(Image: Eos Positioning Systems)
Surveying is both an ancient profession and one of today’s most technologically advanced. Surveyors are among the first on the site of a new construction project, staking out its corners and boundaries, and mapping elevation contours, as well as among the last, surveying the project “as built.” This is particularly important for features that will no longer be visible once the project is complete, such as underground utilities.
While many surveyors work in quiet, uncrowded environments — such as surveying the boundaries of farm fields — those who work on large construction projects operate among the hustle and bustle of bricklayers, carpenters, electricians, plumbers and other tradespeople, as well as cranes, backhoes and other heavy machines. This chaotic environment means that in addition to accuracy and efficiency, surveyors also are concerned with safety.
In the following cover story, a Minnesota-based construction company describes a new system it developed for surveying and mapping underground utilities. Also, professional surveyor Gavin Schrock discusses the benefits of a flexible approach to GNSS rover accuracy and of adding scanning capabilities to robotic total stations.
Read the three parts of this cover story: