Surveying - a career for the ages — and today

Print, circa 1900, of Roman Aqueduct at El Puente Segovia, Spain

Surveying is one of the world’s most enduring professions – since ancient times, it has been key to establishing international borders, marking property boundaries, and ensuring that engineering and architectural structures and precisely aligned and properly constructed.

A typical Troughton & Simms 6 inch theodolite made before 1915. Photograph by Colgill.

With this long history, it might follow that surveying itself is a dated profession, but the opposite is true. As advancements in astronomy and mathematics were achieved, these advancements were immediately applied to surveying. Early civilizations developed sophisticated instruments to apply science to surveying, increasing accuracy, and enhancing the ability to build engineering projects. Now, surveying leverages exciting new technologies to increase precision and expand the depth and breadth of the profession.

Cutting edge technology

Today, surveyors incorporate 3D Laser Scanning (LiDAR), Drones, Building Information Modeling (BIM), Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) to quickly create precise models for use within complex projects.
See Key Trends in 2024.

Surveying offers a tremendous range of opportunities for young people. For those who love the outdoors, surveying offers the chance to spend time outside – even in the wilderness (much of Alaska has not yet been surveyed). For those who love visualizing data, GIS has opened up new career paths. GIS is used by nearly all surveyors in their daily work, because many states now use GIS databases to track property parcels. GIS is particularly good at visualizing vast amounts of data in layers, so it’s become essential for planning any kind of development, from transportation to utilities to construction projects. Google Earth is just one example of a GIS system.

Surveying wants you!

Whether you’re old school or haven’t met a technology you don’t love, surveying has a great career for you.

The Young Surveyors Network (YSN) and the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) is committed to spreading the news about the myriad opportunities available through a career in surveying. From scholarships to competitions, these organizations help drive interest and support students throughout their training.

The NSPS has developed a number of programs to support students interested in surveying.

• BeaSurveyor.com provides all kinds of information and resources about land surveying for people interested in learning more about surveying.

• GetKidsintosurvey.com helps educate young people about geospatial work and is a collaborative effort between the NSPS and more than 100 industry sponsors to provide resources that help schools and other organizations promote surveying.

• Young Surveyors Network – this organization is dedicated to help surveyors under the age of 35 (or new graduates) build their professional network, create opportunities for development and ensure success. It’s affiliated with the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) to build relationships across borders and cultures.

• Trig-Star.com In 1984, NSPS began a program to recognize and reward high school students (and their teachers) who excel in mathematics, particularly trigonometry. The goal of the program is to demonstrate practical uses for math and bring greater awareness of surveying to high school students. Trig-Star is a contest that starts at the local high school level, where one student from each participating high school can compete for the National Trig-Star title and earn a $2,000 award (the teacher receives $1,000).

• The NSPS Student Competition. This program focuses on students already enrolled in surveying programs, from Associate degree programs, through Baccalaureate degrees to a non-traditional division. This national competition involves teams representing their schools performing fieldwork and data analysis. This year’s competition (to be held during the NSPS annual meeting in Arlington, VA) is at maximum capacity.

• Scholarships. The NSPS provides more than $30,000 annually to encourage college education in geospatial science, leading to degrees in Geomatics, Geodesy, Surveying, Survey Engineering, or Land Surveying Mapping Science. Additional scholarships are available at state chapters of surveying organizations as well. Berntsen has been a contributor to these scholarship funds for decades.

Broad range of opportunity

The future of surveying is bright, and more and more young people are getting excited about the wide range of opportunities in all kinds of industries, from architectural firms to government agencies, to utilities to underwater mining.

Types of surveyors include (from Beasurveyor.com):

• Forensic Surveyor and Expert Witness Specialist

Like a mystery? Forensic surveyors find answers.
Many surveying careers serve to uphold and enforce federal, state, and local laws. Surveyors not only help settle boundary disputes, but they can also provide research on industrial accidents and other cases requiring math and technology expertise.

• Construction Surveyor

All permanent structures require a survey.
Every construction project needs surveying, from houses to dams to roads to bridges. Plus there’s the whole underground world of buried utilities, such as pipelines and water mains — that require accurate surveying.

• Geodesist

Precision is key in surveying, and the world is constantly in flux.
Geodesists are responsible for measuring and monitoring the exact size and shape of the earth along with the effects of geodynamic phenomena, such as tides. Using the latest technology, geodesists keep track of exact coordinates on the planet’s surface.

• GIS Analyst

Layers of information paint a clear (and very interesting picture)
A GIS Analyst will start with a land survey and add different layers of data, each more detailed than the last, until they provide details on everything from the slope of the land and waterways to streetlights and fire hydrants.

• Boundary Surveyor

Love the great outdoors? There’s lots of it to explore through surveying.
Boundary surveyors, also known as cadastral surveyors, use public records along with physical evidence to measure, mark, and map the boundary lines of land ownership. Some of the data used could date back hundreds of years.

• Photogrammetrist & Remote Systems Analyst

Love drones and airplanes? Surveying has a job for you.
When a location cannot be reached easily from the ground, or a large area must be surveyed quickly, you can call on a Photogrammetrist or Remote Systems Analyst. They use aerial photography and satellite imagery to collect data.

• Topographic/Hydrographic Surveyor
  Love the water and want to see what’s below? Try surveying what lays beneath.

  • A Topographic Surveyor will provide the lay of the land by measuring and mapping the shape, contour, and location of land features. These features include both natural and manufactured objects, such as valleys, mountains, roads, and buildings.

  • Topographic surveying that occurs below the water is Hydrographic surveying. Hydrographic Surveyors use specialized equipment to gather information and create maps. They are essential for guiding dredging projects, exploring for oil, and marking underwater hazards. Government agencies, utility companies, and shipping companies rely on this type of surveying.

Berntsen is proud to have been supporting surveyors for more than 50 years with high quality products and great service. We look forward to continuing to serve surveyors, through scholarships as they begin their career, all the way to the end, where we provide the markers for the NSPS Final Point program –- which is another way to raise scholarship money for the next generation of surveyors.