What Will a Professional Land Surveyor Be in 2025?
Presented by: Anthony M. Gregory, PLS
Indiana Society of Professional
Land Surveyors Annual Conference
Indianapolis, Indiana
January 16, 2016
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Seminar Outline/Description
Many developments over the past few decades have caused significant change in the land surveying profession. These developments include major advancements in technology, which has caused the use of different techniques and methodologies in the work of the professional land surveyor when compared to those used in past decades. Additionally, increased requirements for professional licensure along with a decline in the availability of land surveying programs at colleges and universities have affected licensure rates. Other professions appear to be encroaching into the providing of services that have traditionally been perceived to be within the practice of the land surveying profession.
It is time for the land surveying profession to begin defining how the profession will sustain in the future. With these factors in mind, this seminar will look at the past, present, and future of the land surveying profession.
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Seminar Objectives
Topics presented in this seminar will include the following:
• A retrospective look at how the advancement of technology has affected the land surveying profession
• Identification of the benefits and pitfalls that have resulted from the advancement of technology
• Identification of the apparent views of the role of the Professional Land Surveyor in society over time
• Discussion of factors affecting the path to licensure as a Professional Land Surveyor
• Review of the definition and legal role of a Professional Land Surveyor
• Review of basic legal principles relative to boundary surveying
• Discussion of how the land surveying profession can sustain in the future 3
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What Will a Professional Land Surveyor Be in 2025?
(Images from rhutasel.net, landsurveyors.com, and rhbatterman.com)
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Major Points of Discussion
• Advancements in Technology
• Increase in Requirements for Licensure as a Professional Land Surveyor
• Availability of Land Surveying Programs at Colleges and Universities
• An Aging Profession
• Other Professions
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How Has Technology Advanced Over Time???
(The information presented on the next several slides is taken from http://inventors.about.com)
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2
Air Conditioner
Band Aid
Double‐
Edged Razor
Lie Detector
Instant Coffee
Electric Shaver
1900‐1909
1910‐1919
1920‐1929
1930‐1939
Crossword Puzzle
Scotch Tape
Modern Zipper
First Canned Beer
Pop‐Up Toaster
FM Radio
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Audio Cassette
Slinky
Compact Disk
Kidney Dialysis Machine
Computer Mouse
Jukebox
1940‐1949
1950‐1959
1960‐1969
Transistor Radio
Hard Disk
Musical Synthesizer
1970‐1979
First Video Game (Pong)
VisiCalc
Walkman
MS‐DOS
World Wide Web
Segway Human Transporter
IBM‐PC
Pentium Processor
Windows Program
Java Language
Hybrid Cars
1980‐1989
1990‐1999
2000‐Present
Doppler Radar
8
iPod
YouTube
DVD
SixthSense
Web TV
iPhone
HTTP/
HTML
Retail DNA Test
HD TV
Disposable Camera
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10
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4
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15
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Technology and the Land Surveyor
http://www.rhutasel.net/images/survey.jpg
http://rhbatterman.com/images/Chad%20GPS.jpg
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How Has Technology Benefitted the Surveyor?
• Precision/Accuracy (???)
• Time / Efficiency
• Manpower (Crew Size)
• Consistency 23
How Has Technology Been a Pitfall for the Surveyor?
• Precision/Accuracy (???)
• Overlooking Evidence
• “Cogoitus” *
(Term From Dennis Mouland)
• Loss of “Original” Monuments and Corners 24
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The Story of John’s Little Acre
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The Story of John’s Little Acre
By L.M. Powell, Land Surveyor, Hamilton, Montana
(Reprinted from the ACSM Bulletin, August, 1975)
In the beginning, God created Heaven and Earth – and the great flood and the Ice Age passed, and there were stone and soil and mineral on John’s little acre.
In 2500 B.C. by a strange mutation, surveyors were created and their work became a profession. At the time, doctors were still rattling bones and chanting to cure their patients, and lawyers were meting out justice on an “eye‐for‐an‐eye, tooth‐for‐a‐tooth” principle. And each spring the Nile destroyed the survey markers and they had to be remeasured so that taxes could be levied, and trees grew on John’s little acre.
Years passed and, in England, the common law was established and it was good – it was horse sense. To fulfill the claim of land ownership, metes and bounds descriptions were prepared, such as: Beginning on the bridge across Spring Creek at the west edge of the town of Devonshire, England; thence north along the center of Spring Creek to the stone fence along Jones’s south line; thence west along said stone fence to a lone oak tree, … and once each year the people of the village walked the property lines and each owner performed a ritual which laid claim to his land, and flowers grew on John’s little acre.
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The Story of John’s Little Acre
The compass was invented, the world became round, sailors navigated, America was discovered, the Mayflower sailed, and buffalo grazed on John’s little acre.
The Colonies were formed and wars were fought; Washington and Lincoln were surveyors; and birds sang on John’s little acre. In 1803, the Louisiana Purchase was made which placed a value of 4 cents on John’s little acre. The sectionalized system of land surveying had been in use for some time when the surveyor entered the Bitterroot Valley in 1872 and determined that Section 23, T. 6 N., R. 21 W., P.M.M. included John’s little acre.
And stones were set and witnessed every half mile around Section 23 and the Government said “this is good and proper, and these markers shall govern the perimeter and the aliquot parts of Section 23 regardless of errors in the original measurements”, and the SW ¼ of Section 23 included John’s little acre.
In the year 1890 a homestead was patented to a man named Bill which covered the SW ¼ of Section 23, and Bill thought he owned exactly 160 acres bounded by lines bearing due north, south, east, and west, but he didn’t; the acreage was short and the lines crooked, but it still included John’s little acre.
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The Story of John’s Little Acre
Now John was a friend of Bill’s so when he moved to the Bitterroot Valley in 1895, Bill deeded him an acre of land for his homesite. The two men agreed on the boundaries, paced the distances, and drove buggy axles on the four corners. They then estimated that the SW corner was about 200 yards NE of the SW corner of Section 23, and a point of beginning was established for John’s little acre.
In 1898 John decided to get married and mortgaged his acre to acquire funds to improve the house. The bank required a survey of the property, so a man with a compass and chain was hired. Due to a deposit of iron ore near the SW corner of Section 23, his bearings were erratic and since the area was brush, his distances left something to be desired, but the buggy axles were there and still marked the true boundaries of John’s little acre.
By 1910 the orchard boom was on. The area had been cleared and planted to apple trees. The bearing trees had been cut and the section corner stone covered with soil. An orchard development company had purchased Bill’s 160 acres and directed their surveyor to locate the exception which was John’s little acre.
The surveyor, assuming that the section corner was lost, found the four buggy axles and using the erroneous data from the previous survey, set a pipe to mark the SW corner of Section 23. Using a transit and steel tape, he retraced the angle and distances between the found buggy axles and prepared a new description (the third) for John’s little acre.
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The Story of John’s Little Acre
During construction of a county road in 1920, the corner stone on the SW corner of Section 23 was found and reset beneath the road surface. In 1921 the four buggy axles were tied to the true section corner and a new description (the fourth) prepared for John’s little acre. In 1960, a theodolite was used, and the bearings corrected slightly on John’s little acre. In 1970, an electronic measuring device was used and the distances corrected slightly on John’s little acre.
And so it came to pass that by 1970, John’s little acre had numerous descriptions, but it had in fact never changed. The true boundaries were still marked by the four buggy axles, the bearings and distance bore little resemblance to the original deed, the acreage was actually 1.265 acres, but it was still John’s little acre.
And, ……..
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The Story of John’s Little Acre
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Technology and the Land Surveyor
“In retracing boundaries, the totality of the evidence must be evaluated.
Only the original evidence is absolute.
