Histori Topography

Definition.- studies the set of procedures to determine the position of a point

on the earth's surface, through measures according to the three elements of
the space:
Two distances and elevation
A distance, elevation and direction.
For distances and elevations units in length (metric) are used, and for
address units arc (sexagesimal degrees) are used.
Historical tour
From BC you can find traces of men trying to orient and represent their
environment in Turkey was found in the sixties the first approach to what
could be called the first map is a mural dating from around the 6200 BC with
the location of almost 80 buildings and a volcano. What it makes us think
that perhaps the mapping preceded the writing structured we know today.

The Sumerians were the first known urban culture that possessed
knowledge of mathematics and astronomy, geometry applied practice
(topography) in the construction of architecture and irrigation canals. The
buildings make suppose the use of a primitive and rudimentary measuring
instrument.
The Babylonians under the command of the famous King Nebuchadnezzar
its conquests rather than by the construction of the City, which raised many
palaces, temples and bridges, a great wall of 25m thick that surrounded the
entire city; in addition to the hanging gardens arrangement of apples, with
straight streets that intersected perpendicularly. The numerical system was
sexagesimal (the graduated circle was 360 ). Archaeologists have found
the position and location of signs on stones dating back to the Babylonian
era and supposed that they were marks of old surveyors to measure the
territories.

This image corresponds to a plane of Babylon around 2000 B.C.

The Assyrians, amazed with its buildings on terraces with stairs, ramps,
slopes and inclined planes.
The Persians, built the city of Persepolis, in which several axes of symmetry
perpendicular to each other strictly observed. It is also worth noting the
temple built by Solomon sent, Hebrew king, 950 B.C., which had 450m x
300m projected by Architects and Surveyors rethought by Phoenicians
brought expressly for this.
The Egyptians, made the first efforts of conditioning the Nile Valley, the
cultivation of the land in the valley could only be done under two conditions
should proceed to drain the bogs of the edges of the riverbed once the flood
ended, there were to irrigate the fields. They created a drainage system
with dams and weirs leveling and irrigation canals.
The Romans, with a very practical mind applied it developed for other
peoples and created a network of roads that covered his entire empire, of
which some sections still survive. The aqueducts were also part of their
needs to feed the Roman baths of urban centers and used to transport
water structures like image.
In Colombia Francisco Jos de Caldas, wise and patriotic born in Popayan
(1770- 1816), made significant botanical studies and mapped the
Viceroyalty of Peru, was the first director of the Astronomical Observatory
and founder of Semanario New Granada, it can be considered as one of the
managers of the topography in Colombia his works were highly accurate and
importance. From 1849-1859 Chorographic aimed COMMISSION go all the
national territory raise a general and provincial particular map was created.
He served as head of the commission the Italian scholar Agustin Codazzi,
who for 9 years all over the country visited. A malignant fever that took,
took him to the grave without maps was over. In his honor the institution
responsible for the part of surveying, mapping and cadastre in the country
bears his name.
In the United States three of the four presidents at Mount Rushmore began
as surveyors, specifically George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and
Abraham Lincoln.
Surveyors have contributed to measuring the distance from the Earth to the
Moon. The first men who landed on the moon placed a group of prisms
reflectors, measuring instruments used by surveyors. The measured
distance is accurate to centmetros.Usando lasers and mirrors, researchers
can send a signal to the Moon and precisely monitor its motion around

Earth. When the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated on February 1, 2003,

the remains were scattered for hundreds of kilometers in 40 counties. The
use of high-precision GPS equipment helped to determine the location of
remains, so that scientists could reconstruct the accident.
NEARBY SCIENCE TO SURVEYING
GEODESY
It is responsible for studying large tracts of land and which sees the earth as
a ellipsoid of revolution, and topography, which is dedicated to smaller
areas, considering the earth's surface as a flat surface. Etymologically the
word comes from the Greek geodesy "geo" = earth and "daio" = split. It is
the science that studies by mathematical means, the shape and dimensions
of the Earth and to get elected in the surface under study, points distributed
throughout it called geodesic which position the form of a territory or
everything follows The balloon.

MAPPING
The set of studies and scientific and technical operations involved in training
or map analysis including the activities and developments of man, relief
models or balloons, representing the Earth, or part of it or any part of the
universe. Cartography and processes data Topogrficarecolecta relief and
Thematic Cartography qualitative and quantitative data collected result of
information from a branch or science.
PHOTOGRAMMETRY
It is the discipline that uses photographs to obtain maps of terrain. The
photogrammetric surveys include data collection and accurate
measurements from ground photographs taken with special cameras or
other sensors instruments, either from aircraft (aerial photogrammetry) or
from high points of the ground (terrestrial photogrammetry) and has
application in works topographic.

TYPES OF SURVEYS
geodetic
They are surveying large areas and is considered the Earth's curvature.

Topographical surveys are the most common and most interest, are geodetic
special reason which is dedicated Geodesy.
Topogrficos
By cover small areas are made neglecting the curvature of the earth without
appreciable error.
Types of surveying:
1. General grounds - Marcan boundaries or locate, measure and divide
surfaces, generally flat land located ligand with previous surveys, or building
and construction projects.
2. Hydrographic and / or Marine - associated with the study of bodies of
water, depths, beach lines, streams, installation of ports are calculated etc.
3. kinds - are linear projects ranging one point to another as direct
posible.Estudia and build roads, railways, canals, power transmission lines,
pipelines, gas pipelines etc.
4. Architectural - perform the measurement on works already built in order
to calculate amounts of work, control landslides, declinations etc.
5. mines - Fixed and controls the position of underground workings and
related to other surface.
6. Cadastral surveying - are made in cities, urban, rural and municipalities to
set boundaries or studying urban works, to finally make tax collection.
7. aerial surveys and satellite - are made by photography, usually from
airplanes and used as valuable assistants all other kinds of surveys,
photogrammetry and photointerpretation. Work with satellite images is
becoming more useful.