The last 50 year's have taken us from:
Transit, tape, and clinometer
Transit / theodolite top mount EDM
Manual angle reading theodolite, and digital EDM where you have to key in slope angle, combined with slope distance, to obtain horizontal distance.
Fully electronic battery powered total stations. This led to data collectors, that became affectionately called "electronic field books". SDR 22, and hp 48 were some of the first.
Then along came huge L-1 GPS units, that worked better when there were enough satellites in view. This was often at night.
Then REAL TIME gps came along, with an whole host of complexity, radios, wires, frequencies, and protocol.
Then, this expanded, to allow Russian Satelites, and, the game was on for real.?ÿ
Shots in moderate woods was allowed, if adequate time, and redundancy was allowed, to "eliminate bad fixes".
Now a days, we have
USA satellites, Russian satellites, European satellites, and Chinese or Asian satellites. This is just for navigation, and positioning.
I have lived through these transitions.
Where are we going?
I think we are going to nearly full cellular coverage, in developed countries. Along with more satellites, and more satellites. Also, lidar is on some cell phones.?ÿ
I think someday, we will have GPS and Lidar fully integrated, on practically all gps.?ÿ
I think we will have better sonar, that can scan lake, and river bottoms, with ease.
The whole world will be better understood, concerning flood plains, and BFE's.
Politicians will still be lying, and surveyors will have to understand projections, scale factors, and converging angles better.?ÿ
Those who ignore progress, will get passed by.
Drones will become as common place as data collectors, and prism poles.?ÿ
Clients will want deliverables, with aerial photography taken on the day, or week of the survey. Lidar and digital terrain models will be expected, in conjunction with the survey. Most surveys will be expected in electronic format, for integration with project goals.
But, the one thing that won't change is the hunger for a good bowl of hot beans and cornbread, or a steak, at the end of a long day.
We are at the end of a long era of change/progress.
And
We are at the beginning of a new era, where every deed is available, to the surveyor, that could possibly affect a boundary decision. Online, and readily available, to lawyers, and realtors too.?ÿ
Plats will be all online. Non recording states, will eventually become recording states.
We will still be setting corners, driving rebar, pipes, and stobs.?ÿ
Everything that can be known, about a particular piece of property will be known.
For example, you will be driving across a field, and your alarm will go off, saying "stuck vehicle alert, mud bogg ahead, turn 90 degrees left".
When you price a survey, you will be able to look at a color coded map, with "get stuck areas in red" etc.
The information age is upon us, and we will be expected to provide/integrate it, for the benefit/use of our clients. We will have to know expected uses, and liability could come from failure to anticipate.
In 20 years, many things that are gas powered, will be electric. Not by law, but because they work better. Perhaps battery powered utv's and mowers. These are here now, but not common place. These will be more common place.
An understanding of all these technologies will be needed, and put to use.
And, folks will still fight, but the format, and media for the fight will be different.
Good data will be known and recognised almost immediately, as will bad data. It won't take 20 years to be "discovered".
Weather prediction will improve, but not by a huge margin.?ÿ
Dogs still won't settle for "the internet". They will want a good walk. Where they can smell stuff, and pee.
Virtual walks won't cut it with dogs. Humans will still go "to the gym". Maybe even more.
But, that's enough speculation, for today.
I hope you enjoy the "brave new world" of today.
Nate
?ÿ
/What may become the norm is a complete disconnect between the office and field. One person will do the research and prep plus the final drafting.?ÿ The other person may never meet the first person and do all communication by phone/text/PDF/whatever the future creates to perform the field work.?ÿ The concept of responsible charge of field work by the license holder will fade into obscurity,
It is conceivable there may become multiple LS categories of licensure.?ÿ Engineering has already done that.?ÿ When I passed the PE it was simply licensure as a professional engineer.?ÿ Labels were not assigned such as civil, mechanical, electrical, etc.?ÿ The LS might follow the same example with a category for field surveyors, office surveyors, construction surveyors, whatever/whatever/whatever.
The major split would be between boundary surveying, which has an almost overriding legal component, and the other kinds of surveying, which are almost entirely about some application of measurement.
Hydrology would be another specialty, which some jurisdiction include with surveying and others don't.
I don't see an office/field split in licensing.
There might end up being a half dozen different categories.?ÿ How they are derived would depend on the various States.?ÿ This would make it far tougher to have universal testing, however.?ÿ State A might have a category for hydrology and 49 States do not.?ÿ State Q might have a construction only definition sort of category that is extremely limited while State F might have the same title but an incredibly more limited (or liberal) list of what is allowed.
The office versus field definition would leave the measurements to the expert measurers who would supply all the gear required.?ÿ The office side might focus on the legal ramifications/history/statutes/case studies and final presentation side of things.?ÿ Each side is equal as far as difficulty but the office side is the ultimate provider to the client.
One thing's for sure: nobody is ever gonna go out and survey manually again. (Unless of course if it's govt funded!) I can solo retrace all 8 corners of a section, tie most occupation in an area, and come home to 2 days of study, to put all that together. It's a bit like going to the dentist, and skipping the novacain, to save money... Nobody does that anymore!
N
One thing's for sure: nobody is ever gonna go out and survey manually again. (Unless of course if it's govt funded!) I can solo retrace all 8 corners of a section, tie most occupation in an area, and come home to 2 days of study, to put all that together. It's a bit like going to the dentist, and skipping the novacain, to save money... Nobody does that anymore!
