There are two varieties of land surveying equipment: hardware and software. The type of equipment used by a particular surveying professional may depend on their role within the company they work for. But in general, these are some of the tools encountered on a regular basis within the industry:
Hardware
- Total stations – The total station is exactly what it sounds like. A piece of equipment with multiple functions, these devices have eliminated the need to invest in several other, separate pieces once needed to complete surveying jobs. The total station is an indispensable part of any land surveying company’s tool kit and makes up a large percentage of the revenue generated by land surveying equipment retailers.
- GPS-enabled devices – The role of GPS in land surveying is a large one. The bulk of modern land surveying equipment comes with GPS receiving abilities. This means the devices – often handheld or convenient to carry – can receive information and images from satellites, assisting with both location and precision mapping. This makes GPS technology and the devices it powers another crucial part of the modern land surveyor’s arsenal.
- Laser scanners – Today’s three-dimensional, high-definition laser scanners make surveying easier than ever before. Especially useful in land development projects and preparation, these scanners can provide information relevant to repairs, renovation, and replacement of structural elements, and help designers and builders know where the best location for these elements might be. The data gathered from these laser scanners can then be sued for two- or three-dimensional model and map creation, making it useful in all types of land surveying.
Software
Software plays a critical role in the production of maps, models and the gathering of information by land surveyors worldwide. Modern surveyors no longer need to collect, categorize, analyze and transport information by hand. Software specially designed for these tasks is used by surveying firms to cut labor time and costs into tiny fractions of their previous numbers, and make the collected data more accurate and easier to use for practical purposes. All the tools that help land surveyors do their jobs are important, but today’s professional would be nowhere without the help of the software that curates their gathered data. Visit to learn more.
