Notes on the History of Land Surveying

Land surveying is probably the oldest professions on the planet. Since man has decided that a portion of land should participate in a tribe, the necessity for surveying began.

Land surveying is fascinating. The techniques used seek to decide which section of land belongs to whom, hopefully ending arguments forever.

In a nutshell, surveying is really a process using mathematical methods to survey land.

The first accounts of surveying land dates back to ancient Egypt. Experts have found evidences that the ancient Egyptians used basic geometry to redraw the lines of boundary once the Nile River overflowed. An Egyptian land register dating back to to 3000 BC was also found.

Following the Egyptians, the Romans - also one of the powerful civilizations of the ancient world - practiced land surveying. They took it one step further and made "land surveyor" an official position within the Empire. These were called agrimensores, also referred to as Corpus Agrimensorum Romanorum. Although they used very easy tools, these were very thorough with their jobs and would create straight lines and correct angles by using these tools. Following the lines were measured, they might create shallow ditches to mark the lines. Actually, a few of the furrows they made remain today.

One of many recorded land surveying of the "modern" times is that of William the Conqueror who wrote the Domesday Book in 1086. This book is actually a list of names of land owners, the amount of land they owned and other information regarding the land. Although it was an amazing amount of information during this time, the bits of information were not 100% correct. The locations weren't accurate and the maps weren't made to scale.

Among 3D Modelling Matlock was also a devoted surveyor - Napoleon Bonaparte. The interest in surveying land was really just a product of his desire to conquer the world. Napoleon Bonaparte founded a registry called the cadastre. This includes a registry of properties of a county, ownership details, locations so when much information about the land's value. Yes, Napoleon Bonaparte can be viewed as a land surveyor - and a very smart man.

The techniques useful for land surveying have also evolved over the centuries. A long time ago, people would use whatever could help them determine the length from one indicate another. This implies using chains with links and even ropes. Needless to say, this didn't give accurate results but they didn't have the technology we've back then.

Today, land surveyors have the best technologies to greatly help them with their job. There is GPS, or Global Positioning System, that is probably the most accurate technologies used today. Total stations are also very important to a land surveyor, which employs the use of an EDM or Electronic Distance Measurement device along with a theodolite which allows for more precise angle and distance measurements.

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Pub: 06 Feb 2024 02:38 UTC
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