surveying basics (1)
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:
<iframe src="https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=https://landsurveyorsunited.github.io/cssfiles/manuals/Surveying-Photos-Submitted-Land-Surveyors-United.pdf&embedded=true" frameborder="0" height="500px" width="100%"></iframe>
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.
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.
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.
Circumferentor (aka "Surveyor's Compass)
Levels and Levelling in Surveying: A Comprehensive Guide
FOTD
- Photos
- Videos
- Audio
- Advice Board
- Forum
Audio
-
8.Land Surveying Manuals
-
6.How Land Surveyors Solve Problems (1)
-
5.The Parcel Map With No Monuments
-
4.Surveying Arizona
-
10.Smarketplace Vendors
-
7.The Weight of Monument Placement
-
3.US to Drop Old Definition of Foot Measurement
-
2.Measurement Isnât Dead Just Yet
-
9.Changes In The Land Title Industry
-
1.Fundamentals Of Surveying Study Guide
Survey Of Only One Property Line
Resection or Backside
FORCED CENTERING TRAVERSE METHOD
Licensure in Florida
nikon dtm 831
Surveying Articles
- Latest
- Top
The Push to Kill Surveying Licensure: Whoâs Behind It and Why?
What Happens to Surveying If NOAA Loses Funding?
The Public Perception Problem: Why No One Knows What Surveyors Do
Donald Trump and the Potential Positive Impact on the Land Surveying Industry
In a World Without Land Surveyors: Part 2
National Surveyors Week 2025 - Articles Series
Guide for Using Hand Signals in Land Surveying
Land Surveying Techniques
Land Surveying Formulas
TYPES of SURVEYING
Measurements in Land Surveying
Land Surveyor Safety
Land Surveying Markers & Monumentation
How to Read a Land Survey
Continuing Education
- Continuing Ed Forum
- Futurists
- GeoRadio

RSS-Bridge: cURL error Operation timed out after 6001 milliseconds with 0 bytes received: 28 (https://curl.haxx.se/libcurl/c/libcurl-errors.html) for ...
Episode 246 - Kevin Pomfret, Geospatial, Space & AI Attorney and Author
What an honor! The guys were joined this week by the one and only Kevin Pomfret. As a seasoned attorney based in Washington, D.C., Kevin specializes in navigating the legal and policy intricacies surrounding geospatial information and other types of data, from AI, data privacy, cybersecurity and intellectual property to national security. His focus is on the intersection of emerging technologies and law, particularly in areas like geospatial AI, space, Digital Twins and the evolving regulatory landscape of data collection and usage. Passionate about helping organizations stay compliant while innovating, Kevin provides counsel on the complexities of geospatial data to enable responsible and informed decision-making. Music by Bob Seger!
Episode 245 - Bad Elf & Pix4D
It's been a while! The guys (and Will Wing!) were joined this week by Larry Fox, VP of Marketing & Business Development at Bad Elf and Christoph Strecha, Founder of Pix4D who shared insights into how the integration of Bad Elfâs GNSS technology with Pix4Dâs software enhances accuracy and efficiency for geospatial professionals. We dive into the collaboration between Bad Elf and Pix4D, exploring their innovative 3D scanning solution and its impact on the AEC industry. We dug even deeper into comparing traditional reality capture methods like lidar and photogrammetry, addressing challenges in 3D spatial data capture, the future of mobile 3D scanning in AEC workflows, and the ease of integration with existing surveying and scanning workflows. Music by Black Sabbath!
GEOWEEK 2025 - DAY 3
Check out these highlights from Day 3 of this year's awesome event!!!
00:30 - Colton Anderson, Co-Founder of Kartorium
13:53 - Bill Lakeland, CEO at Spexi
28:14 - Elaine Ball, Co-Founder of Get Kids Into Survey and CEO at Elaine Ball, Ltd.
46:15 - Sam Beaupre, Sales Director at Geo-Plus
1:03:32 - Mateus Sione, Regional Manager at EMLID and Max Boosfeld, CEO at Wingtra
Â
Â
GEOWEEK 2025 - DAY 2 (Part 2)
Check out these highlights from Day 2 of this year's awesome event!!!
