Topographic survey can also be defined as the applied engineering discipline to characterize the existing ground surface, to determine the configuration (relief) of the surface of the ground to document locations of field investigations and to locate the natural and man made features on the ground. The purpose of topographic survey is to obtain a map of existing condition that is used as a starting base map for civil design projects.
The objective of topographic survey is to determine the position of any feature or more generally, any point in terms of both a horizontal Coordinate system such as latitude and longitude, and altitude. Identifying (naming) features and recognizing typical landform patterns are also part of the field