When land needs to be mapped or a property boundary determined in Connecticut, surveyors are needed for the task. Surveying, in general, is a technique of determining the two- or three-dimensional points on the Earth's surface and the angles between them. Although mapping out points provides an image of a coastline, land, or boundary, Connecticut surveyors also do research. Surveyors determining a boundary, for example, may gather information through observations, measurements, questionnaires, research, and data analysis.

Although sticking to this standard approach, Connecticut surveyors incorporate the latest technology into their approach. For determining and measuring between points on the surface of the Earth, laser scanning is used. A high-speed laser scanner captures data from even inaccessible and complex surfaces, and does this quickly. Laser scanning often captures a complete image the first time, and seldom are second visits to verify data needed.

When plotting and measuring these points, a laser scanner emits a beam in the direction of the object being scanned, and measures the time the beam takes to return. This amount produces a point on a three-dimensional graph (X, Y, and Z coordinates). The scanner sends out thousands of beams of light, and all of these points are added to the graph. The result is a point cloud, and all of the points from each scan are pieced together to produce a computer-generated, three-dimensional model.

Connecticut surveyors will use this approach for both civil and structural engineering purposes, but the three-dimensional image is not the final product of the survey. Rather, two-dimensional images are often needed, and the three-dimensional image is traced at various angles to produce two-dimensional drawings. These images are often needed for topographical and photogrammetric surveying, ALTA/ACSM land title surveys, residential, commercial, and industrial construction projects, subdivision design and planning, land title research, wetlands and utility mapping, right of way mapping, and monumentation.