Engineers conduct an Engineering Survey as a comprehensive review of a project after completing the site survey and before permitting any works to commence. They use these surveys for various purposes, such as obtaining approval for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), securing planning permission, or developing strategic and operational plans for construction activities.
Role in Engineering Design and Planning
An engineer uses engineering survey data to determine the type of foundations required for a particular structure or project. The survey data also aids the engineer in designing the structure correctly and identifying the location of key infrastructure crucial to building operations. Architects, engineers, contractors, and other professionals generally carry out these surveys.
Common Engineering Survey Services and Digital Mapping
The engineering team commonly carries out Portable Ground Probes (PGP), GPS, and Dumpy Geometry surveys. An engineer gets the initial plans for the project and after a careful analysis, is able to draw them in a CAD programme on a computerised map. This helps in preparing a detailed plan of the site, its surroundings and the features of the soil and subsurface, which helps in easy visualization of the site, its topography, and the relationships between structures. The engineer may also suggest the most suitable form of accommodation, which would be economically viable. In most of the cases, engineering survey companies do not undertake structural surveying activities.
Structural Survey Considerations
This is mainly because a structural survey requires expensive specialized machinery that may not be available on every construction site. A qualified structural engineer should be consulted in case of any doubt. A professional civil engineer carries out the engineering survey and prepares the final report. A qualified groundwater technologist also participates in engineering surveys and prepares reports related to groundwater recharge or water pollution.
Methods of Conducting Engineering Surveys
Many engineering surveys are carried out on the basis of soil tests, water test and Terrain Studies. There are different routes to carry out these surveys. The first route is by use of field guides. These are general maps, which provide information about the topography of the area, various soils and the type of rocks found in the region.
By use of this information, the engineer can plot the topography on the computer-generated map. Based on the information derived from the computer-generated map, the survey team can lay down the different routes, taking into account the gradients, level of the terrain and other factors. After identifying the appropriate routes, the senior engineer and his/her team members proceed in removing the preliminary data from the ground.
Terrain Study Method
The second way to carry out engineering surveys is by using the Terrain Study. In this method, the surveyors use a special type of map called the topographical map study. This method has some advantages over the field guides, such as in terms of accuracy. For the same reason, the cost of conducting the surveys is comparatively low; hence, they can be conducted more quickly and easily.
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