National Surveyors Week is celebrated annually about the third week in March.This year that falls out on the week of March 17-23. GPS Day is held in conjunction with National Surveyors Week, and will be held on March 16 as a lead-in to the week. During that week, hundreds of surveyors nationwide are planning activities, like visits to schools and contacts with local media about the importance of the surveying profession.
The practice of surveying goes back over three thousand years; that’s when the Egyptians first divided plots of land for the purpose of taxation. Two hundred years later, the Greeks standardized procedures for surveying, incorporating the principles of geometry for precise demarcations and developing the first instrument used for surveying. In the 19th Century, surveying proved crucial for planning the infrastructure of the burgeoning countries. While plane surveying continued for smaller areas, for larger areas, surveyors started to apply geodetic principles to obtain a more accurate measure over larger areas. Instruments became more precise, as was required for planning roads, railroads, and canals.
Today surveyors still meet the needs of property owners and developers, but they do much more, as well:
• Hydrographic surveys are important to the use bodies of water;
• Engineering surveys are utilized in the study and selection of engineering construction;
• Geodetic surveys determine precise global positioning for such activities as aircraft and missile navigation;
• Cartographic surveys are used for mapping and charting as well as photogrammetry, the science of using aerial photographs for measurement and map production.
In the National Society of Professional Surveyors press release, Curt Sumner, executive director of NSPS, notes, "there are over 45,000 professional surveyors in the United States. The value of their work remains vital to the future economic growth of our nation." Without their professional skill to determine boundaries, the American dream of owning land would not be sustainable.
American surveyors include some very famous historical figures. The father of this country, George Washington, was a surveyor as a young man; he was one of the principals of the Ohio Company. Thomas Jefferson used a surveyor’s chain, “circumferentor” compass, and theodolite to survey land and elevations. Abraham Lincoln, worked as a surveyor, as well as a postmaster and storekeeper while studying law. Henry David Thoreau considered surveying as “a noble employment.” Walden Pond, which he immortalized in his famous book was also the subject of his surveying work. During the winter of 1846 Thoreau set up a grid on the frozen surface. At specific point, he bored through the ice to let down a weighted string to plumb the varying depths of the pond.
Surveyors no longer have to clamber over ice to measure ponds. Surveying equipment has grown high-tech with advanced instruments that work in conjunction with computations power for data collection, storage, retrieval, and sharing. Satellites also come into play, as they are used to gather data on physical features that were previously beyond human reach. One of the key pieces of equipment professional surveyors have grown to depend on is a Total Station.
Tiger Supplies always serves the needs of professional surveyors with the very latest equipment at the best prices. Surveyors have the option of placing an order online from anywhere or dropping into the New Jersey showroom where they can see the range of instruments and accessories in the flesh.
As a special salute to the professionals honored during National Surveyor Week, Tiger Supplies is offering an unprecedented promotion: Buy the total station of your choice and get a starter kit valued at $695 as a gift. The free kit includes all those accessories you need to get started, like the prism, prism pole, and tripod. This is an exceptional value extended only for a limited time. Of course, Tiger Supplies always has the best prices on whatever you need for a surveying job.
Celebrate National Surveyors Week and celebrate savings at Tiger Supplies.