On this day in 1971 Richard Jaenicke and Raymond Evanson were grated the patent for LASER OPTICAL SURVEYING INSTRUMENT AND METHOD. U.S. Patent No. 3,627,429.
This invention relates to optical surveying instruments and method and more particularly to the use of laser beams in surveying applications. This invention includes a laser surveying instrument with a telescope and a laser head coupled together with movable optics for directing the output beam from the laser head into the eyepiece and through the telescope after routine sighting.
This method proposed that a laser beam be used alongside or parallel with a standard surveying instrument to mark the sightline or the instrument between itself and the remote position to which it is aimed.
Surveying has been around since 1400 B.C., the Egyptians used it to evenly divide land into plots. In 120 B.C., the Greeks used surveying for land division. The Greeks were also responsible for the standardized practice of conducting surveys as well as creating the first piece of surveying equipment, a diopter.
In 1800 A.D., the industrial revolution began and surveying became very prominent as it was needed to give exact measurements for canals, railways, and roads. It was during this time period that the Science of Geodetic and Plane surveying were developed. Geodetic surveying takes into account the theoretical shape of the earth, it has a high rate of accurate but is typically used in larger areas with a square mileage over 300. Plane surveying is based on the assumption that the plane being measured is flat. This is the most common method used today and is mainly used for smaller areas, less than 300 square miles.
The technological advances of surveying have come a long way since 1400 B.C. Today’s trends are leaning more towards optical systems, the increased use of computers and satellites.
