Surveying of the land is one of the first activities undertaken when a construction project is being planned.

The earliest forms of surveying are believed to date back to ancient civilizations of the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans who created monumental structures like the Great Pyramids, The Parthenon of Athens and the Roman Aqueducts. Over the years old surveying tools and equipment have been replaced with modern tools like Total Stations, Satellite enabled GPS and 3D mapping that are more time saving and accurate. Though the tools have changed dramatically, the principles of the surveying and mapping process remain the same.

Read on to get an insight into surveying and mapping.

The primary objectives of a land survey with respect to construction are:-

· To establish the exact position of your property boundaries, allowing for the construction to be done within the legal boundary.

· To measure and document all relevant dimensions and calculate the area of the land

· To determine the levels and contours of your land

· To determine the geographic location and alignment of your land with reference to roads, water bodies etc.

· To accurately document existing buildings and vegetation on your land

OLD SURVEYING TOOLS

100 links (20 metres) GUNTER’S CHAIN developed circa 1620

RAMSDEN’S THEODOLITE was a highly precise surveying tool constructed in 1770 by Jesse Ramsden.

The SOLAR COMPASS was created in 1853 by William Austin Burt to accurately determine the true north direction. This tool allowed for corners and boundaries to be established.

.

SETTING OUT USING MODERN TOOLS

Setting out a building is the process of transferring architectural proposals from drawings into the ground. It establishes the location points for site boundaries, foundations, columns, centre-lines of walls and other necessary structural parts. Setting out also establishes the building’s correct extent, angle and level. The Total Station is the tool of choice when it comes to Setting Out (and also surveying)

The modern TOTAL STATION offers unsurpassed range, speed and accuracy of measurements. It is designed for measuring of distances and angles. The measurement results can be recorded into the internal memory and transferred to a personal computer interface for records and for effortlessly sharing the data with the team.

GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM

GPS can be put into multiple uses

· Determining a position - location

· Moving from one place to another - navigation

· Monitoring the movement of a person or object - tracking

· Creating a map of an area - mapping

· Making precise time measurements - timing

GPS was originally developed for military use but has been available for civilian use since the 1990s. In addition to its use in mobile devices and car navigation systems. GPS is used for land surveying which in fact was one of the first commercial adaptations of GPS technology. It can provide accurate latitudinal and longitudinal location information regardless of weather conditions and without the need for measuring angles and distances between points. Though GPS makes surveying possible in nearly any location, it does have its limits.

GPS utilises medium Earth orbit satellites from which precise microwave signals are transmitted, allowing a GPS receiver to determine its location, speed and direction.

The GPS receiver calculates its position by measuring the distance between itself and three or more GPS satellites. The distance to each satellite can be calculated by measuring the time delay between transmission and reception of each GPS microwave signal.

3D MAPPING – GOOGLE EARTH AND MORE

A 3D map provides a realistic view of a location that can be utilised by local authorities and planners. For the construction sector, a 3D map is as useful as a blueprint is. It is very easy to visualise floor plans on a 3D map and identify possible obstructions which may occur during construction.

3D mapping and cartography is an important tool in creating 3D scenes of a location that are useful for many studies like high rise development, building interior and exterior and also to assess the effects of a natural disaster like an earthquake, hurricane etc.

Google Earth – www.earth.google.com is a great example of 3D mapping, allowing you to explore the world in 3D.

Hope you enjoyed reading the blog. If you have any questions about anything at all regarding building construction or interiors, do reach out to us at www.fromthegroundup.in. We would love to discuss your goals and project, and help you map out an achievable goal.

Cheers

Zachariah Abraham

Managing Partner, A & T

‍