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Survey Summit 2012, The Road Ahead … or Summit Plummet?

August 2, 2012 in Associate Membership, Business, Business Practices, Geomatics, Land Surveying, Members, Professional Land Surveyor Practice

Survey Summit PlummetI’ve just read that only an estimated 250 attended the joint endeavor between ESRI and the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM) in San Diego last month, billed as the ACSM Annual Conference.

Survey Summit or Summit Plummet?

250. That’s it! …. Survey Summit or Summit Plummet?

With less than 5 attendees from each state, on average, it’s hard to define the Survey Summit 2012 as anything remotely close to being successful.

The Road Ahead … Next Exit Please!

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Professional Land Surveyor Vlog 003 – ACSM and NSPS, What Is Going On?

April 26, 2012 in Associate Membership, Business, Business Videos, Geomatics, Land Surveying, Land Surveying Videos, Members, Professional Land Surveyor Practice, Videos, Vlog

PLS VLOG

PLS Vlog 003 – ACSM and NSPS, What Is Going On?

Professional Land Surveyor Vlog discusses the proposed merger of the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM) with the National Society of Professional Land Surveyors.

There’s a dearth of information on exactly why ACSM is now in the place it is in. And, in reading ACSM’s proposed Agreement and Plan of Merger, I’m concerned that ACSM’s supposed “plan” just shifts their financial difficulties to NSPS.

So I’m asking, ACSM and NSPS, What Is Going On?

Watch the Professional Land Surveyor Vlog 003

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Premier Conference for Surveyors, Engineers, and Mapping Professionals Returns to San Diego

January 18, 2012 in Associate Membership, Business, Continuing Education, Geomatics, GIS, Land Surveying, Laser Scanning, News, Remote Sensing, Surveying Software

Professional Land Surveyor News

Professional Land Surveyor News

The Survey Summit to Focus on New and Emerging Technologies

January 18, 2012

Redlands, California— For the second consecutive year, the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM) will join forces with Esri to host the premier event in the surveying industry. The Survey Summit will take place July 21–24, 2012, in San Diego, California, sharing its final two days with the Esri International User Conference (Esri UC).

The Survey Summit will serve as the ideal forum for not only ACSM members and land surveyors but also anyone interested in GIS technology and will showcase emerging technologies such as lidar and 3D scanning.

“The Survey Summit is specifically designed to provide opportunities unavailable at state survey conferences,” says Brent Jones, Esri’s surveying, cadastral, and land records industry manager. “Conference content will address pressing issues common to all surveyors—opportunities for new work, emerging markets, and implications of technology on the profession, among many others. The summit is the place for surveyors and ACSM members to engage in new markets and discover new business opportunities.”

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Professional Land Surveyor Weekly Roundup November 20, 2011

November 20, 2011 in Associate Membership, Business, ESRI, Geomatics, GNSS, Land Surveying, Land Surveying Equipment, Leica, Links, News, Professional Land Surveyor Practice, Surveying Software, Trimble

Slate A.B. Bound

Slate A.B. Bound

Professional Land Surveyor Weekly Roundup:

Professional Land Surveyor Archive - Last 3 weeks:

Geographic and Land Information Society Board Votes to Continue GLIS as a Separate Organization

November 18, 2011 in Associate Membership, Business, Geomatics, Land Surveying, News, Professional Land Surveyor Practice

Geographic and Land Information Society (GLIS) Board voted for GLIS to continue as a separate organization at least through 2012

Professional Land Surveyor News

Professional Land Surveyor News

Gaithersburg, MD, November 18, 2011–In conjunction with our Mission and in order to preserve its value and to best serve the interests of our membership, the Geographic and Land Information Society (GLIS) Board voted for GLIS to continue as a separate organization at least through 2012. Accordingly, we will be sending out dues notices independently, and we will handle our own affairs beginning January 2012. We are currently in the development stage of a new website at http://www.g-lis.org/.  Stay tuned for important information in the coming weeks.

As we launch into a new era for GLIS, we ask for your continued support in building an even better organization, worthy of your membership.  So that full disclosure is available to all members of the member organizations of the former ACSM Congress, the rationale for this move is presented below.

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NSPS and ACSM Action Update on Unified Organization

November 14, 2011 in Associate Membership, Business, Geomatics, Land Surveying, News, Professional Land Surveyor Practice

Action Update on Unified Organization

Professional Land Surveyor News

Professional Land Surveyor News

The Member Organizations (MOs) of the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM) have been working since the ACSM Congress meeting in San Diego in July, 2011 to develop a unified organization that would represent all geospatial professionals. Over the past four months many discussions have taken place to define membership categories, organizational structure, naming, and finances for the unified organization.

