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Technology
The core goals of surveying haven’ t changed. For the entirety of my three-decade career as a land surveyor, the job has centered around collecting precise spatial data; establishing boundaries, confirming elevations, and documenting existing conditions with accuracy and care. And while the tools have steadily evolved, from optical transits to laser-equipped total stations, the role itself has long been seen as passive: gather the data, deliver the drawings, and step aside. But in the last few years, that’ s started to change dramatically.
Thanks to advances in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle( UAV) technology, land surveyors are no longer just collecting data. We’ re enabling better communication, increasing project transparency, and helping clients make smarter, faster decisions. What used to be static measurements are now dynamic tools for collaboration, validation, and storytelling, transforming how surveyors work and how their work is valued.
Smarter, faster, safer
One of the biggest advantages UAVs bring to surveying is efficiency. A drone can complete in 20 minutes what might otherwise take a team an entire day, especially on large or complex sites with challenging access or environmental sensitivities. That speed doesn’ t just reduce labor costs; it accelerates decision-making and keeps projects moving.
The value goes beyond time saved. UAVs also improve safety by reducing the need to put surveyors in hazardous or hard-to-reach environments. Surveying is a labor-intensive job, and certain tasks, like accessing rooftops, navigating active construction zones, or traversing wetlands, have always carried risk. Drones are changing that equation. When safety and speed improve together, so does client value. UAVs let us deliver accurate data faster with less risk.
A few years ago, we were asked to survey the rooftop of a public school in preparation for a solar panel installation. Traditionally, this would have meant climbing ladders and
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