Engineers and mathematicians who improved the instruments and methods of land measurement, from chains and tachymeters to field surveys of ancient monuments. The group covers practical measurement in the field, the making of precise instruments and the careful recording of what was measured, work on which later mapping, road building and construction depended. Geotechnical engineers, who study soil and foundations, are grouped separately.
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Surveying and Measurement Pioneers
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Edmund Gunter (Wikipedia)
Has Member: Edmund Gunter, Lead paragraphQuote, Has Member: Edmund Gunter, Lead paragraph
He is best remembered for his mathematical contributions, which include the invention of the Gunter's chain, the Gunter's quadrant, and the Gunter's scale.
Alexander Thom (Wikipedia)
Has Member: Alexander Thom, Lead paragraphQuote, Has Member: Alexander Thom, Lead paragraph
Alexander Thom (26 March 1894-7 November 1985) was a Scottish engineer most famous for his theory of the Megalithic yard, categorisation of stone circles and his studies of Stonehenge and other archaeological sites.
Ignazio Porro (Molecular Expressions, Florida State University)
Has Member: Ignazio Porro, BiographyQuote, Has Member: Ignazio Porro, Biography
though he also invented and improved a number of other scientific instruments. Today Porro is often considered to have been ahead of his time in many ways, the Italian engineer receiving little acclaim
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