All other evidence is secondary and is not controlling.”
“Relocated lost corners and boundaries that are determined by modern precise means can be no more precise than the instruments that originally created them.”
(From Evidence and Procedures for Boundary Location, Sixth Edition)
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Technology and the Land Surveyor
“When evidence fails to prove the original corner position, then and only then
can the surveyor disregard the evidence and rely on measurements alone.”
“Original corners and lines do not depend on technology for accuracy. Accuracy is determined by law. Law has deemed all original corners accurate; regardless of their precision.”
(From Evidence and Procedures for Boundary Location, Sixth Edition)
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Has Technology Changed How We Retrace Original Lines???
Orig. Mon.
Orig. Mon.
Orig. Mon.
North line Section 10 ...
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Has Technology Changed How We Retrace Original Lines???
Orig. Mon.
Orig. Mon.
Orig. Mon.
North line Section 10 ...
Consider the measuring techniques and processes over time:
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Has Technology Changed How We Retrace Original Lines???
Orig. Mon.
Orig. Mon.
Orig. Mon.
North line Section 10 ...
Consider the measuring techniques and processes over time:
 Original Survey with compass and chain
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Has Technology Changed How We Retrace Original Lines???
Orig. Mon.
Orig. Mon.
Orig. Mon.
North line Section 10 ...
Consider the measuring techniques and processes over time:
 Original Survey with compass and chain
 Retracement with transit and tape
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Has Technology Changed How We Retrace Original Lines???
Orig. Mon.
Orig. Mon.
Orig. Mon.
North line Section 10 ...
Consider the measuring techniques and processes over time:
 Original Survey with compass and chain
 Retracement with transit and tape
 Retracement with total station
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Has Technology Changed How We Retrace Original Lines???
Orig. Mon.
Orig. Mon.
Orig. Mon.
North line Section 10 ...
Consider the measuring techniques and processes over time:
 Original Survey with compass and chain
 Retracement with transit and tape
 Retracement with total station
 Retracement with GPS
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Principles to Be Applied to Modern Technology
“Technology cannot be a substitute for legal principles or law.”
“When survey practitioners determine that new technological methods can be used as substitutes to replace accepted rules or statutes that are exclusively reserved for the courts, this will place a false sense of security on the surveyors who cast aside accepted rules to rely on such technology.”
(From Evidence and Procedures for Boundary Location, Sixth Edition)
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Applying Technology to Evidence
“Technology is not evidence, but evidence depends on technology in its creation and future retracement.”
“The foundation or basis of evidence is twofold: first in its creation and second in its retracement or its reidentification after it is once created.”
(From Evidence and Procedures for Boundary Location, Sixth Edition)
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Original Corners Control
Principle 1. All original corner locations or positions are a product of two measurements: (a) angle (course) and (b) distance.
(From Evidence and Procedures for Boundary Location, Sixth Edition, p. 75)
“There are but two material things (towards the measuring of a piece of land) to be done in the Field; the one is to measure the lines … and the other to take the quantity of an Angle included in these lines; for which there are almost as many Instruments as there are Surveyors …”
(From Geodaesia, by John Love, 1688)
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Original Corners Control
“The responsibility of the retracing surveyor is twofold:
1. Verify the evidence of the original surveyed lines and create new evidence for new surveyors; 2. Resurvey and describe the lines in accordance to present day standards while making reference to yesterday’s results.”
(From Evidence and Procedures for Boundary Location, Sixth Edition)
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Original Corners Control
Principle 2. When once created, all corners and lines created by the original survey are without error, in a legal sense.
(From Evidence and Procedures for Boundary Location, Sixth Edition)
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Original Corners Based on Evidence and Not New Measurements
Principle 6. The positive position of the original corner locations (position) must be predicated on the recovery, identification, and interpretation of original evidence and not on applying modern measurements by the retracing surveyor.
(From Evidence and Procedures for Boundary Location, Sixth Edition)
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Original Evidence Superior to Modern Measurements
“Modern precise measurements yield to original evidence of corners and lines.”
(From Evidence and Procedures for Boundary Location, Sixth Edition)
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Technology and Setting Lost Corners
Principle 7. A surveyor cannot use more modern precise measurements of course (angle) and distance to set a lost corner but only as supportive or combative evidence in support of or in contradiction of lesser evidence.
(From Evidence and Procedures for Boundary Location, Sixth Edition)
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Coordinates and Corners
Principle 8. An original corner, once created, cannot be replaced or redefined by coordinates created by modern survey calculations and measurements using more precise modern methods.
(From Evidence and Procedures for Boundary Location, Sixth Edition)
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Coordinates and Corners
(A student’s answer to a course assignment)
The current lecture posed some “general questions” at the beginning of the lecture. Answer the following questions based on knowledge gained from the lecture material. a. What is a land survey system? (5 points) “A land survey system is a grid of known coordinates as locational reference points maintained over a large section of land.”
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Using Modern Technology Wisely
Principle 11. An original line cannot be ascertained with certainty with reference from or to a single corner.
Principle 12. In order to conduct measurements for replacing a lost corner, the retracing surveyor should obtain the notes of the original surveyor.
(From Evidence and Procedures for Boundary Location, Sixth Edition)
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Using Modern Technology Wisely
Principle 13. Any retracement of boundaries must be predicated on locating, with certainty, the evidence left by the creating surveyor. A retracement is not a matter of going into the field and “just looking for evidence” – it is a task of knowing what to look for. One must have the original created information in order to have the information of what to look for. Failure to obtain and use this information may raise the question of negligence.
Principle 14. A coordinate value computed from bearings and distances is less precise as were the original values from which they were calculated.
(From Evidence and Procedures for Boundary Location, Sixth Edition)
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What is a Land Surveyor??
(Images from sonofthesouth.net and cmssurveyors.com)
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What is a Land Surveyor??
“A land surveyor is someone who plots land boundaries, creates maps, provides legal descriptions, assists in urban planning and helps develop property.”
(From ehow.com)
(Images from calapprenticeship.org and newnanlandsurveying.com
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What is a Land Surveyor??








Land Surveyor
Professional Land Surveyor
Registered Land Surveyor
Licensed Land Surveyor
LS
PLS
RLS
PS
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What is a Professional???
A “profession” is defined as “an occupation requiring advanced academic training, as medicine, law, etc.” (Webster’s New World Dictionary)
Therefore, a “professional” is a member of such a profession.
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Attributes of a Professional
If a surveyor wants to be in a learned profession, the individual must seek the attributes of the learned professions. Ten of these attributes are as follows:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
having a unique and superior education in a specific field of knowledge,
providing a service to the public in having the ability to persuade,
placing oneself in a position of trust,
conducting practice within a code of ethics,
desiring to gain high eminence with financial return of secondary importance,
using independent judgment and accepting liability,
providing services to those unable to pay,
charging fees to those able to pay, such fees are dependent on the services rendered rather than labor or product,
9. becoming a persuasive and effective communicator, and
10. seeking continued education to maintain professional competency.
(From Evidence and Procedures for Boundary Location)
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Professional Land Surveying – Indiana
IC 25‐21.5‐1‐7
Effective 7‐1‐2014
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The Legal Role of The Surveyor
“The law in most jurisdictions has recognized a qualified surveyor as being a professional person in the status of an architect, lawyer or doctor. When he/she
acts in such capacity, the surveyor acquires certain standards of conduct that entitle him/her to recognized privileges and, at the same time, impose upon him/her definite responsibilities.”
