📚 CTEVT | Fundamental of Surveying & Geomatics – Chapter 1: Historical Background
(Full Notes + Practice Questions + Free PDF)
Surveying is one of the oldest engineering activities, and Chapter 1 of Fundamental of Surveying & Geomatics (EG 2101 GE) lays the foundation for understanding how modern surveying evolved from simple rope measurements to advanced tools like total stations, drones, and satellites.
This chapter explains how surveying developed worldwide, how mapping science evolved, and how surveying began in Nepal, paving the way for modern geomatics practice.
🧩 Chapter Overview: Historical Background
Surveying = The science of determining the relative position of points on, above, or below the Earth’s surface.
Chapter 1 helps students understand:
✔️ How ancient civilizations surveyed land
✔️ How modern mapping techniques were developed
✔️ History of surveying instruments
✔️ Establishment of mapping agencies
✔️ Evolution of surveying in Nepal
It builds the foundation before moving into techniques like linear and angular measurement.
📥 Download the Full Chapter 1 Notes (Free PDF)
🎥 Watch the Chapter 1 Video on YouTube
👉 [Click Here to Download PDF]
👉 [Click Here to Watch Chapter 1 on YouTube]
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🔍 1.1 Brief History of Surveying
Surveying has existed since human civilization began.
🏛️ Ancient Civilizations
✔️ Egyptians (3000 BC):
Used rope stretchers & simple instruments for re-establishing field boundaries after Nile floods.
Built the Pyramids using basic alignment and leveling tools.
✔️ Babylonians & Greeks:
Introduced geometry for land division and mapping.
Greek scholar Eratosthenes first measured Earth’s circumference.
✔️ Romans:
Built roads using groma, chorobates, and odometers.
Developed cadastral (land ownership) maps.
🧭 Middle Ages to Renaissance
✔️ Compass invented → improved direction measurement
✔️ Glass lenses discovery → birth of telescopes & angular instruments
🔭 Modern Surveying Era (18th–20th Century)
✔️ Invention of theodolite
✔️ Development of chain, tape, leveling instruments
✔️ Establishment of geodetic triangulation
✔️ National mapping organizations formed
🛰️ Digital & Space Age (20th–21st Century)
✔️ Electronic Distance Measurement (EDM)
✔️ Total Stations
✔️ GPS, GNSS, satellite positioning
✔️ Digital mapping, drones, LiDAR, GIS
Surveying shifted from manual measurements to precise digital geomatics.
🔍 1.2 Development of Surveying and Mapping Science
Mapping evolved from drawings on stones to digital 3D terrain models.
⭐ Major Developments
✔️ Mathematical foundations of geodesy
✔️ Coordinate systems & projections
✔️ Triangulation & traverse systems
✔️ Aerial photography & photogrammetry
✔️ Remote sensing & satellite imagery
✔️ GIS and Digital Cartography
✔️ Real-time GNSS & smart sensors
Surveying today integrates:
📍 Mathematics
📍 Geography
📍 Engineering
📍 Computer Science
📍 Space Technology
This evolution makes geomatics one of the most advanced engineering fields.
🔍 1.3 Surveying and Mapping in Nepal
Surveying in Nepal began more formally during the Rana and Shah periods.
🗺️ Early History
✔️ Boundary surveys conducted using chain & compass
✔️ Early cadastral records maintained manually
✔️ First systematic maps made by foreign surveyors
🗺️ Establishment of National Mapping Organization
Survey Department, Nepal (1957)
The central body responsible for:
✔️ National topographic mapping
✔️ Cadastral surveying
✔️ Geodetic survey & control points
✔️ GIS & digital mapping
🗺️ Cadastral Mapping
Started in 1960s to maintain land ownership (Lalpurja).
Now evolving into digital cadastre & land information systems.
🛰️ Modern Geomatics in Nepal
Today Nepal uses:
✔️ GPS/GNSS
✔️ Total Station
✔️ Drone Surveying
✔️ Aerial photography
✔️ GIS & Remote Sensing
✔️ National Geodetic Network
✔️ Digital Elevation Models (DEM)
Nepal is rapidly moving toward a digital surveying ecosystem.
🧪 Practical Insights for Students (Chapter 1)
By understanding history and evolution, students learn:
✔️ Why modern instruments use coordinate systems
✔️ Why Earth’s shape affects surveying accuracy
✔️ How mapping agencies produce national maps
✔️ How surveying evolved from rope to satellites
This prepares them for later chapters such as:
📌 Linear Measurement
📌 Angular Measurement
📌 Map Scale
📌 Measurement Errors
📝 Short Questions
1️⃣ Define surveying.
2️⃣ Name any two ancient surveying instruments.
3️⃣ What is cadastral survey?
4️⃣ Who first measured Earth’s circumference?
5️⃣ What is the main function of the Survey Department of Nepal?
6️⃣ Write any two modern surveying technologies.
7️⃣ What is geodesy?
8️⃣ Define mapping.
📝 Long Questions
1️⃣ Describe the historical development of surveying from ancient to modern times.
2️⃣ Explain how surveying and mapping science evolved over centuries.
3️⃣ Discuss the history and development of surveying in Nepal.
4️⃣ Write in detail about the contributions of Egyptians and Romans in surveying.
5️⃣ Explain the transition from traditional to modern geomatics technologies.
🎯 Key Takeaways
✔️ Surveying is thousands of years old.
✔️ Ancient civilizations used simple tools for land measurement.
✔️ Mapping science grew rapidly after the invention of modern instruments.
✔️ Nepal’s mapping history is closely tied with cadastral and national mapping programs.
✔️ Modern surveying integrates GNSS, drones, LiDAR, and GIS.
📂 Download Free PDF Notes – Chapter 1: Historical Background
🔽 [Download Notes – Chapter 1 (PDF)]
🎥 Watch the Full Chapter 1 Video
👉 [Click Here to Watch on YouTube]
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📘 Explore More from Survey Project Management
📘 SYLLABUS – Download PDF
📘 Unit 1: Historical Background – Download PDF
📘 Unit 2: Introduction to Surveying – Download PDF
📘 Unit 3: Principles & Classifications – Download PDF
📘 Unit 4: Measurement Units – Download PDF
📘 Unit 5: Map Scale –Download PDF
📘 Unit 6: Linear Measurements – Download PDF
📘 Unit 7: Angular Measurements – Download PDF
📘 Unit 8: Map Reading – Download PDF
📘 Unit 9: Measurement Errors – Download PDF
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