February 2014 Archives
The Political Surveyor: Defining “Geospatial” for Today’s Education and Tomorrow’s Workforce
The traditional surveying and mapping profession, which today is more commonly known as “geospatial,” has an identity crisis. While the profession was long considered part of the broad field of engineering, the geospatial community today lacks a common and accepted definition and classification. This could adversely affect its future workforce and hundreds of millions of […]
History Corner: John Wasson: Surveyor General in Apache Land, Part 2
Part 1 in the January 2013 issue introduces John Wasson as a veteran newspaperman, beginning the role of surveyor general of Arizona Territory when it was made a separate survey district in 1870. Wasson’s political appointment stirred controversy; his early tenure included editing one of the most important newspapers in the territory and conducting his job […]
Web Waypoints: Web Mapping for Canada
This month’s Web Waypoints column is by a federal geomatics officer from Canada who has had success implementing a national web map. Last year, the Surveyor General Branch of Natural Resources Canada released a web application that provides public land survey information on Canada Lands to any interested party, the Canada Lands Survey System – […]
Editor’s Desk: #geohipsters
Who are these young folks who are quietly changing the geospatial world? They are talented, resourceful, and influential. They harbor some of the same misgivings that surveyors have about old-school GIS, but you might be surprised to find that they also hold surveyors in particularly high esteem. You should get to know a few. As […]
Feature: Under Thin Ice
An exceptional set of explorers surveys the caves inside a dying glacier on the side of Mt. Hood in Oregon. All photos courtesy of Brent McGregor, except where noted. Editor’s Note: High-profile scientific questions permeate the public consciousness, and surveying, mapping, and field data collection are the “ground truth” element of geophysical scientific research. This […]
Feature: A new Twist on “Study Abroad”
An enterprising surveyor completes her master’s degree online while surveying for the U.S. government in Afghanistan.On the Saturday morning before Christmas, students at Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi marched across a stage in caps and gowns to collect their diplomas, but it was business as usual for graduate Teresa Smithson, working as a civilian […]