Surveying involves precise measurements of the earth's surface using surveying equipment to establish property boundaries, prepare construction sites, and create accurate maps. Surveying is crucial in various industries such as building, mining, and civil engineering for planning infrastructure, assessing environmental impacts, and analyzing natural disaster risks.
Surveying equipment assists in measuring land features like vertical and horizontal distances and the volume of excavated material. Surveyors use these instruments to gather data in the field, research legal documents, and analyze data for planning and designing property boundaries.
Are you interested in learning about the different types of surveying equipment? This guide will walk you through the most common types of surveying equipment.
Ensuring accurate measurements is an important task of a land surveyor. Various tools, such as tapes, rulers, chains, and laser devices, are employed for this purpose. Pocket tapes are ideal for smaller measurements while measuring wheels, and fiberglass tape measures for longer distances.
Recommended Products:
- Closed Case Measuring Tapes - Provide protection from dirt and dust, as well as safeguarding the tape itself. Although they don't usually feature extremely long tapes like Open Reel measuring tapes, they are convenient to use, comfortable to hold, and typically offer tape lengths ranging from 50 to 100 feet.
- Fiberglass Tape Measures - Provide both ease and accuracy in measuring, along with durability to withstand job site conditions. Additionally, they offer enhanced safety against electrical hazards. Available in various units including metric, feet and inches, and feet and tenths, some fiberglass tape measures are double-sided, providing users with more measuring options.
- Measuring Wheels - Commonly known as surveyor wheels with a rotating wheel that measures distances between two points as you walk. They are useful for inspection or estimation tasks.
- Laser Measuring Devices - Provide accurate measurements by using laser-light technology, which generates a perfectly straight line. Point the laser measuring tool at the target, and the distance will display on the screen.
A compass is essential for surveying unfamiliar territory or orienting position on a map. It helps measure distances between points, while clinometers help measure slope angles or elevation.
Recommended Products:
- SitePro Transit Compass - Comes in two models, each featuring a graduated circle for maximum versatility. It's dampened for enhanced stability and includes a velvet-lined, belt-loop case for convenient storage and transport.
- Johnson Level Electronic Level Inclinometer - This displays angle and inclination simultaneously, covering a working range of 4 x 90 degrees. Confirmation of 0 and 90-degree positions is provided by an audible tone.
- Sokkia Abney Level with Clinometer - Made with lightweight brass, it boasts a slope scale of 1:1 and 1:10, with a pocket-sized 5 ⅛-inch length tube and a radius arc of 1 ⅛". Additionally, it comes with a padded belt-loop case for convenient storage. It also includes a percent-of-grade scale ranging from 0 to 100%.
These instruments measure both horizontal and vertical angles. Each tool maintains a minimum accuracy of one minute of angle. However, the theodolite is widely acknowledged as the more accurate option, capable of measuring angles with an accuracy of one-tenth of a second angle.
Recommended Products:
- Spectra Precision 2-Second Theodolite DET-2 - Offers accurate measurements at an affordable price. It ensures quick investment payback with dual displays, large backlit LCD characters, and advanced features. Its 2-second accuracy and vertical axis compensation suit any construction job while operating costs stay low with rechargeable and backup battery options.
- David White LT8-300P 26x Transit Level with Optical Plummet - These durable five-minute instruments are the top choice for horizontal and vertical sighting applications in construction due to their ruggedness and dependability. Built with a solid three-piece standard, they withstand dirt, damage, and costly repairs. The wide-stance ball-bearing center ensures smooth movement and superior alignment control. The top-mounted vial is easily visible, while the focus knob is conveniently accessible from any shooting angle.
Levels read elevations and identify elevation differences between two points. They come in handheld, optical, or digital varieties and are often paired with level rods or tripods for precise measurements.
Recommended Products:
- SitePro 48-inch Digital Level 29-DL48 - Offers accurate measurements in degrees, percent, or inches/feet. It ensures accuracy in various applications with both absolute and relative angle measurement capabilities and a display range from 0° to 90°. The LED-backlit display and audible sound enhance visibility, while the hold/lock measurement feature adds convenience.
