It’s not high-level concepts and ideas. It’s having the exact, comprehensive land data you need to do your job.
The world is becoming more urbanized by the year. Already, over 50% of the global population is urban. And that will only increase to just shy of 70% by 2050. This means that there is more demand on urban planners than ever before. To meet that demand, they need good information.
The problem is, if city planners don’t have access to accurate mapping services and information, they make mistakes, waste money, and build infrastructure that doesn’t meet the demands of the modern world. On the other hand, if they have a full arsenal of professional land surveying and mapping services at their disposal, everything changes.
In this article, you’ll discover:
- The hidden costs of inaccuracy
- How GIS technology is changing the urban landscape
- The benefits of professional surveying services for urban growth
- The key to smart city planning: better data
Why Accurate Mapping Services Can Save Cities Millions
Let me show you something amazing…
If a city uses GIS data for urban planning, they can lower their urban development costs by 20%. 20% is not something to scoff at. If you’re handling a large project, that could be millions and millions of dollars saved.
But that’s not all. Accurate land surveying and mapping services can help with more than just meeting the budget. They can also enable smarter decisions in the urban development process.
Professional mapping services and data can provide you with specific information that you need in order to plan developments effectively. This could range from better identifying the best places to build new housing projects, all the way to mapping out all the utility lines that are already in place. Knowing this information can help you avoid those unnecessary and expensive mistakes.
Here are some other ways that mapping and surveying services can have a real and significant impact on your project costs:
Infrastructure: Whether you’re working with roads, water pipes, or power grids, getting it right the first time is important. Accurate mapping services can help with infrastructure projects that require comprehensive and professional land surveying. These types of projects may need additional specialized assessments, like septic system design in Florida. Without accurate, up-to-date mapping data, they might not be in compliance with local regulations or may pose safety risks.
Real impact: The numbers don’t lie. Maintenance costs can be reduced by as much as 30% with accurate GIS data.
Why? Because you can actually know the precise location of all the pipes and cables, and avoid breaking or damaging anything during excavation or digging.
One misstep, and a city could be looking at millions of dollars in repair work and public services that go down for months at a time.
Accurate mapping takes the guesswork out of the equation.
How GIS Technology Is Revolutionizing Urban Planning
Geographic Information Systems are changing the urban planning landscape, and it’s about time!
GIS technology is important because it does more than create static, two-dimensional maps. GIS can add layers of data onto physical locations and reveal trends, opportunities, and hidden challenges that might otherwise stay under the radar.
GIS mapping and technology can help urban planners with:
- Understanding population density and growth trends
- Modeling traffic flow and optimizing mass transportation systems
- Identifying areas of environmental risk, like flood zones
- Assessing the potential impact of a new development on existing city services and infrastructure
GIS gives urban planners the ability to test out hypothetical situations before they invest in them. Urban planners can even simulate how a new retail complex might increase traffic or how a new residential development might impact the local water table.
GIS is pretty incredible, isn’t it?
The Role of Professional Surveying Services
Professional land surveying and mapping services form the cornerstone of every successful urban planning project.
The best types of surveying services that you can use in your development projects include:
Topographic surveying services to help you map out both natural and man-made features on a piece of land. This would include things like elevations, slopes, and structures. Architects and engineers can use topographic surveying data to design buildings that can adapt to the topography of a place.
Boundary surveying services: These help to determine the exact boundaries of a piece of land or a property. Boundary surveys are used to avoid legal problems and make sure that a development is contained within a specified area.
ALTA/NSPS surveys: This is the most complete and comprehensive survey that you can conduct on a piece of land. ALTA/NSPS surveys are primarily used for commercial real estate developments. In addition to topographic and boundary information, ALTA/NSPS surveys also provide data like subsurface utilities and potential easements.
Each type of land surveying service is used in different circumstances and in combination with each other to provide a complete package of data.
Smart City Planning Through Better Data
The future of urban planning is now, and it is called smart city planning.
Smart city planning uses mapping technology to make real-time decisions about everything from regulating traffic flow to routing emergency services. The global urban planning market was worth USD 161.3 billion in 2024. What does that say about how much urban planning projects are increasing?
Cities are pouring resources into mapping software and services for one simple reason. It works. Better traffic. More efficient public services. Improved first responder times.
Smart city planning also includes the integration of land surveying and mapping with other modern technologies like:
- Drone surveys and data collection
- LiDAR scanning and high-resolution 3D mapping
- Artificial intelligence data analysis and pattern recognition
- Cloud-based data and map sharing platforms
Technology is making surveying and mapping easier, faster, and more accurate. It’s also enabling multiple stakeholders to access the same data and see the same maps at the same time.
Environmental Planning and Sustainability
Accurate mapping services are a critical part of the urban planning process.
The reason? Mapping is not only about roads, buildings, and urban infrastructure. It’s also about the natural environment and environmental planning.
Land surveying and mapping data also identify environmentally sensitive areas, wetlands, wildlife habitat, and other resources that may need protection from urban development. Environmental planners use this data to limit or contain the impact of urban projects.
Preserving natural resources and protecting the environment are critically important for any city’s development. Without accurate land surveying and mapping services, development can and will overrun delicate and irreplaceable resources.
Flood Risk and Climate Adaptation
Climate change is causing cities to rethink how they want to proceed with development.
Accurate and comprehensive elevation data can help cities identify areas that are at risk for flooding. Cities can use this data to design better drainage, building requirements, and even evacuation routes.
The cost of getting this wrong are too high to calculate. Cities with accurate, detailed, and comprehensive mapping data at their disposal can design resilience into infrastructure and services at the ground level.
Wrapping It Up
Accurate land surveying and mapping services can deliver value at every stage of the development process. From cutting unnecessary costs to preventing urban infrastructure nightmares, professional mapping services can provide the data that enables smarter, safer, and faster decisions.
Urban planners are going to be busier and busier. The cities of the future will need to invest in the right resources to meet this increased demand.
Investing in professional land surveying and mapping is a no-brainer, as the return on investment is too large to ignore: safer communities, lower costs, and better outcomes.