Michael Topping facts for kids
Michael Topping (1747–1796) was an important British surveyor in India. He worked as the Chief Marine Surveyor for Fort St. George in Chennai, which was then called Madras. He is famous for starting the very first modern technical school outside Europe. This school, called the Survey School, opened on May 17, 1794. It began with eight students. Later, it grew into the Civil Engineering School in 1858 and then the College of Engineering in 1861.
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Who Was Michael Topping?
Michael Topping was the first full-time professional surveyor in India. A surveyor measures and maps land or sea. He arrived in Madras in 1785 on a ship called the Walpole. He was a marine surveyor, meaning he mapped the seas.
Mapping India's Coastline
In 1788, Topping mapped the seas off the Coromandel Coast. This is India's south-east coast. He used a tool called a sextant to do this. He also suggested mapping all of India using a special method called triangulation. This idea was later used by another surveyor, William Lambton.
Training New Surveyors
From 1794, Topping was also in charge of surveying water reservoirs. These were called "tank surveys." To do this work, he needed many trained people. So, he trained young people from the Madras orphanage in his survey school. These students were of mixed European and Indian backgrounds. They could then work across southern India. This was a smart way to get the work done. It was also much cheaper than using military surveyors.
Founding the Madras Observatory
Topping also helped set up an important astronomical observatory. He convinced an astronomer named William Petrie to give his private observatory to the government. This became the first modern astronomical observatory in India, known as the Madras Observatory. It was located in Nungambakkam. Topping became the director of this observatory in 1789. He led it until he passed away in 1796. After him, John Goldingham took over as director.
