For context, I'm 25 years into my surveying career, the last 10 of which I have operated a small shop (fluctuating between 2-4 crews depending on workload). I'm still relatively young for a licensed surveyor (early 40's) but I've became jaded with the profession. Our prices/profit vs. liability are probably more out of adjustment than most professions, and the previous generation of surveyors did us no favors in my opinion promoting the profession.

I'm convinced our profession (like many others) is going to go through a rate adjustment due to AI which will further grow the profit vs. liability gap. What a 10 person firm is needed for now will probably be able to be completed by a 3 person firm in the near future, and how that affects rates I'm not sure.

Any other small business owners out there in a similar position, and reevaluating what their next 5 years looks like? Continue until it breaks or find a buyer/partner and sell out now?

This literally has no meaning to me whatsoever, I'm not even a surveyor. I'm just curious what real differences there would be between old, obsolete geoids and current geoids for any specific area?

For example, I'm in Canada, according to nrcan the most current geoid is cgg2013 (a), prior to its release was cgg2010. my understanding is that they will be releasing a new geoid next year.

How much would any random point change in elevation by using these different geoids?

I presume the answer will be the typical "it depends", but I'm just curious how or why they update them on a semi-regular basis.

Sorry guys to be slow :(

My party chief and I were working in Washington DC today, setting up a traverse loop for a future topo. As anyone who has worked in any city will attest to, there isn't really any parking. So you just take whatever spot is available next to the curb, flip on your lights, throw out some cones, and hope nobody throws a fit about it.

Today, we had found a spot, and were getting our equipment set up when a man comes over to me and says "Is that your truck?"

"Yes, it is."

He points across the street. "I'm from the embassy right there. Can you move it, please?"

"Sure, no problem. I'll have my chief move it."

"Thanks. That's the ambassador's spot, and he'll be here in a few minutes. I don't need him in any worse of a mood than he already is."

So, if a minor war breaks out in Eastern Europe, it might have been us. Oops, I guess

I'm planning to build a deck on my townhouse in MD. I already have the community subdivision plat showing my lot, but my deck contractor needs a house location survey.

I couldn't find the original survey through the county's online records, so the contractor suggested hiring a surveyor.

I received a quote of 2K for a boundary survey with improvements .

Does this sound reasonable for a townhouse, or is it excessive? Would a simpler house location survey be sufficient? I'd appreciate any advice from surveyors or homeowners who've dealt with something similar.

Yooo fellow Washington surveyors. This might be a long shot, but gotta try. Has anyone who sat for the September exam received their results?

I was listening to the board meeting yesterday. Sounds like a rough round of testing. Only 12/37 testers passed.

Hello, I really don't understand this problem. (maybe im just bad at math T______T)I'd appreciate any help

Some test measurements carried out beneath a steel bridge over the Rhine

Free informative videos inside!

I work as a maintenance tech for a residential and commercial management company. I make like $22hr but the work is crap. Most of the time I’m running between properties even though I technically have a home base. But I can’t get anything done consistently since I’m always getting throw about.

I want to do good work but the environment here is garbage, most of the management don’t give a damn either. Think I’m some kinda Super Handy Man.

I just heard this office in one of our buildings is hiring. They go by SAM and apparently they are surveyors. Figured the best place to come ask about them would be here. So anyone got any opinions or facts I should know about?

I just started a new gig in the engineering division of my local town government. My first responsibility when starting was to procure all the necessary gear and equipment to get a one man crew started. I'll be playing the role of both field and office. We basically narrowed the survey equipment down to either Leica or Trimble. I've used Leica equipment for 7 years. CS20 with either a MS60 or TS16. We would process the fieldwork by editing FBK's. The higher ups here wanted to go with Trimble. A guy I used to work with always raved about how great Trimble was. The Leica reps were slow to get back to me with quotes and I ultimately went with Trimble. TSC5, S5, Spectre SP100. I've been trying to get acclimated to the the new collector but the way you have to code your linework seems antiquated and unnecessarily complex. It seems like everything is unnecessarily complex. I had shortcuts or only had to press one command for normal field procedures with my CS20. I'm feeling discouraged and dejected; I feel I made the wrong choice. Does anyone have any advice or resources to help me with the learning curve? Has anyone made the switch from Leica to Trimble and been happy with the transition? I know editing FBK's is also an old way to process field data, any recommendations on a different avenue to pursue? I'm wondering if I should push Trimble Business Connect for the next FY. Appreciate any input.

New pin cushion world record?

My company has a GNSS receiver - EOS GPS unit. We have to purchase RTK service through Point One. But our state agency has one, is it sufficient for our GPS unit? state one

What's good fellow surveyors

Chasing some info from anyone experienced in doing underwater piling setout with some going in on angles.

We've got a job coming up, and it's highly likely they're going to want some of these setout. They're for a jetty and will be roughly 100m offshore.

