.

Surveyors help determine the placement of roads, railways, reservoirs, dams, pipelines, retaining walls,
bridges, and buildings. They establish the boundaries of legal descriptions and political divisions. They
also provide advice and data for geographical information systems (GIS) that record land features and
boundaries.

Surveyors must have a thorough knowledge of algebra, basic calculus, geometry, and trigonometry.
They must also know the laws that deal with surveys, real property, and contracts.

Most jurisdictions recognize three different levels of qualification:

Survey assistants or chainmen are usually unskilled workers who help the surveyor. They place target
reflectors, find old reference marks, and mark points on the ground. The term 'chainman' derives from
past use of measuring chains. An assistant would move the far end of the chain under the surveyor's
direction.

Survey technicians often operate survey instruments, run surveys in the field, do survey calculations, or
draft plans. A technician usually has no legal authority and cannot certify his work. Not all technicians
are qualified, but qualifications at the certificate or diploma level are available.

Licensed, registered, or chartered surveyors usually hold a degree or higher qualification. They are often
required to pass further exams to join a professional association or to gain certifying status. Surveyors
are responsible for planning and management of surveys. They have to ensure that their surveys, or
surveys performed under their supervision, meet the legal standards. Many principals of surveying firms
hold this status.

Related professions include cartographers, hydrographers, geodesists, photogrammetrists, and

Licensing requirements vary with jurisdiction, and are commonly consistent within national borders.
Prospective surveyors usually have to receive a degree in surveying, followed by a detailed examination
of their knowledge of surveying law and principles specific to the region they wish to practice in, and
undergo a period of on-the-job training or portfolio building before they are awarded a license to
practise. Licensed surveyors usually receive a post nominal, which varies depending on where they
qualified. The system has replaced older apprenticeship systems.

A licensed land surveyor is generally required to sign and seal all plans. The state dictates the format,
showing their name and registration number.

In many jurisdictions, surveyors must mark their registration number on survey monuments when
setting boundary corners. Monuments take the form of capped iron rods, concrete monuments, or nails
with washers.

Surveying institutions

Uniformed group poses with theodolites, level staves and octant.

Surveying students with their professor at the Helsinki University of Technology in the late 19th century

Most countries' governments regulate at least some forms of surveying. Their survey agencies establish
regulations and standards. Standards control accuracy, surveying credentials, monumentation of
boundaries and maintenance of geodetic networks. Many nations devolve this authority to regional
entities or states/provinces. Cadastral surveys tend to be the most regulated because of the
permanence of the work. Lot boundaries established by cadastral surveys may stand for hundreds of
years without modification.

Most jurisdictions also have a form of professional institution representing local surveyors. These
institutes often endorse or license potential surveyors, as well as set and enforce ethical standards. The
largest institution is the International Federation of Surveyors (Abbreviated FIG, for French: Fédération
Internationale des Géomètres). They represent the survey industry worldwide.

Building surveying

Main article: Building surveying § Profession

Most English-speaking countries consider building surveying a distinct profession. They have their own
professional associations and licensing requirements. A building surveyor can provide technical building
advice on existing buildings, new buildings, design, compliance with regulations such as planning and
building control. A building surveyor normally acts on behalf of his or her client ensuring that their
vested interests remain protected. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is a world-
recognised governing body for those working within the built environment.[19]

Cadastral surveying

Main article: Cadastral surveying

See also: Cadastre § Surveys

One of the primary roles of the land surveyor is to determine the boundary of real property on the
ground. The surveyor must determine where the adjoining landowners wish to put the boundary. The
boundary is established in legal documents and plans prepared by attorneys, engineers, and land
surveyors. The surveyor then puts monuments on the corners of the new boundary. They might also find
or resurvey the corners of the property monumented by prior surveys.

Cadastral land surveyors are licensed by governments. The cadastral survey branch of the Bureau of
Land Management (BLM) conducts most cadastral surveys in the United States.[20] They consult with
Forest Service, National Park Service, Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Fish and Wildlife
Service, Bureau of Reclamation, and others. The BLM used to be known as the General Land Office
(GLO).

In states organized per the Public Land Survey System (PLSS), surveyors must carry out BLM cadastral
surveys under that system.

Cadastral surveyors often have to work around changes to the earth that obliterate or damage boundary
monuments. When this happens, they must consider evidence that is not recorded on the title deed.
This is known as extrinsic evidence.[21]

Noteworthy surveyors

Three of the four U.S. Presidents on Mount Rushmore were land surveyors. George Washington,
Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln surveyed colonial or frontier territories prior to serving office.

David T. Abercrombie practiced land surveying before starting an outfitter store of excursion goods. The
business would later turn into Abercrombie & Fitch lifestyle clothing store.
Percy Harrison Fawcett was a British surveyor that explored the jungles of South America attempting to
find the Lost City of Z. His biography and expeditions were recounted in the book The Lost City of Z and
were later adapted on film screen.

Inō Tadataka produced the first map of Japan using modern surveying techniques starting in 1800, at the
age of 55.

