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Why are surveyors important in society?

Surveyor's work with solicitors, planners, engineers, property developers and other fellow professionals to facilitate the implementation of land and engineering projects that promote the social and economic development of our world.

The surveyor's role is to provide highly technical and complex measuring services that may include: -

• Land property boundaries.
• Land subdivision management.
• Community title and strata development.
• Engineering and construction surveys.
• Petroleum and mineral exploration.
• Mining surveys.
• Topographical mapping.
• Hydrographic surveys.
• Photogrammetric surveys.
• Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation and position fixing.
• Land information management.
• Digital terrain modelling.
• Structure movement monitoring.

The ability to relate measurements in space and time is of obvious importance in rescue operations.

The 2006 rescue of two miners from an underground cave-in at Beaconsfield, Tasmania was heavily dependent on the ability of the surveyor on the surface to set the position and direction of the rescue shaft so that it would meet the trapped miners, located one kilometre below the surface.

The NSW country surveyor who monitored land and structural movements to protect rescuers in the critical days after the Thredbo disaster in 1997 won the inaugural 'Professional of the Year' award from the Australian Council of Professions.