Surveying deals with the process of determining the three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them, including limits of lots/parcels (boundary), landscape (topography), water (hydrography), construction stake out, as-built, easement, and route/corridor surveys. Geospatial manages and gathers data with a geographic or locational component, using global positioning systems (GPS) and geographic information systems (GIS) to collect, store, and display information in a spatial context.

It is easy to see how these services complement each other. Geospatial technologies allow for surveying tasks to be completed quickly and efficiently, and surveying can lay the groundwork to streamline geospatial information gathering. This collaboration has proven successful in a variety of our projects.

Collaborations in Florida

Our surveying and geospatial departments have partnered on various projects across the state of Florida. One recent example is emergency management topographic maps of different regions of the state. The maps were created using lidar data, which were captured by our geospatial team over four years. The lidar data gives heights of objects on the earth, and surveying captures survey points and coordinates to tie it all together for an all-encompassing final map. The geospatial team also produced high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM) from the lidar data, which helped provide high-accuracy, high-resolution topography data to the state of Florida and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The data will be beneficial in planning future infrastructure and economic development in Florida.

Geospatial technologies allow our team to gather large amounts of data very quickly. This greatly speeds up the surveying process—what geospatial can gather in one flight, a traditional survey could gather in a year.” Jason Dolf and Jonathan Gibson

Another example is a land development project for 3,500 acres in Gulf County, Florida. For this project, our surveying team established ground control of the site, while our geospatial team used a fixed-wing aircraft and gathered lidar data to create a topographic survey of the site.

Client Benefits

Together, geospatial and surveying services create a one-stop shop for clients. Geospatial technologies allow our team to gather large amounts of data very quickly. This greatly speeds up the surveying process—what geospatial can gather in one flight, a traditional survey could gather in a year. Additionally, geospatial processing techniques can greatly enhance the speed at which some survey or mapping information is presented. It is exciting to let our clients know about the enhanced capabilities we offer, and we look forward to more conversations on how we can combine geospatial and surveying services to best benefit our clients.