Land surveyors once used tape measures and transits to measure distances and positions. Because the 1980s, electronic distance measurement, or EDM, devices have allowed for much more efficient and accurate measurements. These use a wave of energy that's shot between your EDM instrument and a reflector. Enough time the beam takes to come back is then calculated as distance. Today, such calculations can be achieved using sophisticated GPS systems.
The Global Positioning System runs on the network of satellites to precisely pinpoint the device's location on Earth at any moment. GPS uses the principle of trilateration, using the location of several satellites to pinpoint a precise location. A receiver can determine the latitude, longitude, and elevation of a point using four or even more satellites; there are always a total of 24 Global Positioning System satellites currently used. First created by the U.S. Department of Defense as a navigational aid in 1994, today it is found in many devices, tracking everything from cell phones and delivery vehicles to the movement of the tectonic plates of Earth's crust.
Land surveyors use Global Position Systems to notice the precise coordinates of spatial locations. Exact measurement of these positions is probably the fundamental elements of land surveying. The benefit of is that it is much more accurate than hand-measuring these locations. There is some degree of error in all land surveying measurements, due to human errors, environmental characteristics like variations in magnetic fields, temperature, and gravity, and instrument errors. GPS permits much more precise measurements than previously open to land surveyors using measuring tape and an angle sight.
Another benefit of the use of its use as a land surveyor is that the coordinates can be located precisely, while other ways of land surveying depend on measurements from other known locations, like the edge of the house line, the corner of a house, or another landmark. These locations could change over time, such as if a house is torn down or another obstacle is made between the structure and the measured point; a good surveyor's stake could be removed prior to the land is re-surveyed. The coordinate of confirmed location on the planet, however, remains the same. Therefore, using GPS as a land surveyor produces measurements that'll be accurate regardless of what happens to the surrounding land.
Although Global Position System receivers allow for very precise measurements, there is still a degree of error involved. A receiver on a tripod will record the positioning slightly differently each and every time; when many measurements are taken, these data points will form a cluster around the actual location. Better-quality receivers, of course, reduce this quantity of error. Survey-grade receivers, rather than those meant for non-surveying uses, may create a group of measurements clustered in a matter of one centimeter of the specific location. Today's receivers are steadily gaining in use, but is probably not as accurate because the surveyor want, especially in areas that are heavily wooded or which have other large obstructions. However, the technology is rapidly advancing and gaining a foothold in the available equipment for land surveyors. Since Land Surveyors Urmston , the accuracy available when using GPS units has improved steadily.