Surveying & Photogrammetry Handbook

Modern surveying demands more than knowing how to operate the equipment...

Does the working surveyor need one practical reference instead of separate books for surveying, GNSS, and UAV photogrammetry?
Is there uncertainty about GCP geometry, RTK/PPK accuracy, reprojection error, or defensible client deliverables?
Does the pressure of field deadlines leave little time for trial-and-error learning?

Written for serious surveying and mapping professionals, Surveying & Photogrammetry Handbook by William Anderson PE applies a field-to-finish framework rather than treating modern technologies as isolated subjects. The handbook connects measurement fundamentals, total stations, GNSS/RTK/PPK, UAV mission planning, GCPs, photogrammetric processing, accuracy assessment, data integration, and CAD/GIS delivery. Its recurring Accuracy Check approach emphasizes identifying expected errors, diagnosing failures, independently verifying results, and documenting limitations.

Inside you'll discover:

• Surveying Fundamentals - Build stronger measurement judgment.
• Total Stations - Master setup, orientation, traverses, stakeout, and checks.
• GNSS / RTK / PPK - Understand positioning and control.
• UAV Mission Planning - Apply GSD, overlap, and flight geometry.
• GCPs vs. Checkpoints - Know what each actually proves.
• Photogrammetric Processing - Understand alignment and bundle adjustment.
• Point Clouds & Surfaces - Produce useful mapping products.
• Orthomosaics - Connect imagery to verified coordinates.
• Accuracy Checks - Detect systematic errors and distortion.
• Residual Analysis - Investigate discrepancies intelligently.
• Coordinate Systems - Prevent reference-system conflicts.
• CAD/GIS Delivery - Prepare organized client-ready datasets.
• Troubleshooting - Diagnose failures instead of guessing.
• Applied Workflows - Handle topographic, construction, and volume projects.
• Professional Practice - Recognize technical and professional boundaries.

This is not another shallow drone guide or a theory-heavy reference disconnected from field practice. It uses procedures, worked examples, diagnostic reasoning, checklists, tables, diagrams, and realistic scenarios.

Readers do not need to master every technology at once. The book builds from familiar surveying principles toward GNSS, UAV photogrammetry, processing, verification, and delivery. It also addresses a critical professional concern directly: a detailed drone-derived map is not automatically a legally or professionally sufficient survey product.

Because software and hardware change, the emphasis remains on durable principles-measurement, geometry, reference systems, control, redundancy, uncertainty, and verification-rather than memorizing one software interface.

If you want to prepare for professional advancement while strengthening practical surveying skills, then make Surveying & Photogrammetry Handbook part of the working reference library.