As assistants to surveyors, survey technicians used to merely prepare survey sites, take notes and hold measuring tapes and chains. While the survey technician’s job in today’s world may still include these things, more and more of them must be proficient in on-site computer use as well. Because survey technicians must measure and plot out boundary locations of both land and water, the ability to enter data immediately into a computer is highly beneficial. With the advent of industrialdisplay monitors, the survey technician’s job has become much easier overall.
These days, voluminous notes taken with paper and pencil do not have to be entered into a computer back at the office. Rather, with an industrial computer and display in hand, the modern technician can enter data on-site, saving valuable time and effort. Descriptions of land for deeds, leases, and other legal documents can be likewise entered into an industrial computer and are immediately available on display for the surveyor and the technician to utilize on-site. If a technician is assisting a surveyor at a mineral site, previously drawn plats can be viewed on the industrialdisplay, and changes in terrain landmarks or contour can be noted accordingly.
It is essential that a survey technician use only an industrial grade computer and display monitor for these tasks. Office and home computers are not built to withstand the extreme conditions that can be encountered in the field. When a technician is working near water or in an extremely humid environment, the moisture encountered is harmful to most computers and their components. However, an industrialdisplay is designed to be waterproof and can therefore stand up to the rigors of survey work. In addition, a rugged computer and industrialdisplay are built to function when exposed to excessive amounts of dust and debris. This is especially helpful for a survey technician who must be exposed to the elements and various levels of the dust, debris and moisture.
A technician’s computer and display monitor are also designed to withstand lengthy travel from one location to another. Since they are typically packaged in steel or aluminum, their hardware and circuitry will not be damaged by being jostled about on bumpy back roads, turbulent bodies of water, or movement that takes place inside a small aircraft. When the survey site is reached—whether by land, sea, or air—all of the industrial computers, monitors, and other peripherals will be intact, ready to assist the technician and the surveyor alike.
