Category Archives: Surveying

You Can Take the Surveyor Out of the Field, but….

I would speculate that very few individuals who have made a career out of land surveying started the path by saying “I really want to be a surveyor and sit at a drafting table or behind a computer all day.” Even if we started in the office, as I did on a drafting board, we...

Avoiding Professional Negligence

Being “served” a lawsuit alleging wrongdoing by a past client is probably a worst-nightmare scenario for practicing surveyors. The good news is that – statistically – the vast majority of professionals will never be sued.

In Alaska, There’s Tough and There’s Survey Tough

On a survey job, Seth Kiester might find himself staying in a remote five-star hunting lodge. On the next job, he and the crew might be pitching tents hundreds of miles from civilization, encircling their makeshift camp with electrified wire to keep bears out.

Why the NSRS and SPCS are being Modernized

Modernization of the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS) is driving the adoption of the State Plane Coordinate System of 2022 (SPCS2022). This is big news for surveyors because 48 states already have a codified SPCS.

Survey in the Grand Canyon, 40 Years Ago

By Michael L. Binge, PLS/GISP (ret)  I truly enjoyed your recent piece “Moving Water in the Grand Canyon” (March, 2021). It brought back many memories. In 1982-83 I was party chief for the survey in the Grand Canyon to replace the section of water line from Indian Gardens to the South Rim.   Oh how the...

Lidar, 3D Modeling Bringing Fort Anne Back to Life

A Canadian archaeologist is using advanced mapping and visualization technologies to bring one of the earliest European settlements in North America back to life. Dr. Jonathan Fowler combined a centuries-old map with a modern 3D terrain model to portray Fort Anne and its surrounding in stunning detail – just as the Nova Scotia site looked...