Surveying requirements for tunnel construction have changed little since the first tunnels were dug many centuries ago, such as leaving and arriving at the required place. Over the years the techniques and facilities to achieve this have developed considerably and also the cost constraints within which they should be achieved. One of the most critical factors for the successful construction of a tunnel is that the finished excavation is fit for the purpose for which it was designed. For this to be achieved the tunnel must follow the designed axis (route) and be of the correct size and shape. Nowadays these factors are easy to design in an engineering design office with the latest CAD facilities, which can produce precise designs for complex shapes and exact three-dimensional axes with precise absolute coordinates. However to translate this complex design data into a finished tunnel still relies on the application of surveying technology which due to the underground environment and confined spaces is a unique challenge in itself. The development of computerised total stations with increased functionality such as automatic target recognition, automatic target tracking, power search and remote controls has provided the hardware for increasingly accurate traditional survey tasks such as the base survey over land for the start and end reference points of the tunnel and the establishment of reference stations within the tunnel as the tunnel progresses. But what about the actual tunnel construction? TBM manufacturers have always been at the forefront of tunnel guidance systems due to the critical nature of the control of the direction and elevation of the TBM and associated support in the backup. The complexity of ring build and alignment correction has been helped immensely by the advent of computer software to work out the correct order and design alignments. The more varied and flexible methods of tunnelling have traditionally still relied on the old fashioned methods for setting out the direction and dimensions of the tunnel. However, this has been steadily changing over a number of years with the latest systems being very technically advanced. The latest of this type of systems is the tunnel measurement system (TMS) from Leica Geosystems. This system can be divided into two packages, firstly the LEICA TMS SETOUT and secondly the LEICA TMS PROFILE. This software is designed as a package to be used together during the tunnelling process to provide continuously updated records of progress and performance. At the construction stage the system provides a seamless translation of the complex design data into practical set out information at the face. This information is available to the tunnelling crew at anytime through the creation of task orientated software for the total station and the use of the remote control unit. The other area of advance is in the use of laser scanning technologies for the measurement of the tunnel at various phases through the construction. On the Gotthard Base tunnel in Switzerland this technology is being used to evaluate the waviness of the shotcrete before the application of the waterproof membrane and cast in situ concrete lining. One additional factor for the successful application of all modern surveying technologies is the handling of data through imports and exports between the various different applications. For the hardware to really effective it should be able to use a standard system or format so that all applications can use the same absolute data for the more efficient and safer excavation of underground space. (A). Reprinted with permission from Elsevier. For the covering abstract see ITRD E124500.