Profession surveying technician

Surveying technicians carry out technical surveying tasks. They assist surveyors, architects or engineers in surveying related technical tasks such as mapping land, creating construction drawings and operating precise measuring equipment

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Personality Type

• Conventional / Realistic

Knowledge

• Surveying

  The technique of determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them.

• Surveying methods

  Have an understanding of surveying methods, remote sensing methods and equipment.

• Technical drawings

  Drawing software and the various symbols, perspectives, units of measurement, notation systems, visual styles and page layouts used in technical drawings.

• Mathematics

  Mathematics is the study of topics such as quantity, structure, space, and change. It involves the identification of patterns and formulating new conjectures based on them. Mathematicians strive to prove the truth or falsity of these conjectures. There are many fields of mathematics, some of which are widely used for practical applications.

• Geomatics

  The scientific discipline that studies gathering, storing, and processing geographic information.

• Topography

  Graphic representation of the surface features of a place or region on a map indicating their relative positions and elevations.

• Cartography

  The study of interpreting the elements depicted in maps, the measures and technical specifications. 

• Survey techniques

  Techniques on how to identify a target audience, choose the right survey method and analyse the data.

• Geodesy

  The scientific discipline that combines applied mathematics and earth sciences in order to measure and represent the Earth. It studies phenomena such as gravitational fields, polar motion, and tides.

• Geographic information systems

  The tools involved in geographical mapping and positioning, such as GPS (global positioning systems), GIS (geographical information systems), and RS (remote sensing).

Skills

• Operate surveying instruments

  Operate and adjust measuring instruments such as theodolites and prisms, and other electronic distance-measuring tools.

• Perform scientific research

  Gain, correct or improve knowledge about phenomena by using scientific methods and techniques, based on empirical or measurable observations.

• Record survey measurements

  Gather and process descriptive data by using documents such as sketches, drawings and notes.

• Perform surveying calculations

  Perform calculations and gather technical data in order to determine earth curvature corrections, traverse adjustments and closures, level runs, azimuths, marker placements, etc.

• Ensure compliance with safety legislation

  Implement safety programmes to comply with national laws and legislation. Ensure that equipment and processes are compliant with safety regulations.

• Conduct land surveys

  Conduct surveys to determine the location and features of natural and man-made structures, on surface level as well as underground and underwater. Operate electronic distance-measuring equipment and digital measuring instruments.

• Use technical drawing software

  Create technical designs and technical drawings using specialised software.

• Interpret geophysical data

  Interpret data of a geophysical nature: Earth's shape, its gravitational and magnetic fields, its structure and composition, and geophysical dynamics and their surface expression in plate tectonics.

• Process collected survey data

  Analyse and interpret survey data acquired from a wide variety of sources e.g. satellite surveys, aerial photography and laser measurement systems.

• Compare survey computations

  Determine the accuracy of data by comparing computations with applicable standards.

• Calibrate precision instrument

  Examine the precision instruments and assess whether the instrument meets the quality standards and production specifications. Correct and adjust the reliability by measuring output and comparing results with the data of a reference device or a set of standardised results.

• Adjust surveying equipment

  Ensure accuracy of measurement by adjusting surveying equipment.

• Prepare surveying report

  Write a survey report containing information on property boundaries, the height and depth of the terrain, etc..

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB