Builders Jamaica December - March 2022

Land surveyors
Thwaites Surveying
Photos: Timothy Thwaites
In late 2012, having received his commission to practice
as a land surveyor in Jamaica, Timothy Thwaites
opened the door of Thwaites Surveying, a practice
aimed at delivering ‘traditional’ surveying services while
seeking to satisfy niches in the less serviced areas of the
discipline, particularly the marine and aerial environments.
Timothy read for a bachelor’s degree at the University
of Toronto in Urban, Social & Economic Geography
and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), which he
followed up with a master’s degree in surveying from
the University College London. Loaded with theory, his
journey in practical application began in 2007 when
he returned to Jamaica and began his apprenticeship.
This period of honing the principles and practices of
surveying in the Jamaican context, which included
copious amounts of continued reading, mastering
equipment and software, countless field hours, and
incalculable kilometres driven, culminated in a successful
sitting of the Land Surveyors Board examination in 2011.
Thwaites Surveying set off into the depths of the built
environment and navigated predictable early challenges
with faithful support from family, clients, and colleagues.
After a few years of steady development, interspersed
with several leaps of faith, the firm is proving itself through
a growing catalogue of successfully executed projects.
Surveying can seem like a mystic art, with technology
driving rapid advancements in numerous sub-disciplines.
Spatial data acquisition has been democratised and
is now rapid, user-friendly, and accessible. Opinions
are divided as to whether this is a blessing or a curse;
however, Thwaites Surveying has treated it as an
opportunity. “Everybody fancies themselves a surveyor,
until it’s real surveying time,” quipped Thwaites.
Collecting, managing, integrating, and ensuring quality
in the increasingly large and diverse datasets required
in our modern construction and engineering industries
has been one of Thwaites Surveying’s hallmarks.
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