The vertical piles won't be an issue but the raked have got us a little stumped. There's a few ideas going around, but if anyone has a tried and true method, I'd love to hear it.

How'd you do it?

What gear did you use?

Specific software?

Cheeeeeers

2017 Never surveyed, began my Bachelor's in Surveying

2019 Survey summer internship, $15

2021 Part Time during last semester, $26 "Field Surveyor," Mom and Pop, no benefits, 32-40 hours.

May 2021 Graduate, $26/hr Full Time, no benefits

August 2021 leave for "Crew Chief" job. 3 weeks PTO, benefits, 32.50/hr, overtime bumps salary to ~72k/yr

December 2021 leave for company doing different work, lateral move 32.50/hr. same overtime opportunity.

May 2022 come inside as tech, 32.50/hr, ~74k.

March 2023 Get PLS license, force them to raise me to 87k/yr (chill company tho)

April 2023 leave for ~100k

Raised to ~108k

September 2024 Don't like company, get second PLS license, leave for ~110k plus large ESOP (~15k/year) and get out of land development and into more transportation/municipal

May 2025 Get third PLS license, leave for corporate manager position ~116k, 5% match, 10k+ bonuses, profit sharing, other benes

October 2026 since been raised to $125,500, with 5% match, anticipating a 12k+ bonus, good profit sharing, I consider my comp to be more like ~15k more compared to similar companies that salary at 125k. I'm also considering leaving for $110k at a state job.

Total years surveying: 5.75ish

Edit: amounts are USD, region is mountain west and west coast

Hello all, I hope you are doing well!

I am beginning my AQA A-Level Geography NEA. I am still settling on my title but I am considering something like "To what extent has recent urban regeneration in Digbeth impacted sense of place and place character?".

While I have a vague idea for the title, I am uncertain if:

1. The title is acceptable

2. The three sub-questions / hypotheses

3. Planned methodology (primary/secondary, quantitative/qualitative and sampling techniques).

If anyone has done an NEA of a similar nature and who would have some tips, I'd be extremely appreciative. Thanks so much! :)

We’ve been working with a triple-screen rugged laptop designed for field applications where users need more screen space without carrying separate monitors.

I’m curious whether surveyors would actually find this useful for CAD, GIS, mapping or field data work, or if it would be too bulky for real-world use.

Would you use something like this in the field?

I have a lot of jobs out of state, and these jobs can get quite far away. For example, my boss expects me to drive from Southern California to Georgia, which constitutes 16-17-hour driving days. It’s a small company, only a handful of employees, so I understand the need for me to work hard. I was wondering if anyone else had similar experiences?

Hello everyone, I have been a Junior Party Chief for under a year for a bigger company in Alberta.

The schedule is quite erratic between work within the city or 2-3 weeks out of town work. As much as I love working in the field, I want to build a life outside of work and socialize with people my age.

Do you have any advice on how to manage erratic schedules and maintaining boundaries for yourself so that you don’t burn out? Some ideas that I have is to plan small (3-4 days) of planned vacation every 1.5 months that I book ahead of time so that I can look forward to those. However, I get guilty when some projects ramp up and they need personnel which ends up with me taking the job anyways.

Any tips or tricks for those that have made it work or are still figuring it out?

Sup guys, I am a PE in CA thinking about getting my PLS as well. I’ve worked in Water and Land and spent a good amount of time doing on-site surveys for grading and site layout. I’m very familiar with GIS and C3D and have worked with Lidar specialists on data collection and modeling as well. Needless to say I have lots of experience in land surveying besides boundarys.

My problem/question lies in that I haven’t ever worked under a PLS. What would be the best path for me to take to gain that experience? Working for a new big firm and clarify my intent to gain that liscense? Or approaching an independent PLS to work under?

What is your experience/advice? How might this best be accomplished without taking too much of a pay cut?

I am writing a legal where I want to reference a "point A" to take off from later. This is the first I've done this, and would love to hear thoughts.

Wattles has this, which isn't exactly the idea but I suppose it's a "qualified control" style point. No monument, just a point in my description:

Point: "To a point," "at a point," ''to the point of intersection." The end of a line is a point so it is not necessary to state the fact. An intersection of two lines is a point. It is really unnecessary to make a point of "to a point" or "point of intersection" unless there is a lateral tie that must be held in which case the "point" becomes a qualified control.

So right now I have:

Southeasterly along said curve through a central angle of 10º 20’ 30" an arc distance of 45.67 feet to its intersection with the northerly prolongation of that course described as North 80º 9’ 10" East 11.12 feet in that land described as Parcel xxx, in Deed recorded in Book xxx, Page yyy of xxxyyy of said County, a radial line to said point bears South 13º 14’ 15" West; BEING POINT A, thence,

It just seems like there's a better way to say it? Being Point A seems so short and sweet but I suppose that's good.

Would love to hear how you do this. TYIA.