• Surveying land takes specialized training.theodolite survey serie 6 image by Kostyantyn Ivanyshen from Fotolia.com
  
  Survey technicians are often employed by state and local municipalities. They also may be hired by construction companies and real estate companies. Survey technicians are responsible for measuring land in a certain area and recording and reporting the size and layout of the land. They must use specialized equipment and computer programs to do this effectively.
  
  

Perform calculations

• A series of calculations must be performed to determine the true size and layout of a piece of land. A survey technician is responsible for being able to accurately and effectively determine these calculations so that those requesting the data will be able to make proper decisions. Data requests often come from people like city planners or real estate developers who want to put the land to use.
  
  

Examine already-constructed structures

• In addition to playing a key role in determining the size and potential uses of undeveloped land, a survey technician is also responsible for doing surveys on land and structures that have been developed. This could include measuring and analyzing roads, bridges, buildings and other kinds of properties.
  
  

Report Findings

• A survey technician is responsible for clearly reporting findings. If a survey technician works for a government agency, the work he performs is public record. While this does not mean he needs to tailor his reports to meet the requests of the public, it does mean that he will be responsible for what is in the report. He must be able to answer why he determines what he does and by what means he comes to his conclusions.
  
  

Ensure safety

• When a survey technician is preparing to survey land, he is first required to ensure that the area is safe. A survey technician can complete this task by setting up safety and traffic control devices at a work site if they are needed to divert traffic. If there is work being done in an area where there are vehicles, a survey technician also may be required to act as a flagger to direct traffic around the survey equipment and other employees.
  
  

Maintain Notes

• Because much of the information obtained from a survey will later be included in a detailed report, it is important that a survey technician keeps copious and meticulous notes while in the field to ensure his data will not be faulty. Field notes must be detailed, accurate, orderly and legible. Because it is sometimes the responsibility of another employee to enter the data in the data collection program, it is vital that this employee be able to understand the notes taken by the survey technician.