Surveying Articles

phantom property (1)

Ghost Deeds and Digital Lies: The Threat of AI-Generated Land Titles and Blockchain ‘Ownership’

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Here’s the pitch these startups are selling: Why rely on outdated systems, slow bureaucracies, and “expensive” professionals to manage land records, when we can automate everything?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

FB comment

Sharing and Educating One Another

Share Articles
Surveying Presentations
Surveyor Dictionary

Surveying Articles is a place for members to Share Land Surveying related articles, presentations and knowledge with the Land Surveyors United Community. Post or embed articles for future generations of land surveyors.

Do you have an article about Land Surveying that you would like to share?

Land Surveying is a timeless art and science and it is therefore, evergreen! You may also know that a lot of older publications have gone away, unfortunately. If you have written or published land surveying articles in the past, we would be honored for you to share them here with us. If it is an older article, you can even republish it here with updates and reflections.

class="block"Tip: If you published an article in the past on one of the older sites which no longer exist, you can use the Wayback Machine to find it. Then just copy/paste the old article inside a new post here. Just be sure to tell us where it was previously posted.

Want to embed a PDF Document?

If you have a PDF document or article related to land surveying that you would like to embed inside an article post, simply copy/paste the following code block into the HTML view of the post editor and replace the BOLD part of the code with the URL of the PDF you'd like to embed.

Code to use:

TIP: You can also upload your PDF using the file upload button and then copy/paste the URL of the document you uploaded with the BOLD part of the code above to get a flippable PDF like so:

Differences between Forums, Blogs and Article posts

Forum Posts are great for asking questions which have a definate answer. Forum posts are best for a quick exchange of information between Land Surveyors United members. Please note that All Community Hubs have their own dedicated Forums so if your post is related to a specific hub, it is best to ask your question or share your tip inside the hub in which it belongs for targeted answers. For example, if your question relates to Leica equipment, ask your question inside the Leica Hub forum for best results as all members inside that hub uses the equipment in question. Likewise if your question pertains to a Location, you should consider making your post inside the appropriate hub.

Add Discussion

Blog Postsdiffer from Forum posts because you can embed and upload different kinds of information. Blog posts are best for presenting information and updates for feedback and sharing. When posting a Blog Post, you can also publish a short excerpt at the bottom which is what most members will see before reading the blog post. Blog posts are also great for posting new surveying projects and digests of links to multiple surveying topics or your own website. Things that can be embedded into Blog Posts are videos, images, slideshows, powerpoints, spreadsheets, PDFs, documents and more.

Add Blog Post

Articles are similar to Blog Posts in all ways except one. Articles allow for you to post an Author Block at the bottom with links to your contact info, website information, credentials, etc. Similar to Blog Posts, things that can be embedded into Blog Posts are videos, images, slideshows, powerpoints, spreadsheets, PDFs, documents and more. Similar to both types above, Hub Owners can add article sections and features to any hub they control on the community.

Add Article

FOTD

Photos
Videos
Audio
Advice Board
Forum

Audio

Paused... « »

8.

Land Surveying Manuals
2.

Measurement Isn’t Dead Just Yet
7.

The Weight of Monument Placement
10.

Smarketplace Vendors
9.

Changes In The Land Title Industry
4.

Surveying Arizona
5.

The Parcel Map With No Monuments
6.

How Land Surveyors Solve Problems (1)
3.

US to Drop Old Definition of Foot Measurement
1.

Fundamentals Of Surveying Study Guide

Surveying Articles

Latest
Top

Survey Legend

Pincushion Corners: How They Happen — and How Mentorship Can Stop Them

Posted by Justin Farrow on May 19, 2025 at 11:54am in Survey Business Operations, Questionable Practices, Land Surveying Markers

Land Surveyor

Chain!

