Journal of Surveying Engineering

Deformation measurements on man‐made structures are important because they provide an independent check on whether or not the structure is exhibiting a safe deformation behavior. These measurements are especially critical for large structures of unusual design. The Olympic Speedskating Oval in Calgary, which is one of the largest concrete frame structures in the world, is such a structure. To measure deformations of the Olympic Oval, special types of survey instrumentation were designed. The instrumentation included a tiltmeter which measured tilt using the automatic vertical circle compensator of a 1 arc second theodolite, precise levelling equipment which measured vertical movement, a dedicated corner cube prism which was used to measure lateral movement, and permanently installed reflector targets which were used to measure movements of the roof. The instrumentation is described, along with results obtained with the instrumentation, and the use of the results in an analysis in which the measured deformations are combined with a structural finite element analysis.

Location of the centroid (center of mass) of a cut or fill section is needed in roadway earthwork allocations which are designed by the mass‐haul diagram (MHD) and optimization methods. In the MHD, the centroid location is approximated by the point at which there are equal volumes of earth on both sides of the point. In optimization methods, the location is approximated by the midpoint of the section. This paper develops a method for determining more accurately the centroid location of an earthwork section with a level ground across the roadway centerline. The height of the earthwork section is approximated by a second‐degree polynomial and the centroid location is determined based on the moment principle. Special cases in which the section is prismoid, wedge, and prism are presented as well as extensions to accommodate some practical situations. The method is applied to a numerical example and the results show that the method provides considerable improvement over the traditional methods.

Tall buildings have mushroomed in Boston as they have elsewhere. Modern technology has made high‐rise construction efficient and architects more daring. The surveying engineer faces many adversities during the translation process from blueprint to construction site. Temperature, vibration, short sights, compression, column shortening, settlement, and even tides and hurricanes demand careful attention. Personal experiences of the writers confirm warnings of the American Institute of Steel Construction, which are often ignored by construction managers. The surveying engineer and the construction manager should discuss reliable survey control procedures beforehand. By anticipating inevitable problems, their damaging effects can be minimized. A unique monitoring experience during Hurricane Gloria produced surprisingly sudden, jerky building motions.

Following a brief history of surveying education in the United States, and the current ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) requirements and curricula, the paper predicts the role of the surveying engineer in the beginning of the 21st century and from that suggests BSE curricula and educational models at the BS, MS, and PhD levels.