Farm Surveying

spadesaspade

Hi Guys,

Before I start, I am not trying to sell anything through this forum. I am just looking for information and maybe a direction that maybe my company can go in.

I am the owner of a small land surveying company and I would like to know if farmers would have any interest in having the land surveyed these days.

The reason why the would do it is for numerous reasons:

1. Accurate calculation of paddock size
2. Precise calculation of fertilizer requirements
3. Accurate estimation of fencing requirements
4. Redesign of paddocks

I would just like some advice to see if I would be wasting my time.

Regards

Spades

amens

Can't really see the need to pay someone to do it.On the sfp online you can open the aerial photo of each parcel and draw any shape you want on it.So you can measure distances between points, the size of existing paddocks or make up new ones and see what size that would be before doing anything on the ground. I found it useful for splitting up a block of land into equally sized paddocks for grazing and for deciding what route to take water pipes to minimize the length of pipe.

jomoloney

spadesaspade wrote: »

Hi Guys,

Before I start, I am not trying to sell anything through this forum. I am just looking for information and maybe a direction that maybe my company can go in.

I am the owner of a small land surveying company and I would like to know if farmers would have any interest in having the land surveyed these days.

The reason why the would do it is for numerous reasons:

1. Accurate calculation of paddock size
2. Precise calculation of fertilizer requirements
3. Accurate estimation of fencing requirements
4. Redesign of paddocks

I would just like some advice to see if I would be wasting my time.

Regards

Spades

IMO wasting your time.... sorry

maxxuumman

"MyMeasure" app on iPhone will give you 99% of that information, and it only costs €2, and its very accurate.

( my advisor wasn't very impressed, when I showed him that app ... He had forked out a few thousand for field mapping equipment and was intending hiring a person to provide a mapping service )

ZETOR_IS_BETTER

I agree with the lads. I dont think there is a need for those sevices for what is proposed.

Damo810

maxxuumman wrote: »

"MyMeasure" app on iPhone will give you 99% of that information, and it only costs €2, and its very accurate.

( my advisor wasn't very impressed, when I showed him that app ... He had forked out a few thousand for field mapping equipment and was intending hiring a person to provide a mapping service )

"Geomeasure" is supposedly another good one, haven't used it but I heard it does the job well.

hugo29

maxxuumman wrote: »

"MyMeasure" app on iPhone will give you 99% of that information, and it only costs €2, and its very accurate.

( my advisor wasn't very impressed, when I showed him that app ... He had forked out a few thousand for field mapping equipment and was intending hiring a person to provide a mapping service )

how does the my measure work, do you not have to take a photograph and then add arrows etc to get overall dimensions,would it not be difficult to take a field

maxxuumman

hugo29 wrote: »

how does the my measure work, do you not have to take a photograph and then add arrows etc to get overall dimensions,would it not be difficult to take a field

It uses the satellite imagery from google maps, so you can see the field you what to measure. Draw a line where, say the ditch is, and it will give you the area of the field or the length of ditch. Didn't have it at the time, but if you were putting in a farm roadway, or dividing up an area for paddocks it would be invaluable.

Edit:you can see and measure anyone's fields, if a silage contractor, was to spend a bit of time on it, I'd say alot of acreage would be getting "readjusted"

hugo29

maxxuumman wrote: »

It uses the satellite imagery from google maps, so you can see the field you what to measure. Draw a line where, say the ditch is, and it will give you the area of the field or the length of ditch. Didn't have it at the time, but if you were putting in a farm roadway, or dividing up an area for paddocks it would be invaluable.

Edit:you can see and measure anyone's fields, if a silage contractor, was to spend a bit of time on it, I'd say alot of acreage would be getting "readjusted"

sounds good, i used the SPS one to calculate paddock sizes for fert purchasing

delaval

spadesaspade wrote: »

Hi Guys,

Before I start, I am not trying to sell anything through this forum. I am just looking for information and maybe a direction that maybe my company can go in.

I am the owner of a small land surveying company and I would like to know if farmers would have any interest in having the land surveyed these days.

The reason why the would do it is for numerous reasons:

1. Accurate calculation of paddock size
2. Precise calculation of fertilizer requirements
3. Accurate estimation of fencing requirements
4. Redesign of paddocks

I would just like some advice to see if I would be wasting my time.

