Importance of Geomatic Engineering

A Geomatic Engineer/surveyor is a professional person with the academic qualifications and technical expertise to practise the science of measurement; to assemble and assess land and geographic related information; to use that information for the purpose of planning and implementing the efficient administration of the land, the sea and structures, thereon; and to instigate the advancement and development of such practices.

Practice of the Geomatic Engineer profession may involve one or more of the following activities like geodesy, space survey mapping, on, above or below the surface of the land or the sea, position of the boundaries of public or private land including national and international boundaries and the registration of those lands, study of the natural and social environment, use of the data in the planning of development  in urban, rural and regional area, assessment of value of property, measurement and management of construction works and  production of maps and reports.

Engineer is a person who knows to solve the problem and implement the solution through practical knowledge.

BE Geomatic Engineering is not only changing the names from surveying to geomatic engineering, manual system of technology is replaced by digital system in 2014 all around the world. In surveying and mapping paper, ink, film and scale is replaced by computer. Printed maps are being replaced by digital database, model or pdf files. New digital maps will be scale free. Theodolite is replaced by total station and field book by digital files.

LiDAR, digital imagery, GNSS, photogrammetry /remote sensing, UAV, crowd sourcing, web mapping are the new methods of database preparation techniques. Substantial amount of mapping is also taking place for planetary mapping. Therefore, surveying technology is now changed, easier and need more computer skills.

The colleges provide four years B E courses on Geomatic Engineering and Land Resources Management, which includes Astronomy, Geodesy, Photogrammetry/Remote sensing, Cartography/ GIS(Geographical Information System), Topographical, Engineering and Land Resources Surveying and Mapping, Cadastral Surveying/Land Information System, Computation and Data Management, Land Administration, Land Valuation and Quantity Surveying, and the other supporting subjects like Computer Programming, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Nepali and  English.

The entrance qualification is 10+2, HSC or certificate level academic qualification in science same as other B E courses and requires good stereoscopic vision and basic knowledge in computer. The candidates with 10+2 level education in Geomatics/surveying or engineering will also be allowed to attend the course.

The cost of surveying is almost 50% higher in developed countries. In Nepal, it is about 50% less. Geomatic engineers are highly paid in developing country and there is lack of qualified manpower there. There are better chances to get scholarship in this subject than other subjects. In Nepal, there is shortage of qualified geomatic engineers in private and government organizations.

Geomatic engineers is mostly employed by Minnstry of Land Reform and Management. Other government organizations like Nepal Electricity Authority, Electricity Development, Urban Development and other Departments, Nepal Army, Armed Police and Police also employed geomatic engineers. It will need more than 500 geomatic engineers at local level for implementation of new constitution.

Geomatic engineers serve society by collecting, monitoring, archiving, and maintaining diverse spatial data infrastructures. Geomatic engineers utilize a wide range of technologically advanced tools such as total stations, Global Positioning System (GPS) equipment, digital aerial imagery (both satellite and air-borne), and computer-based geographic information systems (GIS). These tools enable the geomatic engineer to gather, process, analyze, visualize and manage spatially related information to solve a wide range of technical and societal problems.

Geomatic engineering is the field of activity that integrates the acquisition, processing, analysis, display and management of spatial information. It is an exciting and new grouping of subjects in the spatial and environmental information sciences with a broad range of employment opportunities as well as offering challenging pure and applied research problems in a vast range of interdisciplinary fields.

In different schools and different countries the same education curriculum is administered with the name geomatic engineering, surveying in some, and in others with the names geomatics, geospatial (information) engineering, or geodesy and geoinformatics.

It is required to produce required geomatic engineering manpower for development of Nepal and run smoothly the land administration. Poor land management is the main causes of poverty. Therefore, it is expected that new generation will study geomatic engineering, be better employed and contribute to the national and global development.