The Essence of Land Surveying

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According to research, land surveying has existed ever since the beginning of recorded history. They believe that it has long been used in making the great pyramids; in which historians believe to be very accurate in the calculation of its land area. It was also used in ancient Egypt in re-establishing lost land boundary markers whenever Nile River overflowed its banks. Finally, historians believe that prominent people back then created this practice in order to have refined sharing of the lands they own.

land surveying

Also, there are verses in the Bible that support the practice of land surveying

  •  Proverbs 22:28 Do not move the ancient boundary, which your fathers have set. 
  •  Deuteronomy 19:14 “You shall not move your neighbor’s boundary mark, which the ancestors have set, in your inheritance which you will inherit in the land that the Lord your God gives you to possess.
  • Deuteronomy 27:17 ‘Cursed is he who moves his neighbor’s boundary mark.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ 

Now what does land surveying really mean?

Land surveying basically means measuring and mapping lands. It is the science of accurately calculating the land’s area; determining the points of distance between a land and another. The actual purpose of this is to establish land maps and set boundaries for ownership. It is commonly used in the execution of nearly every form of construction.  The system of land surveying has proved itself to be a very important factor in the development of human environment as the earth’s surface continues to change according to the lifestyle of people.

land surveying

Just imagine a world where people freely claim an area of land for their benefit without even thinking of the others. Imagine people crossing over another person’s land because there are no borders that would express the ownership of anyone. Imagine people building any construction they want in any land they prefer. Or just simply imagine your neighbors removing your fences. If this happens, it would lead to chaos. That is why land surveying has been made to follow.

The importance of land surveying is identical to its purpose. It is responsible in the establishment of the maps of every city, region, country, continent or the earth itself. Through this system, there would be definite borders blocking any people from owning what another person owns. With this procedure, the distribution of the vast space of land would be fair enough. Everything would be organized and regulated.  This would mean that the buildings, railroads and even our houses would be made without having any complications if it had undergone land surveying.

As you can see in books, magazines, websites and other things that contain information about our world’s structure, we can see that there are boundaries which separate one place from another. This diminishes the complications in the ownership of lands among people. Since humans tend to get selfish, it is best to have everything in order, up to the issue of allocating land areas for everyone. This is the real essence of land surveying.

Call Warner Robins Land Surveying today at (478) 449-0555  or fill out a contact form request for more information concerning your land surveying needs.

Explanation of a Topo Surveyor

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Topo Surveying and Topo Surveyor

topo surveyor

A Topographic Surveyor also known as a Topo Surveyor collects the survey data to locate man-made and natural marks and its elevations on a particular portion of land. It normally comprises any man-made underground marks such as utility lines. It will also illustrate ground level installations such as utility poles, buildings, walls, and many other significant installations.

The utilization of standard topographic surveying procedures are commonly employed to provide accurate measured plan of terrain. It is also used during the mapping and graphing phases of projects to blueprint the locations and layout of the installations, road, buildings, and many other engineering and architectural projects in the construction industry.

Why Hire a Topo Surveyor?

The purpose of getting a Topo Surveyor to do topographic survey is to obtain an accurate trace and documentation of the present state of a parcel of land that will be constructed on; either a building, a wall, or any other construction activity. The design engineers make use of the topo survey as they plan the design and then the proposal of the final surface.

It is important to have this plan as this allows the Engineer compute, analyze, and estimate the amount of earth work that might be required. The Engineer will also be able to balance the amount of earth work to minimize the dirt to be taken off and on the construction site. The architect also makes use of the topo survey the same way as the Engineer does.

Additionally, the architect may plot the surface in 3D to picture out the finished look with the improvements he might add. This plot may be presented to the construction owner, building owner, or the land owner before the actual construction takes place. An accurate topo survey is of big help to ensure the installations and improvements fits in on the site within its boundaries.

