If you are a gadget freak then one of the joys of being a topographer were all the Rube Goldberg-like devices that topographers used to do their jobs. From the diminutive but exquisitely crafted Brunton pocket transits to the touchy, twitchy survey-grade barometric altimeters to the impossibly complex multiplex plotter and lots more in between The topographic field was a gizmo freak’s dream world. The equipment was highly specialized and much of it came out of the the finest instrument and optical workshops of their time.
In this section we’ll take a look at some of the unique and interesting tools the topographer used and discuss how these tools provided the critical information the topographer needed to better understand the terrain.