“The surveyor's client employs him/her because the surveyor has skills upon which the client is entitled to rely. This includes the initial collection of data and its later interpretation. ….. The true test of a surveyor is not his/her ability to manipulate the tools of his/her trade, such as the transit, theodolite, or the chain, but is that of his/her use of the knowledge or information gained.” (From Clark on Surveying and Boundaries)
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The Legal Role of The Surveyor
Because of a surveyor's professional status:
1. The surveyor is elevated to recognition in the courts of law above that of a layman.
2. He/she is held to a higher degree of liability for his/her errors than is an ordinary person because of the degree of trust placed upon him/her for impartiality, capability and responsibility.
3. He/she is presumed to possess those skills and education required of an expert in his/her field.
(From Clark on Surveying and Boundaries)
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Professional Conduct
DEFINITION: Ethics includes that branch of moral science concerned with the duties members of a profession owe to their public, their professional associates, and their clients.
Without a firm foundation of ethics one cannot be a professional.
(From Evidence and Procedures for Boundary Location)
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The Role of the Surveyor Over Time
Great Pyramid of Giza
“….. the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza pyramid complex bordering what is now El Giza, Egypt. Believed to have been built over a 10 to 20 year period around 2560 B.C.”
(From wikipedia.com)
(From 7wonders.org)
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The Role of the Surveyor Over Time
Great Pyramid of Giza
Each side was 440 cubits (or 755.9 ft)
Professionally surveyed by J.H Cole and published in 1925.
Length of Sides:
West: 755.76 feet
North: 755.41 feet
East: 755.87 feet
South 756.08 feet
(From 7wonders.org)
(From theglobaleducationproject.org)
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The Role of the Surveyor Over Time
Great Pyramid of Giza
Angle of Corners:
Northwest: 89°59’58”
Northeast: 90°03’02”
Southeast: 89°56’02”
Southwest: 90°03’02”
Area of the Base: 13 acres
(From theglobaleducationproject.org)
(From 7wonders.org)
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The Role of the Surveyor Over Time
Kudurru was a type of stone document used as boundary stones and as records of land grants to vassals by the Kassites in ancient Babylonia between the 16th and 12th centuries BC.
(From wikipedia.com)
“The boundaries of the land are laid out; the surveyor is named as Amurru‐bel‐zeri and the transfer completed by two high officials who are also named.” (circa 1125‐1100 BC)
(From britishmuseum.org)
(Image from duhaime.org)
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The Role of the Surveyor Over Time
• It is recorded that for over 1000 years ancient Rome used surveyors to locate boundaries, survey roads, and aqueducts. • In fact, the Roman Agrimensores, namely the surveyor, was required to pass an examination for competency. • Because of the nature of surveying and the varied needs, Rome separated the “civil” surveyor from the “military” surveyor.
(From Evidence and Procedures for Boundary Location)
(Image from the‐romans.co.uk)
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The Role of the Surveyor Over Time
• In early times, surveyors possessed special skills and talents that were regarded with almost reverent respect; they filled a necessary need in civilization, and they utilized the most advanced sciences known to the world. • The same Roman surveyors were required to receive special training in the varied aspects of leveling and boundary law while in school. They were guided by a series of textbooks titled The Corpus
(From Evidence and Procedures for Boundary Location)
(Image from the‐romans.co.uk)
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The Role of the Surveyor Over Time
Prominent Surveyors in American history
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
George Washington
Thomas Jefferson
Abraham Lincoln
Jared Mansfield
Edward Tiffin
Charles Mason
Jeremiah Dixon
Andrew Ellicott
Benjamin Banneker
Daniel Boone
(Image from various sources)
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What is a Professional???
A “profession” is defined as “an occupation requiring advanced academic training, as medicine, law, etc.” (Webster’s New World Dictionary)
Therefore, a “professional” is a member of such a profession.
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What is a Professional???
(Images from clipartpanda.com, funcentrate.com, freeclipartnow.com, and shutterstock.com)
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Some Factors Affecting Land Surveying
• Changes in Technology
o
Some Technologies Overlap into Other Disciplines
• Increase in Requirements for Licensure
o
o
Some States Require BS Degree in Land Surveying With No Such Program Available in Their State
Results in Fewer Applicants for NCEES FS and PS Exams
• Decrease in Availability of Land Surveying Degrees Nationally
o
o
o
Many Key Professors in Established Degree Programs are at Retirement Age
Major Universities Require Ph.D. for New Tenure‐Track Faculty
Decreasing Enrollments
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NCEES Model Law on Education
Certification or Enrollment as a Surveyor Intern
Completion of one of the following shall be considered as minimum evidence that the applicant is qualified for certification or enrollment as a surveyor intern. 1. Graduating from a surveying program of 4 years or more accredited by EAC/ABET, the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET (ETAC/ABET), the Applied Science Accreditation Commission of ABET (ASAC/ABET), or the equivalent
2. Graduating from a program related to surveying of 4 years or more as approved by the board and with a specific record of 2 years of progressive experience in surveying
3. Graduating from a program of 4 years or more as approved by the board and with a specific record of 4 years of progressive experience in surveying
In addition to satisfying one of the above requirements, the applicant shall pass the NCEES Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) examination.
(From https://cdn.ncees.org/wp‐content/uploads/2012/11/Model_Law_2014.pdf)
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NSPS Position Statement on Education
By vote of the NSPS Board of Directors on October 24, 2014, the NSPS Education Policy states:
"The official position of the National Society of Professional Surveyors shall be that a Bachelor’s Degree in Surveying, Surveying Engineering, or Surveying Engineering Technology be the minimum educational requirement for licensure as a Land Surveyor in all jurisdictions.”
(From http://www.nsps.us.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.viewPage&pageId=1282&parentID=523&nodeID=2)
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State Educational Requirements for FS (Surveying Intern)
Information Sources:
“Education Requirements for Licensure by State, 2005”
POB Magazine
“Licensed Profession or Licensed Trade – The 4‐Year Degree's Impact on Surveying”
By Dave Gibson, Founding Surveying and Mapping Program Director
University of Florida
July, 2009
Individual State Board Web Pages
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States with 4‐Year Degree Requirements (17)
Alabama
Florida
Idaho
Illinois
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Michigan
Minnesota
Nevada
New Jersey
New Mexico
Ohio
Puerto Rico
South Carolina
Tennessee **
Texas **
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States with 2‐Year Degree Requirements (8)
Alaska
Indiana
Iowa
Montana
Oklahoma
Utah
West Virginia
Wyoming
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States with “Experience Only” Allowed (27)
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Georgia **
Hawaii
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Mississippi
Missouri **
Nebraska
New Hampshire
New York
North Carolina **
North Dakota
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Dakota
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
Wisconsin
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ABET Commissions
“The four Accreditation Commissions lead and conduct ABET accreditation activities. Each commission reviews programs related to different sectors of the technical disciplines.”