See also

Burt's solar compass – Surveying instrument that uses the sun's direction instead of magnetism

Cartography – Study and practice of making maps

Exsecant – Trigonometric function defined as secant minus one

International Federation of Surveyors – Global organization for the profession of surveying and related
disciplines

Prismatic compass – Navigation and surveying instrument to measure magnetic bearing

Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors – Organization

Surveying in early America

Surveying in North America

References

"Definition". [Link]. Retrieved 17 February 2016.

Hong-Sen Yan & Marco Ceccarelli (2009), International Symposium on History of Machines and
Mechanisms: Proceedings of HMM 2008, Springer, p. 107, ISBN 978-1-4020-9484-2

Johnson, Anthony, Solving Stonehenge: The New Key to an Ancient Enigma. (Thames & Hudson, 2008)
ISBN 978-0-500-05155-9

Lewis, M. J. T. (23 April 2001). Surveying Instruments of Greece and Rome. Cambridge University Press.
ISBN 9780521792974. Retrieved 30 August 2012.

Turner, Gerard L'E. Nineteenth Century Scientific Instruments, Sotheby Publications, 1983, ISBN 0-
85667-170-3

Sturman, Brian; Wright, Alan. "The History of the Tellurometer" (PDF). International Federation of
Surveyors. Retrieved 20 July 2014.

Cheves, Marc. "Geodimeter-The First Name in EDM". Archived from the original on 10 March 2014.
Retrieved 20 July 2014.

Mahun, Jerry. "Electronic Distance Measurement". [Link]. Archived from the original on 29
July 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
Key, Henk; Lemmens, Mathias. "Robotic Total Stations". GIM International. GIM International. Retrieved
17 October 2020.

"Real-Time Kinematic (RTK): Chapter 5- Resolving Errors". Hexagon. Hexagon. Retrieved 5 September
2021.

Toni Schenk, Suyoung Seo, Beata Csatho: Accuracy Study of Airborne Laser Scanning Data with
Photogrammetry, p. 118 Archived 25 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine

"View DigitalGlobe Imagery Solutions @ Geospatial Forum". 4 June 2010.

"CAD for Surveying". Tutorgram. Tutorgram. Retrieved 9 September 2020.

Ronalds, B.F. (2016). Sir Francis Ronalds: Father of the Electric Telegraph. London: Imperial College
Press. ISBN 978-1-78326-917-4.

Kahmen, Heribert; Faig, Wolfgang (1988). Surveying. Berlin: de Gruyter. p. 9. ISBN 3-11-008303-5.
Retrieved 10 August 2014.

BC Punmia (2005). Surveying by BC Punmia. p. 2. ISBN 9788170088530. Retrieved 9 December 2014.

N N Basak (2014). Surveying and Levelling. p. 542. ISBN 9789332901537. Retrieved 28 July 2016.

BC Punmia (2005). Surveying by BC Punmia. p. 2. ISBN 9788170088530. Retrieved 9 December 2014.

"Building Surveyors London - ZFN Chartered Surveyors". ZFN. Retrieved 12 March 2021.

A History of the Rectangular Survey System by C. Albert White, 1983, Pub: Washington, D.C. : U.S. Dept.
of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management : For sale by Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O.,

Richards, D., & Hermansen, K. (1995). Use of extrinsic evidence to aid interpretation of deeds. Journal of
Surveying Engineering, (121), 178.

Further reading

Library resources about

Surveying

Resources in your library

Resources in other libraries

Brinker, Russell C; Minnick, Roy, eds. (1995). The Surveying Handbook. doi:10.1007/978-1-4615-2067-2.
ISBN 978-1-4613-5858-9.

Keay J (2000), The Great Arc: The Dramatic Tale of How India was Mapped and Everest was Named,
Harper Collins, 182pp, ISBN 0-00-653123-7.

Pugh J C (1975), Surveying for Field Scientists, Methuen, 230pp, ISBN 0-416-07530-4

Genovese I (2005), Definitions of Surveying and Associated Terms, ACSM, 314pp, ISBN 0-9765991-0-4.
Public Land Survey System Foundation (2009) Manual of Surveying Instructions For the Survey of the
Public Lands of the United States. [Link]

External links

Look up surveying in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Surveying.

Géomètres sans Frontières : Association de géometres pour aide au développement. NGO Surveyors
without borders (in French)

The National Museum of Surveying The Home of the National Museum of Surveying in Springfield,
Illinois

Land Surveyors United Support Network Global social support network featuring surveyor forums,
instructional videos, industry news and support groups based on geolocation.

Natural Resources Canada – Surveying Good overview of surveying with references to construction
surveys, cadastral surveys, photogrammetry surveys, mining surveys, hydrographic surveys, route
surveys, control surveys and topographic surveys

Table of Surveying, 1728 Cyclopaedia

Surveying & Triangulation The History of Surveying And Survey Equipment

NCEES National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES)

NSPS National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS)

Ground Penetrating Radar FAQ Using Ground Penetrating Radar for Land Surveying

Survey Earth A Global event for professional land surveyors and students to remeasure planet in a single
day during summer solstice as a community of land surveyors.

Surveyors – Occupational Employment Statistics