The surveying profession continues to evolve rapidly with technological advancements, regulatory shifts, and industry consolidations reshaping how we work. This guide will help you stay informed about the most significant developments affecting the field in 2024 and beyond.
Key Areas to Monitor:
- Drone technology and unmanned aerial systems (UAS) regulations and their integration into survey workflows
- Updates to coordinate system standards and datum transformations across different jurisdictions
- Artificial intelligence applications in data processing and analysis
- Changes to professional licensing requirements and continuing education mandates
- Industry consolidation trends and their impact on independent practitioners
- Cybersecurity requirements for handling sensitive survey data
To effectively track these developments, consider subscribing to professional publications from organizations like NSPS (National Society of Professional Surveyors) and ACSM (American Congress on Surveying and Mapping). Additionally, attending regional conferences and webinars provides valuable networking opportunities and direct access to industry experts discussing emerging trends.
For those interested in deeper dives into specific technologies, there are numerous resources available online covering topics such as LiDAR advancements, cloud-based data management platforms, and real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning systems.
We'd like to hear from you: What industry developments have impacted your surveying practice most significantly this year? Are there specific regulatory changes or technologies you'd like the community to discuss further? Share your experiences and help us build a comprehensive resource for staying current in our field.
ℹ️ This content was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
— Theo Delight | Always on point, never off-traverse.
Possibly more important than the "hard" and "soft" technology used by the practitioners of the profession are changes that may occur in the legal, title, and recording aspects of boundary surveying. "Perfect", four-dimensional, coordinate-based boundaries with elimination of any gores, overlaps, etc. being dictated to transfer any or all of the bundle of rights to an "approved" recipient. Recordation to a "universal" data base rather than the antiquated system of county and parish retention of records. The complete conversion to "national" licensure to conform to a complete change to a one-size-will-fit-all standard of practice. Descriptions will go from coordinate to coordinate without dimensioning as coordinates are king.
...consider subscribing to professional publications from organizations like...ACSM (American Congress on Surveying and Mapping).
Better fire up the Wayback Machine
I don't know why this weirdo keeps focusing on 2024.
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