Ben Gates

I took all of these pictures around the town of Oceanside, OR. I used a Pentax Optio 6mp camera. Enjoy!
I'm a Project Surveyor / Party Chief, and not the kind of Surveys involving questions... Well... There are often discrepancies with property lines and property corners. Some hit, some don't, and it's my job to decipher who owns what... Exactly! My job is precise, and things are quite often not working in my favor, but I enjoy overcoming obstacles and succeeding in the end of each and every project. Errors cost money, so I don't really make very many {{{knocks on wood}}} and I owe that to all the bad ass Land Surveyors I've worked with along the way.
The basic principal of Land Surveying is based on an XYZ axis. Northing, Easting, and Elevation. 2 known points, or 2 arbitrary points to be rotated later, are used to establish a Basis of Bearings, which is where the angle of the gun (total station) is also set to ZERO Degrees. All data that is collected or staked from this occupy point is based on the 360 degree angle set. For instance a collected topographic map feature involves an angle from zero (horizontal angle) a vertical angle, a horizontal distance, a slope distance and an elevation. and a few other things. Horizontal and vertical errors or differences are collected and specific data is used to design a map or a set of engineering plans for new construction. Surveyors are responsible for each and every aspect of commercial construction. Nothing can be built until a Surveyor tells a construction crew exactly how the engineer has designed it, and where it's going to go. It's critical stuff, like the flow of water in your shopping mall parking lot. If it wasn't built correctly, you will be driving through lots of puddles.... Not good... Someone screwed up if you see puddles in your mall parking lot. Either the engineer, the surveyor, or the constructor.
It's not quite this cut and dry, but I have explaind you the basics, and the total station... Yea that's not a camera... It shoots lasers!