Types of Surveying Equipment

Surveying Equipments - Old

In ancient times surveying equipment included chains, compass, solar compass, transit, theodolite and more. Chains with equal size links were used to measure distance between two required points. A compass was used to measure the direction of a line that was being surveyed. A solar compass was used for measuring both the direction and latitude of a particular point with the help of sun and stars. A Solar Compass could also measure horizontal angles and the “true north" of a particular place. A metallic measuring tape was used to measure shorter distances.

In the early 1900s, surveyors started to use surveying equipment such as planimeters, theodolites, automatic levels and measuring wheels. A planimeter is the best known tool for measuring asymmetrical land areas as they eliminate the need for charts or manual calculations; whereas a theodolite allows measuring of horizontal and vertical angles. A theodolite consists of a movable telescope attached over perpendicular axis. It provides precise measurement of angles and is an integral part of every surveying tool kit. A transit is a type of theodolite but has less precision.

An auto level or a dumpy level is also a type of surveying equipment used for measuring horizontal levels. It consists of a telescope like device fitted on a tripod stand. Auto level, tilting level, and self-leveling level are all types of leveling instruments, each providing different rotating capabilities.

Most surveying instruments are fixed on a tripod, which acts as a support. As the name suggests, tripods have three legs with length varying capability. Many of these equipments are still used by surveyors around the world.