During colonial times, surveys were conducted using the compass and chain method. This method of surveying was not very accurate, but sufficient enough for construction needs. In essence, a compass marked the direction, while the chain links measured the distance.
Eventually the compass and chain method gave way to a technique called "transit and tape." The transit -- a telescope-like measuring device -- was able to measure angles between lines. The tape, which was graduated to a 100th of a foot, was able to provide more accurate measurements. This method made subdivision planning, construction surveying and land title boundary surveys more precise.
The transit and tape was replaced by the transit and stadia. The transit used in this method was the same telescopic device on the tape and transit, but with added crosshairs known as "stadia hairs." The stadia board is a separate rod that's graduated to a 100th of a foot and another surveyor carries it around the area being surveyed. To measure the distance, the surveyor "reads" the stadia board using the stadia hairs. Each stadia hair represents a foot of distance.
A theodolite is an instrument measuring both horizontal and vertical angles in a triangular network. During the 1970s, small electronic distance measuring devices (EMD) were mounted to a theodolite. The EMDs projected a beam of infrared light, which bounced off a reflector enabling surveyors to measure distances quickly.
Photogrammetry, the process of measuring geometric characters of objects through photographs, is used when measuring huge land areas that cannot be measured using simple surveying devices. In photogrammetric mapping, photographs taken with precision cameras combined with horizontal and vertical ground survey work are used to pinpoint landmarks to ensure accuracy and project orientation. Ground survey is also used to locate objects unseen in the aerial photographs, such as underground utilities, culverts, wetlands and other land features too small to be seen in the air.
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is the newest method available to surveyors. Composed of 24 satellites simultaneously orbiting the earth, signals from the satellites enable the accurate measurement of area anywhere on the planet. Handheld receivers intercept the signal and can pinpoint to within an inch depending on how sophisticated the device is. The downside to using GPS in surveying is it's not very accurate in determining elevation.