Notes on the History of Land Surveying

It is easy enough to undertake a rough and grimy line map that shows the general trend and dimensions in the cave - I must admit I am quite fond of this stick map myself. If the vis is decent it is possible to grab the basic proportions like depth, distance, and azimuth pretty quickly when you exit the cave and call it a day. But to actually create a really nice and accurate representation of what is down there, to actually draw up a proper map is not a easy feat.

I was reminded with the frustrations of surveying the other day as I tried to help survey a line in the tight passage and get all the measurements including the wall profiles. The silt rained straight down on me, quickly reducing the vis to help zero and there I was looking to do a juggling act along with the compass, the wet notes in addition to a light and desperately trying to get some accurate data. Calling the feeling frustrating is an understatement together with I doubt I'll truly receive any awards with regard to my map making abilities.

So why put oneself though most of the drama that surveying caves involves? Well, there is little point of exploration unless you bring something back... in the event you fail to bring back details about what you found and discovered. We explore caves so that we can figure out what is down there, if you can't bring back that information and data for any to see, the impact of your dive is precisely anti-. Any explorer will explain - if you haven't surveyed the idea, it's like you haven't accomplished it!

Publishing a cave map is important for a whole variety of reasons and can be handy to scientists, developers, land managers and in many cases fellow divers. Realistically most people will never get to be able to see the cave passage you have just found and discovered, so an accurate place gives everyone 'up top' symptomatic of what is down there.

Communities that rely on karst water resources, like North Florida for instance, have benefited greatly from understanding their bond between water flow together with cave systems. Understanding the hydrology with the area and the vital role caves play, has meant that measures have been implemented so that the Floridian aquifer receives know about protection it deserves.

Understanding the location on the cave system can be useful information for landowners and government right after they are developing housing projects, building roads, choosing boundaries of domestic parks or deciding outcomes put the latest waste tip. It is impossible to protect something you don't understand or even know exists. Once the precise location on the cave system is known and the exact location of some sort of cave passages can be pinpointed with regards to surface features, there can be a hope in hell that the site can be shielded from wanton or random damage.

Surveying caves isn't just ideal for scientific purposes; it can actually make the task involving further exploration easier. Once a map is drawn up you can easily see the trend in the cave, its relationships to surface features and most importantly whether possible internet connections to other caves in the area exist. During the push to connect Peacock Springs and Baptizing Spring for instance, knowing the direction to look at was crucial for achievements. survey Pinjarra