Surveying Articles

The Rise of Phantom Property — What’s Actually Happening

There’s a quiet land grab happening—one without bulldozers, boundary markers, or even boots on the ground. In boardrooms and investor decks, a new breed of tech startup is pitching a future where land ownership is determined not by surveys, deeds, or courts, but by algorithms. Blockchain-based title systems. AI-generated land records. Tokenized real estate. These aren’t just buzzwords anymore—they’re the front lines of an emerging threat that could fundamentally sever legal ownership from physical ground truth.

And the surveyor? Nowhere in sight.

Here’s the pitch these startups are selling: Why rely on outdated systems, slow bureaucracies, and “expensive” professionals to manage land records, when we can automate everything? Just upload old maps, scrape tax data, stitch together some GIS layers, and use artificial intelligence to “predict” property boundaries. Register the result on a blockchain, issue a digital token, and boom

A Profession at a Crossroads — Too Few Recruits, Too Many Barriers

There’s a storm quietly brewing in land surveying—and it has nothing to do with weather. It’s the profession’s slow-burning crisis: a pipeline that’s running dry. Across the country, surveying firms are struggling to find new talent. Technical schools are reporting low enrollment in geomatics programs. Licensure numbers are stagnating—or declining. And the hard truth is this: if we don’t lower the drawbridge, the next generation simply won’t cross into the field.

The demand for surveyors is real and rising. Infrastructure is aging. Boundaries are being challenged in growing numbers. Land development is accelerating. Municipalities are digitizing records and modernizing mapping systems. The opportunities are there—but the workforce isn’t. And it’s not because young people don’t want to work. It’s because surveying has quietly become one of the most expensive and convoluted professions to break into—without the financia

The Shift to the Desk — How We Got Here

There was a time—not long ago—when the only way to become a surveyor was to spend years in the field. You learned by sweating through misclosures, dragging chains through briars, watching sun angles change your readings, and feeling the difference between solid ground and subtle sink. That kind of apprenticeship—the kind that made good surveyors great—was forged outdoors, not behind a monitor. But those days are slipping fast.

In the past two decades, land surveying has undergone a radical transformation. On the surface, it’s progress: GPS receivers accurate to millimeters, drones capturing topography in hours instead of days, office software doing in minutes what used to take a day of manual calculations. The profession has become more efficient, more productive, more… comfortable. But somewhere in that transition from steel tapes to satellite constellations, a tectonic shift occurred—not in the Earth, but in our expectations.

Today, many survey

Our feature Surveyors: The Last Defenders of Ground Truth in a Virtual World made the case for surveying’s critical role; this piece expands on how digital tools must still be grounded in reality by the profession.

Section 1: Introduction – The Role of Surveyors as Guardians of Ground Truth

In a world increasingly dominated by digital experiences, virtual landscapes, and artificial intelligence, the role of surveyors as guardians of ground truth has never been more critical—or more underappreciated. While industries race to create virtual models, simulations, and digital twins of our environment, it is the land surveyor who ensures that those representations remain rooted in physical reality.

Surveyors are the bridge between the virtual and the real. Every map, every construction project, every boundary line—whether drawn by human hands or generated by AI—begins with measurements taken from the earth itself. Yet, as technology advances, there is a growing risk that the public—and even

In The Generational Knowledge Gap: Where Are the Next Surveyors?, we addressed knowledge loss; this counterpoint suggests blending mentorship with new technologies to future-proof surveying.

Section 1: Introduction – The Generational Knowledge Gap

One of the most pressing challenges facing the surveying profession today is the growing generational knowledge gap. As experienced surveyors approach retirement, a vast amount of practical, hard-earned knowledge risks being lost—knowledge that is often not captured in textbooks, software, or training videos. This comes at a time when the profession is also facing a rapid influx of emerging technologies like AI, drones, and LiDAR, creating a perfect storm of change that threatens to sever the connection between traditional surveying expertise and modern methods.

The fear is not just that old methods will be forgotten, but that the critical thinking skills—the ability to interpret complex land records, navigate challenging field conditions, or

I. Introduction: A Profession at War With Itself

Surveying has always been a profession that demands precision, attention to detail, and a willingness to stand your ground when the data says you’re right. After all, when it comes to boundary lines, inches matter, and there’s no prize for being close enough. But somewhere along the way, that necessary professional skepticism—the instinct to double-check, to challenge assumptions—turned inward. Instead of fighting for the integrity of the craft, surveyors started fighting each other.

Spend a day inside any online surveying group—whether on Facebook, LinkedIn, or some crowded forum—and you’ll see it firsthand. A young surveyor posts a question. Maybe it’s about GPS drift. Maybe it’s about interpreting a confusing easement. Maybe they’re new, or maybe they’re just trying to learn. The first answer is helpful. The second is condescending. By the fifth reply, someone’s insulting someone else’s competence, regional knowledge, or accusing them

Our original piece The Push to Kill Surveying Licensure: Who’s Behind It and Why? examined attacks on licensure; here, we explore whether evolving licensure models might actually strengthen the profession.

