Category Archives: Evolution of Land Survey Technology
These articles trace land survey measurement technology from the time of early mapping in Western Canada to the relatively recent application of GPS technology. They depict the greatest evolution in land surveying technology in history – the period from about 1960 to the early 2000s. This period witnessed the transformation in measurement technology from transit and chain to GPS, and in survey computation from logarithms to the sophisticated programs and computers of the early 21st Century. They were originally published from 2021 to 2023 in ALS News, a quarterly publication of the Alberta Land Surveyors Association.
01. Sextant and Artificial Horizon
Sextants, developed in the 17th Century were used until the 20th Century to determine the...
02. Circumferentors – Made in Canada before Confederation
Circumferentors were used to survey Canadian settlements and international boundaries during the 1800s. They were...
03. Gunter’s Chain – a legacy of three centuries
Imagine designing something that would be used for three centuries. That is what Edmund Gunter...
04. Manuals of Instruction for the Dominion Lands Survey
In 1871, the survey of public lands commenced in what was then called Manitoba and...
05. Surveys were to be Astronomical
It was common to use magnetic bearings for surveys during the 19th century using a...
06. The Gunter’s Chain is Replaced by the Steel Band Chain
When the first township surveys in Western Canada were carried out, the Gunter’s chain was...
07. Chaining – an Art and a Science
Steel band tapes, when introduced, were called chains and the act of measuring using a...
08. The Topley Company – a Canadian Supplier of Survey Instruments
The Topley Company – a Canadian Supplier of Survey Instruments
09. Is it a Theodolite or Transit? Early Open Vernier Theodolites and Transits
What is the difference between a theodolite and transit? The term “theodolite” can be traced...
10. The Survey Instrument Captain Cook Wanted to Learn – The Plane Table and Alidade
The plane table and alidade has been used for mapping topographical features for centuries.