What is a Land Surveyor? 

A Professional Land Surveyor is a person who has qualified by education and experience, and who has passed an examination for registration required by the State of Illinois to practice Land Surveying in Illinois.

There are different types of surveyors. Job titles stem from the type of work they do and where they do it. Some examples follow:

• Geodetic surveyors – measure large pieces of the earth surface. This is the type of surveying that we at Geodetic Survey, Ltd. do.
• Geophysical prospecting surveyors – mark areas below the surface of the earth for mines or petroleum resources
• Marine/Hydrographic surveyors – harbor, river and other bodies of water Survey/Mapping technician – assists the land surveyor at a site by taking notes, sketching the area and input information into a computer
• Geographic information system specialist – a new field involving the technology of computer and satellites, which combine the knowledge of the surveyor and that of mapping scientists

Some surveyors never visit a site they are mapping. These specialists make maps from aerial photos and spend their workday in an office. We call them photogrammetrists.

The surveyor studies legal records in search of previous boundaries or markers. After performing the physical survey, they spend some time in checking facts and drawing a configuration of the site. Making maps and writing final reports are the final steps in their assessment of a piece of property.