- Seco 2X Stadia Hand Level 4300KR - A 2-power stadia hand level with a sharp field of view and stadia ratio of 1:32. This heavy-duty tool extends from 5 inches to 7 inches, featuring non-glare interiors, etched glass prisms, and precision ground lenses for accuracy. With a smooth hand-finished operation and no exposed screws, it ensures reliable performance.
- Topcon RL-200 2S Dual Slope Rotary Laser Level Pro Package - A self-leveling dual slope rotary laser. The package includes the RL-200 2S rotary laser, rechargeable battery kit, LS-100D laser detector with Holder 6 rod clamp, RC-400 remote control, and a hard carrying case.
Prism systems ensure precise control point placement at a convenient height for accuracy. Mountable on surveying poles, they work alongside electronic distance measuring (EDM) instruments to enhance precision.
Recommended Products:
- Leica Circular Prism with Holder GPR121 - This prism features a durable design made from quality metal components for accuracy and longevity. It comes with a convenient holder and target plate for ease of use.
- SitePro 360-Degree Robotic Prism System - This features accurate 360-degree prisms and ensures swift tracking lock with robotic instruments. It comprises seven 25.4mm prisms with a +2.0 mm offset and includes a height adapter system with a 5/8-11 thread. Available in sleek black color.
- Seco Small Tilting 25 mm Mini Prism - Ideal for distances up to 2,000 feet or more with most instruments. It features a yellow Delrin body with a -17.5 mm offset, adjustable on two axes. It is compatible with Swiss-style male tips or quick-release adapters.
During a land survey, it's essential to pinpoint various features like steel and iron pipes, manhole and utility covers, underground tanks, and survey corner markers. Magnetic locators offer a quick and precise method to detect ferrous materials such as iron, steel, and rebar.
Recommended Products:
- Schonstedt Maggie Magnetic Locator - Offers high sensitivity, precision, and single-handed operation. It has an ergonomic and durable design and is dust and water-resistant (rated IP54) with easy battery removal. The expanding bar graph indicates polarity and signal strength, utilizing HeliFlux sensors for accuracy. It's optimized for finding various objects including survey pins, markers, water and gas valves, manhole covers, and other iron/steel objects at depth.
- ChrisNik HoundDog Magnetic Locator - Features advanced Fence Ignoring Technology (FIT) for improved performance. Designed to locate survey markers under fences and around metal buildings, the HoundDog works seamlessly with ChrisNik's Magnail, MagSpike, and MagHub.
- SubSurface Instruments Magnetic Locator - Designed to locate iron and steel targets. It includes a digital meter for visual signal strength, polarity indication, gain setting, and battery life display. The metered model (ML-1M) offers added features without complexity.
Surveying instruments, no matter how precise, can be affected by unstable mounts. To ensure accurate readings, surveyors rely on essential mounting accessories like poles, tripods, and other stabilizing equipment. These mounts are crucial for various surveying tools, including prisms, lasers, and levels, ensuring measurement stability and reliability.
Recommended Products:
- Seco Dual Grad Quick-Release Single Section Robotics Pole - It ensures stability and accommodates various prisms. Silk-screened graduations on aluminum inner poles facilitate direct height reading and accurate measurements. Featuring stainless steel threads and easy push-button operation, it's ideal for robotics applications and boasts a lightweight carbon fiber outer pole, weighing just 2.65 lbs.
- Dutch Hill DH-COL-POD - Heavy-Duty Column Clamp - Serves to mount instruments securely onto columns during construction, keeping them elevated and away from ground-level obstructions. Primarily utilized in high-rise buildings and vertical Building Information Modeling (BIM) projects, these clamps ensure stability and convenience in instrument placement.
- Seco Dual Clamp Fiberglass Tripod 90582 - The Seco 90582 dual-clamp fiberglass tripod is perfect for securing theodolites, lasers, auto levels, or total stations in place.
Having the correct equipment is crucial in land surveying. Whether measuring angles, distances, or elevations, using the right tool guarantees accurate measurements for every task.
If you're searching for quality surveying equipment, look at the options on Engineer Supply to help you choose the best surveying tools for your needs.
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