The land surveying technology has experienced development through the years. Today, the art and science of the land surveying is more advanced comparing to the simple tools and practices used by the Egyptians. The latest technology and advancement has shaped this field as a separate subject. With the implications of technological innovations; the job of surveying becomes more accurate and can be accomplished with great speed and efficacy.
This discipline of land survey technology is multidisciplinary and is extensive in nature. This particular technology has come with a lot of advancement and includes different areas such as; Geo-informatics, Marring & Surveying Techniques, Cadastral Surveying, Boundary analysis, Computer based Mapping, Computer & Database Aided Drafting, Geodetic Surveying and use of GIS, GPS, and Autocad, etc. Furthermore, the different fields of the land survey technology also interact to offer engineers’ general competence within this field. (Southeast Tech)
The recent advancement within the field of land survey technology includes satellite positioning system. With the innovation of this recent technology, the land surveyors can easily measure the features and associated data. Today, there is no need to take manual measurements as the comprehensive utilization of satellite positioning system has made things easy. With this technology, the measurements are taken from space using satellite. This technology has already helped for the construction of large projects such as; Dams and roads where infrastructure can be complex and complicated. In these areas, the satellite positioning system provides the right information about size, location, and coordinates which are essential for any project. (Southeast Tech)
The 3D Laser Scanners is also making a great contribution to the field of Land Survey Technology. The 3D laser scanner is a device of great importance these days because engineers can make 3D model to show the details about shapes, contours and the exact appearance of the land.
These devices allow easy and accurate interpretation of the information about the 3D model. The data obtained from the 3D laser scanner is of prime importance for the architects to build and design the heavy structures. With this technology they not only visualize the building structures, but also get the information about the conditions which may have implications on the design. (Lugo)
Besides using 3D laser scanners and satellite positioning system, the use of total station is of great importance within the field of land surveying technology. Almost on every construction project the land surveyors use this equipment to check the elevation, to calculate distances, to confirm the final excavated elevation with an accuracy of centimeters.
The total stations are of great importance as they record the elevations with XY- coordinates and store them in their memory. The surveyors record the final elevation of the foundation as per design manual and then send this information to architects and engineers. (Lugo)
There are numerous benefits of land surveying technology, but they can be broken into four main points: 1- Quick Surveys 2- Accurate Surveys 3- Cost-Effective Surveys 4- Safe Surveys. When comes to conducting faster surveys, the more time you invest in conducting surveys, the more time will be taken to complete the project.
It is evident that almost on any constructional project, which is on acceleration; conducting faster surveys is of prime importance because if the surveyor will take a longer time to conduct the survey, then the project will be delayed and the contractor company will face huge claims and penalties due to delaying project development. To conduct the faster surveys (UAVS), unnamed aerial vehicles are introduced. These are in fact the drones that are used to scan the large areas within a short span of time. They are particularly used to scan and map the area from above. The data obtained from the UAVs are finally sent to the cloud management platform; so that engineers can take prompt action with regards to the project specifications. (ESF)
The land surveying technology has helped he surveyors to conduct more accurate surveys. It is important to conduct the accurate survey because the land surveys form the foundation for almost anything that comes in design and construction phase. If the foundation is not sound then, it can result in unexpected surprises and cost.
These days the use of 3D laser scanning technology has helped the surveyors to carry out the survey with four millimeters of accuracy. Not only this, but conducting cost-effective surveys is also very important. The professional land surveyor companies make use of land survey technologies to show their performance with less manual work. The utilization of 3D modeling is good to create construction plans fast, which helps to cut the cost down. (Lugo)
The use of land surveying technology along with computer based software such as GIS (Geographical Information System) and AutoCad, has helped a lot to the engineers to accurately measure the size and orientation of the objects. The land surveyors take the data from the site which is further converted into the Longitude and latitude values and then further projected on a map through spatial analysis of the GIS software. Not only has this, but the use of AutoCAD demands exact information pertaining to the final elevation for the foundations to construct the any building structure.
The site surveyors take the data from the site in XY coordinate system with different elevations recorded in the total station. These elevations record is further plotted in the AutoCAD, by the CAD operator or by the surveyor itself. Furthermore, the final drawing with the accurate elevations are made for the constructions of any particular project and handed over to the site engineers and architects to proceed with the construction according to the design.
In a nutshell, the land surveying technologies help the companies to conduct the safe surveys, without compromising the safety of the people. These technologies have shaped the surveying field. Today, the use of UAVs has helped the surveyors not to travel physically, but to take the data of difficult terrains by use of these drones and to conduct the safe surveys. With the help of land surveying technologies it is now easy to conduct survey faster than before and also with minimum cost. Last but not least, with land surveying technologies, it is now possible to construct any project by keeping the employees and surveyors safe.
Work Cited
"ESF" "A.A.S. Land Surveying Technology." ESF. State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, 2015. Web. 16 Apr. 2016. <http://www.esf.edu/rangerschool/programs/lst.asp>.
Lugo, Dahlia. "Amazing Innovations in Land Surveying Technology and Equipment." Storify. © 2016 Storify, 12 May 2015. Web. 16 Apr. 2016. <https://storify.com/Calvada/amazing innovations-in-land-surveying-technology-a>.
"Southeast Tech" "LAND SURVEYING SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY, AAS." Southeast Tech. © 2016 Southeast Technical Institute, 2015. Web. 16 Apr. 2016. <http://catalog.southeasttech.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=7&poid=773&returnto= 38>.