Section 1: Introduction – The Importance of Licensure

Licensure is a cornerstone of the surveying profession, ensuring that only qualified individuals carry out the critical tasks that affect land rights, public safety, and property values. As discussed in previous articles, licensure protects not only the profession but also the public, providing assurance that surveyors adhere to high standards of accuracy, ethical conduct, and professionalism. Without licensure, the surveying profession risks falling prey to inaccuracies, fraud, and inconsistent practices that could undermine public trust and the integrity of the industry.

While licensure plays a crucial role in maintaining these high standards, there are increasing calls to rethink or even streamline the regulatory process. Some

While What Happens to Surveying If NOAA Loses Funding? explained the dangers of NOAA’s defunding, this counterpoint considers how surveyors can adapt by building local and private data resilience.

Section 1: Introduction – NOAA’s Role and the Risk of Defunding

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has long been a cornerstone of the surveying profession, providing essential geospatial data, tide measurements, and satellite-based observations that surveyors rely on for accuracy and consistency. NOAA’s role in the collection and dissemination of environmental data is fundamental to maintaining high standards in surveying, particularly in areas like boundary mapping, environmental monitoring, and coastal management.

However, the increasing political debates around government spending and funding cuts have led to concerns about the future of NOAA’s operations. As the possibility of defunding or downsizing federal agencies like NOAA becomes a reality, the surveying profe

In our original exploration of How AI Will Change (Not Replace) the Surveying Profession, we highlighted AI’s potential; this counterpoint reminds us that human judgment remains critical no matter how advanced the tools become.

Section 1: Introduction – Embracing Technology, But Keeping Human Expertise

Surveying is undergoing a revolution. With the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, tools like drones, LiDAR, and AI-driven software have been heralded as the future of the profession. These technologies promise increased efficiency, enhanced precision, and the ability to handle tasks that were once labor-intensive and time-consuming. Indeed, automation can improve many aspects of the surveying process—data collection is faster, analysis is more precise, and error rates are reduced.

But there’s a critical question that often goes unasked: As AI takes on more responsibilities, what role is left for the human surveyor? The tools that are revolutionizing survey

As we explore this counterpoint perspective, it’s important to revisit the original discussions that shaped the narrative around National Surveyors Week. For insights into the impact of emerging technology, see How AI Will Change (Not Replace) the Surveying Profession and The Hype vs. Reality of AI in Surveying. The critical role of NOAA was explored in Why NOAA Is The Most Important Agency You’ve Never Thought About and What Happens to Surveying If NOAA Loses Funding?. For the conversation around professional standards and licensure, revisit The Push to Kill Surveying Licensure: Who’s Behind It and Why? and When Licensure Disappears, So Does Accuracy (And Public Trust). Additionally, the importance of knowledge preservation and education was addressed in The Generational Knowledge Gap: Where Are the Next Surveyors? and How to Build the Future of Surveying Through Education. Finally, the profession’s role in defending reality was explored in Surveyors: The Last Defenders of Ground Trut

Introduction:

For centuries, surveying has been a public trust—an essential profession that safeguards property rights, ensures infrastructure stability, and provides the geospatial foundation for entire

 economies. At its core, surveying is about accuracy, integrity, and accessibility. It has long been a profession grounded in public records, open data, and professional oversight.

But in the modern era, the pillars that have upheld surveying for generations are being quietly dismantled.

We are witnessing a rapid shift toward privatization—where corporations, not professional surveyors, are seizing control over geospatial data, land records, and even the tools surveyors use to perform their work. Data that was once publicly accessible is being placed behind corporate paywalls. Automated AI tools are being marketed as replacements for licensed professionals. Regulatory oversight is being weakened under the guise of efficiency.

And the worst part? It’s happening in plain sight, but too

I. Introduction: Surveyors, Social Media, and the Illusion of Connection

Once upon a time—though not so long ago—social media arrived with a promise that felt revolutionary: connection. Platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter (now X) vowed to bring professionals together, collapsing distance, breaking down communication barriers, and making it easier than ever to share knowledge. And for the land surveying profession—an industry built on collaboration, mentorship, and collective experience—it sounded like the perfect fit. Finally, a place to swap stories from the field, troubleshoot technical problems, and pass down hard-earned knowledge from one generation to the next.

But what surveyors got instead wasn’t connection. It was extraction.

Today, Facebook and its competitors are less a gathering place for professionals and more a digital graveyard—a place where the knowledge of thousands of surveyors is mined, monetized, and buried by platforms designed not to preserve expertise,

National Surveyors Week is here, and the future of surveying has never been more important. From AI overreach to deregulation and public misconceptions, surveyors are facing challenges that will define the profession for generations. This five-day, 15-article series dives deep into these critical issues, offering clear strategies to protect licensure, advocate for the profession, and reclaim control of geospatial data. Now is the time to engage, educate, and lead—explore the full series and be part of the movement to secure the future of surveying.

Monday: AI, Automation, and the Delusion of Effortless Accuracy

AI and automation promise to revolutionize surveying, but are they delivering accuracy—or just hype? This three-part series explores the truth behind AI in surveying, its limitations, and the growing battle over who controls geospatial data.