00:10 - William Peterson, Area Sales Manager at Flyability
15:35 - Joe Hutton, Director of Inertial Technology, Airborne Products at Trimble
25:12 - Pablo Fuentes, Co-Founder and Principal at Makepath
43:32 - Dennis Hirota, President at Sam O. Hirota, Inc.
1:05:48 - Susan Brattberg, Founder and Chief Customer Officer & Jessa Tracy, Director of Marketing at Global E-Training
1:20:32 - Courtney Tovar, QA/QC Manager at Aerial Services, Inc.
1:28:20 - Marc Goldman, Director of Industry Solutions at ESRI
GEOWEEK 2025 - DAY 2 (Part 1)
Check out these highlights from Day 2 of this year's awesome event!!!
00:30 - Ryan Palfrey, Product Manager at Emesent
12:12 - Pierangelo Rothenbuhler, CTO at Pix4D
26:20 - Mario Montagna, Navy Veteran, Survey Technician, Part 107 sUAS Pilot and Student of Geography, GIS, & Geomatics
44:10 - Montana Moore, GIS Analyst at Denver Regional Council of Governments
1:00:10 - Stuart Drahota, Virtual Building Leader and Josh Destefano, Innovation Leader at DPR Construction
1:19:24 - Jason Hayes, Market Manager 3D Laser Scanning Solutions at Trimble
Â
GEOWEEK 2025 - DAY 1
Check out these highlights from Day 1 of this year's awesome event!!!
03:40 - Rami Tamimi, Founder and Head Instructor and Valeria Montero from The Survey School
18:58 - Sherry Rennick, Owner at Perspective 3D, LLC
31:45 - Dawn Zoldi, Founder and CEO at P3 Tech Consulting LLC
44:12 - Joshua Sanders, Student at Ferris State University
54:15 - Larry Fox, VP Marketing and Business Development at Bad Elf, LLC and Maithreyi Gopalakrishnan, Founder and CEO at PrecisionTerra
1:10:30 - Firas Fahoum, CTO at Galilee Surveyors, LTD
Episode 244 - The Mikes
This was one for the ages as they say! The guys were joined this week by two heavyweights in the land survey world. Mike #1 is Mike Banta, PLS who has been surveying for nearly 40 years and is the Survey Manager at Rick Engineering Company. Mike #2 is Mike Fondren, PLS who has been surveying for over 25 years and is the Survey Manager at RLF Consulting, LLC. We had SO MUCH fun discussing the evolution of land surveying, the current state of the industry and where land surveying is headed with these two legends. You're not going to want to miss this one...be like The Mikes! Music by Three Dog Night!
Episode 243 - Brian Owens, Honor, Family, Music & Words
Oh my word...yet another value adding and life changing episode! The guys were joined in-studio this week by our good friend Brian Owens. We believe Brian to be the FIRST in the "5 Timer" club! By day, Brian is the Vice President of Safety & Team Development at Buesing Corp. By night, Brian is not only a very talented musician, songwriter and author, but also a passionate crusader of workplace safety. As a philosopher, he strives to provide perspective to help people remember that the reason we work in the first place is to provide a sustainable means for the people, freedoms, and activities we all hold dear. As a safety professional, he reminds those same people that if we aren't behaving safely, and if we aren't being aggressively proactive to ensure the sustainment of our chosen ideals, we are just allowing situational circumstances to dictate the direction, and the outcome. Remember, if it ever gets hopeless, you overlooked something...let all that sink in! Music by Lynyrd Skynyrd!!
Episode 242 - Mikel Bowman - Cultural Guru @ Bowman Legacies
PSA...we're experimenting with some things so please bare with us as we fine tune the show format for 2025. On to the show...this is ALWAYS one of the most downloaded episodes of the year. The guys (and Peta Cox!) were joined this week by the one and only Mikel Bowman! We freakin love every second we get to spend with this guy and honored to call him a friend. Mikel is President at Bowman Legacies as well as a best selling author, coach, keynote speaker, leadership development coach, business and personal development coach, and mentor! There is so much value adding content in this episode that you'd be a damn fool not to give it a listen! Music by Metallica!