The National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) has worked with the other MOs in an attempt to address their concerns relating to merging into one organization that represents not only surveyors but also fellow geospatial professionals in geodesy, GIS, mapping, photogrammetry, and other related fields.

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Professional Land Surveyor Weekly Roundup October 9, 2011

October 9, 2011 in Associate Membership, AutoCAD Civil 3D, Business, Business Videos, C-Nav, Continuing Education, Geomatics, GNSS, GPS, Land Surveying, Land Surveying Equipment, Leica, Links, News, Surveying Software, Technology Videos, Videos

Professional Land Surveyor Weekly Roundup:

Virginia Rail Fence Stone

Virginia Rail Fence Stones

Professional Land Surveyor Archive - Last 3 weeks:

New England Section ACSM Presents: Emerging Technologies in Surveying & Mapping Seminar

October 4, 2011 in Associate Membership, Business, Continuing Education, Land Surveying, News

New England Section - ACSM

New England Section - ACSM

New England Section ACSM Presents Emerging Technologies in Surveying & Mapping Seminar October 15, 2011

The New England Section ACSM invites you to an Emerging Technologies in Surveying & Mapping Seminar presented by Claire Kiedrowski, ASPRS Certified Photo-grammetrist and President of KAPPA Mapping, Inc. located in Bangor, Maine.

This Emerging Technologies in Surveying & Mapping Seminar will be held on Saturday October 15, 2011, Noon to 4 pm, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH. The seminar details, cost, and link to the registration form are found at the end of this announcement.

Emerging Technologies in Surveying & Mapping Seminar Overview

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What is Geomatics Engineering? Video

September 11, 2011 in Associate Membership, Business, Continuing Education, Geomatics, Land Surveying, Land Surveying Videos, Videos

What is Geomatics Engineering?

This video was brought to you by the students of the Geomatics Engineering program at California State University Fresno.

Watch the What is Geomatics Engineering? Video Read the rest of this entry →

ACSM Congress Votes to Disband at ACSM and Survey Summit 2011

July 22, 2011 in Associate Membership, Business, Land Surveying, News

Split up

Point of Unity or Divergence? Source: Ian Sane, Flickr.

At this past ACSM and Survey Summit 2011, the American Congress on Surveying & Mapping (ACSM) Congress voted to disband. There has been much speculation about whether, or how, ACSM would continue to exist.

The ACSM Congress approved the following motion: Read the rest of this entry →

New England Section ACSM Presents: Map-Projections Seminar

May 16, 2011 in Associate Membership, Business, Continuing Education, Land Surveying, News

New England Section ACSM

New England Section ACSM

The New England Section ACSM Presents a Map-Projections Seminar

The New England Section ACSM invites you to a Map-Projection Seminar presented by Mr. Craig Rollins of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), on June 3, 2011, 9 am to 4 pm, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT. The Map-Projections Seminar details, cost, and link to the registration form are found at the end of this announcement.

Map Projections, an Important Part of Cartography, Surveying, and GIS Technology

Map projections continue to be an important part of cartography, surveying, and GIS technology.  Among the reasons for this are that (i) data display is still heavily 2D and printed maps are far from obsolete, (ii) data collection is often 2D as in the focal plane of cameras, and (iii) the design and understanding of national grids and the universal grids (UTM, UPS, MGRS) depend on the theory of map projections.

This one-day course examines the constructive principles and major properties of the most important map projections in a way mainly aimed at the needs of cartographers, surveyors, and GIS practitioners with some tips and equations briefly offered for the student of the theory.  The discussion begins with an argument that a true-scale-everywhere map is impossible.  This opens the door to the excitement of the subject and the plethora of map projections.  The zoo is tamed by two classification schemes which are explained – (i) the classifications cylindrical, pseudo-cylindrical, conic, pseudo-conic, polyconic, and polar-azimuthal, and (ii) the classifications conformal, equal-area, and “equidistant”.  A matrix of the two classification schemes reveals the uniqueness of some well known map projections and the competition for superiority among others.

The emphasis is on the ellipsoid form of various map projections, making mere mention of those forms that pertain only to the sphere due to its greater symmetry.  The emphasis is further placed on the conformal map projections and their properties, as they are the basis for world’s grid systems.  The map projection parameters for the Mercator, Polar Stereographic, Lambert Conformal Conic, and Transverse Mercator projections are examined in some detail, and their effects on the shape, size, orientation, and position of everything portrayed is explained.  Two functions attend every conformal map projection, namely point-scale and convergence-of-meridians, and the importance and usage of these tools are explained.  The specifications and properties of UTM, UPS, and SPC’s are presented as particularizations of the above general ideas.

Throughout the day long course are interspersed several side-bars on the subject of scale, so that its various related concepts can be untangled.

