A rangefinder is a device used to measure distances to remote objects. Originally optical devices used in surveying, they soon found applications in other fields, such as photography, the military, and space travel. They were especially useful for finding the range of a target, such as in naval gunnery and anti-aircraft artillery. The word telemeter is derived from Ancient Greek τῆλε (têle) 'distant, far away', and μέτρον (métron) 'something used to measure'.
Portable stereoscopic rangefinder from WWII
The coincidence rangefinder of the Polish destroyer ORP Wicher
Laser rangefinder
Second World War German range finding tower at La Corbière Jersey
Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. These points are usually on the surface of the Earth, and they are often used to establish maps and boundaries for ownership, locations, such as the designed positions of structural components for construction or the surface location of subsurface features, or other purposes required by government or civil law, such as property sales.
A surveyor using a total station
A student using a theodolite in field
Table of Surveying, 1728 Cyclopaedia
A railroad surveying party at Russel's Tank, Arizona in the 1860s