Interesting Tasks Accomplished By Surveyors

By Carey Bourdier


The tasks of surveying have been highly important for thousands of years. Even the ancient Egyptians used surveyors to establish boundary lines between farms. There have been many famous surveyors throughout history, including both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Surveying is a fascinating profession with many applications, but there are types of surveying that you might not have known about.

You probably knew that surveyors often have the important tasks of defining exactly where land boundaries should be set, but you might not have known that this type of surveying is known as cadastral surveying. Determining who owns a specific piece of land or where a city or country's boundary exists has been a hugely important task since the earliest civilizations existed.

There are several different tools that surveyors use to accomplish boundary-related tasks, as well as many other surveying and construction tasks. The theodolite is helpful for measuring angles, whether they are horizontal or vertical. In the earliest times, a groma was an ancient sighting instrument that both the Mesopotamians and Egyptians used among other groups. Egyptians also used measuring ropes and plumb bobs to help with surveying jobs, including the monumental task of designing and building the Pyramids.

It's not just comprehensive work regarding our different types of boundary lines that concern surveyors. These highly trained professionals also work under the surface, as well. Mining beneath the earth is also something that doesn't happen without a surveying engineer present. They help assess safety when mines are being excavated, and also are used for drilling for oil on land.

When it comes to surveying under the sea, it is important for many industries to know what is down at the bottom of the ocean floor. Submersibles and submarines cannot navigate safely without knowing where there are canyons, mountain ranges and other obstacles. Drilling for oil and constructing of offshore oil rigs also require the services of a trained surveying engineer. When working beneath the surface of the land or sea, surveyors use a device called a total station, which incorporates a theodolite and a distance meter, both of which are electronic.

From the earliest days of exploration, the job of cartography has been hugely important, and those who create maps were trained in many aspects of surveying. Lewis and Clark, for instance, were both highly respected surveyors, which is why they were chosen to lead the expedition that explored the Louisiana Purchase. In addition to mapping out the land in great detail, they also had to report back to the government about where settlements could be established and also give an extensive list of the native animals and plants that they encountered.




About the Author:



Aucun commentaire:

Enregistrer un commentaire