What surveyors do

Surveyors establish land, airspace, and water boundaries. They measure the Earth’s surface to collect data that are used to draw maps, determine the shape and contour of parcels of land, and set property lines and boundaries. They also define airspace for airports and measure construction and mining sites. Surveyors work with civil engineers, landscape architects, and urban and regional planners to develop comprehensive design documents.

Surveyors typically do the following:

§ Measure distances, directions, and angles between points on, above, and below the Earth's surface

§ Select known reference points and then determine the exact location of important features in the survey area using special equipment

§ Establish official land and water boundaries

§ Research land records and other sources of information affecting properties

§ Look for evidence of previous boundaries to determine where boundary lines are

§ Travel to locations to measure distances and directions between points

§ Record the results of surveying and verify the accuracy of data

§ Prepare plots, maps, and reports

§ Work with cartographers (mapmakers), architects, construction managers, and others

§ Present findings to clients, government agencies, and others

§ Write descriptions of land for deeds, leases, and other legal documents

§ Provide expert testimony in court regarding their work or that of other surveyors

In their work, surveyors use the Global Positioning System (GPS), a system of satellites that locates reference points with a high degree of precision. Surveyors interpret and verify the GPS results. They gather the data that is fed into a Geographic Information System (GIS), which is then used to create detailed maps.

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