Posted by DEWARD BOWLES on April 27, 2025 at 10:49am in Surveying Business

Not a Surveyor

The Hidden Role of Surveyors in Earth Day’s Mission

Posted by christopher lucas on April 22, 2025 at 5:30pm in Survey Business Operations, State of the Surveying Market, How Things have Changed

Not a Surveyor

Beyond the Boundary: Why Legal Literacy Is a Surveyor’s Best Tool

Posted by christopher lucas on May 5, 2025 at 5:00pm in Surveying Business, State of the Surveying Market, How Things have Changed

Not a Surveyor

Preserve the Line: Writing Down What the Profession Can’t Afford to Lose

Posted by christopher lucas on May 5, 2025 at 5:00pm in Surveying Business, Survey Business Operations, State of the Surveying Market

Not a Surveyor

The Death of Field Time: How Desk-Centric Surveying Is Eroding Practical Skills

Posted by christopher lucas on April 1, 2025 at 12:00pm in Surveying Business, Survey Business Operations, State of the Surveying Market

Continuing Education

Continuing Ed Forum
Futurists
GeoRadio

TUC 2025 (TopoDot User Conference) - Day 2

Check out these highlights from Day 2 of this year's awesome event!!!

00:11 - Daniel Bollone, MBA, GISP - Geographic Information Systems Administrator at The City of Winter Garden, FL

12:15 - Robyn Ryan Knaak - Partner at TopoDOT

33:00 - Natasha George - Senior CAD Tech at Hirani Engineering and Land Surveying, P.C.

50:05 - Tatiana Osuna, Geomatic Engineer and Travis St. Hilaire, Land Surveyor at Langan

01:04:25 - Mike McGill, Strategic Growth Lead, Utility Engineering at Looq AI

Week 152: Placing your "footsteps" in legal descriptions

133 views 5 likes

Channel: Trent Keenan

Presented by Ron Nelms, PLS

https://mentoringmondays.xyz/

Video length: 1:44:06
Category: Education
0 comments

TUC 2025 (TopoDot User Conference) - Day 1

Check out these highlights from Day 1 of this year's awesome event!!!

00:11 - Kevin Hardy, PLS, GISP - Vice President Geospatial Technologies at TerraMark

18:50 - Don Seals, RPLS - Lidar Survey Manager at TREKK Design Group, LLC

34:18 - Chris Siebern - Application Success Manager with Design Technology Services at Colliers Engineering & Design

58:30 - Trisha Milliken - Business Manager and Scott Graham, PSM - ETM Survey, Inc.

01:16:43 - Frank Hahnel - Laser Scanning Account Executive at NavVis

Episode 253 - Adam Schorger

In this episode, we dive headfirst into the wonderfully random life of Adam Schorger—a man who’s lived in Saudi Arabia, studied gunsmithing, wrestled with journalism, befriended GIS, and still manages to fit in gym time and screenless hobbies. Basically, he’s a one-man Swiss Army knife of the geospatial world.

The hosts, powered by caffeine and TopoDOT hype, guide us through tales of failing forward, mentoring like a boss, and building GIS empires from scratch at Orbital Engineering—because who doesn’t want a side of cartography with their asset management?

Adam also debunks the myth that GIS folks just “make maps” (spoiler alert: they’re digital twin wizards now), and drops advice for newbies who might be torn between making maps or, say, making firearms. (Just another Tuesday in Adam’s origin story.)

Throw in some gnarly punk energy from H2O, the ever-epic Geodnet satellite miner tally, a questionable raster vs. vector pop quiz, and the usual host banter that walks the fine line between insightful and delightfully unhinged—and you’ve got another can’t-miss episode.

Fail forward, ride the wave, be disruptive—and if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.

Also, don't forget to check if you can put a satellite miner on your house!!!

Week 151: Avoid Being Precisely Wrong, Vaguely Right & Other Taboos during Boundary Retracements

298 views 11 likes

Channel: Trent Keenan

Avoid Being Precisely Wrong, Vaguely Right, and Other Taboos During Boundary Retracements. Presented by Ronald Nelms, PLS

https://mentoringmondays.xyz/

Video length: 1:39:42
Category: Education
2 comments

Episode 252 - Chad Maxwell, PLS

Strap in and grab your Trimble, because Episode 252 of The Geoholics takes us on a globetrotting, tech-loving, swamp-sloshing survey saga with none other than Chad Maxwell, PLS—a man who’s mapped more terrain than your Roomba on espresso.

We kick things off with the usual “Jake Owen sings while KG wings it” intro, followed by breaking news from the land of satellite miners, career advice from the GeoSearch crew, and an ESRI pro tip that may or may not involve chair-based motivation.

