April 2013

All a buzz in April

I can’t believe I’m sitting here typing our April blog! Time flies! And since it’s April- you know what that means, the North Carolina Society of Surveyors Education foundation’s scholarship committee is happy, happy, happy. I love watching this process unfold, things like, reading over the applicants essays on why they are choosing to be surveyors. There is just something completely inspirational about understanding this board’s history and seeing all the contributions from those by who have graciously severed on this board before me. It just reminds me of exactly what can be accomplished when people join forces and work together. Which lends me to ask, have you ever wondered how you can get involved- It’s so simple-just contact us! In fact if you’re reading this then just hit the button above that says “Contact us”! There are so many opportunities before us that we truly have something for everyone. Also take a minute to check out www.BeaSurveyor.com always new stuff to see there, and our next meeting is coming up in May and I’m really looking forward to it. Also I never want to miss an opportunity to send out a huge “THANK YOU” to everyone who stopped by and saw us at the North Carolina Society of Surveyors Convention, and to all those who have generously supported our cause. Hope your April is Grand!! Catch you next month!

January 2013

Hey man is that a six or an eight?

Anyone who does not work in a County that does not have on-line records can’t fully appreciate the value in records research at your desk. Along with the metal detector and electronic distances measuring devises (I am still not sure which I would give up if required) comes on-line records research. Don’t leave out CADD; I know I would quite if I have to go back to hand lettering or dust off the Leroy Set. The ability to research and print documents onsite is truly a technological advancement that is of untold value to surveyors. My concern and the reason for this writing is the much too often problem of legibility. G. S. 47-30 Section (b) states “The recorded plat must be such that the public may obtain legible copies.” This section allows Register of Deeds to return the original plat to the person indicated on the plat as long as a legible security copy is maintained. We also have Standards of Practice for Land Surveying in North Carolina Section .1602 Subsection (f) that requires the results of a survey be reported in a clear and factual manner. During most every survey I run into a scanned document that I can’t read. The joy of seeing a note, in the description, that the survey is attached scours quickly when you discover that you can’t read a thing on it. Scanned Documents less than a year old that require a trip to the Register of Deeds to obtain a copy of the original should not have been placed online. I am fortunate to work in Counties that retain the original; I understand that some do not. I was visiting another State’s website and learned that they are in the process of requiring legibility at a scanned resolution of 200 d.p.i. I would guess that Counties use different procedures to secure scans for online documents and most probably include some type of quality checks before placing online; however, I think way too many are getting passed through. As surveyors we must produce plats that are legible, after scanning, by using proper lines weights and fonts sizes. I assure you that I will continue going to the Register of Deeds when need be and complain very little, but I know we can do better.

November 2012

How green is ethics?

Talking with a friend recently, I asked if he thought himself to be ethical. He responded with, most of the time, depending on how much it cost. I guess I always knew there was a relationship between cost and ethics but don’t remember it being admitted to so readily. Then what is ethics? Most every organization has a stated code of ethics, a list somewhere that addresses the good and the bad, a do’s and don’ts mandate. But does the list insure ethical behavior? I think we all agree that a well memorized code is only a code unless enacted by the individual. I find it hard to separate ethics from individual values and how those values were put in place. We get a portion of our identity from our values. Attempting to alter ones values challenges their identity and most often will result in conflict. A person nurtured in a Judo-Christian environment will most likely have a different life perspective with a different set of values than someone from a different theological background. I certainly do not intent to imply that ethical behavior is solely based on one’s faith experience but may need consideration when trying to understand another’s perspective. I was a part of an organization, in a former life that felt it necessary to state the values of the group. After a lengthy discussion we all agreed that valuing family must be the number one value on our code. At the conclusion of the meeting we were all invited to a local strip club for dinner and entertainment; I had a conflict. As a community of professionals, that are control by a standard of practice, ethical behavior must be at the center of every decision to preserve the integrity of the Surveying Profession. An old adage seems to fit good here “what you are doing speaks so loud that I can’t hear what you are saying”. I conclude with a personal observation that ethical behavior is not what we say we are, but what we do everyday.

December 2012

So you want to be a Surveyor….a perspective

I heartily applaud your consideration of being a surveyor. There are so many different choices now you can certainly find something to hold your interest and enthusiasm over a lengthy career. Looking back, surveying has been very good to me and a dream profession for me too. When I started out with that first day on the job, never did I foresee the path I would wander through my years of experiences while providing for a living for my family. OK, so sometimes the dream wasn’t always apparent while I worked a few mundane, boring projects maybe with someone I didn’t really hit it off with. But more of the good stuff! I got to work outside in some very interesting places, doing something different most days. Although the task might be the same, each project had its variances, a different location, different weather conditions, a different approach to the task, etc. Each day somehow involved a different consideration to efficiently complete the assigned project. And think about the people you work with day to day, the people you encounter along the way while completing the project……OMG what a cast of characters.

So at some point you may ask yourself “Do I really want to do this (work as an outside crew person) until I am old and gray?” For many people the answer is yes and I totally understand and respect that choice. Working outside is phenomenal, so many “inside” surveyors look forward to the opportunity to spend a day or many more back in the field. For me however, although I do look forward to my outside days, I felt a strong tug to be inside the office, marketing services, meeting clients, planning projects, working with other professionals and agency representatives. This has led into a whole new perspective, the business side of surveying and I found a whole new aspect of surveying that fuels my fire each morning to get up and at it again.

As I have been working “inside” I have felt another urge, to be involved with our surveying community. This has been a large satisfaction to be involved with teaching classes to new applicants, playing a role in the creation of a new higher education surveying degree and supporting the local and state surveying society including involvement with several committees.

Being involved is absolutely not for everyone and I could certainly be more involved. We each need to look inside of ourselves and answer our calling, whatever it may be. Surveying has been a great enabler for me, to enrich other people and the environment, to support my extended family and to nourish my interest in a solid profession. I hope for your answer to “So you want to be a Surveyor”, you state emphatically YES!

July 2012

Red, White, & Blue Education

With Independence Day coming up this week, and thinking about the NCSS Education Foundation’s mission being to aid in seeing professionally educated Surveyors. I found the following information pretty interesting. Jim Clifton, since 1988, has served as the CEO of Gallop. He wrote a book released last year all about the subject of jobs and job creation. In his book he noted that Education is a crucial factor. “Universities are a critical part of new-company formation, and America has a decided advantage because its top 100 universities … Great universities are the origin of most highly successful startups. By design, they have the best ecosystem for entrepreneurship and innovation. Universities are target-rich with inventions and smart business models. They also have a disproportionately high number of super mentors of all kinds populating them. More super mentors are highly involved in the top 100 universities in a wider variety of activities than anywhere else. The overall university system in the U.S. has been and remains the best in the world”. I have been witness to that very statement. The Be a Surveyor website, over the last few months, has received inquiries from international land surveying students seeking information on education and internship opportunities here in the states. It just goes to show that quality education is still made in the USA.

And with that in mind I want to thank everyone who has giving and/or volunteered their time to the NCSS education foundation. Accomplishing our mission is only possible with your help! Also Congratulations to our Raffle winners! Our next Directors Meeting is coming up on July 13, and I’m excited to meet the new folks who are getting on board. Until then, stay safe in this heat!

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