N
Further sidetrack.?ÿ Had a molar pulled recently.?ÿ Thought the projected invoice was exceptionally higher than normal.?ÿ Discovered someone put down that two teeth were coming out instead of just one.?ÿ The oral surgeon mentioned we were about to get "them" out just before adding the magic potion into my veins.?ÿ I said only one was supposed to go and made sure he knew which one, which was very obvious.?ÿ After regaining consciousness and surviving the trip home I finally looked at the invoice.?ÿ I had paid for two.?ÿ Called the office and explained the error.?ÿ The silly twit on the other end of the phone thought I should go back to the office so they could look in my mouth to make sure only one was pulled.?ÿ I told her to ask the surgeon.?ÿ Five minutes later she called back and promised I would receive a refund in the mail.
Do not mention "no pain killer" and dentist in the same sentence.
🙂
N
Had a molar pulled recently.
Considering you have 24 of them I don't see what's the big deal about 1?
@flga-2-2
This wasn't my first rodeo, Wild Bill.?ÿ The doc and I are on a first name basis.?ÿ So.............no.?ÿ I do not have 24 (or 23) of them.
My mother had top dentures prior to her 30th birthday.?ÿ I think she was in her early 40's when the lower dentures came along.?ÿ Her mother had a full set of dentures before I was born.?ÿ Genetics are strange things.
The person measuring also needs to know what they are locating and why. If we separate the professional from that function we are doomed.
That ship sailed a long time ago.
As an example, I can think of a situation dating to the early 1990's where one person signed everything relating to a project that involved well over 1000 section corners.?ÿ I would venture to bet that person never witnessed the finding or referencing of so much as one of those corners.
The disconnect is required to put the profits into the pockets of those most removed from the field.
I hate that this is where we are.
That ship sailed a long time ago.
As an example, I can think of a situation dating to the early 1990's where one person signed everything relating to a project that involved well over 1000 section corners.?ÿ I would venture to bet that person never witnessed the finding or referencing of so much as one of those corners.
The disconnect is required to put the profits into the pockets of those most removed from the field.
I hate that this is where we are.
Years ago when I was stil fascinated with being able to "work for myself" I did a lot of "sub-contracting".?ÿ Like when the big engineering/ survey outfits couldn't get to a job I'd jump in there and pick up some crumbs. I?ÿguess I was happy with the arrangements until one day I had an epiphany.
I was in business with two other surveyors.?ÿ One was the senior, never went to the field and grubbed up work for me and the other guy.?ÿ The old man would keep 50% of the fees and us two field hands would split the rest.
A large contractor was working on building a new school designed by an out-of-state A&E firm.?ÿ The site came up short on unclassified excavation.?ÿ The A&E firm charged a butt load to figure out where the dirt would come from.?ÿ The contractor got a change-order for more bucks.?ÿ They hired the consulting firm that was doing their construction staking to cross-section the proposed borrow area.?ÿ They couldn't get to it quickly and hired us to do it.
My partner and I spent two days on the cross-sections in a 5 acre patch of sand burrs for a few hundred bucks each.?ÿ Every other entity in the 'food chain' (including our third 'senior' partner) made a lot more money on the work than I did.?ÿ And I was the one out there doing the work.?ÿ I even paid for the field book out of my own pocket!
It was then I realized that making money as a surveyor probably required more than owning some equipment and being adept at field work.
Lesson learned.?ÿ?ÿ
I knew a guy who went to the dentist to get a tooth pulled, but the dentist told him he couldn't do it because he was all out of anesthesia.
The guy said "Pull it without it then, I've withstood pain twice in my life worse than any you could deliver!"
So the dentist pulled the tooth and the guy never winced.?ÿ The dentist said, "Wow that was impressive.?ÿ Tell me about that other pain you experienced."?ÿ The guy told that he was out in the woods and needed to relieve himself and when he squatted down he tripped a bear trap that snapped right on his privates.?ÿ The dentist was in awe, and said, "You said twice in your life.?ÿ When was the other time?"
"When I reached the end of the chain."
The last 50 year's have taken us from:
Transit, tape, and clinometer
Transit / theodolite top mount EDM ....
All those things were invented, or came into commonplace use, in the 50 years before that, supplanting the gunter's chain, surveyor's compass, etc.?ÿ So it goes.
The allure of precious and rare metals will push innovations into remote sensors that can penetrate deep into asteroids and other celestial objects.?ÿ The same technology will be used to map all the topographic features of Earth, eliminating the need for aerial mapping outside of point to point inspections.
Clock precision will increase exponentially.?ÿ Terrestrial transmitters will be used for most measuring activities allowing surveyors to measure indoors, deep within Earth, and under any vegetation cover.?ÿ
Terrestrial Receivers will also contain remote sensors that allow users to precisely locate line-of-site features similar to today's reflectorless technologies.?ÿ Total stations will become obsolete.
Numerous options will exist for monumenting corners.?ÿ Caps made with a unique reflectance values will allow landowners to monitor their boundaries from the nearly continuous remote sensor mapping.?ÿ Advances in wireless power transmission will open the door to beacon like devices being placed on boundary monuments.?ÿ However, most landowners will still opt to use rods of scrap metal to demarcate their billion dollar real estate.
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You had me at "...But, the one thing that won't change is the hunger for a good bowl of hot beans and cornbread, or a steak, at the end of a long day..."
