Who are those people? (1 Viewer)

[ThomasC]

Every once in a while, I see people wearing orange and bright yellow vests, and they're operating a camera planted on a tripod on a sidewalk. They're pointing the camera at something, but I can't tell what they're pointing it at. Are they making sure the road is in good shape, and not leaning one way or the other too much, or what?

 

[Michael Martin]

I believe you are talking about surveyors?

They usually are taking field measurements for construction projects - roads, buildings, bridges, etc. I don't think it's a camera, I think it's a telescope kind of thing.

Miami, huh? [waves] Had some relatives go there, as well as some friends. Beautiful campus. My mom's husband is a fanatical fan of all their sports.

 

[ben hunt]

They may be land surveyors. As far as I know it's not a camera though, its a surveying tool. Kinda like this...?

or this?

 

[ThomasC]

Miami, huh? [waves] Had some relatives go there, as well as some friends. Beautiful campus. My mom's husband is a fanatical fan of all their sports.

[waves back] Beatiful campus, indeed. Am I glad I picked Miami over OSU and OU. OU is nice as well, but I don't think it's as beautiful as Miami. I've only been to OU once, and only for less than a day, so I don't remember very much. OSU definitely doesn't have much going for it in the "beauty" respect. Good football program though...
Yeah, Ben, the cameras/telescopes are like that.

 

[Jay H]

OMG, I thought they were aliens clandestinely looking for UFO landing sites. They just wear orange or red vests just to look like surveyors...

The truth is out there.

Jay

 

[Alex-C]

Those would be Land Surveyors, and the instrument they are most likely using is called a Total Station. Top picture above.
They use the total station to measure distances and angles using other persons holding "rods" or prisms on backsights, et al. Many use GPS units these days.
Here in California, to be a Land Surveyor, you must be licensed by the state in order to do so. You must pass the Land Surveying exam among other requirements similar but not exactly like a Civil Engineer.
Incidentally, for a real brain-twister, if you ever have the chance to see a robotic gun (Surveyors affectionately refer to their instruments as a gun) in action. It sits atop the tripod and will follow the surveyor on the rod around.
A.Chetley
Civil Engineer (and works with many surveyors)

 

[ThomasC]

They use the total station to measure distances and angles using other persons holding "rods" or prisms on backsights, et al. Many use GPS units these days.

What do they use that information for? What Michael said (construction projects), or what?

 

[Alex-C]

They could be working on many different types of projects.

Any one of the following:

topgraphic survey - collection of info on existing field conditions to take back in the office for the design of some kind of project (building, road, commercial or residential development, etc.)

boundary survey - verifying or checking the (legal) boundary of a piece of land or lands. Although these are often used as a part of a development project, they can be exclusive.

construction survey - the layout of a designed development project, like a road. they would set out stakes that tell the contractor(s) where everything goes (i.e. roads, pavement, underground utilities, etc.)

As an example, the layout of roads, like highways, is done with a degree of precision most people have a hard time comprehending. Believe it or not, urban roads and their associated utilities are designed and surveyed to tenths or hundreths of a foot ! (and in the case of some items, like a subway, to the 1/1000th of a foot).

 

[Scott Merryfield]

In our region, a sighting of these beings along side the road means that there will soon be orange barrels and one more traffic jam on the daily commute.
Michigan -- where the orange road construction barrel is the state mascot.

 

[Alex-C]

Sometimes it can mark the first steps in the widening or improving of a state highway which, despite causing problems in the interim, alleviates future traffic problems.....you know, just like the Dig in Boston.

:wink:

 

[Brandon_T]

Scott,
You hit the nail right on the head. Other than the cold, snow, crazy drivers, and high crime that is the only thing I hate about Michigan.
Brandon

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

The entire area around it is pretty packed, so I'd be surprised if there are plans to build anything.

Again, it could be a road improvement or boundary survey, or they could be planning to tear something down in order to build something else. (Or at least be thinking about it.) Surveyors do this sort of thing for all sorts of reasons. I'm surprised you've never heard of them or seen pictures before. My earliest American History classes mentioned that Washington had got his start as a suveyor and included pictures of modern surveyor to contrast with George and his equipment. (Which was startlingly similar to the "telescope-on-a-stick" thing pictured above.)

Regards,

Joe

 

[Alex-C]

telescope-on-a-stick" thing pictured above

It was probably a "level". One of the most basic surveying devices. It allows you to get the lay of the land relative to a known benchmark rather quickly and easily (used in the early pioneer days and still used today).

 

[Aurel Savin]

It is amazing what you can learn on the HTF, just by stumbling across a thread
Thanks guys ... I was wondering aobut these people myself.

 

[Alex-C]

Yes, the HTF membership tends to be a pretty brainy bunch....which begs the question: what am I doing here ???

 

[Cees Alons]

...which begs the question: what am I doing here ???

We can even answer that question...

Cees

 

[Clinton McClure]

That reminds me of when a friend of mine came here from England. The first time he drove extensively throughout Arkansas, he made a joke about the orange road cone being the official state tree.

 

[Grant B]

if your school has an engineering dept, they might be a "intro to engineering" class. I had to measure our bell tower for a class....it's just a lot of trig ( and a pain in the ass if you are a EE (electrical engineer)
we spent most of the time trying to look into girls dorm rooms

 

[Shawn Shultzaberger]

And, if you ever see these people with large white X's of sorts on the ground they are doing aerial photography for land surveying and the like. The X's are used as control points in software for mapping.

I used to fix and manufacturer high-resolution digital scanners that were used to scan 9"x9" aerial negatives. A very interesting job at the time. The surveyors were always a great bunch of people.

 

[ThomasC]

Thanks for all the replies, guys!