Land surveying is probably the oldest professions in the world. Ever since man has decided that a portion of land should belong to a tribe, the necessity for surveying began.
Land surveying is fascinating. The techniques used seek to choose which section of land belongs to whom, hopefully ending arguments forever.
In a nutshell, surveying is a process using mathematical means to survey land.
The initial accounts of surveying land dates back to ancient Egypt. Experts have discovered evidences that the ancient Egyptians used basic geometry to redraw the lines of boundary once the Nile River overflowed. https://landsurveysworcestershire.co.uk/best-land-surveys-worcestershire/ dating back to to 3000 BC was also found.
Following the Egyptians, the Romans - also one of the powerful civilizations of the ancient world - practiced land surveying. They took it one step further and made "land surveyor" an official position within the Empire. They were called agrimensores, generally known as Corpus Agrimensorum Romanorum. Although they used very simple tools, these were very thorough with their jobs and would create straight lines and correct angles with the use of these tools. After the lines were measured, they might create shallow ditches to mark the lines. In fact, a number of the furrows they made remain today.
Among the recorded land surveying of the "modern" times is that of William the Conqueror who wrote the Domesday Book in 1086. This book is actually a set of names of land owners, the quantity of land they owned along with other information about the land. Although it was an amazing level of information during this time period, the pieces of information weren't 100% correct. The locations were not accurate and the maps were not made to scale.
One of history's greatest icons was also a devoted surveyor - Napoleon Bonaparte. The interest in surveying land was really just a product of his want to conquer the world. Napoleon Bonaparte founded a registry called the cadastre. This includes a registry of properties of a county, ownership details, locations and as much information regarding the land's value. Yes, Napoleon Bonaparte can be considered a land surveyor - and a very smart man.
The techniques useful for land surveying have also evolved on the centuries. In the past, people would use whatever could help them determine the distance from one point to another. This means using chains with links and even ropes. Needless to say, this didn't give accurate results however they didn't have the technology we now have back then.
Today, land surveyors have the best technologies to greatly help them making use of their job. There is GPS, or Global Positioning System, that is just about the most accurate technologies being used today. Total stations are also essential to a land surveyor, which employs the use of an EDM or Electronic Distance Measurement device plus a theodolite which allows for more precise angle and distance measurements.