Student Essay Contest Finalist

Land surveying is the process by which land is surveyed and measured using mathematical means. The history of land surveying dates back thousands of years. Technology has come a long way since the Jacob staff, and the working man knows there are different tools used to accomplish certain jobs in the present times.

While the technology is growing each and every day, I believe that in my future of surveying we will be more involved with using computers and computer programs. I have no doubt that surveying will not be a lost art, even though the fundamental principles will continue to change overtime.

The development of CADD in the surveying profession has helped the surveying process be completed faster and flow smoothly. In the future, I can see surveyors using CADD and converting their drawings into 3D holographic maps. This would be very beneficial to the surveyor to aid the process of making the map look like the actual site they are surveying. The 3D site map would be very useful to the surveyor to check and make sure he or she has collected enough data. If more data needs to be obtained it would be accessible.

The use of lidar has helped surveyors to complete a survey in a very short period of time. Lidar has the advantage of gathering many points in a small time frame, making the surveying process more efficient and helping the surveyor complete a survey in record time.

People live and pass on, and eventually land is subdivided from generation to generation. I know from experience that land is a precious entity that my grandfather passed on to me. With my new knowledge of surveying I have learned a lot about my own land where one day I will build my own house with the understanding of how to go about doing so. There is a lot of hard work and motivation that goes into what I do every day in my studies of surveying, whether it’s working on my own projects, on class-related projects, or in the field experience I already have.

The reality of the surveying profession is not one of gloom but most definitely one of boom. There are many long-term opportunities to be gained from surveying, like assisting the improvement of society, following the footsteps of the men before us, and creating a new path for future generations in our industry to come. The need for surveyors is always going to be there; they help build the infrastructure of the world. My hopes are that in the process I can become a leader and improve my chosen field of work along the way.