(From abet.org and et.utoledo.edu)
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ABET Accredited Programs
• ASAC 4‐year Programs (11)
o University of Alaska – Anchorage (1995)
o East Tennessee State University (1992)
o University of Florida (1986)
o Troy University (2010)
o Oregon Institute of Technology (1985)
o Kennesaw State University (formerly SPSU) (2004)
o St. Cloud State University (2004)
o Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi (1999)
o University of Akron – College of Applied Science & Technology (2010)
o Nicholls State University (2008)
o Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico (2006)
(From “ABET Accredited Surveying/Geomatics Programs”, tabulated by Earl F. Burkholder
From ABET web site – 11/23/15)
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ABET Accredited Programs
• ASAC 2‐year Programs (2)
o University of Akron, Summit College – Land Surveying (2010)
o University of Akron, Summit College – Geog. & Land Info. Sys. (2010)
(From “ABET Accredited Surveying/Geomatics Programs”, tabulated by Earl F. Burkholder
From ABET web site – 11/23/15)
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ABET Accredited Programs
• EAC 4‐year Programs (7)
o California State Polytechnic University – Ponoma (1992)
o California State University – Fresno (1979)
o Ferris State University – Michigan (1989)
o New Mexico State University (1999)
o Pennsylvania State University – Wilkes‐Barre (2004)
o Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL (2010)
o Michigan Technological University (2011)
(From “ABET Accredited Surveying/Geomatics Programs”, tabulated by Earl F. Burkholder
From ABET web site – 11/23/15)
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ABET Accredited Programs
• ETAC 4‐year Programs (4)
o Alfred State College – New York (1992)
o University of Maine (2005)
o Idaho State University (2004)
o New Jersey Institute of Technology (1992)
(From “ABET Accredited Surveying/Geomatics Programs”, tabulated by Earl F. Burkholder
From ABET web site – 11/23/15)
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ABET Accredited Programs
• ETAC 2‐year Programs (7)
o Alfred State College, New York (1977)
o Mohawk Valley Community College (1977)
o Paul Smith’s College – New York (1991)
o Pennsylvania College of Technology (1994)
o Pennsylvania State University – Wilkes‐Barre (1962)
o University of Puerto Rico @ Bayamon (2009)
o State University of New York (2009)
(From “ABET Accredited Surveying/Geomatics Programs”, tabulated by Earl F. Burkholder
From ABET web site – 11/23/15)
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Programs No Longer ABET Accredited
o Metropolitan State University – Denver (ASAC) since 2010
o The Ohio State University – Columbus, Geomatics Engr. (EAC) since 2010
o Purdue University – West Lafayette (EAC) since 2008
o University of Wisconsin – Madison (EAC) since 1998
o University of Houston – Surveying & Mapping Tech. 4‐year (ETAC) since 2006
o Greenville Technical College – South Carolina 2‐year (ETAC) since 2014
(From “ABET Accredited Surveying/Geomatics Programs”, tabulated by Earl F. Burkholder
From ABET web site – 11/23/15)
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Trends in NCEES Survey Exams
(From NCEES, courtesy
of Mr. Tim Miller)
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What is the Future of Professional Land Surveying??
Aging Profession
Accelerating Technology
Varying Licensing
Requirements
Decline in Exam
Applicants
Decline in Degree‐
Granting Universities
Other Competing
Professions
(Image from Sirius‐network.de)
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Thank You!!!
Professor Tony Gregory, PLS
Purdue University Calumet
Department of Construction Science
and Organizational Leadership
[email protected]
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Practice of Land Surveying – Indiana IC 25‐21.5‐1‐7 Effective 7‐1‐2014 Sec. 7. (a) “Practice of surveying” means providing, or offering to provide, professional services involving: (1) the making of geometric measurements of, and gathering related information pertaining to, the physical or legal features of the earth, improvements on the earth, the space above the earth, or any part of the earth; and (2) the use and development of the measurements and information gathered under subdivision (1) into survey products, including graphics, digital data, maps, plats, plans, reports, and descriptions and projects. (b) Professional services provided under the practice of surveying include consultation, investigation, testimony evaluation, expert technical testimony, planning, mapping, assembling, and interpreting gathered measurements and information related to any of the following: (1) Determining the configuration or contour of the earth’s surface or the position of fixed objects thereon by measuring lines and angles and applying the principles of mathematics or photogrammetry. (2) Determining the size and shape of the earth, or any point on the earth, by performing geodetic surveys using angular and linear measurements through spatially oriented spherical geometry. (3) Determining, by the use of principles of surveying, the position for any nonboundary related survey control monument or reference point, or setting, resetting, or replacing any nonboundary related monument or reference point. (4) Locating, relocating, establishing, reestablishing, laying out, retracing, or marking any property or boundary line or corner of any tract of land or of any right‐of‐way or easement. (5) Making any survey or preparing any plat for the subdivision of any tract of land. (6) Determining, by the use of principles of surveying, the position for any boundary related survey monument or reference point, or setting, resetting, or replacing any monument or reference point. (7) Preparing a description for any parcel or boundary of land, or for any right‐of‐way or easement, except when prepared by an attorney who is licensed to practice law in Indiana. (8) Determining the amount of acreage contained in any parcel of land, except when determined by an attorney who is licensed to practice law in Indiana. (9) Performing construction staking or layout of the control for any elements of an engineering, building, or construction project, if the position of an element is: (A) dependent on; (B) in specific relation to; or (C) in close proximity to; a boundary, property line, or corner, including easements and rights‐of‐way. (10) For and within subdivisions being designed by a professional surveyor, the preparation and furnishing of plats, plans, and profiles for roads, storm drainage, sanitary sewer extensions, and the location of residences or dwellings where the work involves the use and application of standards prescribed by local, state, or federal authorities. (11) All work incidental to cleaning out, reconstructing, or maintaining existing open and tile drains. (12) Creating, preparing, or modifying electronic or computerized data relative to the performance of the activities described in this subsection. (c) Activities included within the practice of surveying that must be accomplished under the responsible charge of a professional surveyor, unless specifically exempted under subsection (d), include the following: (1) The creation of maps and geo‐referenced data bases representing authoritative locations for boundaries, fixed works, or topography, either by terrestrial surveying methods or by photogrammetric or GNSS locations. This includes maps and geo‐referenced data bases prepared by any person, firm, or government agency if that data is provided to the public as a survey product. (2) Original data acquisition, or the resolution of conflicts between multiple data sources, when used for the authoritative location of features within the following data themes: (A) Geodetic control. (B) Orthoimagery. (C) Elevation and bathymetry. (D) Fixed works. (E) Government boundaries. (F) Cadastral information. (3) Certification of positional accuracy of maps or measured survey data. (4) Measurement, adjustment, and authoritative interpretation of raw survey data. (5) GIS‐based parcel or cadastral mapping used for authoritative boundary definition purposes wherein land title or development rights for individual parcels are, or may be, affected. (6) Interpretation of maps, deeds, or other land title documents to resolve conflicting data elements within cadastral documents of record. (7) Acquisition of field data required to authoritatively position fixed works or cadastral data to geodetic control. (8) Adjustment or transformation of cadastral data to improve the positional accuracy of the parcel layer or layers with respect to the geodetic control layer within a GIS for purposes of affirming positional accuracy. (d) A distinction is made in this subsection, in the use of electronic systems, between making or documenting original measurements in the creation of survey products and the copying, interpretation, or representation of those measurements in systems. Further, a distinction is made according to the intent, use, or purpose of measurement products in electronic systems, between the determination of authoritative locations and the use of those products as a locational reference for planning, infrastructure management, and general information. The following items are not included as activities within the definition of the practice of surveying: (1) The creation of general maps: (A) prepared by private firms or government agencies for use as guides to motorists, boaters, aviators, or pedestrians; (B) prepared for publication in a gazetteer or atlas as an educational tool or reference publication; (C) prepared for or by educational institutions for use in the curriculum of any course of study; (D) produced by any electronic or print media firm as an illustrative guide to the geographic location of any event; or (E) prepared by lay persons for conversational or illustrative purposes, including advertising material and users’ guides. (2) The transcription of previously geo‐referenced data into a geographic information system by manual or electronic means, and the maintenance thereof, if the data are clearly not intended to indicate the authoritative location of property boundaries, the precise definition of the shape or contour of the earth, and the precise location of fixed works of humans. (3) The transcription of public record data, without modification except for graphical purposes, into geographic information systems‐based cadastres, including tax maps, zoning maps, and associated records by manual or electronic means, and the maintenance of that cadastre, if the data are clearly not intended to authoritatively represent property boundaries. (4) The preparation of any document by any agency of the federal government that does not define real property boundaries, including civilian and military versions of quadrangle topographic maps, military maps, satellite imagery, and other similar documents. (5) The incorporation or use of documents or data bases prepared by any federal agency into a geographic information system, including federal census and demographic data, quadrangle topographic maps, and military maps. (6) Inventory maps and data bases created by any organization, in either hard copy or electronic form, of physical features, facilities, or infrastructure that are wholly contained within properties to which the organization has rights or for which the organization has management responsibility. The distribution of these maps and data bases outside the organization must contain appropriate metadata describing, at a minimum, the accuracy, method of compilation, data source or sources, and date or dates, and disclaimers of use clearly indicating that the data are not intended to be used as a survey product. (7) Maps, cross‐sections, graphics, and data bases depicting the distribution of natural resources or phenomena prepared by foresters, geologists, soil scientists, geophysicists, biologists, archeologists, historians, or other persons qualified to document and interpret the data in the context of their respective practices. (8) Maps and geo‐referenced data bases depicting physical features and events prepared by any government agency if the access to that data is restricted by statute, including geo‐
referenced data generated by law enforcement agencies involving crime statistics and criminal activities. (e) The use of photogrammetric methods or similar remote sensing technology to perform any part of the practice of surveying as defined in this section may be performed only under the direct control and supervision of a professional surveyor or professional photogrammetrists who maintain a current title of “Certified Photogrammetrist” from a national scientific organization having a process for certifying photogrammetrists. (f) The practice of surveying encompasses a number of disciplines, including geodetic surveying, hydrographic surveying, cadastral surveying, construction staking, route surveying, photogrammetric surveying, and topographic surveying. A professional surveyor may practice only within the surveyor’s area of expertise. As added by P.L.23‐1991, SEC.12. Amended by P.L.218‐1993, SEC.1; P.L.57‐2013, SEC.38; P.L.2‐2014, SEC.106. Licensed Profession or Licensed Trade – The 4-Year Degree's Impact on Surveying
Dave Gibson
Founding Surveying and Mapping Program Director
University of Florida
July, 2009
Background – In recent years, I have been becoming more and more concerned about the future of
the surveying "profession". In this article, I attempt to make a case for a national 4-year degree
standard -- to keep strong professional recognition and to avoid the technician/trade image that is
increasingly growing.