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
Episode 240 - SmartDrone is Your Drone Department
We love these guys and you will to! We were joined this week by Rob Cammack, Founder/CEO, Taylor Dixon, Co-Founder, Hayes Wilkinson, Geospatial Data Department Lead and Bailey Franklin, Marketing Lead all with SmartDrone. SmartDrone's mission is to revolutionize aerial surveying and mapping. Their focus is on making drone technology accessible and efficient for professionals in industries like construction, engineering, and land surveying. During this episode we explored all the cutting-edge solutions provided by SmartDrone including their flagship product, Discovery, a drone platform designed to simplify the process of collecting, analyzing, and applying high-resolution aerial data. SmartDrone's emphasis is on user-friendly software and hardware integration allowing their clients to quickly generate actionable data without extensive technical training. This episode is perfect for professionals interested in the intersection of drones, technology, and innovation in the built environment. Whether you're a seasoned surveyor, an AEC professional, or someone curious about emerging tech, youâll gain valuable insights from the leaders driving SmartDroneâs success. Music by Foo Fighters!
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!
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!
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!
EP200 - The NSPS YSN and the Future of Surveying
This weekâs recording marks the 200th episode of the âSurveyor Says!â podcast and rather than look back at where we have been, we decided to look ahead to the future of surveying. And who better to have as our guests than the current Young Surveyors Network officers, Nolan Mark, President, Cam Lowe, Vice President, and Spencer McCutcheon, Secretary.
They were all gracious enough to take some time out of their busy schedules to talk with me about what is going on right now in the profession, what are the positives we have going for us, and what the future of surveying looks like from their perspective.
A great conversation you do not want to miss!
EP199 - Carl Bert, PLS - "Training the Next Generation"
"Surveyor Says! The NSPS Podcast" is all about connecting the past, present, and future, so this episode is no exception. Our guest this week is Carl Bert, PLS, a Pennsylvania surveyor who is looking to give back to the profession through mentoring. He recently sat down with Tim Burch to discuss his introduction into surveying, the events that led him to start his own company, and why mentoring is the next chapter of his storied career. They talked about a common thread of the "art of boundary line determination" and how this unique skillset can be taught to the next generation of surveyors. An inspirational chat about our beloved profession, so check it out today!
https://www.cbasurveyconsultant.com/
EP198 - Vasileios "Vas" Kalogirou
How does a surveyor get from Greece to Texas? Our "Surveyor Says! The NSPS Podcast" episode visits with Vasileios "Vas" Kalogirou, RPLS to hear about his journey. He recently joined Tim Burch to chat about growing up in a surveying family, using his early training as an artillery surveying in the Greek army, and making the decision to be near his wife's family in the US. Vas shared his views on paying it forward by being a mentor to inexperienced surveyors and why all surveyors should share what they know. An inspiring conversation you don't want to miss!
EP197 From the Director's Desk
This episode of "Surveyor Says! The NSPS Podcast" finds your host, Tim Burch, providing news and other updates for his episode of "From the Director's Desk." He recaps the last few episodes and shares the latest updates on happenings from the world of NSPS and surveying. Tim provides updates on the 2025 Student Competition and "NGS Day" being held In Silver Spring, MD next March. He also acknowledges the generous sponsors who help provide support for the activities and advocacy within the profession:
Assurance Risk Managers
Esri
Trimble
GeoLearn
NCEES
SAM
Juliano & Associates
Land Surveyors United
Get Kids into Survey
Control Point Associates
Dioptra
IPLSA
Topcon Solution Store
QK4
Diamondback Land Surveying
EP196 - "Surveyor Shortage" - A conversation w/ Parker Zurbuch & Jessica Hess, Vincennes University
This episode of "Surveyor Says! The NSPS Podcast" digs into one of the biggest challenges facing the surveying profession, the shortage of surveyors. Our guests come from the Hoosier State via Vincennes University: Parker Zurbuch, SI (student) and Jessica Hess, PS, Program Coordinator, Surveying Technology. Parker and Jess recently joined Tim Burch to discuss Parker's school paper, "Surveyor Shortage" and how a class project has motivated a young surveyor to find solutions for this issue within our profession. While they admit there is a formidable challenge ahead, it is clear that Parker and Jess are up to the challenge. A stimulating and thought-provoking conversation you don't want to miss!
