The lie of the land: what is a building surveyor?

Surveying is the process that involves above and below ground measurements and the planning and management of man-made objects and natural resources. Surveyors are involved in project management and are often specialists in a number of areas.

What is a building surveyor?

A surveyor is a professional who is qualified in the academic and technical science of acquiring information on land and in building and geographic locations and in using the information for planning purposes. They also implement the administration of their use.
Surveyors are employed in areas of development and construction and are usually the first step in the process. Surveyors are needed for

• Road construction
• Town buildings
• Mines
• Housing construction
• Remote sensing

Surveying is one of the oldest professions, having been practiced since the earliest times where it flourished in prosperous ancient civilisations and their skills were greatly respected. Surveyors determine the positions of geographical objects as well as man-made structures and the recorded details are kept for future reference and planning.

Professions that call on the services of a building surveyor

Surveyors also work with solicitors and property developers in relation to land and engineering projects and their ability to be able to relate measurements in space and time is of vital importance during rescue operations, with rescue teams relying heavily on the surveyors findings in some instances.

For more information on a professional surveyor and surveying

The Institute of surveyors NSW website is very informative on all aspects of surveyors and surveying work. Go to www.isansw.org.au . As well as giving an excellent outline of the type of work situations that involve surveyors, it also gives some good information about how to study to be a surveyor. You might also like to visit www.ozsurveying.com.au. This is also a very informative site about surveyors and the work they do.