Met Plays Role in New Approach to Survey Accuracy and Consistency

RICS Measured surveys of land, buildings and utilites, 3rd Ed.

19th November 2014

The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has launched its long awaited revision of the industry standard for measured surveys.

Endorsed by both CICES and TSA, the new Measured Surveys of Land, Buildings and Utilities, 3rd edition guidance and specification, outlines new approaches to survey accuracy and consistency, placing the relationship between client and surveyor at the heart of any survey contract and incorporates several new features and concepts.

As such it represents a complete review of the original 1997 edition and supersedes Surveys of Land, Buildings and Utility Services At Acales of 1:500 and Larger, 2nd Ed.

One of the primary changes from the second edition is the use of a ‘survey detail accuracy band table’, which takes into consideration client requirements for scale independent metadata and digital data handling environments and has enormous potential for client education and in explaining the relationship between scale, accuracy, feature size and methodology.

In such a fast moving and evolving technology driven environment this third edition is aimed at emphasising the importance of classical surveying and measurement good practice which will hopefully stand the test of time. This is considered particularly important in light of the growth of building information modelling (BIM) and its wider application to the built environment.

Measured building survey has an enhanced section of extended output and feature tables. Topographic survey also gets a similar enhanced section. Utility, setting out and monitoring/deformation survey sections are also included.

Met Geo Environmental Director of Operations – Geophysics and Utility Mapping, Sam Roberts contributed to the formation of the utilities aspect of the new edition and wrote the Quick Specification for utility surveys in the appendix as consultee through the TSA.

‘The key message from this document is that a good, agreed and fit for purpose measured survey specification de-risks a project and should be seen as an essential element by clients,” he says.

For more information visit http://www.rics.org/uk/knowledge/professional-guidance/guidance-notes/measured-surveys-of-land-buildings-and-utilities-3rd-edition

Or download the full document as a PDF: Measured Surveys of Land, Buildings and Utilities – 3rd Ed.