Category Archives: Surveying

New Horizons in 2022

News from The Hydrographic Society of America  For those that are not too familiar with this organization, The Hydrographic Society of America Inc., also known as THSOA, is a non-profit professional membership organization, whose main focus is to provide support to its members in the Americas. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to promoting...

Drones in Construction

For decades the construction industry didn’t change much-and then UAV technologies came along Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones, as they are commonly called, are mostly electric-powered aircraft, which do not require a pilot onboard and are used to perform tasks that are either too dangerous for humans to do or too expensive with other...

The Dog Whisperer — Not Me

Surveying in the field exposes all of us to various threats from flora and fauna, not to mention the two-legged threats. It just comes with the job. Depending on location, we learn to identify and respect the diverse threats to our beings while conducting the course of our mission. They are just part of the...

Citizen Geodesist

A GPS on Bench Marks odyssey Philip Melcher of Provost & Pritchard Consulting Group in Visalia, California, has submitted GPS on Bench Marks observations on an incredible 650 Bench Marks all up and down California in the last three years. We will ask Philip a few questions to find out how he has accomplished this,...

Rewriting Legal Descriptions

What’s up with rewriting legal descriptions? There seems to be a growing push from the title companies to have legal descriptions rewritten for little or no good reason. In my 38 years as a licensed surveyor I can remember but a few instances when rewriting a metes and bounds description was truly warranted and recommended,...

3D Models Above and Below

Aerial, terrestrial, and underground data tell the whole story Millions of miles of underground utilities provide U.S. communities with vital services, such as telecommunications, water, electricity, and natural gas. During construction projects, accidental damage occurs frequently due to inaccurate or non-existent documentation, a situation that can be exacerbated by inadequate research before excavation begins. Safety...