Surveying and Measuring Equipment: What Every Professional Needs

Surveying has come a long way from chains, compasses, and paper field notes. Today’s professionals rely on advanced instruments that deliver centimeter-level accuracy in real time. The right surveying and measuring equipment is critical to success for a land surveyor setting boundary lines, a construction crew laying out subdivisions, or an engineer monitoring environmental change

In this guide, we’ll walk through the essentials every modern surveyor should know.

Why Surveying and Measuring Equipment Matters
Core Categories of Surveying Equipment
Emerging Tools in Surveying
Choosing the Right Equipment
The Canadian Market: What to Know
Best Practices for Professionals Using Surveying Equipment
The Right Tools, The Right Data
FAQs

Why Surveying and Measuring Equipment Matters

Surveying involves creating precise, reliable data that projects depend on. The wrong equipment or the wrong setup can introduce misaligned roads, incorrect property boundaries, or delays in construction schedules.

Today, surveyors lean on a combination of tried instruments like total stations and levels, modern GNSS receivers that harness satellites for real-time positioning. These tools are the basis of civil engineering, land development, and infrastructure projects across Canada.

Core Categories of Surveying Equipment

1. GNSS and RTK Systems

The gold standard for modern fieldwork is GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receivers, often used with RTK (Real-Time Kinematic) corrections. This pairing allows surveyors to collect data with centimeter-level precision in real time. That’s a leap from traditional GPS, which can be off by several meters.

The Hemisphere S631, our flagship GNSS receiver, delivers high accuracy and reliability. It’s trusted by 80% of our new customers and has become a backbone of survey operations across Canada.

• Applications: Land development, large construction projects, topographic mapping, and monitoring.
• Why it matters: Faster workflows, fewer errors, and compatibility with leading software like FieldGenius.

For crews on tighter budgets, newer entrants like our GeoMeasure Nano 7 offer affordable RTK performance.

2. Total Stations

Before GNSS took over, total stations were the workhorse of the industry — and they still have a major role. A total station combines angle measurement (like a theodolite) with electronic distance measurement. The GeoMax Zoom95, a robotic total station, integrates with field software for efficiency.

• Use cases: Boundary surveys, control points, and construction layout.
• Strengths: Accuracy in environments where GNSS struggles (dense forests, urban canyons, tunnels).

3. Levels

Simple but essential, levels establish a horizontal plane across a job site. They’re particularly important in construction and engineering applications where elevation and drainage matter.

• Types: Auto/dumpy levels, laser levels, and digital levels.
• Use cases: Checking grades, setting elevations, and transferring benchmarks.
• Strengths: Inexpensive, reliable, and easy to train new staff on.

4. Theodolites

Theodolites are less common in daily work today, but they still see use where precise angle measurement is necessary. Many total stations are built on theodolite principles, but standalone models remain useful for specialized projects.

5. Measuring Tools and Accessories

Surveyors rely on simple measuring tools:

• Measuring wheels and tapes
• Tripods, bipods, and poles
• Prisms and prism poles: Essential for total station work.

Emerging Tools in Surveying

Software: FieldGenius

No piece of hardware can work without good software. FieldGenius, developed by MicroSurvey in Canada, powers much of today’s GNSS and total station workflows. The latest Android version continues to evolve. Many professionals still prefer the legacy package for its reliability and features.

Drones and Scanners

Unmanned aerial systems and 3D laser scanners are increasingly being used for topographic mapping, stockpile measurement, and large-area surveys. They cannot replace traditional instruments, but still bring speed and safety in large or inaccessible areas.

Choosing the Right Equipment

Selecting the right surveying and measuring equipment depends on your industry and project type:

• Land Surveying. GNSS/RTK for topographic and boundary work, total stations for control.
• Construction. GNSS for grading and site layout, levels for drainage, and total stations for precision.
• Engineering/Monitoring. GNSS for ongoing data collection, scanners for deformation monitoring, and specialized software for analysis.

The Canadian Market: What to Know

Survey equipment distribution in Canada is unique. Major players like Cansel (Trimble), Brandt (Topcon), and Lewis Instruments (Leica) hold exclusive rights to certain brands and create regional monopolies. However, Bench-Mark operates differently. From a single office, we supply and support customers across Canada and the U.S.. We focus on open, affordable, and flexible solutions.

Best Practices for Professionals Using Surveying Equipment

• Always mark control points
• Calibrate regularly
• Train your crew (the best equipment won’t help if operators don’t understand setup and workflow)
• Plan for the environment, since it can interfere with GNSS signals. Always have a backup method like a total station.

The Right Tools, The Right Data

Surveying and measuring equipment has never been more powerful or more essential. The right tools ensure projects stay on time, on budget, and on target. At Bench-Mark, we believe surveyors across Canada deserve access to equipment that’s accurate, affordable, and supported by real experts. Our team can help you upgrade to RTK GNSS, explore total stations, and outfit a new crew.

Ready to equip your crew with the right surveying and measuring equipment? Explore our full lineup of GNSS systems, total stations, and accessories today.

FAQs