The future of surveying

Like any other built environment professional group, geomatics practitioners are experiencing a constant evolution in their day-to-day activities spurred on by Industry 4.0 technologies.

Rather than viewing it as a threat, the South African Geomatics Institute (SAGI) says embracing the change presents exciting new opportunities to evolve the survey profession. By Alastair Currie The future

of surveying

To practise, all geomatics professionals must be registered with the South African Geomatics Council (SAGC), in accordance with the Geomatics Profession Act (No. 19 of 2013). The latter defines the actions and responsibilities of the survey profession, and makes it illegal for someone who is not registered to perform these duties.

The geomatics field is diverse and encompasses land surveying, engineering surveying, planning, photogrammetry, remote sensing, geographical information systems (GIS) and land management. Within this scope, the two main registered groups are either land surveyors or engineering surveyors.

“The advent of relatively cheap positioning systems, as well as GPS apps on smartphones, may give the impression that anyone can produce a typographical map or accurately position survey beacons,” says Altus Strydom, chairperson: Northern Branch, SAGI. “However, this is far from the case.”

Only a trained survey professional has the proven expertise to analyse and accurately interpret cadastral and engineering data, and then apply it within the host of Acts that govern land development, ownership and management.

“Despite this, however, there’s still widespread evidence of unregistered activity; where it occurs, SAGI is committed to taking legal action,” he explains. So far, SAGI has approximately 30 cases of illegal surveying on record and is in the process of lodging the matter with the courts in one case. SAGI has also established a special committee to map out a more comprehensive plan of action.

Roles and responsibilities

“As SAGI, it’s crucial that we continue to inform and educate SOEs and municipalities so there’s a clear distinction between our profession and others, like town and regional planning, as defined by the Planning Profession Act (No. 36 of 2002). To develop their models, for example, town and regional planners depend

A digital elevation model produced using drone imagery on accurate survey data and expert advice from a land surveyor, who then lodges general plans for approval with the Chief Surveyor General (CSG),” says Strydom.

The CSG defines its mission as follows: ‘To provide a national cadastral survey management system in support of an equitable and sustainable land dispensation that promotes socio-economic development.’

Within this framework, the CSG’s office has the sole responsibility for approving development applications, which must be prepared and signed off by a registered professional land surveyor. Currently, the typical approval process can take anywhere from two to four years

before actual development begins. The international benchmark is around six months. “Within the private sector alone, there are developments valued in the billions waiting for approval. Alleviating the bottlenecks is vital in providing the construction industry with new work and the survey profession can help with this process,” Strydom continues.

As member of the Construction Alliance of South Africa, SAGI is working with other key stakeholder bodies to address these and other issues.

The influence of positioning technology within the mix

In the meantime, Strydom says the survey profession needs to keep pace with the times and embrace technologies like augmented and virtual reality, as well as artificial intelligence, to reinforce its core professional skills.

“Rather than viewing technology as a threat, surveyors should seize the opportunities it presents to evolve and grow their businesses,” he explains. “The same applies for all professional disciplines that surveyors interact with. For example, a surveyor can now produce a 3D survey report, but is the engineer equally up to speed with the technology or still working with traditional formats reliant on cross sections and 2D plans?

“Either way, the rapid pace of technological development places the emphasis on the surveyor to sell the value to their clients. The latter also need to understand the difference between professional positioning data versus the instant data available to just about anyone with access to a GPS device,” he stresses. The proliferation of satellites entering space is creating an unprecedented GPS network that will soon provide detailed coverage across the entire plant, which is great for internet connectivity. Key innovators within this field include SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk in 2002, which, among other endeavours, continues to launch its series of Starlink communications satellites.

“What this means is that we’re getting to the point where anyone can obtain sub-1 m positioning with readily available devices. In fact, you can already attain so-called 1 cm accuracy on a smartphone using a specialist app. Real-time, on-site delivery of lidar imagery is also just around the corner,” comments Strydom.

The use of drones is now common practice for survey professionals

Good versus bad data

However, while the burgeoning growth of digital

SAGI represents Cadastral, Engineering, Mining, Construction, Photogrammetry, Cartography, Hydrographic Surveying and GISc.

It is a voluntary organisation and the public and/or any other organisation can contact us for advice, specifications or any queries regarding the industry or our advice regarding members of our organization.

It offers Professional Indemnity Insurance for peace of mind to clients.

Members of SAGI are all registered with the South African Geomatics Council (SAGC).

For more details or information, please contact us.

Email: Admin.officer@sagi.co.za Website: www.sagi.co.za

RIGHT A bathymetric survey in progress FAR RIGHT Carrying out a detail survey

positioning and related data will continue to grow, only an experienced geomatics professional can distinguish between the good data and bad data when it comes to precise measurement and mapping. All a general GPS signal really does is provide location accuracy.

“Technology is an amazing tool that actually empowers us to do more. And while the underlying survey skills don’t change, they are certainly adapting and evolving. A prime example is the so-called digital twin – a 3D virtual rendition of a real-world scenario. However, the final digital model still needs to be executed physically in terms of construction,” he continues.

“What this technology means, though, is that survey practitioners now need to offer more than just topographical maps and beacon positioning to stay relevant, and profitable. And we’re already seeing many instances of this evolution in business thinking from around the world,” says Strydom. “Examples include more descriptive practitioner titles like UAV surveyor, BIM modeller, and planning and development surveyor.

“Like other professions, the surveyor is transitioning towards a blend of services. In future, for example, a surveyor might also include some element of quantity surveying by providing the costing on an earthworks project, as well as the actual model,” he adds.

From a cadastral perspective, land management and administration will be the core disciplines; for engineering surveyors, it will be data management and analytics.

“The tools and workflows have changed, but the commanding role that the survey profession plays across all industries remains constant. That’s because, both within and outside the built environment, data has become a commodity of value that needs professional management,” Strydom concludes.

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