Whether you are planning the construction of a hydroelectric dam or simply adding a heliport to your company headquarters, accurate land surveys are the first step in achieving long-lasting constructions. Because every business construction project is unique, getting the right survey companies is essential to your short- and long-term plans.
There is a surveying company that is perfect for every project, and understanding a little more about the essential work these professionals provide is the only way to match the needs of a modern company to the surveyors that are right for them. So, let’s take a closer look at the task of surveying and how to choose the right surveying company.
What is Surveying?
Surveying is an art and science that seeks to establish the dimensions of an area of operations to make way for future improvements. For example, a surveying company will be brought in to create a layout of a piece of land that will be developed with buildings, roads, waterways, or anything else the business needs.
This is a highly precise process and only a highly-professional organization can create the kind of results upon which skyscrapers, nuclear power plants, and advanced construction facilities can be constructed.
What Does A Surveyor Company Do?
Land surveyors are responsible for providing the boundaries and dimensions of a specific project so that property boundaries and exact proportions are well established, this involves the use of highly advanced equipment and carefully practiced techniques that will measure the distances, angles, and key points laid out on a piece of undeveloped land. This information will be vital to creating the documents and maps that will accurately outline any future projects.
These professionals can also assist you in obtaining the permits needed for development as well as settling boundary disputes or easements. As you may imagine, finding a company that can provide precise and reliable information is essential in the foundational part of any future projects
Look For a Survey Company That Does End-to-End Services
There are many ways that the information from a survey can be obtained, and Drone Surveying is one of the more common types of surveying used today. Drones can reduce much of the hassle of surveying a remote plot of undeveloped land and can provide highly accurate information. But no matter what technique or tools are being used, it is essential to find a survey company that provides end-to-end services.
This means that every aspect of the process is handled in-house. Some companies will provide only the collection of data which will then be analyzed and managed by a third party. This can cause delays and errors as information must swap hands several times on its trip from raw information to carefully curated data. End-to-end surveyors handle these tasks in-house and this means fewer chances of issues resulting from simple human error.
Ask About Their Experience with Your Project
Experience is another crucial element in matching the right company to the project at hand. If a project includes building over a body of water, for example, it will be crucial to have a surveying company with plenty of experience in surveying lakes, rivers, ponds, etc. to handle this type of task.
Any surveying company will be happy to tell their prospective clients about the projects they have completed and will typically have a well-manicured showcase of their completed projects. This should include some fine examples of projects similar to the clients. The previous experience greatly reduces the margin for error and shows they have the specialized knowledge to get the results required.
Look Up Online Reviews and Testimonials
While word-of-mouth recommendation is always the best way to find a reliable land surveying company, any prospective candidates for the assignment should be carefully investigated. There are many third-party sites online where reviews and testimonials can be posted by previous clients. This can give the business a keen insight into the specialties and results that can be expected from any surveying company. Be sure to take negative reviews seriously and ask the prospective company about these negative reviews.
Get a Diverse Set of Options
Because of the many variables involved in the final results, it is always best to collect several prospective surveying companies and choose the best from the bunch. Different companies will have different levels of experience and different types of surveying and scanning equipment applied to the task at hand.
Aerial surveys can be done by a drone, helicopter, and even plane. A company that can provide all three will provide a well-rounded option as there may be a need for any or all of these vehicles on your project. Most surveys today are done by drone as they are nimble, cost-effective, and very reliable. But if the expanse of land being surveyed is very large, planes or helicopters may be needed.
Then there are different types of scanning technology; LiDAR and photogrammetric scanning are two such options. LiDAR is widely considered superior as it is both highly accurate and provides a higher resolution result. Nevertheless, photogrammetric scanning is also a good option as it can provide a variety of colors and textures at ground level.
Compare Your Bids
Finally, after the best candidates have been selected it is time to present them with the project descriptions and accept their proposals and bids. Once they have submitted their proposals you can make an apples-to-apples comparison and choose what is best for your needs. Remember that cheaper bids are not always the best option as they may be leaving out some vital steps in the task that provide the kind of refined results needed for specialized development.
