| Since ancient civilizations in Mesopotamia, Egypt | | | | Theodolites, though more sophisticated versions, |
| and Rome, man has used tools to measure and | | | | were still used as late as the 1990's for simple |
| keep his boundaries and separate himself from his | | | | surveys, along with other equipment to improve |
| neighbors. While the use of such tools were all but | | | | the accuracy. More recently, modern electronics |
| lost in the Middle Ages, the Renaissance saw a | | | | have improved on the theodolite with the addition |
| resurgence in interest and need in tools to survey | | | | of an electronic distance measurement device, or |
| and parcel the land around them. Many tools still | | | | EDM; these tools are referred to as total stations. |
| used today are similar to those used to map and | | | | In a short period of time, total stations have gone |
| survey the initial settlements of the United States. | | | | from being mechanical/electronic devices to purely |
| We are at the dawn of a new era, however, | | | | electronic systems with onboard computer and |
| where technology that has not drastically changed | | | | software. |
| in the past hundreds of years are being | | | | Global Positioning Systems have also entered the |
| introduced to the computer age, which has | | | | arena of land survey, and have steadily gained in |
| served to only make man's estimations even | | | | knowledge and use in the private sector. For land |
| more accurate than before. | | | | surveying, however, they are not always as |
| In its earliest forms, one of the main tools for | | | | accurate as the surveyor would wish. Though |
| conducting land surveys was a chain (sometimes | | | | they have increased the speed of surveying, GPS |
| known as a Gunter's chain) of a specific length. | | | | systems are only horizontally accurate to 20mm |
| These chains would be pulled taut, and attempts | | | | and vertically accurate to about 30mm. |
| were made to hold the measure level in order to | | | | Additionally, GPS systems have problems |
| improve accuracy. | | | | functioning properly in heavily wooded areas. In |
| Leaps and bounds in accuracy in surveying were | | | | many cases, surveyors will still rely on their total |
| made with the introduction of such equipment as | | | | stations in conjunction with other equipment such |
| the surveyor's compass and theodolite. The | | | | as laser scanners. Where the budget is large |
| surveyor's compass, or circumferentor, consisted | | | | enough, a helicopter equipped with a GPS system |
| of a brass circle and an index; on the circle was a | | | | can verify the findings on the ground. |
| compass. It was used to measure horizontal | | | | While the technology used by land surveyors has |
| angles. A theodolite could measure both horizontal | | | | been changing and moving forward by leaps and |
| and vertical angles. Because of the greater | | | | bound in the last 25 years, even the most |
| accuracy, the theodolite was the preferred tool | | | | advanced technology can only do so much. Land |
| for surveyors throughout Europe by the early | | | | surveying remains an art, with the expertise of |
| 1800s. However, because of its bulk, the | | | | the surveyor cannot be replaced by technology. |
| surveyor's compass was still used in heavily | | | | The surveyor must investigate and infer what the |
| wooded areas, leading to its resurgence in | | | | true boundaries of any property may be using |
| popularity during the Colonial period in the United | | | | both the technological and historical information |
| States. | | | | they have at hand. |