There are several uses of the word 'survey', relating to two primary meanings: surveys to record the position of items or fixed points on Earth and beyond, such as
astronomical surveys, bird surveys, and the broad field of land
surveying; and
statistical surveys estimating the number of people or other items, such as animals, organisations, or messages. Population
censuses are statistical surveys which attempt to include every item in the population.
The names of some scientific organisations incorporate the word "Survey", even though they do not primarily conduct surveys.
Kinds of surveys
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Surveying' is the science of measuring positions and distances on Earth.
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Geophysical surveys are sub-surface or surface imaging surveys.
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Hydrographic surveys are surveys specifically conducted over navigable waters.
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Aerial surveys are surveys in which special types of aircraft fitted with aerial cameras are used
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Archaeological field surveys are surveys conducted in order to locate archaeological sites prior to excavation.
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Cadastral surveys map ownership boundaries for purposes of land valuation and taxation.
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Geological surveys record the
geology of an area.
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Soil surveys map the properties and varieties of
soil over some area.
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Cave surveys measure the three-dimensional course of underground caverns.
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Astronomical surveys' involve imaging or mapping regions of the sky.
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Timeline of astronomical maps, catalogs, and surveys lists astronomical surveys; see also
Durchmusterung.
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★ A
redshift survey is a particular kind of astronomical survey.
★ Bird surveys, such as the
Breeding Bird Survey, monitor the extent and status of bird populations.
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Statistical surveys' focus more on establishing the numbers or proportions of items than their position. They are used in many
social sciences,
marketing research, political
polling, and
official statistics.
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Sample surveys collect information on only a sample from the population, in contrast to
censuses.
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★ Serial surveys collect the same information at various time points. These can be divided into:
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Longitudinal surveys, which collect the information from the same item at each time point; and
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Cross-sectional surveys, which collect the information from a new sample of items (at least in part) at each time point.
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Paid surveys' are sent by market research companies to their panel members in order to conduct research for large companies.
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Audience response systems are used by various organizations to gauge public opinion on new products, commercials, television shows, motion pictures, politics, and electronic (e.g. web) presentations.
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Course evaluations ask a series of questions to evaluate the instruction of a given course.
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Survey articles' in scholarly journals summarize an area of research.
Land survey organizations
Canada
★ The
Dominion Land Survey divides land in
Canada into sections for agricultural and civic-planning purposes.
France
★ The
Institut Géographique National produces maps and conducts surveys of
France and a number of other countries.
India
★ The
Survey of India is India's central agency in charge of mapping and surveying.
Malaysia
★ The Department of Survey and Mapping Malaysia (JUPEM) is the government agency in charge of mapping , cadastral and geodetic surveying.
United Kingdom
★ The
Ordnance Survey produces maps of the
United Kingdom and various other countries.
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British Geological Survey carries out geological survey and monitoring of the UK landmass.
United States of America
★ The
Public Land Survey System divides land in the
United States into sections for agricultural and civic-planning purposes.
★ The
United States Geological Survey, part of the
United States Department of the Interior, produces maps of the United States.
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U.S. National Geodetic Survey, part of the
United States Department of Commerce, performs surveys in the United States.
Statistical survey organizations
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List of national and international statistical services, which conduct many statistical surveys of people and businesses. See also
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Scientific organisations
★ The
British Antarctic Survey conducts scientific research in and around
Antarctica.
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Zoological Survey of India studies the fauna of India.
See also
★ A '
survey township' is a demarcation indicating land ownership, not necessarily corresponding to any
civil township.
★ A '
survey ship' is a ship built for the purpose of conducting hydrographic surveys.