Differences Between Surveying And Surveillance In The Geospatial Field

Differences Between Surveying And Surveillance In The Geospatial Field

The terms, survey, and surveillance are misinterpreted to mean the same. In actual fact, the only sound alike and have different definitions and applications in the Geospatial field. 

A survey is defined as a completely open evaluation or general view of an area of interest, making a single observation to inspect, view, and measure the surrounding country and record locations in order to make particular decisions with the findings. Surveying focuses on precision and accuracy, measurement and collection of information.

A survey could also be a poll involving questions that a lot of people answer, the data is collected and used in research. For the purpose of this article, we will follow the first definition.

Surveillance, on the other hand, is defined as making repeated standardized surveys in order that change can be detected. It is consistent monitoring of practices that directly or indirectly contribute to an outcome and the use of those data collected during surveillance to improve further outcomes. Surveillance focuses on close observation of a subject for a lengthened period, involving the use of location tracking devices and other technologies.

Surveillance could be carried out by security agencies or private investigators on a person of interest in order to determine certain patterns in their movements and activities.   

APPLICATION OF SURVEYING AND SURVEILLANCE IN THE GEOSPATIAL FIELD

SURVEYING

As mentioned above, the survey focuses on the precision and measurement of collected information. 

A geospatial survey is the measurement of data that pertains to a specific area.  The main types of surveying specializations are land, mining, engineering, and hydrographic geographical area. 

Land Survey maps the legal boundaries and other features of a property, measuring structures and locating existing features of a property. It is a graphic layout of a property.

Mining Survey is the practice of determining the relative positions of points on or beneath the surface of the earth by measurements of distance, direction & elevation. It can be used to scope out potential mining locations and to ensure safety by finding risk-prone areas in the mining operations. 

Engineering Survey is required to support the conception, planning, design, construction, maintenance, and operation of engineering projects, which include locating or laying out alignments, positions, or elevations for the construction of fixed works. It provides insights to ensure that new and existing structures are safe and fit for the purpose for which they were constructed. Beyond safety, it is also important to ensure that plans and processes meet all the relevant requirements.

Hydrographic Survey deals with the measurement and description of the physical features of oceans, seas, coastal areas, lakes, and rivers. The end result of a hydrographic survey is a nautical chart: a map that shows the seafloor and other features related to navigation.

There are several other types of surveys including Topographic, Cadastral, Bathymetry, etc.

SURVEILLANCE

Surveillance is monitoring, carried out over time to determine patterns. Some Applications in the Geospatial field are Security, Disease mapping, Public health, and much more.

In terms of security, surveillance can be used by governments for intelligence gathering – including espionage, prevention of crime, the protection of a process, person, group, or object, or the investigation of crime.

Close observation can be used to identify, map, and follow up on areas prone to outbreaks of deadly diseases such as cholera, monkeypox, and Covid-19. Here are Seven ways Geospatial data helped during the outbreak of Covid-19

Surveillance helps to protect public health by carrying out preventive measures using the data collated from disease studies and surveys. 

Geospatial surveillance provides a high level of situational awareness.

Some tools used in surveillance include drones and other UAVs, GPS tracking devices, Google Earth, Google Maps, and many other dedicated technological devices.