What is Civil Engineering Surveying?
The civil engineering industry involves the design and construction of the facilities that shape the world we live in. From roads, railways and bridges to water supply pipes and power stations, this is all civil engineering.
Civil Engineering Surveyors are involved in every stage of the project from initial concept through design and construction, to monitoring the condition and performance of the completed structure.
Within this profession you could choose to work within Commercial Management (Quantity Surveying) or Geospatial Engineering
(Engineering Surveying).
This profession also includes the following functions:
- Estimating: calculating the cost of a project;
- Procurement Engineering: purchasing the materials and services needed;
- Planning: programming the construction and ensuring that it is carried out as specified;
- Project Management: general management of the construction project;
- Construction Law: advising on the legal aspects of the construction, including the settlement of claims and disputes.
Geospatial Engineering Surveying
Geospatial Engineers work within construction on the measurement and monitoring of projects, as well as producing maps, plans and charts of different features. The main profession within civil engineering is engineering surveying (sometimes known as land surveying). Engineering surveyors are generally responsible for:
- Investigating land, using computer-based measuring instruments and geographical knowledge, to work out the best position to construct bridges, tunnels and roads;
- Producing up-to-date plans which form the basis for the design of a project;
- Setting out a site, so that a structure is built in the correct spot and to the correct size;
- Monitoring the construction process to make sure that the structure remains in the right position, and recording the final as-built position;
- Providing control points by which the future movement of structures such as dams or bridges can be monitored.
The term Geospatial Engineering includes the following specialist areas:
- Engineering surveying: preparation of maps and plans for the planning and design of structures, as well as ensuring that the construction takes place to the dimensions and tolerances required;
- Hydrographic surveying: measuring and mapping the earth's surface that is covered by water;
- Photogrammetry: involves obtaining information from photographic images in order to produce a plan of an area;
- Geographic Information Systems: involves collecting and manipulating geographic information and presenting the information in the form required;
- Cartography/Visualisation: accurately and precisely producing maps or plans and representing the information in two or three dimensions.