Then it’s time for the main event: Chad “Every Mode of Transport” Maxwell. This guy has surveyed from 200 meters in the sky to 3,000 meters under the sea, possibly while simultaneously filing expense reports and dodging alligators in a swamp buggy. He’s done geomatics work inside a jet engine, which raises both safety concerns and curiosity about what his LinkedIn endorsements look like.

Highlights include:

A “remote-sensing-first” mindset that could make drones blush.

A heartfelt plea to ditch outdated habits (we’re looking at you, paper field books).

A shout-out to the ASPRS standards that got more love than most people's fantasy football teams.

And a lighting round that proves even surveyors enjoy filling in the blank—especially when the blank is “The future of surveying is _______.”

From nuclear reactors to the Grand Canyon, Chad Maxwell proves that the future of surveying is just one swamp buggy ride away.

Episode 251 - "TopoDot" Ted Knaak

In this data-drenched episode, Kent, Producer Sean and Russ Hall bring the heat with updates, promos, and a life-altering reminder that you can impact anyone within 3 feet…unless you’re holding a GNSS rover—in which case, give them a little more room.

Enter Ted Knaak, the President of TopoDOT and certified geospatial Jedi. Ted takes us on a journey from Jersey Shore roots to launching Riegl USA in the 90s, and then mic-dropping the geospatial world with TopoDOT in 2011—because clearly, satellites weren’t ambitious enough.

We talk TopoShare (data governance’s cooler cousin), reality capture, point clouds, paradigm shifts, ROI (Return On Innovation?), and how TopoDOT is turning surveying into a high-resolution lifestyle. It’s basically Shark Tank meets Star Trek for surveyors.

Song of the Week? Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m Goin’ Down,” which ironically pairs well with LiDAR elevation points.

BONUS: If you like brain-twisters, there’s even a boundary survey quiz, a GEODNET miner count update, and enough acronyms to crash your COGO.

So buckle up, grab your Emlid kit, and prepare to be inspired, educated, and just confused enough to start googling “blockchain RTK.” TopoDOT didn’t just draw a line—it rendered the entire surface.

Week 150: Lost Corner Restoration Methods - One, Two, and Three Point Control

293 views 10 likes

Channel: Trent Keenan

Presented by Dane Courville, PLS

https://mentoringmondays.xyz/

Video length: 1:56:45
Category: Education
0 comments

Episode 250 - Dr. Samuel Ariaratnam & Dr. Firat Sever

This week, the Geoholics hit the big 2-5-0, and what better way to celebrate than digging deep — literally — into the glamorous, pulse-pounding world of trenchless technologies and underground infrastructure! Our guests, Sam "The Sultan of Subsurface" Ariaratnam and Firat "The Pipeline Picasso" Sever, taught us that real heroes don’t wear capes — they wear hard hats and dream of pipes bigger than your average minivan. We learned that Urban infrastructure needs trenchless tech like a millennial needs Wi-Fi...Misconceptions about underground work abound — spoiler alert: it’s not just giant moles and angry dwarves down there...UESI isn’t a secret society, but it might as well be, given how it’s saving cities one buried utility at a time...Sam schools us on trenchless technologies (because who actually wants to dig giant holes anymore?)…While Firat flexes his resume by casually mentioning he built the world’s largest composite pipe — no big deal. If you ever thought digging holes wasn’t rocket science — well, it turns out it’s worse. It's way more complicated. Love the planet, love your pipes, and if someone hands you a shovel — just politely ask if they’ve heard of going trenchless. Music by Rush!

Week 149: Overview of Outreach 101 & Crew Guides created by the NSPS Workforce Development Committee

140 views 4 likes

Channel: Trent Keenan

Join us for a discussion and overview of two valuable resources created by the NSPS Workforce Development Committee:

The Outreach 101 Guide and the CrEW Guide.

Whether you're interested in getting involved with outreach efforts or upskilling your current staff, these guides offer practical tools and insights to help you get started.

https://mentoringmondays.xyz/

Video length: 1:27:55
Category: Education
0 comments

Episode 249 -Sean Gorman & Zephr

Apologies for the audio challenges...it was one of those nights!!

