Notes on the History of Land Surveying
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Land surveying is one of the oldest professions on the planet. Since man has decided that a portion of land should participate in a tribe, the necessity for surveying began.
Land surveying is fascinating. Right of Light Surveyors London used seek to decide which section of land belongs to whom, hopefully ending arguments forever.
The bottom line is, surveying is really a process using mathematical methods to survey land.
The initial accounts of surveying land dates back to ancient Egypt. Experts have discovered evidences that the ancient Egyptians used basic geometry to redraw the lines of boundary when the Nile River overflowed. An Egyptian land register dating back to 3000 BC was also found.
Following Egyptians, the Romans - also one of the powerful civilizations of the ancient world - practiced land surveying. They took it one step further and made "land surveyor" an official position within the Empire. They were called agrimensores, generally known as Corpus Agrimensorum Romanorum. Although they used very simple tools, these were very thorough with their jobs and would create straight lines and correct angles with the use of these tools. Following the lines were measured, they would create shallow ditches to mark the lines. Actually, a number of the furrows they made still exist today.
Among the recorded land surveying of the "modern" times is that of William the Conqueror who wrote the Domesday Book in 1086. This book is actually a list of names of land owners, the number of land they owned and other information regarding the land. While it was an amazing level of information during this time period, the pieces of information weren't 100% correct. The locations weren't accurate and the maps were not made to scale.
Among history's greatest icons was also a devoted surveyor - Napoleon Bonaparte. The fascination with surveying land was actually just a product of his desire to conquer the planet. Napoleon Bonaparte founded a registry called the cadastre. This includes a registry of properties of a county, ownership details, locations so when much information regarding the land's value. Yes, Napoleon Bonaparte can be considered a land surveyor - and a very smart man.
The techniques used for land surveying also have evolved over the centuries. A long time ago, people would use whatever could help them determine the distance from one point to another. This means using chains with links and also ropes. Needless to say, this didn't give accurate results but they didn't have the technology we've back then.
Today, land surveyors have the best technologies to greatly help them with their job. There is GPS, or Global Positioning System, which is one of the most accurate technologies used today. Total stations may also be very important to a land surveyor, which employs the application of an EDM or Electronic Distance Measurement device plus a theodolite which allows for more precise angle and distance measurements.
Land surveying is fascinating. Right of Light Surveyors London used seek to decide which section of land belongs to whom, hopefully ending arguments forever.
The bottom line is, surveying is really a process using mathematical methods to survey land.
The initial accounts of surveying land dates back to ancient Egypt. Experts have discovered evidences that the ancient Egyptians used basic geometry to redraw the lines of boundary when the Nile River overflowed. An Egyptian land register dating back to 3000 BC was also found.
Following Egyptians, the Romans - also one of the powerful civilizations of the ancient world - practiced land surveying. They took it one step further and made "land surveyor" an official position within the Empire. They were called agrimensores, generally known as Corpus Agrimensorum Romanorum. Although they used very simple tools, these were very thorough with their jobs and would create straight lines and correct angles with the use of these tools. Following the lines were measured, they would create shallow ditches to mark the lines. Actually, a number of the furrows they made still exist today.
Among the recorded land surveying of the "modern" times is that of William the Conqueror who wrote the Domesday Book in 1086. This book is actually a list of names of land owners, the number of land they owned and other information regarding the land. While it was an amazing level of information during this time period, the pieces of information weren't 100% correct. The locations weren't accurate and the maps were not made to scale.
Among history's greatest icons was also a devoted surveyor - Napoleon Bonaparte. The fascination with surveying land was actually just a product of his desire to conquer the planet. Napoleon Bonaparte founded a registry called the cadastre. This includes a registry of properties of a county, ownership details, locations so when much information regarding the land's value. Yes, Napoleon Bonaparte can be considered a land surveyor - and a very smart man.
The techniques used for land surveying also have evolved over the centuries. A long time ago, people would use whatever could help them determine the distance from one point to another. This means using chains with links and also ropes. Needless to say, this didn't give accurate results but they didn't have the technology we've back then.
Today, land surveyors have the best technologies to greatly help them with their job. There is GPS, or Global Positioning System, which is one of the most accurate technologies used today. Total stations may also be very important to a land surveyor, which employs the application of an EDM or Electronic Distance Measurement device plus a theodolite which allows for more precise angle and distance measurements.
