Prior to GPS technology, how did a surveyor determine the latitude and longitude of a piece of real estate?

Answer 1

It certainly depends on where you are and what time period you lived in. Historically, landmarks and natural barriers were very instrumental in determining boundary locations. Like the Rio Grande is a natural marker for the boundary of the state of Texas.

When people settled the state of Utah, the city planners began by picking an arbitrary point in the Salt Lake valley and measuring out the townships and plots of land from that point in a grid fashion. And by using markers every so often they wouldn't have to measure from the starting point every time.

In high school I was told that those who lived on the banks of the Nile river would find a natural landmark, a tree or something, and perennially they would have to replant their farms after the flooding of the river.

I could go on, but the point is that today it is much easier than it was, and infinitely more accurate

Answer 2

With a sextant, which is a difficult instrument for a surveyor to use on dry land. For a seaman like Ernest Shackleton or an airman like Charles Lindbergh tossing around, moving constantly and only able to see a few stars because of cloud, it would be more difficult still. But somehow a good navigator or surveyor could determine position to within 100 metres or so. The idea is that, at any given moment, for any star in the sky there's a point on the Earth's surface where it appears to be directly overhead. If you use your sextant to work out the angles of at least three stars above the horizon, then with your book of tables you can work out your position. But don't ask me to do it. I can only identify stars in the sky when there's hardly any cloud.

Answer 3

It started off as just guessing. Clocks were used for longitude, but latitude was anyone's guess. Acres were brought in as a way of measurement, but were not very accuate most of the time. When mathmaticians figued out the equation that nobody here can remember including me, it gave a better estimate. It wasn't until satelite and GPS did it get exact points.
I'm sure there are some websites out there that can elaborate on this more.

Answer 4

people have been able to accurately measure latitude...how far north of the Equator you are......back to Columbus, if not further.....using a sextant, you can measure the height of the sun at noon, or the height of the north Star at night,,,,,a few simple additions or subtractions and there you are...you can even do it on land using a pan of water rather than the sea's horizon.......that's why the North South boundaries of many American states out west are straight lines....they are easily found latitudes......

now, for any given plot of land........you start from a bench mark....that is a stone or brass tablet driven in to he ground that serves as zero point.....in Colonial times each state had one usually in the capital and near the coast........and then you measured VERY Carefully from that point, using a transit...a telescope with degrees marked along the base and a brass chain of some 200 foot for distance. You kept very careful records, putting in more "bench marks" as you go. That why surveys of land are "From this bench mark, so many feet in this direction, then so many feet in another direction............"

The most famous survey line is the Mason Dixon Line, the border between Penna and Maryland...when Mason and Dixon did this in the 1720's they started from a known point in Philadelphia, moved west 200 feet, made a mark, moved west another 200 foot along a carefully sighted line.........repeat several thousand times till you get tot he Great Lakes. Through forest that had hardly seen man. let alone a road... Just imagine.....OK Mason..go left little a little more...shove that bear out of the way.....Hey Chief mind if we come thru your village? Take just few minutes"

for the 250th anniversary of the Line, the USGS went out with GPS and checked........over 250 miles of hill and a valley and Indians and bears and forest, Mason and Dixon were out less than 150 feet.......
that's how it was done....REALLY CAREFUL MEASUREMENTS

Answer 5

Since one mile or kilomiter is the same length in every country, and because one degree in latitude or longitude is always the same length also, there is an exact equation that could tell you how many kilomiters or miles = 1 degree in latitude or longitude. I don't know the equation, though.

Answer 6

complex calculus and ancient measuring devices

Answer 7

what does paho means?