Concept of Surveying

Survey is the art of finding the relative position of various natural and artificial points and shapes on the ground plane or in the ground and sky. The position of the points or shapes is determined by measuring the horizontal distance between them, finding the angular direction or the difference (height / depth) of their bottom. Establishing the desired points and lines by the linear and angular measurements already determined is called survey.

Making maps by marking measurements obtained from the field on a drawing sheet is also considered part of the survey. Survey is a broad term. When measurements are taken on the horizontal plane, it is called Surveying and when measurements are taken on the vertical plane, it is called Levelling. The survey also broadly includes the sedimentation work. Various survey instruments are used for measurement. Preliminary knowledge of subjects like Mathematics, Geography, Physics etc. is required for survey work.