About the presenter:

Mr. Rollins earned a Master’s Degree in mathematics from the University of Maryland in 1976, worked for Control Data Corporation in software maintenance in the late 1970’s, worked as a Navy contractor (for NSWC-CD) in the, joined the Defense Mapping Agency in 1995 as a nautical cartographer, and, since 2002 advises his Agency’s (NGA’s) departments and contractors on map-projections, grid coordinates and other matters geodetic.

Where and When:

pdf iconNew England Section ACSM Map-Projections Seminar Registration Form (PDF)

Time: 9:00 – 4:00, Friday, June 3rd, 2011

Place: W.B. Young Building rm 305

University of Connecticut

1376 Storrs Rd

Storrs/Mansfield, CT 06269

Fee: $50 for ACSM-NES members, $60 for non-members

CEU 1.75/ PDH 7.0 Applied for in ME, NH, RI & VT.

National Society of Professional Surveyors Announces Results of 10th Annual Student Competition

March 16, 2011 in Associate Membership, Continuing Education, Geomatics, Land Surveying, News

NSPS 10th Annual Student Competition Awards

NSPS 10th Annual Student Competition Awards. Photo Credit: Steve Shambeck - PLS Photography

The National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) held its 10th Annual Student Competition in conjunction with the California Land Surveyor’s Association (CLSA)/Nevada Association of Land Surveyors’ (NALS) joint conference in Las Vegas, NV on March 7, 2011.  Seven schools with baccalaureate degree programs in surveying, surveying engineering technology and/or surveying engineering participated.

Each competing team had four months to develop a project in the area of “Hydrographic Surveying”; write a 30pp. paper; prepare a wall poster; and give a 20 minute presentation at the conference.  Judges for the competition were A. Wayne Harrison, President of NSPS; William Coleman, President-Elect of NSPS; Robert Dahn, Vice-President of NSPS, Carl R. CdeBaca; NSPS Area Nine Director; and Robert J. Reese, a Past President of CLSA.

Results: Read the rest of this entry →

ACSM Nominee Gary Thompson Appointed to National Geospatial Advisory Committee

February 24, 2011 in Associate Membership, Business, Land Surveying, News

GAITERSBURG, MD – Gary Thompson, Section Chief of the North Carolina Geodetic Survey, and a member of two ACSM Member Organizations, AAGS and NSPS, was among the 15 individuals appointed by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to serve as members of the National Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC). The Committee provides recommendations on federal geospatial policy and management issues and advice on development of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) which promotes sharing of geospatial data throughout all levels of government, the private and non-profit sectors, and the academic community.

The new appointees to three-year terms on the NGAC are: Read the rest of this entry →

Professional Land Surveyor Survey-Rate the 2011 ALTA/ACSM Land Title Survey Standards

December 17, 2010 in Associate Membership, Business, Land Surveying, Professional Land Surveyor Practice, Surveys

PROFESSIONAL LAND SURVEYOR SURVEY

PROFESSIONAL LAND SURVEYOR SURVEY

In this week’s Professional Land Surveyor Survey, I’m asking for you to:

Rate the 2011 ALTA/ACSM Land Title Survey Standards

Yesterday, I posted that NSPS and ALTA Boards Approve 2011 ALTA/ACSM Land Title Survey Standards. In that post you can find a link to the new standards and download them from ALTA’s website.

I’m in the process of reading them myself. Maybe you’ve already done so. If you’re familiar with the new 2011 ALTA/ACSM Land Title Survey Standards, what do you think of them?

Take the Professional Land Surveyor Survey:

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NSPS and ALTA Boards Approve 2011 ALTA/ACSM Land Title Survey Standards

December 16, 2010 in Associate Membership, Business, Land Surveying, News, Professional Land Surveyor Practice

Professional Land Surveyor News

Professional Land Surveyor News

NSPS and ALTA Boards Approve 2011 ALTA/ACSM Land Title Survey Standards

The Board of Directors of the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) approved the new 2011 Minimum Standard Detail Requirements for ALTA/ACSM Land Title Surveys during its meeting in Orlando on November 15th.  The new requirements were previously approved by the Board of Governors of the American Land Title Association (ALTA) at its October 13th meeting in San Diego.

8th Version of Standards Become Effective February 23, 2011 Read the rest of this entry →

Eliminate Either ACSM or NSPS, or Merge the Two, Which is Best?

November 16, 2010 in Associate Membership, Business, Professional Land Surveyor Practice, Surveys

PROFESSIONAL LAND SURVEYOR SURVEY

PROFESSIONAL LAND SURVEYOR SURVEY

In this week’s Professional Land Surveyor Survey, I’m asking for your opinion on:

Eliminate Either ACSM or NSPS, or Merge the Two, Which is Best?

