What Everyone Must Know About Surveying Cameras

Since ancient civilizations in Mesopotamia, Egypt and Rome, man has used tools to measure and keep his boundaries and separate himself from his neighbors. While the use of such tools were all but lost in the Middle Ages, the Renaissance saw a resurgence in interest and need in tools to survey and parcel the land around them. Many tools still used today are similar to those used to map and survey the initial settlements of the states. We are at the dawn of a new era, on the flip side, where technology that has not drastically changed in the past hundreds of years are now being introduced to the computer age, which has served to only make man's estimations much more accurate than before.

In its earliest forms, among the main tools for conducting land surveys was a chain (sometimes referred to as a Gunter's chain) of a particular length. These chains would be pulled taut, and attempts were made to hold the measure level to be able to improve accuracy.

Leaps and bounds in accuracy in surveying were made with the introduction of such equipment as the surveyor's compass and theodolite. The surveyor's compass, or circumferentor, consisted of a brass circle and an index; on the circle was a compass. It was used to measure horizontal angles. A theodolite could measure both horizontal and vertical angles. As a result of the higher accuracy, the theodolite was the preferred tool for surveyors throughout Europe by the early 1800s. However, because of its bulk, the surveyor's compass was still used in heavily wooded areas, leading to its resurgence in popularity through the Colonial period in the nation.

Theodolites, though more sophisticated versions, were still used as late as the 1990's for simple surveys, together with other equipment to improve the accuracy. More recently, modern electronics have improved on the theodolite with the addition of an electronic distance measurement device, or EDM; these tools are known as total stations. In a short time period, total stations have gone from being mechanical/electronic devices to purely electronic systems with onboard computer and software.

Linear surveying is one of the most basic methods of surveying and involves no measurement of angles. Whilst often now overlooked in favour of hi-tech theodolites and GPS equipment, It may be used to plot single features or whole towns. However it really is most suited for small scale projects as accuracy can suffer over larger areas but it does give a cheap alternative to sophisticated but expensive measurement equipment.

How Does Linear Surveying Work? This method involves establishing a linear baseline throughout the area that's to be measured/plotted. Over short distances this will likely be accomplished with a tape between two rods but over longer distances the baseline is best constructed by a team of at least two surveyors. One surveyor can stand at the previous rod and ensure the next rod is put within the ground in-line with the others.

Once a perfectly straight baseline is established then another tape can be obtained from the baseline to an point that requires to be measured/plotted. The key is the fact that this line is taken at exactly a 90 degree angle from the baseline. This may be ensured through the usage of a standard surveyors triangle.

The 2 linear measurements that need to be taken will be the distance of the point along the baseline and secondly the distance from the baseline. By having these measurements from all of the points required, it really is then possible to plot them and produce a drawing of the site.

For larger or maybe more complicated sites it's a good idea to set up multiple baselines throughout the relevant site with ideally each point being measured from more than one baseline to improve accuracy.

Global Positioning Systems have also entered the arena of land survey, and have steadily gained in knowledge and use in the non-public field. For land surveying, alternatively, they can be not always as accurate as the surveyor would wish. Although they have increased the speed of surveying, GPS systems are only horizontally accurate to 20mm and vertically accurate to about 30mm. Furthermore, GPS systems have problems functioning properly in heavily wooded areas. In many cases, surveyors will still rely on their total stations in conjunction with other equipment for example laser scanners. Where the budget is large enough, a helicopter equipped with a GPS system can verify the findings on the ground.

While the technology used by land surveyors has been changing and moving forward by leaps and bound in the last 25 years, even the most advanced technology may only do so much. Land surveying remains an art, with the expertise of the surveyor can't be replaced by technology. The surveyor must investigate and infer just what the true boundaries of the property might be using both the technological and historical information they have at hand.