I received such a good response to my post on the CLSA Forum about the San Joaquin County PLSS GIS project that I decided to create and maintain a simple web site to help match other surveying and GIS volunteers with organizations that can benefit from there skills. Here is the web site address:
http://www.landsurveyingvolunteers.org/
I've already got 5 LSITs that are working on the PLSS GIS project, and another 3 LSITs that are going to help with the Stockton Chiseled Crosses Project. My friend Kenny, who just graduated high school, is learning GIS as part of the Stockton Chiseled Crosses Project and will hopefully start work on a survey control GIS for a city in the California Central Valley in the next couple of weeks.
I've posted a couple more volunteer projects for my GIS user group, CCVGPG.
I encourage you to contact me about posting volunteer projects for local public agencies or state surveying association chapters. You can also post a project for a private company, as long as there is some benefit form the project for the public or the surveying profession.
Volunteer opportunities should provide the volunteers with opportunities to learn and gain practical experience.
Volunteers can also contact me to post their resumes/profiles. Only a desire to learn about GIS and land surveying is required to post a profile. Previous experience in the profession is not required.
I hope other organizations will use this web site and that both the organizations and volunteers will benefit.
I hope to post organization profiles and get a blog up soon. The blog will feature photos and news from the different volunteer projects posted on the site.
If you are involved in surveying education, and want to integrate the site into your academic program, please let me know!
You can contact me by e-mail at sunburned.surveyor@gmail.com or by phone at (209) 298-7521.
Landon