In this episode, the Geoholics crew sits down with serial startup whisperer Sean Gorman, co-founder of Zephr.xyz—a company so cutting-edge it probably triangulated this podcast before it aired. Sean, who grew up everywhere from Germany to the Philippines (basically Carmen Sandiego in reverse), shares how a life of constant relocation and rowing (yes, actual rowing) shaped his journey into geospatial tech superstardom.

The conversation navigates GPS spoofing, blockchain-based RTK, and turning your phone into a location-locked superhero—all while trying to make sense of GNSS like it’s not just a Scrabble score. We also learn that Sean has exited three startups and still had time to accidentally go viral for a dissertation. Casual.

From Sofi Tukker’s “Purple Hat” vibes to the WingtraGround setup that even your intern could master, this episode blends tech, travel, and topography in a way only The Geoholics can. One thing’s for sure: if location is everything, Sean’s been everywhere.

Moral of the story? Always bring a base station…and never underestimate a former rower with a PhD and a passion for satellites.

Episode 248 - Colin Sellers

The guys were joined in-studio this week by Colin Sellers—land surveyor, father, veteran, and part-time GPS wizard—joined us to discuss how moving around Georgia, joining the military, and raising a kid named Ragnarok (yes, like the Norse apocalypse) all led to one thing: a love affair with surveying that might just rival his affection for coffee.

From dodging camels in Djibouti to resurrecting section corners like Indiana Jones with a data collector, Colin shares tales of grit, GPS, and generational wisdom—especially the time he and his son turned a Nebraska project into a family bonding moment worthy of a Pixar movie.

He also dives into For The Quest, a geo-RPG that turns map-hunting into a noble pursuit, proving once and for all that surveyors can be adventurers too… just with more sunburns and fewer dragons.

And of course, it all wraps up with a dose of philosophy, family values, and a reminder that the best education often comes from the dirt under your boots—not the letters after your name. Music by Tengger Cavalry!!!

ASPRS Gulf South Region 4th Annual Geospatial Conference - Part 2

Check out these highlights from this year's awesome event!!!

01:05 - Nathan Jones, UAS/GIS Department Lead @ AG3 Group LLC

18:50 - Will Alexander, Geospatial Specialist @ Centurion Planning & Design, LLC

29:50 - Scott Dunham, Geospatial Director @ Gorrondona & Associates, Inc.

38:28 - José A. Pilartes-Congo, Jr., Ph.D. Research Assistant @ MANTIS Lab (Conrad Blucher Institute for Surveying & Science)

ASPRS Gulf South Region 4th Annual Geospatial Conference - Part 1

Check out these highlights from this year's awesome event!!!

00:40 - Vladimir Serkov, LiDAR Manager @ Poznecki Camarillo, LLC

17:30 - Alex Sorrells, Student @ Texas A&M University

31:15 - Terrance Ranney, Drone Services Manager @ UNICO Engineering, Inc.

44:25 - Stephen Anthony, Principal Geospatial Data Engineer @ CoreLogic

53:50 - Sally Holl, GIS Professor @ Austin Community College

Week 148: Whittier Tunnel 3D As-Built Surveying Case Study

227 views 8 likes

Channel: Trent Keenan

Presented by Aleksey Voloshin, PLS

https://mentoringmondays.xyz/

Video length: 1:03:53
Category: Education
2 comments

Week 147: A Real-World Look at Ethics & The Professional Surveyor

284 views 6 likes

Channel: Trent Keenan

"I just want to record a CSM/Survey Map" A real-world look at Ethics & the Professional Surveyor. Presented by Jeanette Harley, PLS

https://mentoringmondays.xyz/

Video length: 1:56:15
Category: Education
0 comments

Week 146: Ground to Grid / Grid to Ground - Simple, Right?