Florida's Bootstrap -- I've been teaching surveying at the college/university level in Florida since 1968.
In 1970, when I got my master's degree, I took a job teaching and developing the first degree
program in surveying of any type in Florida – a 2-year A.S. degree in Surveying Technology at a
Palm Beach Junior College. We were very successful, so successful that Florida's professional
leaders were unhappy. They did not want the 2-year degree to become the goal standard for the
profession. They believed that a "profession" must have at least a 4-year degree for entry. The
A.S. degree is a terminal degree for technicians. They approached the flagship university in the
state – the University of Florida – asking for creation of a 4-year degree in surveying. That
University said yes, but the new program would be placed in the Engineering Technology
Department, since surveying was a "technology", not a professional level subject. By a very
narrow vote, the FSPLS Board of Directors accepted the University's offer. Those opposing said
that surveying is a profession and should not accept the "technology" title. The slim majority said
that the profession could accept the technology title, but only as a starting point.
In 1974, I applied for the position as that program's initial professor and program director. We started
with a degree titled B.S. in Engineering Technology. In five years we changed the degree to
Bachelor of Land Surveying (BLS) to escape the "technology" identity. The “science” name was
not used because the curriculum committees did not feel surveying was a science. Later we
changed the degree to B. S. in Surveying and Mapping, achieving the “science” designation,
dropping the limiting word "Land", and inserting "Mapping" to recognize a broad diversified
profession. Still later we changed the title to B. S. in Geomatics since recruiting new students was
very difficult with the word "surveying" due to the "technician" image associated with that word.
Now, 35 years after the program's beginning, we have a mature program. Four-year degree
legislation required a degree for all new Florida surveyors in 1999, and this past spring, I taught 36
students in our senior capstone class. Twenty two of those sat for the first day FS (SIT) exam as a
group – the largest single group of college-based FS examinees to date in the nation -- and they all
passed. With this background, I have many experiences with professional activities, academics,
accreditation, licensing boards, and the national exam that leads to the opinions I share here.
1. The Origin and Concept of Surveying -- A 1525 English document gives the word origin of “Survey”
– a French word of two parts: SUR – meaning “from above”, and VEY – to “see.” Therefore the
word origin of SURVEY means any method of identifying and measuring ground features and
displaying them to scale as if viewed from above – VERY BROAD DISCIPLINE!!! Includes: field
surveying, photogrammetry, GIS, satellite imagery.
2. An EDUCATIONAL VISION for the Surveying Profession -- Where are we going? What do we
want? Most agree that we want general recognition as a “learned profession” with high public
visibility, respect, and compensation – consistent with recognized professions of medicine, law,
engineering, architecture, etc. We also would like a diverse profession with high-tech professional
tools applied to significant issues of society.
3. Where Are We??? -- In the public’s eye, we are confused with survey technicians. We even call
our field people surveyors (the only surveyors the general public see). What the public sees? -- a
roughly dressed, rough talking, survey technician working in hazardous conditions along the
roadside doing hands-on work. Recruiting promising high school students is difficult. A 1992 Fla.
Supreme Court case declared that surveying was not a profession – because of the lack of a 4year degree standard. Kentucky state code declared surveying is not a profession because of the
lack of a 4-year degree standard. The US Dept. of Labor recently decided surveying is not a
learned profession because of the lack of a 4-year standard for entry.
4. Our Old Educational Home – Civil Engineering – In the 1930’s and 40’s there were two types of
surveyors – (1) dual licensed engineers and surveyors with college education and (2) sole
surveyors generally trained on the job by apprenticeship. Dual licensee’s (PE & RLS) were in
greater number and their education brought large professional visibility in the eyes of the public.
CE was the “educational home” of surveying, with each CE program having a tenured full professor
in surveying and 3 to 5 surveying courses. Many CE grads identified surveying as their main
interest area.
5. Civil Engineering Dropped Surveying as a Professional Specialty 50 years ago -- Returning WWII
veterans flooded into engineering schools under the GI Bill to learn the high tech things they saw in
the war – radar, sonar, electronics, jets, rockets, etc. However, they encountered the same old
style of engineering education – hands-on labs, practical math, practical orientation, etc. There
was a “revolt” among engineering students. A high level study on the future of engineering
education lead to the Grinter Report 1955, which said that engineering education should leave the
hands-on practical approach and adopt the highly mathematical and scientific approach. In 1959,
CE department chairs met in Ann Arbor, MI and voted that CE should follow other engineering
areas to implement the Grinter Report. They identified surveying as one of the topics to be
dropped – hands-on and practical. In addition, CE was developing the “design identity”, and
surveying did not help this. 1960’s and 1970’s were the “washout years” of surveying in CE
education. When one of the tenured surveying professors retired, they did not hire a surveying
replacement, giving the position to another area of civil engineering – structures, hydraulics, etc.
6. Surveying Professorships in Civil Engineering, Dying Legacies -- The Surveying Professorship at
the University of California, Berkeley included Prof. Crandall, approx. 1900, Davis, Foote, Kelly,
Frank Moffitt, Jim Anderson who retired in 2001. The position was not filled with a surveying
person. The Surveying Professorship at U. of Illinois, Champaign/Urbana included Rayner and
Schmidt, W. C. Taylor – author of first edition Elementary Surveying, Chuck Danner, Win Eldridge
(co-author with Curt Brown of Evidence and Procedures), and Kam Wong who retired from active
teaching early 2000’s. His position was not filled with a surveying person. In the surveying area at
UW Madison, Red Wagner, the last UW surveying professor in CE, brought surveying through the
washout years, In the 1970’s Paul Wolf joined faculty along with six other prominent faculty
members and they developed many active undergrad and grad surveying programs. Many U.
