“The distance between point A and B is 528 meters…” does that sound familiar? You probably know how to perform distance calculations on paper, but what if you could go outside and use lasers, maps and laptops to determine distances? That’s exactly what a handful of Secondary Students in New South Wales did during the recent Maths in Surveying Excursion.

With the help of Registered Surveyors and their Maths Teachers, students used tools (old and new) to perform surveying measurements and see how mathematics is applied to real life situations. Students participated in a range of activities including Surveying measurement and mapping, Laser Scanning, Sundial calculations, Trigonometrical Heighting and miniCAD calculations back in the classroom.

A recent report has forecast a significant shortage of surveyors in New South Wales. From 2015 the gap between workforce and labour demand will rise from a shortfall of 341 persons to 834 by 2021. That’s about 3/4 of the total number of registered surveyors currently.

With many professions suffering a decline in available jobs, it’s exciting to see an increase in opportunities for graduates in surveying.

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