SURVEYING IS UBIQUITOUS

SURCON QUESTION 2015: SURVEYING IS UBIQUITOUS. DISCUSS.

Surveying is both a location-based science and a positioning technology. Surveying combines technology and geography to accurately establish positions of natural and cultural features on, near and inside the earth surface. Techniques of surveying have been applied to all human activities taking place with reference to the earth. Surveying applications have been employed to solve problems in earth resources exploration and management, engineering construction and maintenance, agricultural production and processing, military intelligence and strategies, infrastructural development, estate management, population headcount, tax assessment and collection, architectural design and landscaping, archeological studies, education, health care delivery, forestry, telecommunications, navigation, transportation and space exploration. The list is inexhaustible.  This fact makes surveying and its products indispensable in all human endeavors.

Products of surveying are depicted on maps, charts and other map products. From ancient times, man has used one form of maps or another for navigation, location and positioning. Maps are indispensable for solving earth-related problems such as deforestation, desertification, flooding, earthquakes, landslide, ice-melting, air and water pollution, waste disposal, food shortage, boundary fixing and adjustment, land dispute adjudication, population estimation, mineral exploration, land distribution and management, resource allocation, housing, airways, waterways and highways mapping, transportation management, climate change  and so forth.

Surveying provides geospatial data; that is, data that are tied to particular location with reference to the earth. Geospatial data are indispensable for exploration, storage and distribution of earth resources; design, construction and maintenance of engineering structures and infrastructures; location, application and allocation of human and material resources; government activities of providing public good to its citizens, and many others. In the following sections attempts shall be made to describe the need and applications of geospatial data in some vital areas of human activities.
Geospatial data provides essential information for the location and construction of utilities such as roads, schools, health care centers, markets, power lines, pipelines and sewage systems. Administrative boundaries of localities, ground relief and locations of natural and man-made features on the ground are of topmost consideration. In order to accurately locate features on the earth, therefore, it is necessary to use topographic maps from which such information can be derived.
Geospatial data from topographic maps provides the basis for mapping enumeration areas as part of planning for population census. Geo information from such maps gives planners needed knowledge about locations, terrain and access to places of interest.

Exploration and exploitation of mineral resources have been made possible by surveying techniques. These surveys give accurate location, size and shape of mineral deposits and accurate positioning of equipment to explore them. Surveying techniques of topographic and corridor mapping are used to position pipelines and highways for the distribution of the explored minerals. As-built survey is used to map and document the position of pipelines and highways after construction.

In agriculture, geospatial data from satellite imageries are being used to monitor crop health and increase yield through the techniques of remote sensing. The data generated from the raster images gives farmers synoptic view of their expansive farmland, through which they are able to monitor crops in real time. Stunted growth, diseased crops and activities of pests are easily discovered and quickly mitigated.

Surveying data and techniques are useful in urban planning, housing and estate development. Land information System (LIS), a modern computerized geo-information system provides planners with digital tools to visualize an environment, plan layouts and sub-divide plots appropriately. Thus, residential, commercial, agricultural and industrial land-use is made available for sustainable development. 

Surveying provides stable platforms on which engineering structures and infrastructures are founded. There cannot be durable and sustainable infrastructures without surveying inputs. Until the land is accurately surveyed, no engineering structures can be established. In the first place, surveying provides geospatial data for planning and design of any engineering work. Engineers need accurate and current map about the location before they ever go to the drawing board. After design, staking out of the engineering design also depends on accuracy of the geospatial data with which it was designed.

Furthermore, surveying and geo-data are of utmost importance in disaster forecasting, monitoring, management, mitigation and quick response during emergency. Remotely sensed data gives synoptic view of the affected areas and extent of the disaster. Topographic maps show how response agents can have access to the affected areas. At sea, hydrographic charts show vital information about distance from shore, sea bed topography, tides and water currents. These pieces of information have been used to mitigate disasters such as flooding, earthquake and oil spillage.

Time and space will not allow detailed description of applications of surveying in many other areas of human endeavors. Moreover, it is necessary to mention that surveying is being applied in telecommunication, transportation, navigation, space exploration, distribution of goods and services, and business organizations where customer locations and monitoring of goods and services on transit are of utmost importance. Others are location-based services, supply chain management, logistics, military strategies, mining, manufacturing, crime fighting, weather forecasting and so forth. Needless to say, therefore, that surveying is indispensable and needed in all areas of human endeavors. Surveying is truly ubiquitous.

DISCLAIMER: This material is only an attempt to answer an examination question, though written from a background of solid knowledge and practical experience in Surveying and Geoinformatics. It has not gone through peer review. Therefore, all views and opinions expressed therein remain the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent that of any institution.  Feedback on corrections and constructive criticisms should be sent to tolutaiwo75@gmail.com. Than you.