Maths program aimed at tackling surveyor shortages comes to Coffs Coffs Coast Coffs Coast by News Of The Area - Modern Media - April 26, 2024April 26, 2024 Students engage with the Maths in Surveying program. THE dearth in qualified surveyors across Australia is being tackled in local educational establishments. Through a program called Maths in Surveying running across NSW, students are provided with a day of practical, interactive exercises. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au On Thursday 2 May 2024, Maths in Surveying will come to the Coffs Harbour Education Campus, working with Year 9, 10, 11 and 12 students. “At Coffs Harbour, the students will use GPS and Total Stations to measure remotely across a lake and calculate the height difference between two points,” Maths in Surveying convenor Ian Iredale told News Of The Area. “Ground penetrating radar won’t be used at Coffs, although it is commonly used by surveyors to locate and map underground services. “A Total Station measures horizontal and vertical angles and slope distances. “GPS measures the east, north and height of a point on the Map Grid of Australia coordinate system which is used on all Australian topographic maps. “The GPS we use looks nothing like that in a mobile phone or car navigation system,” said Ian. “The surveying version measures horizontally to a precision of about +/- 15mm, whereas the latter systems measure to about 5-10m horizontal accuracy.” After the session, interested students will be encouraged to obtain work experience with a local surveyor. The hope is that students will be inspired to continue to a university or TAFE course in surveying. Surveying covers a wide range of opportunities, from cadastral (boundary) surveying which requires Government registration; engineering surveying (road, sewer, drainage design); deformation surveys to check dams, bridges and buildings remain stable; aerial surveying, today mainly using drones; hydrographic surveying to map underwater features; mine surveying; photogrammetry (taking measurements from images); and geodesy to determine the shape of the earth and our continental movement. Coffs Harbour is one of six regional areas running the program. A report released in 2019 by BIS Oxford Economics highlighted that there is a current shortage of surveyors in Australia, with only 8,172 surveying professionals filling the demand of 9,125 positions. By Andrea FERRARI Maths in Surveying teaches students how to use GPS equipment.
