People with little information about land survey methods and tools may incur unnecessarily high land survey costs due to their insistence that a surveyor should use a specific method, such as GPS surveying, during a job that they have commissioned. Such people may not know the shortcomings of their preferred method for that particular project. This article discusses some of the limitations that may make GPS surveying unsuitable for some projects.

Time Constraints

As the name suggests, GPS surveying requires the surveying equipment to be set up so that it can link up with satellites that rotate above the earth's surface. This process can be time-consuming because the surveyor has to leave the equipment in place for several hours so that the satellite can make numerous passes over that location. Survey results increase in reliability when "fixes" are made several times from passing satellites. You may therefore end up paying more for the extra time that surveyors take as they attempt to get the best results on your project. Leave the surveyors to select the most appropriate method so that you avoid the added costs of using an inappropriate technique/tool.

Skyline Issues

GPS surveying may also be inappropriate for your site due to physical barriers to the reception of satellite signals. For example, the area may have a lot of large trees, tall buildings or underground locations. Such physical barriers can make it hard for the GPS survey equipment to link up with the satellites that are passing above the area. The survey results can, therefore, end up being incomplete or inaccurate when you insist that this method is used under such challenging circumstances.

Electronic Noise

GPS surveying can also become difficult whenever it is used in an environment where plenty of electromagnetic activity or interference is taking place. For example, GPS surveying may be challenging to perform in an environment with numerous telecommunication masts and gadgets due to the high level of electromagnetic waves produced within that area. Those waves may alter the accuracy of the signals received from the satellites above by the survey tools.

As you can see, it may be unwise for you to insist that your surveyor should use a particular method or tool when surveying your property. Let the professional assess your site before selecting the best method/tools that will have the lowest number of risk factors that can affect the reliability of the survey results.

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