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POB Magazine Column
Columns from our latest issue
Updated: 9 min 24 sec ago
Unmistakable Marks: Is Necessity the Brother of Intention?
The basis for the concept of easement by necessity was
developed early in the history of English common law. Numerous examples of this
concept can be found as far back as the 14th century, including some spirited
debates over whether the grant of a pond and the fish in the pond gives the
grantee the right to drain the pond and take all of the fish.
The Business Side: The Art of Land Surveying
Why are we licensed as land surveyors? If you look at
all the different states’ requirements, the message will come through loud and
clear--to protect the public.
Surveying GIS: The Great GPSathon of 1991
On March 19, 2011, surveyors across the United States
participated in Surveying USA. This momentous event was coordinated by NSPS and
overseen by NGS by way of its Online User Positioning Service (OPUS). Although
this was the first attempt at a truly national exercise, it was not the first
event of its kind; an earlier pioneering venture coordinated a large number of
GPS receivers over a large area to achieve a high accuracy network.
The Business of MAPPS: The Broad View
Words Matter: A Primer for Geospatial Professionals
The Business of MAPPS: President’s Perspective: How QBS Unites Us All
If there is a single issue that unites individual
surveyors and geospatial professionals in disciplines such as satellite and
airborne remote sensing, photogrammetry, aerial photography, mobile mapping,
LiDAR, building information models (BIM), 3D mapping, hydrography, bathymetry,
charting, aerial and satellite image processing, GPS, and GIS data collection
and conversion services, it is support for qualifications-based selection
(QBS).
Editor’s Points: The Power of Vision
What decisions would you make today if money were not
an issue? It’s a question worth considering.
Editor's Points: The Path Ahead
December is a time for reflection. It’s an opportunity
to review the accomplishments and challenges of the past year, and to look
toward the coming year with optimism and purpose.
Traversing the Law
To my friends on the East Coast and in other areas of
the country not influenced by the Public Land Survey System (PLSS)--yes, this is another column
about the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM’s) Manual of Surveying Instructions,
2009 edition (2009 Manual). But the general discussion on the rules of evidence
is applicable to all land surveyors who deal with property boundaries, no
matter the jurisdiction.
Tech Talk: When is Surveying Considered Mapping
It never fails--when I conduct a seminar and ask
“who’s a surveyor?” most hands go up. Then I ask “how many of you do mapping?”
and very few hands go up, maybe 2 percent to 5 percent of the room. To me,
these responses demonstrate the lack of vision or breadth in the opinion that
many surveyors possess about their work and their profession.
Solo Notes: Outside the Box
When Mark Hanna went looking for business
opportunities that drew on his surveying background, he discovered a demand for
accurate geospatial services in some unexpected places. His firm,
PrecisionPoint Inc., is built solely on providing 3D scanning and modeling
services to fill these needs. In an interview with POB, Hanna shares how his
bold and innovative path led to success in industries not traditionally served
by surveyors.
Unmistakable Marks: Just a Mere Survey?
Land surveyors, by virtue of licensure, are given the responsibility of performing certain tasks suited to their unique expertise. This can give rise to a false belief in the extent to which our professional judgment can be applied to unilaterally solve problems or bring about a particular outcome for our client.
On the Level: Instant Replay for Ethics
In a Major League baseball game in 2010, Armando Galarraga, a Detroit Tigers pitcher, was one out away from throwing a perfect game. With two outs in the ninth inning, the first base umpire, Jim Joyce, called a ground ball hitter safe at first base. It was one of those bang-bang plays in which the umpire must see two things happening almost simultaneously: the ball in the glove as the foot hits the base.
Tech Talk: A Vision for Photogrammetry
Photogrammetry is a catch-all term for making all kinds of measurements from photographs. For many surveyors, photogrammetry has evolved into a process that seems a bit like “black art.”
Solo Notes: Balancing Act
Owning a business is often a balancing act between field work, office work, marketing and other tasks. Many surveyors are tapping technology to help them walk the tightrope and maximize efficiency. They’re also finding new ways to stay connected with clients and improve their time management.
Editor's Points: Technology in Perspective
In Metro City, the fictional setting for the 2009 computer-animated film Astro Boy, robots handled everything, from cooking and cleaning to construction and child care. The humans, presumably, had better things to do.
Solo Notes: The Thrill of the Ride
In today’s rapidly changing world, using the right technology can give surveyors a competitive edge. Jerry Rinnert, owner of JMR Surveying Group, shares how the use of 3D laser scanning has led him to success in theme park construction and other applications.
In Real Time: Constraining to Passive Marks
In previous issues, we have briefly visited three of the “seven C’s” of NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey (NGS), as best methods for real-time (RT) GNSS positioning. We can now move to the fourth “C”--constraints--to examine whether we should constrain coordinate solutions to the passive control marks in the ground or to active control points, such as those from a real-time network (RTN), or both.
Traversing the law: The Surveying Body of Knowledge
A Body of Knowledge, or BoK, for any discipline is a basic study to establish a benchmark of concepts, principles and practices that any given discipline deems necessary for competent practice. Ostensibly, this BoK, once established, would be the blueprint for curricula that would be developed for undergraduate study in that given field.
Editor's Points: What’s Your Strategy?
The outlook seemed to be brightening. Despite the continued economic turbulence, signs of recovery appeared to be on the horizon. Surely things are finally getting better! I thought. As I began talking to people, I was initially disappointed.
MAPPS Small Business: Growing Through Adversity
As I sat down to write this article, I received word that a project had been delayed (yet again), another one had been pulled because of contractual issues, and an employee was requesting extended time off--all before 8:45 a.m.