Download Parker's school paper here: https://bit.ly/ParkerZurbuch
For more information about the Vincennes surveying program, click here: https://www.vinu.edu/major/surveying-technology.html
Â
Â
EP195 - Land Surveyors United
Today's episode of "Surveyor Says! The NSPS Podcast" finds us talking with one of the legends in social media for surveyors, Justin Farrow, Founder of Land Surveyors United. Justin, along with collaborator Christopher Lucas and Texas RPLS Deward Bowles, joined Tim Burch to discuss the radical overhaul of the famous website. They spoke of providing educational resources and tools for every facet of surveying, so join us for a great conversation about how the future of sharing surveying knowledge is evolving.
For more information about the website: https://landsurveyorsunited.com/rebirth
Dave Lovell, Director at CMS Surveyors
Weâre not just surveyors, we add a lot of value in a lot of different ways.
Join two old surfies talking about the ocean, sharks, the love of the water and surveying..
Born and Bred on the North Shore of Sydney, Dave Lovell, our quiet mild mannered Director and Surveyor at CMS Surveyors talks about how he ended up in Surveying, from mining Engineering to running a company, with over 80+ staff with life long friend. On the soap box about technology eradicating mentoring and training but making surveying easier and more accessible. Touching on the importance of lifelong learning, knowing your stuff, being a mentor not just a surveyor and what you need to grow your business.Â
Some cracker one liners were quoted, "Have the right Mindset & you will get far, find the right company for you and Never be Afraid to be Challenged" âŚ
Lastly, Donât get stressed on the little things!
Find Dave on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-lovell-a94b80a/
CMS Surveyors:
https://www.instagram.com/cmssurveyors
https://www.linkedin.com/company/cms-surveyors-pty-ltd/?originalSubdomain=au
You can contact me at: â https://www.petacox.comâ  â @definingboundariesâ : https://www.instagram.com/definingboundaries/?hl=en â @surveygeekgirlâ : https://www.instagram.com/surveygeekgirl/?hl=en â LinkedInâ : https://www.linkedin.com/in/peta-cox Music by Paul Greene: â https://www.instagram.com/greenepaul/ â Red Shelf Records/Sounds Delicious Australia: â https://www.instagram.com/soundsdeliciousaustralia/
Shenanigans with Daz (Boothy) & TC (Thos)!
Somewhere at an undisclosed location, there may have been a catch up of friends for a someone's 40th birthday...
Darren (Booth) & Tom (Casey) drove the 4.5+ hours each to be here so I thought we should have a casual catch up...
They may or may not have had a couple of beers before I arrived...
Some interesting topics were discussed. Some silly buggers had!
All in all this is just a catch up between friends caught on tape.
I hope you enjoy this off the cuff chat between friends....
You can contact me at: â https://www.petacox.comâ  â @definingboundariesâ : https://www.instagram.com/definingboundaries/?hl=en â @surveygeekgirlâ : https://www.instagram.com/surveygeekgirl/?hl=en â LinkedInâ : https://www.linkedin.com/in/peta-cox Music by Paul Greene: â https://www.instagram.com/greenepaul/ â Red Shelf Records/Sounds Delicious Australia: â https://www.instagram.com/soundsdeliciousaustralia/
Georgia Rooney, Registered Surveyor at LTS
Meet Georgia!!!
How often do you get to hear the stories of a young, professional, female registered surveyors?
Georgia is the typical, fun loving outdoorsy, adventuring Surveyor. Georgia is a Registered Surveyor at Land Titling Solutions also known as LTS. Born and bred in Nelson, New Zealand, completing her degree at Otago University before moving to Australia and pursuing her registration. Georgia is the 2022 recipient of the Young Surveyor of the Year award at the Excellence in Surveying & Spatial Information Awards (EISSI). We covered all things surveying, registration and championing females in surveying. Tune in for a great chat by Sydney harbour over Lunch.
You can find Georgia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgia-rooney-386a45193/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geeeoorgia/ You can contact me at: â https://www.petacox.comâ  â @definingboundariesâ : https://www.instagram.com/definingboundaries/?hl=en â @surveygeekgirlâ : https://www.instagram.com/surveygeekgirl/?hl=en â LinkedInâ : https://www.linkedin.com/in/peta-cox Music by Paul Greene: â https://www.instagram.com/greenepaul/ â Red Shelf Records/Sounds Delicious Australia: â https://www.instagram.com/soundsdeliciousaustralia/