Most surveyors serve as leaders of surveying teams; they are in charge of the field party and responsible for the accuracy of its work. They record the information disclosed by the survey, verify the accuracy of the survey data, and prepare the sketches, maps, and reports.
A typical field party consists of the party chief and three to six assistants and helpers. Instrument workers adjust and operate surveying instruments and compile notes. Chain workers use steel tape or surveyor's chain to measure distances between surveying points; they usually work in pairs and may mark measured points with pointed stakes. Rod workers use a level rod, range pole, or other equipment to assist instrument workers in determining elevations, distances, and directions. They hold and move the range pole according to hand or voice signals from the instrument worker and remove underbrush from the survey line.
Surveyors often specialize in highway surveys; land surveys to establish boundaries (these are also required for the preparation of maps and legal descriptions for deeds and leases); or topographic surveys to determine elevations, depressions, and contours and the location of roads, rivers, and buildings. Other specialties are mining, pipeline, gravity, and magnetic surveying.
Photogrammetrists measure and interpret photographs to determine various characteristics of natural or artificial features of an area. They apply analytical processes and mathematical techniques to aerial, space, ground, and underwater photographs to prepare detailed maps of areas that are inaccessible or difficult to survey. Control surveys on the ground are then made to determine the accuracy of the maps derived from photogrammetric techniques.
Federal, state, and local government agencies employ about 25 percent of all surveyors. Those who work for state and local governments usually work for highway departments and urban planning and development agencies. Those who work for the federal government are in the U.S. Geological Survey, Bureau of Land Management, Army Corps of Engineers, Forest Service, National Ocean Survey, and Defense Mapping Agency.
Many surveyors work for construction companies, engineering and architectural consulting firms, public utilities, and petroleum and natural gas companies. Others own or work for firms that conduct surveys for a fee.
Places of Employment and Working Conditions
Surveyors work throughout the United States.
Surveying is outdoor work with surveyors often walking long distances or climbing hills carrying equipment and instruments. They usually work an eight-hour, five-day week but may work much longer hours in summer months when conditions are more favorable for surveying.
Qualifications, Education, and Training
Surveyors should be in good physical condition. They need good eyesight, coordination, and hearing and must have the ability to visualize and understand objects, distances, sizes, and other abstract forms. They also need mathematical ability.
High school courses should include algebra, geometry, trigonometry, as well as drafting and mechanical drawing, if possible.
Surveyors acquire their skills through a combination of on-the-job training and courses in surveying. Technical institutes, vocational schools, and junior colleges offer one-, two-, and three-year programs in surveying.
High school graduates without any training usually start as helpers. If they complete a surveying course and gain experience, they may advance to technician, senior survey technician, party chief, and finally, licensed surveyor.
Photogrammetrists usually need a bachelor's degree in engineering or the physical sciences.
All states require licensing or registration of land surveyors. Registration requirements are very strict because, once registered, surveyors can be held legally responsible for their work. Requirements usually include formal education courses and from five to twelve years of surveying experience.
Potential and Advancement
The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the demand for surveyors will shrink by 2% between 2014 and 2024, indicating that job prospects in the field will be poor.
Income
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary for surveyors in 2015 was $58,020.
Advancement in this field depends mainly on accumulating experience.
Additional Sources of Information
- American Congress on Surveying and Mapping
- American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sending
Related Jobs
Related jobs include survey and mapping technician, urban and regional planner, cartographer, photogrammetrist, architect, and landscape architect.
