Notes on the History of Land Surveying
Land surveying is one of the oldest professions on the globe. Ever since Learn more has decided a part of land should participate in a tribe, the necessity for surveying began.
Land surveying is fascinating. The techniques used seek to choose which part of land belongs to whom, hopefully ending arguments forever.
The bottom line is, surveying is a process using mathematical means 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 when the Nile River overflowed. An Egyptian land register dating back to to 3000 BC was also found.
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Following the Egyptians, the Romans - also just about the most powerful civilizations of the ancient world - practiced land surveying. They took it one step further and made "land surveyor" the official position within the Empire. These were called agrimensores, also known as Corpus Agrimensorum Romanorum. Although they used very simple tools, they were very thorough making use of their jobs and would create straight lines and correct angles with the use of these tools. Following the lines were measured, they would create shallow ditches to mark the lines. Actually, some 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 truly a set of names of land owners, the number of land they owned and other information about the land. Although it was an amazing amount of information during this time, the pieces of information were not 100% correct. The locations were not accurate and the maps were not made to scale.
One of history's greatest icons was also an avid surveyor - Napoleon Bonaparte. The fascination with surveying land was really just something of his desire to conquer the world. Napoleon Bonaparte founded a registry called the cadastre. This consists of 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 also have evolved over the centuries. In the past, people would use anything that could help them determine the length from one indicate another. This means using chains with links and even ropes. Of course, this didn't give accurate results however 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's GPS, or Global Positioning System, which is one of the most accurate technologies being used today. Total stations are also essential to a land surveyor, which employs the usage of an EDM or Electronic Distance Measurement device plus a theodolite which allows for more precise angle and distance measurements.