Surveyors measure land and mark its boundaries. However, the job of a surveyor is much more specialised than this routine chore. Apart from measuring the borders of land, surveyors undertake several other complicated works like mapping deep ocean floors, monitoring environmental changes and subsequent hazards, etc. They use computer imaging technologies and satellite links also during the course of their work.
The good old surveyor who used ordinary instruments to measure your backyard has long gone. There are several specialisations in the field of the modern surveyor. Cadastral Survey, Engineering Survey, Mining Survey, Hydrographic Survey, Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing, Geographical Information Systems, Archaeology, Geodesy and Forensics are the various fields in surveying today. In spite of all these fancy technologies, the fundamentals of surveying, known as Land Information, remain the backbone of the survey field.
The various branches of surveying are controlled by technical standards and guidelines in Australia. These regulations have been issued by the various governmental departments like the Intergovernmental Committee on Surveying and Mapping (ICSM). The cadastral survey that determines the boundaries of the land parcels in the country is, however, a state responsibility in Australia. These cadastral surveys are controlled by the respective Surveyors Boards in each state. An example is the Land Surveyors Licensing Board of Western Australia.
Surveyors need a licence to conduct their business in Australia. Otherwise, they should be registered with the respective Surveyors Boards in their state of operation. Only then their land surveys and cadastral surveys would have legality. Property surveys are handed over to professional surveyors mainly for the following reasons:
- Land subdivision
- Buying, selling, developing or investing in land
- Absence of clear boundary location
- Building improvement work like addition of extra buildings, putting up fences, etc.
- Prevention of encroachment
- Obtaining a loan or mortgage
- Establishing rights of way
Most of the professional surveyors in Australia are registered with the Institute of Surveyors Australia. The professional approach and their high integrity have earned the Australian surveyors international acclaim and reputation. Evidence of this is reflected in the fact that there are very few boundary dispute cases pending in Australian courts, compared to the thousands of such border litigations in other countries. However, the number of surveyors in Australia is somewhat lower than the demand for them.