Wisconsin PhDs took faculty positions elsewhere. In 1998 the UW CE department dropped the
undergrad surveying program. In 2006 the last three surveying faculty members retired, leaving no
surveying faculty in Madison. Today, only one tenured CE Surveying Professor is left in the US (at
schools w/o a surveying specialty) -- Prof. Bob Schultz, Oregon State University, and he is close to
retirement. If a CE school has a surveying course, it is usually taught by a grad student or part
time adjunct. In 1980 ASCE studied the surveying course status in Civil Engineering. They found
that 1/3 of Civil Programs required at least one surveying course, 1/3 EAC Civil Programs offered a
surveying elective, but it was not required, and 1/3 of Civil Programs did not have a surveying
course at all. Today, what is the ratio???? ASCE’s 2007 Body of Knowledge BOK does not
contain the word surveying.
7. Surveying, A “Bootstrap” Profession -- In the early 1970s, a Florida Board investigator described
surveying as a “bootstrap profession,” meaning – once we were out of Civil, the profession had to
pull itself up “by its own bootstraps.” Can’t ride the “coat-tails” of CE any longer. In 1960/70s the
surveying community realized they needed to create their own educational future.
8. A Separate Educational (and Professional) Identity – The first dedicated 4-year program was
created at Oregon Institute of Technology in the mid/late 1960’s. The second was established at
Second -- Fresno State in California. Then in the 1970s, there was a major 4-year educational
movement. Purdue in 1970 gained high visibility with a separate surveying program, then Iowa
State, Wisconsin, Florida, Ohio State, Virginia Tech, Maine. Most of these were established at
state flagship universities. National Examinations were created in Surveying – by NCEES (Mid
1970’s). National Accreditation was established for surveying by ABET (1980s) with ACSM being
the lead society. Some states established separate surveying boards (Fla. in 1979) – “We want to
be judged by our peers.”
9. National Surveying Accreditation was a significant professional advancement -- No national
surveying accreditation through the 1960’s and 1970’s. Then ACSM published Surveying
Engineering (EAC/ABET) criteria in 1978. Cal. State Fresno was the first surveying program to be
nationally accredited by ABET, 1979. ACSM published Surveying Engineering Technology
(TAC/ABET) in early 1980’s. EAC (the ABET Engineering Accreditation Commission) was
earmarked for the “new” engineer, design oriented, analytical, not hands on. TAC ( the ABET
Technology Accreditation Commission) was earmarked for for the 4-yr technologists and 2-yr
technicians – defined by as ABET as “support personnel for the engineer” being hands on,
practical, less math/science. Many engineers felt that surveying was a “technology” ideally suited
for the TAC. The third ABET commission ASAC was established at the request of ACSM. In 1984
ABET created the Related Accreditation Commission (RAC/ABET), now called ASAC, the Applied
Science Accreditation Commission for free-standing degree programs (Surveying). Surveying
programs ended up in three ABET commissions: EAC, TAC, ASAC. In 2008 there were a total of
21 accredited programs.
10. 2008 Surveying Programs in EAC/ABET (Engineering Accreditation Commission) (7) -- Cal. State
Fresno, CA (BS Geomatics Engineering (1979)), Cal. State Polytechnic University, Pomona,
option in CE (1994), Ferris State University, MI (BS Surveying Eng./AAS (1991), Penn State Wilkes
Barre BS Surveying Engineering/AS (1999), New Mexico St. Las Cruces BS Surveying Eng.
(2001), Ohio State Univ, OH BS Geomatics Engineering (2002), Univ of Maine, Orono, ME
Spatial Information Science and Engineering (1981), *(Purdue, W. Lafayette BS in Land
Surveying and Geomatics Engineering (1984) (2007 Purdue CE is dropping the program)
11. 2008 Surveying Programs in ASAC/ABET (Applied Science Accred. Commission) (9) -- Univ.
Alaska, Anchorage
BS Geomatics (1995), Univ. Florida, Gainesville
BS Geomatics
(1986), Michigan Tech. U., Houghton BS Surveying (1987), Oregon Inst Tech, Klamath F. BS
Geomatics (1985), East Tenn. State U. TN BS in Surveying and Mapping (1994), Texas A&M
Corpus C.
BS in Geo. Info. Science (2001), Metro State Col, Denver
BS Surv. and
Mapping (2004), Southern Poly. Technical University, Marietta, GA BS Surv. and Mapping (2006),
St. Cloud State University, MN, BS Land Surveying and Mapping Science (2006)
12. 2008 Surveying Programs in TAC/ABET (5) -- SUNY Alfred, NY BS Surv. Eng. Technology (1994),
NJ Inst.Tech, Newark BS Eng. Technology, Survey Option (1994), Univ. Akron, Ohio BS Surv.
and Mapping Technology (2003), Idaho State Univ. , Pocatello BS Geomatics Technology
(2006), Univ. Maine, Orono BS Surv. Eng. Tech (2007)
13. Programs moving Toward Accreditation (6+) -- Troy Univ, AL, Southern Ill U. Carbondale, IL,
Glenville State Coll, WV, Great Basin College, NV, U. Arkansas at Monticello, Nichols State
University, Thibodaux, LA, and others
14. The Size and Health of Today’s Programs, New Approaches -- Some surveying programs have
“turned the corner” – stable larger enrollments. Ferris State (MI) – graduating 20+ per yr. (30 yrs
after passing the 4-yr legislation), U. Fla – graduating 20+ per year. (20 yrs after passing the 4-yr
legislation). Many states are experimenting with new approaches as the surveying educational
effort continues to develop. Medium or smaller population states cannot support a surveying
degree program instate. Louisiana, Kentucky, Illinois have moved to the BS/BA + Surveying Core
as a way of having a four-year standard without an accredited in-state program. The surveying
core requires a bachelor’s degree plus a certain number of hours in surveying-only courses. (LA 30
hr core, KY 24 hr core, IL 24 hr core). This is a national solution for all medium/lower population
states. States have expanded their urban and regional campuses to every corner. A 4-year
degree in some subject is available. In addition, the national Internet campuses (U. of Phoenix,
etc) are making the 4-year degree more available. The core is available at local community
colleges, or over nationally available distance education surveying offerings (Metro State, U.
Wyoming, etc).
15. The NCEES National Surveying Exam, Professional Progress -- No national exam in surveying
through the 50’s, 60’, and early 70’s. State Boards and Societies made up locally produced and
graded exams. In 1975, NCEES produced the first national SIT exam followed by the PS exam.
More and more states adopted the NCEES Fundamentals Surveying (FS) and Professional
Surveying (PS) exams. Early exams were “task based” to match the hands-on nature of
experience-only candidates. The NCEES committee Examination for Professional Surveyors
(EPS) continues to meet twice a year in Clemson to write questions and assemble exams. In1995
NCEES adopted a new model law for surveying with an expanded definition to include mapping,
photogrammetry, etc. In 1999 the October exam moved to a “knowledge based” exam, attempting
to test the underlying knowledge (ex: trig), not the button pushing tasks. In 2004 the NCEES
Annual Meeting voted to remove the word “Land” from the Model Law – to reflect the growing
diversity in the profession. The exams are now called the FS: Fundamentals of Surveying and PS:
Professional Surveying exams. (parallel-named with the FE and PE exams)
16. The Legislative Approach to the 4-Year Degree Requirement – In 1970 surveying leaders were
concerned with the decline of education among surveyors (fewer dual licenses) and the significant
increase of experience-only surveying candidates. In 1972 Michigan was the first state to delete
the experience method, requiring a four-year degree. The requirement became absolute in 1978.
