Surveyors

We deal with a lot of important issues in our lives but the three that seem most timeless and universal are our families, our health, and our rights to our land. Our welfare is directly affected by our ability to define our space. That’s one of the land surveyor’s most important jobs, to mark, describe, and map property ownership. His or her work creates a stable framework on which we can build our homes and communities, and generate the wealth necessary to sustain those communities. If we don’t know the location of the boundaries of our land we can’t enjoy any unique use of it. We could not buy, sell, mortgage or develop land in an orderly and predictable fashion. The land surveyor provides that knowledge.

Another important part of the land surveyor’s professional activity involves understanding and “decrypting” the often-confusing language in legal descriptions. Just what did the author of the deed mean to convey? If you really want to get a land surveyor talking, ask him to describe how many different ways there are to go “North.” The list is probably similar to the number of words for snow in the Inuit language.

Despite the fact that there are a lot of flashy new tools available now to make expert measurers out of novices, we will never really know the true location of boundary lines if we don’t understand the value of what is being measured. That is the expertise of the land surveyor, and one of the reasons that you may see someone carrying a red and white pole (with something that looks like a Frisbee on top of it) peeking under the sod in your front yard.

By William P. Brown, L.S. (MN)   Communicator – July 2004 - (Publication of AELSLAGID) with permission.

www.LandSurveyor.us

What do Surveyors do for you?

Professional Land Surveyors establish official land, air space, and water boundaries. They write descriptions of land for deeds, leases, and other legal documents; define air space for airports; and measure construction and mineral sites. Surveyors also provide data relevant to the shape, contour, location, elevation, or dimension of land or land features.

When purchasing a home, the land survey is a tremendous benefit to both the lender and the purchaser of a piece of property. A boundary survey (commonly referred to as a property survey) establishes or re-establishes the physical position and extent of the boundaries of real property. It reveals the existence of other rights affecting the property such as easements, rights of way, etc. Also, the relationships of improvements relative to property lines are established.

High school graduates with no formal training in surveying usually start as apprentices. Beginners with postsecondary school training in surveying usually can start as technicians or assistants. With on-the-job experience and formal training in surveying—either in an institutional program or from a correspondence school workers may advance to senior survey technician, then to party chief, and in some cases, to licensed surveyor.

Surveyors are responsible for measuring the earth's surface and locating exact points. To do this they use skills in science, mathematics and history. Surveyors have been around for a long time and have helped shaped history. For instance, Three of the four presidents on Mount Rushmore started as surveyors. When the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated on February 1, 2003, the debris was scattered across 40 counties. Surveyors aided NASA by using their GPS equipment to help locate the debris so that scientists could reconstruct the accident. Surveyors are involved in many aspects of our daily lives: they are needed everywhere from construction sites to accident scenes; they measure the ocean and other waterways to ensure safe passage for boats. These are just a few examples of what Surveyors do.

Surveying is an exciting career that uses high-tech equipment; including satellites, GPS and 3D laser scanners. Surveyors are always looking for new technology to enhance their daily work environment. They apply concepts and skills developed in math, science, history and law classes.

Surveying and Mapping is a diverse profession that allows you to tailor your work life with what you enjoy doing in your daily life. If you enjoy being outdoors then you can include that in your daily work schedule by spending time out in the field. The study of Geomatics encompasses the field of surveying and mapping, an exciting profession that utilizes cutting edge technology to measure the features of the earth in order to establish the location of property lines, ensure the accuracy of construction projects, and produce updated maps used by engineers, architects, lawyers and countless other professionals.