740 views 20 likes

Channel: Trent Keenan

Presented by Jerry Mahun, PLS

https://mentoringmondays.xyz/

Video length: 1:34:04
Category: Education
1 comments

Week 145: Stage II of the Boundary Survey Process - Conducting Field Work the NLC Way

429 views 14 likes

Channel: Trent Keenan

Stage II of the Boundary Survey Process: Conducting Field Work the NLC Way presented by Dr. Charles A. "Tony" Nettleman, III, PSM, Esq.

https://mentoringmondays.xyz/

Video length: 1:30:50
Category: Education
0 comments

Week 144: The New YSN Mentoring Program

184 views 8 likes

Channel: Trent Keenan

In this episode we’re excited to welcome the YSN Committee as they introduce their new mentoring program designed to foster growth, connection, and professional development. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about how this initiative can support the land surveying community.

https://mentoringmondays.xyz/

Video length: 1:10:42
Category: Education
1 comments

Week 143: Land Surveyor Safety

254 views 2 likes

Channel: Trent Keenan

Join us for this in-depth presentation on "Land Surveyor Safety" -- Presented by Rob McMillan, PLS.

https://mentoringmondays.xyz/

Video length: 1:31:04
Category: Education
0 comments

EP203 - Carl R. C.de Baca - Surveyors & California Fires

This week's episode of "Surveyor Says! The NSPS Podcast" takes on the serious subject of surveyors and their role dealing with wildfires. Our guest, Carl C.de Baca, a professional land surveyor with R.E.Y. Engineers, Inc. from Folsom, CA. Carl and Tim recently sat down to discuss conditions of performing parcel tracement in post-disaster condition, biohazards to consider, and compilation of records research and data collection processes. A can't miss conversation so check it out today!

NSPS Foundation Disaster Relief Help Available!

The Foundation is a tax deductible 501(c)(3) organization.

DONATE NOW to the NSPS Foundation Disaster Relief Fund here:

https://nsps.us.com/page/DisasterRelief

EP202B - NSPS Young Surveyors Network (YSN) Election 2025 - Meet the VP Candidates

Get ready to fill your NSPS Young Surveyors Network (YSN) ballot for new officers! How? Listen to this episode of "Surveyor Says! The NSPS Podcast" for a terrific conversation with the two candidates for Vice President, Farrah Etcheverry (Arizona) and Jon Geffre (South Dakota). Lots of great insights to the collaboration of this exciting group, so check it out today! YSN members are eligible to vote, so make sure you are signed up today. Elections close on December 31st!

EP202A - NSPS Young Surveyors Network (YSN Election 2025 - Meet the Secretary Candidates

Get ready to fill your NSPS Young Surveyors Network (YSN) ballot for new officers! How? Listen to this episode of "Surveyor Says! The NSPS Podcast" for a terrific conversation with the two candidates for Secretary, Stacy Pollock (Michigan) and Adam Thayer (Idaho). Lots of great insights on the collaboration within this exciting group, so check it out today! YSN members are eligible to vote, so make sure you are signed up today. Elections close on December 31st!

EP201 - Patrick Veraguth, Minnesota County Surveyor

This episode of "Surveyor Says! The NSPS Podcast" asks the question: what does a county surveyor do? It turns out to be much more than we anticipated! Patrick Veraguth, County Surveyor for Douglas and Grant County (MN), and current president of the National Association of County Surveyors (NACS), joined Tim Burch to discuss the role and much more. Pat shared the day-to-day responsibilities of the country surveyor as well as their role in informing AND protecting the public. An informative conversation, so check it out today!

https://www.countysurveyors.org/

https://surveyorsays.podbean.com/

Hello, you need to enable JavaScript to use Land Surveyors United - Surveying Education Community.

Please check your browser settings or contact your system administrator.

The Rise of Phantom Property — What’s Actually Happening

Note: this page is for Futurist members who support the community and help us sustain financially.Please subscribe to unlock this page an almost 100 surveyor tools.

Note: this page is for Futurist members who support the community and help us sustain financially.Please subscribe to unlock this page an almost 100 surveyor tools.

Note: this page is for Futurist members who support the community and help us sustain financially.Please subscribe to unlock this page an almost 100 surveyor tools.

Note: this page is for Futurist members who support the community and help us sustain financially.Please subscribe to unlock this page an almost 100 surveyor tools.

Note: this page is for Futurist members who support the community and help us sustain financially.Please subscribe to unlock this page an almost 100 surveyor tools.

Note: this page is for Futurist members who support the community and help us sustain financially.Please subscribe to unlock this page an almost 100 surveyor tools.

Note: this page is for Futurist members who support the community and help us sustain financially.Please subscribe to unlock this page an almost 100 surveyor tools.

Note: this page is for Futurist members who support the community and help us sustain financially.Please subscribe to unlock this page an almost 100 surveyor tools.