Developing Industry Practices for Spatial Control in Heavy Civil Design and Construction

The construction industry has helped to shape the world to what it is today. When building and development began, there were no specifications or standard delivery methods. There was simply a “master builder” who would make a design and build it himself. As technology and legal standards have continuously evolved, the construction industry has evolved as well. Now construction projects must involve several professions, such as architects, engineers, land surveyors, and contractors to perform up to the standards given by the owner and jurisdiction involved in the project. Due to evolving technologies, land surveyors have developed capabilities to describe every square inch of ground in the United States with a legal description and in x, y, and z coordinates. However, it has not always been so easy for the Land Surveyors. When they first started making land descriptions, township corners were marked every six miles in the latitudinal and longitudinal directions, creating several“square” shaped six by six mile, thirty-six square mile townships.