Regards

Spades

When I was starting on a green field I used a company to Mao all the areas so ad to generate maps for my everyday use I found it invaluable. It is a crowded space you are entering but there is work there. I know the guy I used does a lot in the UK and has done some work in Eastern Europe.
I would probably use this service again even with all the Apps that are available. I even used it on a new piece of land last year. It was so accurate that we found that our adjusted area had increased.
Because the land lord was now getting more money than he had anticipated he actually paid for it.

just do it

Agree with general replies on here. However what would be of value is mapping showing changes in elevation with a view to planning a drainage strategy, a bit like a site survey map.

just do it

Out of interest, have you a rough idea what you'd charge for such a service?

hugo29

just do it wrote: »

Agree with general replies on here. However what would be of value is mapping showing changes in elevation with a view to planning a drainage strategy, a bit like a site survey map.

Get land survey and ask them to plot levels and contours for you, that will work, you can then plot site sections from this info

mf240

good drainage contractor will have laser level

hobnail

Hello guys,

Just wondering if anyone can offer me some advice on a gps surveying instrument please. I need to be able to set out foundations, measure boundaries, mark boundaries etc. I also need to be able to take levels for contours. Will need to be able to upload data to cad for drawing / site plans.

We're small firm so something reasonably priced is essential.

Thanks guys

severeoversteer

hobnail wrote: »

Hello guys,

Just wondering if anyone can offer me some advice on a gps surveying instrument please. I need to be able to set out foundations, measure boundaries, mark boundaries etc. I also need to be able to take levels for contours. Will need to be able to upload data to cad for drawing / site plans.

We're small firm so something reasonably priced is essential.

Thanks guys

gps is not accurate enough for setting out, its a total station you need for this, and i wouldnt recommend buying one as they are very expensive, they could be at least 10 grand upwards.

and it took me 4 years in university to learn to use it properly and accurately

your best option might be to hire a total station and then give an engineer a days wages to do whatever you need to do

ballinadog

hobnail wrote: »

Hello guys,

Just wondering if anyone can offer me some advice on a gps surveying instrument please. I need to be able to set out foundations, measure boundaries, mark boundaries etc. I also need to be able to take levels for contours. Will need to be able to upload data to cad for drawing / site plans.

We're small firm so something reasonably priced is essential.

Thanks guys

GPS is the only way to go if your happy enough with an accuracy up to 25mm, after that people argue total stations are better and id agree to a point but personally, having to use both daily, GPS is my instrument of choice all day long. I work for a civil eng comp with approx 40 workers and I brought the first gps into the company, its a lot of money at first but trust me it pays itself back rapid...

49801

Still one of my favourite links discovered on here for checking areas in the office
http://spatial.dcenr.gov.ie/imf/imf.jsp?site=GSI_Simple

TITANIUM.

severeoversteer wrote: »

gps is not accurate enough for setting out, its a total station you need for this, and i wouldnt recommend buying one as they are very expensive, they could be at least 10 grand upwards.

and it took me 4 years in university to learn to use it properly and accurately

your best option might be to hire a total station and then give an engineer a days wages to do whatever you need to do

4 year's!
Maybe the college nights out cut intp your progress.
A good Instructor a a month at the most will do ya and thats pushing it.
OP possible application for surveying drainage works. Particularly down the country as there seems to be nobody doing it down here.

severeoversteer

TITANIUM. wrote: »

4 year's!
Maybe the college nights out cut intp your progress.
A good Instructor a a month at the most will do ya and thats pushing it.
OP possible application for surveying drainage works. Particularly down the country as there seems to be nobody doing it down here.

well yes you would be able use it after a month, but when you go out and survey a site , what do you do with the data??

to learn what to do with the data , draw plans/ 3d design models of roads grades etc, and then go and put the design on the ground ! it takes 4 years in college to learn to do that !!!!

an architecture or construction management course wouldn't be a lot of good for making full use of surveying and setting out technology, especially for large civil works



but for the purposes of land drainage or farm related work that isn't too big, all you need is a bit of cop on and a laser level or pipe laser

severeoversteer

for the question asked by the first post gps would be fine for doing everything you mention, except for setting out foundations

so what you need to put on your shopping list is gps and a total station, and design software if you don't have it already

1chippy

there was an online auction of an engineering and construction firm a few years back. total stations , laser levels with all the bells and whistles sold for peanuts. i had been following the auction for a while and missed the final hour. top price paid for a total station that day was 1200 pounds. i am still kicking myself over it. there were at least 20 total stations on it.

severeoversteer

1chippy wrote: »

there was an online auction of an engineering and construction firm a few years back. total stations , laser levels with all the bells and whistles sold for peanuts. i had been following the auction for a while and missed the final hour. top price paid for a total station that day was 1200 pounds. i am still kicking myself over it. there were at least 20 total stations on it.

if its the same auction I was looking at id say there was a high chance that they were xucked, there are some super deals to be got on donedeal with second hand equipment but they are few and far between