Academic programs developed in Michigan at Ferris State and Michigan Tech. The states of
Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio followed in the late 70’s/early 80’s with 4-year degree legislation. In
2009, a total of 26 jurisdictions have deleted the experience-only method of licensure.
17.
26 Jurisdictions w/Academic Requirements (experience-only method deleted)
„ State
„ Michigan
„ Minnesota
„ New Jersey
„ Ohio
Law
Effective
4 yr program/2 yr program/or just courses hrs.
1972
1978
4
1979
1980
4
1980
1988
4
1980
1990
4
„ Florida
„ N. Carolina
„ Georgia
„ Louisiana
„ Utah
„ Wyoming
„ Illinois
„ N. Mexico
„ Texas
„ Nevada
„ Alabama
„ Idaho
„ South Carolina
„ Kentucky
„ Oklahoma
„ Kansas
„ Alaska
„ West Virginia
„ Indiana
„ Iowa
„ Tennessee
„ Puerto Rico
1988
1999
4
2005
??
4
1985
1985
20 hrs
1990
1995
4 (BS/BA+30 hr core)
2002
2006
2
1988
1992
2 (moving to BS + Core)
1988
1998/2001
4 (BS + core)
1987
1995
4
1993
2003
4
1999
2010
4
2000
2007
4
2002
2010
4
2000
2010
4 (BS/BA+12 Hr core)
2005
2011
4 (BS/BA+24 hr core)
2005
2014
2
2002
2005
4
1996
2001
2
2004
2005
2
?
2009
2
1980
1988
2
?
2003
4
?
1988
4
18. Expanding the Scope of Surveying, Creating a Diverse Profession -- Before the 1970’s, most state
statutes defined “Land Surveying” as boundaries only. The word "land" is the “small box”
sometimes encouraged by combined boards of engineers and surveyors in the ‘50s/’60s, where
engineers claimed all surveying except boundaries. In 1971 Florida surveyors promoted a
significant statute change to greatly enlarged the diversity of surveying past boundaries only. The
surveyor was anyone who “determines the facts of size, shape, topography, etc.” In the 70’s and
80’s there was a national movement to drop the word “land.” Many societies changed their names
from “society of land surveyors” to “society of surveyors,” for example: Ohio, LA. ACSM created
the NSPS from the previous Land Surveys Division. In 1994, Florida dropped the word “land” from
the statute, licensing “Professional Surveyors and Mappers.” In 1995 the NCEES model law
changed to reflect a broad practice. In 2005 NCEES dropped the word “land” from its Model Law
and Code.
19. Technician vs. Professional?? -- Apprenticeship – on-the-job training without education -- is
EXTREMELY deep in surveying culture, and is the ROADBLOCK to professional development and
public protection. Of each FS (first day) surveying exam today, approximately 1300 take it, but
only 100+/- graduated from an accredited surveying program, and only 200+/- have graduated from
a four-year program of any type. The apprenticeship system IS STILL IN PLACE!
20. A “Learned Profession” must have a college base – The profession deals with something high on
the value system of society, for example, a person's health (medicine), a person's legal affairs
(law), a person's religion (clergy), a person's financial affairs (accountancy), and the safe use of
things designed and built (engineer and architect), etc. Surveying's concentration on identifying
land ownership and production of spatial data (GIS) for innocent public use is our claim of being
high on the value system. A learned profession requires college education to understand
adequately. A true learned professional must understand the mathematical, scientific, legal,
environmental, and societal framework within which the work takes place. It also requires
attributes of a college general education – the ability to speak confidently, write authoritatively,
research published information, analyze issues, apply math and science when needed, and so
forth. A learned profession is one where these things cannot be "learned on the job." Courts,
legislatures, and federal agencies are now applying the legal test for being named a learned
profession – a 4-year degree standard for entry.
21. State Regulation and Licensure DOES NOT Mean Professional Status, Just Public Protection -Attorneys do not have a state board and state licensure. They are self regulated by the state Bar
Associations – professional societies (not state boards). The government merely says, “You must
be accepted (college law degree and bar exam) and policed by your peers. We’re going to stay
out of it. The public will be well served. Keep up the good work.” Surveyors in England are self
regulated – RICS Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (Great Britain) -- government has no
surveying board, just says only those in the RICS can practice. In the US, surveying has had a
history of causing high profile public damages: California 1890s Mining Claims, Florida’s 1920s
Swamp Land plats, etc. The profession was not getting the job done on its own. The states had
to step in to “CLEAN UP THE BUNCH” for public protection. Each state regulates MANY
occupations that are not close to professional recognition. In Colorado recently, a state regulatory
person talked to surveyors about legislation for mandatory Continuing Education, he said, “I just
had a similar discussion with the plumbers. Yes, we reached an agreement with their union.” I
was disappointed to hear surveyors and plumbers compared in the same thought.
22. NCEES Exams Set a Minimal Bar for Entry and are a poor filter for non-degree states -- On our
national exams, we set a “cut score” so the “minimally competent candidate” will pass. On a range
of professional abilities from 1 to 10, those below minimal competency are about the 1s, 2s, and
3s. A true professional is an 8, 9, 10 (as judged by their peers). Therefore, the 4s, 5s, 6s, and 7s
who pass the exam may be above the “minimal competency” concept, but do not reach the true
professional concept. The main filter for public protection in a learned profession is college
admission and completion of a college program, not an exam. Lawyers, architects, doctors,
dentists, and engineers pass their professional exams at nearly the 100% rate because they were
highly selected by (1) college admissions and (2) completing the required program. The exam is
not the effective public protection method.
23. Two Distinct Paths, Separate the Professional Track from the Technician Track -- Learned
professions don’t elevate the working support staff (technicians) to professional rank. Legal aids
don’t become lawyers unless they go through law school. Nurses and medical assistants are
terminal nurses and medical assistants. Engineering technicians (drafters, etc.) are well paid
terminal technicians. There must be two distinct sources of employees and two distinct paths to
credentials. The professional tract recruits from college-capable young people, and these then go
to college for their professional education. The technician tract recruits off the street or through
special technical schools. The Certified Surveying Technician exam process has been a GREAT
success; however, in non 4-year degree states, it is being used in the apprentice system toward
licensure. One state has even written the passage of the CST exams into state law/code as one
credential needed for taking the FS (SIT) exam. Other professions do not organize their
technicians within the professional organization; however, our CST program is directly run by the
NSPS of ACSM. Engineering technicians have a separate organization -- the American Society of
Certified Engineering Technicians (ASCET). Technician certification exams are offered by this
organization, not the professional society. Each medical sub-specialty below the MD has a
separate society, separate exam process, and separate licensure statutes – not to be confused
with the top professionals. This means that we should not be thinking of our current technicians as
our future professionals. The technician “pool” of today has fewer and fewer people capable of
becoming a true professional in a learned profession.
24. Geomatics, a New Word for College Recruiting -- The general public’s image of a “surveyor” is of
the survey technician. When we convince a university student to major in Surveying, their parents
say, “You’re going to major in what??” Surveying educators have had a BIG problem selling the
major of “surveying.” The term “geomatics” was developed by academics – professors at Laval
University, Quebec, Can. – to present a positive image of the discipline. Laval had an old
surveying program in the Forestry department, but professors were having trouble “selling” their old
program name to students to embrace an expanded profession of GIS/mapping/GPS. According
to a Laval professor, “When I say the word “surveying” to a potential student/parents, I see a veil of
preconception lower in about 3 seconds. All communication stops.” “When I say the word
“geomatics”, the person responds with “What’s that involve?” I then have about 20 seconds of an
open mind to paint a good picture. Geomatics captures the breadth of the measurement/mapping
profession.
