Trainee surveying jobs are available in land surveying, hydrographic surveying, and photogrammetry. Individuals employed in trainee positions receive on-the-job surveying training under the supervision of more experienced personnel. Over the course of their surveying career, workers in this field determine official boundaries and borders on land, underwater, and in the air. Hydrographic surveying positions allow employees to specialize in marine-based surveying. New hires assigned trainee surveying jobs as photogrammetrists learn how to delineate the surface of the earth using specialized equipment.
Novice surveyors working trainee surveying jobs on land are taught how to accurately depict land for real estate transactions, how to outline airspace for airports, and how to establish the depth and location of mining sites. Some trainee surveying jobs also instruct new hires on how to provide geographic data about the elevation, curve, or terrain of a particular parcel of land. The information contained in survey reports is used to create maps, identify prospective land for commercial or residential development, and settle legal disputes related to property boundaries. Consequently, individuals working training surveying jobs are constantly reminded about the importance of accurate measurements and ethical reporting.
Senior personnel oversee workers in trainee surveying jobs in order to ensure that new hires receive proper guidance, instruction, and applicable experience. Trainee surveying jobs teach individuals how to measure distance, contours, and angles using points of reference on land, in the air, or below the Earth’s surface. To accurately identify such points, trainees are taught how to use the Global Positioning System (GPS), a series of satellite signal receivers that sync up and provide accurate measurements of things like distance and land slope. Such on-the-job training also teaches employees how to use land deeds and other legal documents in order to ascertain historical precedents for certain boundaries.
People working trainee surveying jobs in hydrographic surveying perform the same duties executed by land surveyors, however the land features they measure are under water. The instruments used when measuring underwater boundaries are similar to the GPS receivers, however they are equipped to operate under the water and the readings provided are not affected by ocean current. It is imperative for prospective hydrographic surveyors to know how to swim.
Trainee surveying jobs as photogrammetrists require individuals to create maps that combine the data provided by land and hydrographic surveyors with census data such as population density, rainfall averages, and other demographic characteristics. Experienced personnel teach trainees how to use a combination of aerial photos, satellite images, and other technology to create such maps. Experience in this field facilitates career advancement because of constant changes in land use patterns, weather averages, and population density.