National Surveyors Week is celebrated annually about the
third week in March.This year that falls out on the week of March 17-23. GPS
Day is held in conjunction with National Surveyors Week, and will be held on
March 16 as a lead-in to the week. During that week, hundreds of surveyors
nationwide are planning activities, like visits to schools and contacts with
local media about the importance of the surveying profession.
The practice of surveying goes back over three thousand
years; that’s when the Egyptians first divided plots of land for the purpose of
taxation. Two hundred years later, the
Greeks standardized procedures for surveying, incorporating the principles of
geometry for precise demarcations and developing the first instrument used for
surveying. In the 19th Century, surveying proved crucial for
planning the infrastructure of the burgeoning countries. While plane surveying
continued for smaller areas, for larger areas, surveyors started to apply
geodetic principles to obtain a more accurate measure over larger areas.
Instruments became more precise, as was required for planning roads, railroads,
and canals.
Today surveyors
still meet the needs of property owners and developers, but they do much more,
as well:
- Hydrographic surveys are
important to the use bodies of water;
- Engineering surveys are
utilized in the study and selection of engineering construction;
- Geodetic surveys
determine precise global positioning for such activities as aircraft and
missile navigation;
- Cartographic surveys are
used for mapping and charting as well as photogrammetry, the science of
using aerial photographs for measurement and map production.
In the National Society of Professional Surveyors press release, Curt Sumner,
executive director of NSPS, notes,
"there are over 45,000 professional surveyors in the United States. The
value of their work remains vital to the future economic growth of our
nation." Without their professional skill to determine boundaries,
the American dream of owning land would not be sustainable.
American surveyors include some very famous historical
figures. The father of this country, George Washington, was a surveyor as a
young man; he was one of the principals of the Ohio Company. Thomas Jefferson
used a surveyor’s chain, “circumferentor” compass, and theodolite to survey
land and elevations. Abraham Lincoln, worked as a surveyor, as well as a
postmaster and storekeeper while studying law. Henry David Thoreau considered
surveying as “a noble employment.” Walden Pond, which he immortalized in his
famous book was also the subject of his surveying work. During the winter of
1846 Thoreau set up a grid on the frozen surface. At specific point, he bored
through the ice to let down a weighted string to plumb the varying depths of
the pond.
Surveyors no longer have to
clamber over ice to measure ponds. Surveying
equipment has grown high-tech with advanced instruments that work in
conjunction with computations power for data collection, storage, retrieval,
and sharing. Satellites also come into
play, as they are used to gather data on physical features that were previously
beyond human reach. One of the key
pieces of equipment professional surveyors have grown to depend on is a Total
Station.
Tiger Supplies always serves the
needs of professional surveyors with the very latest equipment at the best
prices. Surveyors have the option of
placing an order online from anywhere or dropping into the New Jersey showroom
where they can see the range of instruments and accessories in the flesh.
As a special salute to the
professionals honored during National Surveyor Week, Tiger Supplies is offering
an unprecedented promotion: Buy the total station of your choice and get a starter
kit valued at $695 as a gift. The free kit includes all those accessories you
need to get started, like the prism, prism pole, and tripod. This is an
exceptional value extended only for a limited time. Of course, Tiger Supplies
always has the best prices on whatever you need for a surveying job.