25. Apprenticeship, Diamonds in the Rough -- When a person walks off the street into an entry-level
surveying job, we don’t know the person’s true inner character. Like a lump of coal – dark on the
outside (from an educational viewpoint) – the person may have a "diamond" deep in the person's
character. Life experiences “chip” off the exterior layers and eventually for some, a true “diamond”
appears – a person with high, high professional abilities – a NATURAL leader. Many society and
Board leaders are in this category. However, for others, there is no diamond inside, and the
person lives out a working life without having professional attributes. What’s the ratio of diamonds
to lumps of coal? In the 1950s maybe 1 leader in each 10 apprenticed surveyors? College
education was an "economic privilege" and not the standard of society at that time. Many high
quality people were seeking a job “off the street.” Today, who knows, but maybe 1 professional
diamond in 100 employees off the street?? Those with academic abilities now have MANY
opportunities to go to college, and do. Talented future leaders are not walking the streets these
days in significant numbers compared to previous decades. Firms have been forced to start “drug
testing” policies for their employees hired off the street, etc. Many of our current professional
leaders (owners of leadership firms, chapter/society leaders, Board members, national society
leaders) are trained by apprenticeship 30/40/50 years ago. They naturally think, “If I did it,
someone else can.” We all know and respect extremely high professionals who did not go to
college. But the 99 non-diamonds will determine the reputation, image, and future professional
standing of surveying, not the 1 diamond.
26. Conflicting Advice Given, The “Don’t Go to College” Scenario -- In today’s society, college is a
universal general goal of families for their kids – the way to a career and a profession. Imagine a
high school student today approaching his/her parents saying, “I’ve decided to go to college to
become a professional.” The parents respond, “NO, don’t do that!! That’s the wrong approach to
life. You need to go on the street, get a job, and work your way up through the ranks to become the
eventual owner.” Double faced advice – some traditional surveyors are giving this advice (no
college) for the profession but the better advice (college) for their own kids.
27. Reduced Disciplinary Action -- Strong evidence is developing that a 4-year degree requirement
leads to reduced disciplinary action. This is public protection. A generally educated person
maintains more confident communication with clients and associated professionals. I studied the
comparison of engineering vs. surveying disciplinary action in Kentucky, 2002. Engineers had 1
case for each 500 licenses per year. Surveyors had one case for each 100 licenses per year – a
five time increased rate.
28. Supply and Demand Gaps Build College Enrolments -- After the grandfathering phase in of a four
year degree requirement, the number of new licenses will drop drastically. Fewer new licenses
plus retirement causes a reduction in supply. No problem, since today’s survey systems allow one
practitioner to do the work of five surveyors 20 years ago. Increased productivity will solve much of
the supply issue. No need to replace surveyors one for one. As demand increases and supply
falls, fees, profits, salaries, and starting graduate salaries climb. For the first time, we are seeing
significant numbers of sons/daughters of surveyors coming to Gainesville for our Geomatics
program. During the 70s/80s, many surveyors told their kids, “If you go to UF in Gainesville, study
civil engineering not surveying.” Recruitment was very hard, since even surveyors did not think
the profession to be a good future for their own children. As supply went down in the 2000s, and
demand went up, the supply/demand gap caused great increases in surveyor profits, salaries, and
particularly salary offers to college surveying grads. As the profits/salaries of surveying improve,
the general attitudes of surveyors improve – no more “second class citizen.” Surveyors, family,
friends, neighbors begin to see surveying as a good field for their kids. The supply/demand “curve”
causes university surveying enrollments to climb – the program “turns the corner.”
29. The Second Approach to a Four Year Degree Standard, The Exam -- The experience route is still
open for engineering in 1/3 of the states. But 99.95% can’t pass the FE (first day) exam without a
college education. Legislative action is not needed – the exam does the job. The FS (first day)
surveying exam could be shifted from a “knowledge based” exam to a “curriculum based” exam. A
non-graduate should not be able to pass the first day surveying exam. This approach is currently
being considered.
30. FS (SIT) Exam Pass Rates for First Time Takers -- GENERAL STATEMENTS ONLY (not official)
for 16 exams from Oct 2001 through Apr 2009. 4-year ABET Surveying students pass at an
approximate 75% rate (approx 120 per exam). 4-year Engineering grads pass at about a 70%
rate. (approx 100 per exam out of about 30,000 annual engineering grads in U.S.). 2-year degrees
(all types) pass at about a 50% rate. No Degree applicants (about 550 per exam) pass at about a
35% rate. (many of these have some college, but no degree) Of note: The pass rate for No
Degree applicants started at 27% in 2001 and is now at 38% in 2009 – a significant increase in
only 8 years. Surprisingly, many state societies now offer “exam review seminars” – an attempt to
get marginal “minimally competent” examinees over the bar. Other state societies have voted
NEVER to offer such a review seminar – not professional. Private seminar providers are also
helping many marginal applicants to become licensed. The exam should NOT be the only filter for
licensing. Second, third, and fourth time repeat takers pass at a lower rate (but many
EVENTUALLY pass the exam)
31. The “Model Law” Surveyor -- The current “model law” of NCEES for surveying contains an
educational requirement of a 4-year degree to take the FS (first day). Many feel that the current
exam process is not in agreement with the NCEES Model Law – since many (largest percent) of
takers have no four-year degree. Either the exam should change or the model law should change.
NCEES needs to follow its own model law.
32. Conclusion -- The surveying profession must do it. No one else will do it for us – pull ourselves up
by our bootstraps. An educational future? A recognized profession?? Or a licensed trade??
ABET Accredited Surveying/Geomatics Programs
Tabulated by Earl F. Burkholder from ABET web site – 11/23/15
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
Applied Science Accreditation Commission (ASAC) 4 year programs
Since
A. University of Alaska – Anchorage
1995
B. East Tennessee State University
1992
C. University of Florida
1986
D. Troy University
2010
E. Oregon Institute of Technology
1985
F. Southern Polytechnic State Univ. – Now Kennesaw State Univ.
2004
G. St. Cloud State University – Minnesota
2004
H. Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi
1999
I. University of Akron – College of Applied Science & Tech.
2010
J. Nicholls State University - Thibodaux, LA
2008
K. Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico
2006
11 programs
Applied Science Accreditation Commission (ASAC) 2 year programs
A. University of Akron, Summit College - Land Surveying
2010
B. University of Akron, Summit College – Geog. & Land Info. Sys. 2010
2 programs
Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC)
A. California State Polytechnic University – Pomona
1992
B. California State University – Fresno
1979
C. Ferris State University – Michigan
1989
1999
D. New Mexico State University
E. Pennsylvania State University – Wilkes-Barre
2004
F. Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL.
2010
G. Michigan Technological University
2011
7 programs
Technology Accreditation Commission (TAC)
A. Four year programs
1. Alfred State College – New York
1992
2. University of Maine
2005
3. Idaho State University
2004
4. New Jersey Institute of Technology
1992
4 programs
B. Two year programs
1. Alfred State College – New York
1977
2. Mohawk Valley Community College – New York
1979
1991
3. Paul Smith’s College – New York
4. Pennsylvania College of Technology
1994
5. Pennsylvania State University – Wilkes-Barre
1962
6. Univ. of Puerto Rico @ Bayamon
2009
7. State University of NY
2009
7 programs
Programs no longer ABET accredited since:
A. Metropolitan State University – Denver, ASAC
B. The Ohio State University – Columbus, Geomatics Engr. EAC
C. Purdue University – West Lafayette, EAC
D. University of Wisconsin – Madison, EAC
E. University of Houston – Surveying & Mapping Tech. 4 yr. TAC
F. Greenville Technical College – South Carolina 2 yr. TAC
6 programs
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