Surveying is probably one of those careers that seem quite elusive and mysterious to many people. But no doubt just about everyone has seen a surveyor at work, often on the side of a busy road. They are often dressed in hi-vis vest jackets peering through a lensed item on a tripod. But even if it's not a career path that may seem entirely interesting the people who do conduct archaeological surveys are providing a very important service when it comes to building and planning permission...

There are many types of land surveying, employed for different purposes and using different techniques.

An archaeological field survey is an assessment of archaeological sites or finds, where their locations are plotted in a landscape. This can be done using a number of methods such as remote sensing, geophysical surveying, GPS, GIS and aerial photography, or perhaps even literary resources. Laser surveying can produce 3D computerised models of artifacts.

An ‘as-built’ survey is carri...