Land surveying is the art, science and technology of locating and determining by measurement, the shape and size of any portion of the earth’s surface and improvements thereon, and the representation of surveys on maps and plans. It also includes the laying out of roads and improvements on the ground according to design plans. Legal or cadastral surveys involve property law and boundary establishment or retracement, which requires extensive training; knowledge of survey history and the applicable law, court precedents and interpretation of evidence.

A survey may be the exploration and mapping of large tracts of country for Government, or it may be of a city lot for which a building location or site certificate is desired by a lending institution or a municipality. Between such extremes are topographic, hydrographic, construction, legal and control surveys, and the planning and design of subdivisions. Participation in the implementation of, and mapping for, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is becoming an increasingly larger part of the Land Surveyor’s work. Rapid advances in equipment, computers, and new technologies such as Global Positioning Systems (GPS) are adding challenges and excitement to the profession.

While the British Columbia Land Surveyor has the professional and technical knowledge to conduct these various surveys, assistants are usually employed. This requires further knowledge and skills in supervision, personnel management and accounting. In private practice, the British Columbia Land Surveyor is also managing a business.

There are many quasi-judicial aspects to the work. The British Columbia Land Surveyor is a writer and interpreter of legal descriptions upon which title may be based. A Land Surveyor may be called to Court as an expert witness on matters dealing with the various provincial statutes that govern cadastral surveys, or in support of surveys made of accident sites or other litigation. The British Columbia Land Surveyor has many responsibilities under numerous statutes in the Province of British Columbia.

The Land Surveyor’s work is divided between the office and the field. Some field work can be planned for better weather conditions, however, urgencies and deadlines often require Land Surveyors to work in adverse weather and under difficult conditions. In common with other professionals, the Land Surveyor cannot always expect to enjoy regular hours. Responsibilities to society often demand long and irregular work schedules.

Modern transportation has relieved the surveyor of much of the isolation which was once a part of survey life. Nevertheless, surveyors may operate away from their families for a portion of the year. Some types of survey work require long absences, others short, but this inconvenience must be considered.

A British Columbia Land Surveyor may practise as an employee, as an affiliate, as a sole proprietor, or as a partner in a firm with other Land Surveyors. There are opportunities to expand and to advance within most firms. Under certain conditions, a British Columbia Land Surveyor may incorporate and/or enter into a personal or corporate partnership with other professionals in accordance with the Land Surveyors Act and Associationbylaws.

Prior to achieving professional status, an applicant must undergo a rigorous formal education and serve a period of articles. One must be committed to this term of study to pass the required examinations upon completion of the article period.

For the person interested in operating a modern business, the challenges of the outdoors, the analytical elements of mathematics and boundary resolution, the study of historical records, and the opportunities of working with modern technology, a career in land surveying is well worth considering.