Land Surveyors And The Art Of Mathematics

The work carried out by land surveyors relies on precise skills and a thorough understanding of mathematical laws and algebra. The techniques used by land surveyors have not changed much over the years, but the technology has, and as such the expectations of survey results are very high indeed. Some would say that there is a certain amount of creativity that is required when conducting surveys, and we aim to understand how in an industry where numbers rule the language.

Since the time of the Pharaoh's, land surveyors have been plotting points to help define boundaries and territories and to map the changes in the natural world around us. The techniques have used measuring devices such as ropes, chains and barometers and compasses, right through to modern day equipment which has more computing power than the NASA technology in the 1960s.

This equipment is used in many ways, from construction of buildings, railways and roads, to settling land boundary disputes. Although the equipment used in land surveying has become more sophisticated, and there are computer programmes to run the equations, the application of the results can be a creative challenge in itself.

With all fields in mathematics, there is a margin of error or deviation, despite the precise nature of algebra formulas. This is down to the natural variation of measuring equipment, no matter how well calibrated it is. All the measurements collected by surveyors need to be put together to form a whole in accordance with other surveys. The problem is that these individual assessments very rarely match up, and it can become like trying to put a badly made jigsaw puzzle together.

This is where the creativity comes in. Being able to account for all the variables within surveying techniques, and through a whole host of clever mathematics, the deviations that are encountered are woven into formulas that compensate for margins of error. The techniques used are sophisticated enough to stand up with authority in disputes over boundaries.

Overlaps and gaps are ironed out through the interpretation of the land surveyor based on many years of experience and training. So as much as the technical side of surveying is improved, the application of measurements and readings are often down to the creative skills of the land surveyor. Without this expertise to hand, applications such as GPS mapping and Google imaging would not be able to be a part of the world we live in today.

Dom Donaldson is a construction expert.
Find out more about Land Surveyors and the services on offer from EDL surveys.

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