The history of land surveying is very interesting and diverse and it is in fact one of the oldest professions in the world. In today’s guide we shall look at the history of land surveying and how it has influenced modern land surveying.
History of Land Surveying
First example in the history of land surveying date back to the ancient Egyptians during the building of the Great Pyramid at Giza in 2700 BC. There is evidence of the Egyptians
using basic geometry to redraw boundary lines when the Nile overflowed its banks.The Romans were the next civilization to advance on the initial land surveying techniques of the Egyptians. Historical evidence shows that the Roman Empire was the first civilization to employ an official land surveyor within their Empire. They used simple tools to create straight lines and angles.
The land surveyors had a range of jobs in the Empire and some of their work is still evident today.The Domesday Book, created by William the Conquerer in 1086 in England is another early example of the history of land surveying. The amount of information about the land was very impressive for the time, however the quality of land surveying was very poor and accuracy was lacking.Possibly one of the best known characters in land surveying history was Napoleon Bonaparte – who was very enthusiastic about accurate land surveying. He always ensured that he had very precise maps, which were obviously very important when he was trying to conquer the world. He had maps produced that were drawn down to scale both at 1:2500 and 1:1250. The cadastres he had were used widely and spread quickly, however problems were encountered in built-up areas where things changed quite rapidly.
Techniques
As new technology and theories have become available, the techniques and methods used in land surveying have evolved.Hundreds of years ago land surveyors would use all sorts of means for measuring distances – such as using chains with links that have a certain known length for example. Additionally land surveyors have to measure horizontal angles which in most cases was done using some form of compass. The quality and accuracy of compasses have increased as time has gone by.In the past land surveying results were a lot less accurate – not due to the inabilities of the land surveyors themselves – but due to the inaccuracy of the tools that they had access to.These days land surveyors have access to much more accurate tools such as GPS (global positioning systems).
Modern Land Surveying
land surveying tools and techniques has advanced and the role of land surveyors is much broader than it was in the past. Below we shall look at how the history of land surveying has evolved into modern land surveying.Although the fundamentals of land surveying haven’t changed, and the purpose is still the same – the techniques and methods have evolved drastically since the beginning of the history of land surveying.As we mentioned before, one of the key changes in land surveying is the accuracy of the tools that are available to land surveyors. While in the past (up until the early 1900’s) most land surveyors had access to little more than a level, tape measure and a theodolite – modern land surveyors have access to some of the most advanced tools in the world.Total Stations are very commonly used in modern land surveying. These include an EDM (electronic distance measurement device) which allows for more precise land surveying.technician, land surveyor certification
Powered by: Ladder Survey Institute of technology
India's Best survey training institute.
