WordNet
exploratory survey
n. exploring in order to gain information; "scouting in enemy territory is very dangerous" [syn: scouting, reconnoitering, reconnoitring]
Usage examples of "exploratory survey".
By doing an exploratory survey now to see if my plan has the slightest chance of succeeding, we save six hours.
The local gold had not been discovered for several reasons, mainly relating to the dreadful Siberian climate, which had, first, prevented a detailed exploratory survey, and, second, covered the local streams with ice so much of the time that the gold dust in the streambeds had never been noticed.