The World Is Your Canvas |
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August 30, 2005
By Austin Brentley
Technical Programs Columnist
Auguste Rodin won critical acclaim when he turned a big block of stone into a pensive Thinker. Sandro Botticelli will be forever remembered for painting a woman in an oversized clam shell. Andy Warhol made his millions by painting pictures of Campbell's soup cans. But what about the hardcore artists? It's all fine and good to work with stone blocks, blank canvases, and lumps of clay, but what about the men and women who sculpt the land? What about surveyors?
Survey Says...
Before you start reminiscing about old episodes of Family Feud, let's define what surveying is exactly. We're not talking about pollsters who go around asking you questions. We're talking about professionals who do land surveying for home development and urban planning. It is very detailed work, but unlike the eccentric personalities that populate art history, people who work in land surveying rarely receive the accolades that they should.
And Why Should They? Land Surveying Can't Be That Hard.
Wrong again my friend. Using very precise measuring equipment, professionals in this field assess what kinds of structures, roads, or bridges a specific area of land can support. In addition, they delineate boundaries, help write maps, and outline the plans for future cities.
Surveying Software: Where Art and Science Merge
Surveying truly is an art form. But it is also an exact science. Even more so thanks to recent technological advances. One of the newest additions to this high-tech craft is GPS surveying software. With global position systems, surveyors can rely on an even more accurate understanding of the land that they are studying. And because surveyors can make realistic 3D representations using this new surveying software, they can try out new ideas and drafts without changing the actual landscape. In a way, surveying software has helped the environment by saving it from unnecessary alterations. Compare this to Rodin who had to quarry for stone before he could establish his fame.
About the Author
A freelance writer and researcher, Austin Brentley is an English teacher currently living and working in Yamaguchi, Japan. His previous experience includes working for a lobbying firm in his native Washington, DC and working for various record and television studios in New York. Austin holds a B.A. in history
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