Land surveyors measure land areas to establish legal boundaries. This is
necessary when land is bought and sold or when someone is building on land.
Land surveying is part of a larger field called geomatics engineering.
Geomatics grew out of traditional land surveying. But it involves other technologically
advanced aspects of land mapping, navigation and communications.
Sometimes, land surveyors are consulted when there is a dispute over property
lines. This may mean that they have to testify in court as expert witnesses.
Other times, land surveyors are brought in before construction. They ensure
that buildings or roads are not built on property owned by someone else. That
way, they avoid future ownership disputes.
Sarah Cornett is the executive director of a land surveyors' association.
She points out that much of the economy is based on land use.
"Without detailed knowledge of the boundaries of that land, an individual
wanting to purchase a vacation property...cannot meet their objectives."
There is no average working day for a land surveyor. They may be working
indoors or out. They may spend the morning listening impartially to neighbors
involved in an argument over a fence. Then they might spend the afternoon
using a computer to map a piece of land precisely.
When a land surveyor is called upon to conduct a survey, the first step
is usually research. They must find out what deeds exist to the land. They
have to know where the lines have been drawn in the past.
Next, a team of surveyors and survey technicians will go to the site and
measure the land. The team will survey one stretch of land at a time by standing
at each end and measuring the terrain in between.
They used to have to write all their measurements in a logbook. But now
the instruments they use will automatically record distance, depth, slope
and other data.
Then the surveyors bring the information back to the office, where they
do more precise calculations. They compare what was measured and what is in
the original deed. For a survey to be done right, they have to cover every
detail.
Paul Lamoreaux is a San Francisco-based land surveyor. He says a good surveyor
is someone who is "curious and interested in everything: people, sciences,
mathematics."
Surveyor and business owner Jamie Clow says it is a good career for someone
who is "very particular and precise as far as how things go. You can't do
things sloppy or halfway. You have to be someone who wants to show detailed
information."
A good land surveyor will combine that passion for precision with an impartial
and level-headed manner. "The most difficult is when you know you're walking
into a contentious situation, which doesn't happen often," says Clow.
"Someone will come to you saying they're having a fight with their neighbor
and they want you to show them where the line is. You have to talk calmly
to them. You don't want to end up shouting....There are some people who actually
believe, 'I'm the one paying for the survey, I should get what I want.' The
line is where it is, no matter who asks for it. I'd say the same thing if
the neighbor had hired me."
Another challenge that land surveyors face is dealing with clients who
don't understand the complexity of the work. "The work of a surveyor is often
considered rather simplistic, and is not well understood even by other professionals
such as engineers, lawyers or realtors," says Cornett.
Generally, junior surveyors will find themselves more often out in the
field. Experienced surveyors are more involved with the business management
aspects of the job. "If you own your own company," says Cornett, "then you
could choose to spend time in the field as it suited your own interests and
objectives."
Many surveyors own or work in small businesses. Other surveyors may work
on large public works projects.
Lamoreaux is a specialized kind of land surveyor called a right-of-way
engineer. He helps determine the best place to put a road. He also makes sure
that the road does not interfere with surrounding properties.
Land surveying tends to be a career for life. Clow sees this as an advantage.
"Age won't affect what I'm doing here. I may choose to send younger guys out
if I can't do it anymore, but I can do this work as long as I want."
However, Cornett points out there are many ways for land surveyors to build
on their knowledge. "Surveying is a high-tech field which can lead in any
number of directions, either through specialization in a particular discipline
or through management opportunities," she says.
Traditionally, there are not many women in the profession. A 1992 survey
based on the membership of the American Congress on Mapping and Surveying
estimated that about two percent of land surveyors in the U.S. were women.
Gerard Lachapelle is head of the geomatics department at a university.
He says between 20 and 35 percent of his students are women. But it is unclear
how many go on to become land surveyors.
Elizabeth Cannon is a geomatics professor who holds a special position
dedicated to advancing women in science and engineering. She says there are
companies out there who recognize the value women can add to the team.
"They realize women are traditionally good at being communicators and at
being organized. [Women surveyors] are going to see a variation in who would
want to mentor them, and they are going to meet people who are going to see
this not as a profession for women," she says.
"Women should really research potential employers to make sure that the
organization they end up working for is positive and open and progressive."