Abstract
I review the observing strategies and recent results of various galaxy surveys over a wide range in redshift in the new era of large, ground-based telescopes. These surveys are compared to two major galaxy surveys currently being proposed for the GTC: OTELO and COSMOS. Both surveys focus on a region of the observational parameter space that has not been explored extensively yet. I conclude that, despite the late arrival of the GTC, OTELO and COSMOS are very competitive and will ensure a top-class scientific return for the GTC, but only if a substantial amount of observing time and resources are allocated for such surveys.