Common Methods that a Topo Surveyor use

The two common methods of doing a topographic survey are Aerial Topo Survey and Conventional Topo Survey. How the topographic survey done would vary on the method the Topo Surveyor use. It is important that a topo surveyor know how to carry out both in any circumstances. So if you will need one, make sure he is professional and experienced both methods.

An Aerial Topographic Survey is done on the airspace. It is taken either in a helicopter or in an airplane at a defined distance above the ground level. Aerial photos of the ground surface are then taken and examined by the topo surveyor. This will allow him to envisage the ground surface through the structure of a stereo pair. By looking at the two overlapping aerial photos, the vantage points are determined.

A Conventional Topographic Survey is done when there is a need to get the accurate contour interval and spot elevations. The Aerial Topographic Survey is limited in the precise vertical and horizontal point location of the ground surface. These are just simplified elaboration of the two methods of topographic survey to provide you an overview. Read and research to learn in depth about them or ask a topo surveyor.

If you need a Topo Survey, Please call Warner Robins Land Surveying today at (478) 449-0555  or fill out a contact form request for more information concerning your land surveying needs.

Licensed Land Surveyor: Using GPS to Track You – Is It Real?

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A licensed land surveyor trusts his GPS system like  his gun in a battlefield. Though it sometimes do not provide all the info that you may need, it is nonetheless very helpful in producing an accurate boundary survey.

Many have heard of “Big Brother” being able to track our movements. One of my favorite TV shows is “Person of Interest” where a secret machine keeps track of all conversations and people’s “criminal intent” in order to help the heroes stop the crimes before they happen.

While I’m SURE that there are tracking capabilities in most cell phones and different government agencies CAN track our locations, we might be a ways away them being able to determine criminal intent.  But there IS a recent application in England that I found very interesting.

Nestle (yes, the chocolate company) is placing GPS Trackers in six KIT KAT bars in their aptly named “We’ll Find You” marketing campaign in the UK. When the person opens the package it notifies KIT KAT and the prize delivery team will find them within 24 hours and present them with a check for £10,000 (about $16,000.) See the article here.

Just about all new type cell phones, all smart phones, iPads and other tablets, lots of cars (more than you think), public transportation vehicles, golf carts, and watches have GPS devices in them now days. Another place they are, and rightly so, are in ankle monitors used by law enforcement. But, what you might not realize is that the electronic devices mentioned above can work just like the ankle monitor. Now, while it is true that you can disable the GPS tracking device in your cell phone or tablet, that doesn’t give all of us complete comfort in walking around with these devices on us.

Now, I’m not trying to be a conspiracy wonk here, but it is POSSIBLE that this could be taken advantage of by well-meaning agencies. And, as we know, law enforcement can make mistakes in identifying the correct suspect.  Of course, as a licensed land surveyor myself, I WANT emergency services to be able to find me if and when I need their service, so this is a double edged sword. Most of us probably have nothing to worry about in this regard, but if you worry about this sort of thing, it could keep you up at night.

licensed land surveyor

Even as a licensed land surveyor, having used GPS technology in land surveying for almost 20 years, I still trust them more than I should.

One example is when I was in an unfamiliar town my GPS navigation device told me to take a “road” to the right. I slowed down and attempted to turn but it was a power line.  Not wanting to believe that Gizell was wrong (yes I named her), I went to the next street and turned and tried to find the “road” further back. I ended up driving down the sandy power line, which turned into a bike lane until I was finally stopped by a gate. As I backed down the bike lane looking for a turn-around spot I thought, “maybe this wasn’t a road and maybe my GPS device is fallible.” Of course, I soon justified Gizell by recalling that a human had to “digitize” the roads in and she just did what they programmed her to do.

If you need to turn off your GPS tracking device in order to sleep tonight, call your device’s customer service line and stay away from KIT KAT bars. If you would like to find out how GPS surveying technology can help you in surveying your property boundary, call a Licensed Land Surveyor at Warner Robins Land Surveying at (478) 449-0555.