Welcome to Surveying, University of Otago

The overarching goal of the School is to provide high quality education in Surveying supported by forward looking, innovative research. The strengths of the School lie in the capacity and achievement of its staff and students and in the national and international recognition of its degree programmes. Graduates of the School are working not only throughout New Zealand but also in many countries abroad where New Zealand Surveying qualifications are regarded as a hallmark of quality.

In the various sections of this site you will find information about the degrees, diplomas and certificates offered in Surveying, the courses and paths that lead to these qualifications, the staff and their areas of teaching and research interest and activity, examples of current research projects that are underway, and, importantly, confirmations, in the words of former students, of their chosen career path.

The Surveying profession in New Zealand, in many of our near neighbouring countries, and also in more distant nations, is served by four and a half decades of alumni from Otago. These individuals fulfill important professional and managerial roles in acting as stewards of the land and marine resource base. The careers of alumni have been shaped by the knowledge they gained of surveying techniques and land and marine information management during their career at Otago, twinned with a broader understanding of the role of the survey profession in modern society.

My colleagues and I welcome you explore and take a closer look the land and the sea around you in considering Surveying at Otago as a career path.

Professor Brent Hall PhD
Dean and Head of School

The New Zealand surveyor's work typically falls into four broad areas:

• Measurement Science

  First and foremost, a surveyor is an expert in the science of positioning and measurement – whether this involves doing the field measurements to create a topographic map, monitoring earth movement, or ensuring that the foundations for a new high-rise building are in the correct location. Some choose to specialize in hydrographic surveying which might involve oil rig positioning or mapping the ocean floor. Otago University offers the only professional hydrographic surveying programme in Australasia.

• Urban and Rural Design

  A surveyor is also an expert in the design of land development projects. This might involve taking an area of land and creating the roads and infrastructure that will support a new community. This process includes preparing planning consents, undertaking the engineering design for the roads, storm water and sewerage systems that will service the community, and then supervising the construction.

• Defining Land Boundaries

  The surveyor is the only professional person allowed by law to define a land boundary. Licensed cadastral surveyors are the foremost experts in determining where boundaries to land are located, who owns the land, and who has rights over the land. Indeed, some surveyors become experts in the definition of international boundaries. It was New Zealand surveyors who determined the boundary between Kuwait and Iraq in 1992 and who are today determining the boundary between Ethiopia and Somalia.

• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

  Some surveyors have become experts in taking information about the land or the sea-bed and merging these data-sets to address a wide range of needs in planning including, among others, flood plain assessment, emergency vehicle routing, and providing support to decision making.

Surveying is a varied and exciting career that has a great indoor/outdoor balance, it requires design skills, measurement skills, interpersonal skills and the ability to sift through evidence. It is a profession that currently suffers from a worldwide shortage of skilled people.