Engineering Survey Report on Software, CAD, and Industry Applications

This report provides an overview of engineering survey software and Computer-Aided Drafting (CAD) in civil engineering. It explores how these technologies are used to assess 3D landscapes, determine distances and angles, and create maps and designs for construction projects. The report highlights the benefits of CAD, including increased competitiveness, improved design processes, and higher productivity. It discusses the personnel who use these technologies, such as land surveyors, architects, and civil engineers, and the equipment required, including computers with specific hardware specifications. The report also examines the evolution of these technologies, from early data collection software to modern Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Global Positioning Systems (GPS). The conclusion emphasizes the significant improvements in engineering surveys brought about by software and CAD, enabling detailed 2D and 3D drawings and maps. The report includes a list of relevant references.

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Survey and Civil Engineering Software and Computer Aided Drafting
Introduction
Survey and Civil Engineering Software are modern technologies which help in the process of
assessing a 3D landscape to determine the distances and angles between a series of points.
Determining the positioning of this points is usually applied in the establishment of
boundaries and maps for construction structures and other subterranean civic projects (Adeli,
2016, p. 183).
Computer Aided Drafting refers to the technology for designing and documentation of
technical drawings which substituted manual drafting with an automated process. CAD is
greatly assisting the Engineering Survey industry to increase competitiveness through
enabling design and research work to be processed into final products at a lower cost and
with higher qualities. By mechanising the tedious work of reproducing objects, CAD set free
designers so that they can use more time during the design process. Profitability and
Productivity ratios within engineering survey companies that utilize CAD over traditional
drafting methods has been approximated to be 20:1.The Computer Aided Drafting is based on
usage of computers in order to display the graphic images. The displayed images are based on
the mathematical coordinates which exist in the computer as the digital electronic data and
can be 2D or 3D forms. By use of input devices such as digital tablets and mouse, Computer
Aided Drafting allows for translation, replication, rotation, transformation and scaling of
graphical images (Brown, 2016, p. 211).

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Civil engineering softwares includes a wide range of tool to assist civil engineers during
both the design phase and construction process. The softwares can help at every stage of the
engineering project which includes, drafting, documenting, visualizing, designing and
analysing.
Personnel involved and end-users
The personnel who usually use Survey and Civil Engineering Software and Computer Aided
Drafting include: the land surveyors who usually uses the software for mapping. Architects
uses the CAD softwares for visualizing their designs before the actual construction phase.The
quantity surveyors uses the softwares for carrying out the estimation of the cost for civic
projects. Civil engineers use the engineering survey softwares to analysis the structural
integrity of their civil engineering projects before they are implemented (Kemp, 2014, p.
132). The end user of the survey and engineering softwares include the contractors and
construction managers who are given the final drawings to implement. CAD design is used in
almost all industries, in projects as wide –ranging as bridge construction, landscape design,
movie amination and architectural design and construction. Most of the parties who are
involved in the actual implementation of the projects such as builders and constriction
managers have found it to be very easy at the final end of implementation of the projects.
Setting out the foundations of the projects is very espy with the use of the Engineering and
surveying softwares.
How softwares and AutoCAD are used in surveying
Starting with Auto and other data collection softwares in the 1980s and remaining up to the
current time with geographical Information System and Global positioning system, there has
been great developments (Korte, 2011, p. 65).

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With the underlying Softwares and Auto CAD graphics engine, they take the data that is
collected in the field and enable the operator to create detailed 2D and 3D drawings and maps
depicting the outcome of the survey. The raw data may be integrated with the coordinate data
that is stored in a spreadsheet and other information from the aerial photographs, data from
GIS database and geographical facts to create the desired product.
The surveying softwares and auto CAD have features that are able to correlate or link title
document data and images, whether stored or scanned as an object in another database. If one
is able to view the map and be in a position to supplement the interpretation of symbols, data
and other geographical forms with the actual physical or legal forms (Martens, 2015, p. 433).
Equipment used by Survey and Civil Engineering Software and CAD
The equipment which are used for engineering and survey softwares are mainly computers.
As the name Computer Aided Design Implies all the softwares all the softwares are used by
computers. The computers that are used must meet at least a megabyte of memory,
MegaFLOPS computing performance and a Megapixel of display. For instance; The
AutoCAD 2016 requires the following minimum requirements (Page, 2016, p. 367).
AutoCAD 2016system requirements
Operating systems Microsoft windows 7
Microsoft windows 8/8.1
Microsoft® windows ®10
Type of CPU Minimum Intel® Pentium® 4 or AMD
AthlonTM 64 processor
Memory For 64-bit
4GB functions (8GB recommended)
For 32-bit

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2GB functions(3GB recommended)
Display resolution 1024x768 with true colour display
.Net framework .Net framework version 4.5
Disk Space Installation requires 6.0 GB
It is very important to use the hardware that are capable of coping with the softwares.
Majority of the Engineering and survey softwares comes with stringent minimum system
requirements, most of the Computer Aided Design workstations depends on the Custom-built
workstations in order to work.
Specifications
Computer Aided Design standards and engineering softwares are generally a set of
guidelines for the way CAD and other engineering softwares should appear , to enhance the
interchange and productivity of the CAD and Engineering documents between CAD and
engineering softwares.
Most common CAD and Engineering Layouts includes;
 AIA CAD layer guideline, has a great applications in United States of America.
 BS 1192, relies greatly on the Code of Procedure for the Construction Industry
 ISO 13567-1/3, International standard, which is common in Northern Europe.
 AEC an adaptation of BS-1192 based on the Uniclass
 SIA 2014, Swiss standard for surveyors and engineers based on ISO 13567.
Various survey engineering softwares and Cad are of specific specifications according to the
purpose to which they were designed for instance the Arch cad is mainly specified to be used
for drafting both the engineering and architectural projects (Page, 2016, p. 54).
Conclusion.

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In conclusion the introduction of the Survey engineering softwares and the Computer Aided
Design has greatly improved ways through which the engineering surveys were carried out.
With the underlying Softwares and Auto CAD graphics engine, they take the data that is
collected in the field and enable the operator to create detailed 2D and 3D drawings and maps
depicting the outcome of the survey. The raw data may be integrated with the coordinate data
that is stored in a spreadsheet and other information from the aerial photographs, data from
GIS database and geographical facts to create the desired product.

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References
Adeli, H., 2016. Advances in Design Optimization. 2nd ed. Texas: CRC Press.
Brown, A., 2016. Software Abstracts for Engineers. 4th ed. Sydney: CITIS.
Kemp, K., 2014. Encyclopedia of Geographic Information Science. 1st ed. London: SAGE,.
Korte, G., 2011. Computer-aided Design and Drafting Systems. 4th ed. Chicago:
Transportation Research Board.
Martens, B., 2015. Classification of instructional programs. 1st ed. Berlin: DIANE
Publishing.
Page, K., 2016. A Complete Guide to Educational, Technical, Professional. 4th ed. Perth:
Kogan Page Publishers.
Petrie, K. G., 2014. Engineering Surveying Technology. 3rd ed. Auckland: CRC Press,.

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