🔹 The Hype vs. Reality of AI in Surveying: Why Tech Companies Keep Getting It Wrong
AI is often marketed as a game-changer for surveying,

The Call to Action: How Surveyors Must Organize, Educate, and Lead

"If we don’t fight for surveying, we’ll end up watching from the sidelines as our profession gets redefined without us."

Surveyors, it's time to confront an uncomfortable truth: The days of quietly excelling at your job while assuming the world will recognize your importance are over. The profession is under attack—not from an obvious enemy, but from a creeping erosion of its authority, recognition, and influence. Deregulation efforts, public ignorance, and corporate exploitation threaten to reshape surveying into something unrecognizable. And if surveyors don’t actively push back, they’ll find themselves relegated to irrelevance, watching as their expertise is devalued, their authority is stripped away, and their profession is hijacked by those who neither understand nor respect it.

This isn’t a hypothetical threat. The warning signs are everywhere. Consider how licensure has come under attack, with lawmakers entertain

The Public Perception Problem: Why No One Knows What Surveyors Do

“If the public thinks all surveyors do is fly drones, they'll never understand why your job matters—or why they should care if it disappears.”

Ask a random person what a land surveyor does, and you’re likely to get one of three responses: a confused shrug, a vague mention of maps, or an enthusiastic—but wildly incorrect—comment about drones. This is more than just an amusing misunderstanding; it’s a crisis of visibility, one that threatens the entire profession.

Surveyors play an essential role in society, defining the physical reality that underpins property rights, infrastructure, and environmental management. But to the general public, surveying is either invisible or mistaken for a tech-driven side gig, lumped in with drone hobbyists and AI-generated maps. And when people don’t understand what you do, they don’t care when it’s threatened.

This lack of public awareness isn't just a minor inconvenience; it’s a direct e

Surveyors: The Last Guardians of Reality

Surveyors don’t just measure land—they define reality. Every highway, boundary, and piece of infrastructure relies on the precision of licensed professionals who spend years mastering their craft. But what happens when corporate algorithms start making those decisions instead?

We’re already seeing the first signs of this shift. Big Tech is moving aggressively into the geospatial industry, promising instant mapping solutions using AI, drones, and automated software. Their message? That human expertise is outdated—that surveying can be reduced to an algorithm.

Surveyors know better.

The reality on the ground isn’t just a set of coordinates—it’s a complex, legally binding, historically rich, and environmentally dynamic system that requires professional judgment. An AI model doesn’t understand why a 200-year-old boundary dispute matters. It doesn’t see the difference between a shifting riverbank and a fixed property marker. It doesn’t have the accou

Why Education Is Surveying’s Lifeline

Surveying isn’t just a job—it’s a profession that requires a deep understanding of land, law, history, and technology. It’s a craft built on precision, experience, and knowledge passed down from one generation to the next.

But what happens when there’s no one left to pass it down to?

Right now, the surveying industry is facing a crisis. The average age of a licensed surveyor in the U.S. is approaching 60, and retirements are far outpacing new entrants into the field. At the same time, surveying programs at colleges and universities are shrinking—or disappearing altogether. Young people aren’t choosing surveying because, frankly, they don’t even know it’s an option.

Meanwhile, tech companies and startups are more than happy to fill the gap. Their AI-powered platforms and automated drone solutions promise “effortless” surveying, feeding the illusion that experience and expertise can be replaced by algorithms and quick-fix software.

The consequences?

Who Owns Surveying Data? The Corporate Battle Over Knowledge

"Surveying data is valuable—so why are we handing it over to tech companies for free?"

Imagine you’re out in the field, putting in the hours—walking boundary lines, verifying control points, cross-checking legal descriptions—doing the precise, meticulous work that keeps the physical world in order. Then, without realizing it, the data you just collected gets absorbed into a private database, repackaged, and sold to someone else for a profit.

That’s not a hypothetical. It’s happening right now.

Surveyors are creating incredibly valuable data—and giving it away for free. Whether it’s through publicly funded projects that get scraped by tech companies or private-sector work that isn’t properly protected, surveying professionals are fueling billion-dollar industries without seeing a dime in return.

If this doesn’t sound like a problem yet, consider this: Once a dataset is taken by a corporation, it’s no longer yours to correct, u

The Generational Knowledge Gap: Where Are the Next Surveyors?

"If the next generation doesn't step up soon, the only surveyors left will be drones running on half-baked algorithms and wishful thinking."

Imagine a future where your decades of hard-earned surveying expertise—knowledge built through long days in the field, deciphering cryptic deeds, and fighting boundary disputes in court—simply disappears. Not because your memory fails—though, let’s be honest, that’ll happen eventually—but because there’s no one left to inherit it.

The next generation of surveyors is perpetually “loading,” stuck at zero percent. The profession is staring down a knowledge extinction event, one that threatens to unravel the very foundation of land ownership, infrastructure, and geospatial accuracy.

This isn’t a distant problem; it’s happening now. Surveyors are retiring in record numbers, and fewer young professionals are stepping up to fill the void. If this trend continues, it won’t be long before survey