A while back I wrote about, and also created the Professional Land surveyor Survey, Professional Land Surveyor Survey-Should the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) Separate from the American Congress on Surveying & Mapping (ACSM)? This post and Professional Land Surveyor Survey is very similar, but I want to begin a larger discussion on our societies and professional organizations.

First, every society and organization, beginning at the state level and right up to the national level (and beyond), from what I’ve experienced and seen, are well intentioned and have many hard working individuals dedicated to promoting and advancing our land surveying profession. However, the road to hell, as they say, is paved with good intentions.

Read more after the jump and take the Professional Land Surveyor Survey:

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ACSM Lobby Day Webinar Rebroadcast

July 29, 2010 in Associate Membership, Business, Land Surveying, Professional Land Surveyor Practice

ACSM - American Congress on Surveying & Mapping Logo

ACSM

ACSM Lobby Day Webinar Rebroadcast

Join the American Congress on Surveying & Mapping (ACSM) for a Webinar on August 3, 2010. This Lobby Day Webinar, originally broadcast on June 22, discusses useful tips for ACSM members in securing and attending meetings with your Members of Congress.

You may or may not be aware that ACSM is not having a Lobby Day on Capitol Hill this year, and instead is asking ACSM members to visit their Representatives and Senators during summer recess, from August 9 to September 9. In addition to the tips found in this Webinar, you will also find the following three issues that ACSM would like you to specifically discuss with your Representatives and Senators during the recess:

  1. Preservation of Railroad Monumentation.
  2. Repeal of the 3% Withholding Tax on Government Contracts.
  3. Federal Funding for Trig-Star.

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Professional Land Surveyor Survey-Should NSPS Separate from ACSM?

June 15, 2010 in Associate Membership, Business, Land Surveying, Professional Land Surveyor Practice, Surveys

PROFESSIONAL LAND SURVEYOR SURVEY

PROFESSIONAL LAND SURVEYOR SURVEY

In this week’s Professional Land Surveyor Survey, I’m asking the question:

Should NSPS Separate from ACSM?

Recently, the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) announced that it is seeking to separate from the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM). In a joint NSPS letter by Wayne HarrisonNSPS President, John MatonichNSPS Immediate Past President, and Curt SumnerNSPS Executive Director, entitled “The Evolution of a National Voice, The Future of the National Society of Professional Surveyors“, the three layout the timeline set in place (2 years) and the reasons for this potential departure. You can read their letter here »» The Evolution of a National Voice, The Future of the National Society of Professional Surveyors.

On the flip side of this brewing controversy, if you visit the ACSM website you will find under Developing News, the following:

NSPS to re-define its relationship to ACSM

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GNSS Positioning Short Course Sponsored by New England Section ACSM and CALS

May 26, 2010 in Associate Membership, Business, Continuing Education, GNSS, GPS, Land Surveying, News

New England Section ACSM Logo

New England Section ACSM - To promote geomatics education and to advocate for the advancement of surveying and mapping in New England.

GNSS Positioning Short Course Sponsored by New England Section ACSM and CALS

The New England Section ACSM and CALS are proud to present a GNSS Positioning Short Course offered on five consecutive Saturdays this summer starting on July 10, 2010 and ending on August 7, 2010. Each Saturday class begins at 8 am and ends at noon, and will be held at the University of Connecticut located in Storrs, Connecticut.

Summary:

This course will present the foundation information needed for a GNSS positioning professional to understand how their equipment works, with guidance to its proper usage. It is not a course on GNSS processing software or GNSS orthometric heighting.

Preparation:

Attendees are expected to be familiar with the operation of GNSS positioning equipment and to be proficient in surveying and mapping. Although the course will start with the basics of GNSS technologies, some prior knowledge of GNSS technology is assumed because of the speed of the presentation.

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Help to Keep the University of Maine Survey Engineering Technology (SVT) Program Funded!

April 17, 2010 in Associate Membership, Business, Continuing Education, Land Surveying, Professional Land Surveyor Practice

It has come to my attention that the University of Maine is proposing budget cuts in its Survey Engineering Technology (SVT) program, and I’d like your help in getting the University to change its mind. If these proposed budget cuts are implemented in this survey program it could have a huge negative impact on our profession and in our land surveying businesses, too. The following information sent to me explains in detail what the issue is, how to voice your opinion on this matter, and how to let the University of Maine know how important it is to you that this program remain fully funded.

Please read through this information so that you understand how dire and unacceptable a situation this is. Then, I ask you to take immediate action by using the contact information below to contact the University of Maine with your opinion on this plan! As a professional land surveyor and as president of the New England Section ACSM, I will be contacting the University of Maine to let them know:

  • How important this program is to me, as a professional land surveyor and a land surveying business owner,
  • How important this program is to the students who are the future of our industry, and
  • How this budget cut will impact our profession and industry locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.

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