Surveying Articles

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 entertaining proposals to weaken professional standards, arguing that surveying expertise is an unnecessary barrier to “market innovation.” Or how Big Tech firms and AI-driven startups push the narrative that algorithms can do the job of trained surveyors, glossing over the real-world consequences of flawed, unverified data. Meanwhile, the general public remains largely unaware of what surveyors actually do, making it easier for corporations and policymakers to make sweeping changes without resistance.

The reality is stark: If surveyors continue to stay on the sidelines—passive observers rather than active defenders—their profession will be shaped by outsiders who don’t have surveyors’ best interests in mind. This isn’t about preserving tradition for tradition’s sake. It’s about ensuring that land rights remain legally sound, infrastructure remains safe, and geospatial data remains accurate and accountable.

Surveyors must take decisive action—now. Organizing, educating, and leading are no longer optional; they are survival strategies. The question is not whether surveyors should advocate for their profession, but how aggressively they must do so. Because if they don’t step up, the profession’s future will be written without them—and it won’t be a future surveyors recognize.

Why Surveyors Must Become Advocates

"If we don’t act, surveying’s future will be decided without surveyors in the room."

For decades, surveyors have let their work speak for itself. They’ve operated behind the scenes, ensuring that land boundaries are legally sound, infrastructure is safely positioned, and geospatial data is accurate. But here’s the problem: When you work in the background, people forget you’re there. The public assumes accurate property lines and reliable maps simply exist, without understanding the expertise required to establish them. And when people don’t understand something, they don’t value it.

This lack of visibility is precisely why surveying faces an existential crisis. The general public, policymakers, and even some professionals in adjacent industries fail to grasp surveying’s role in maintaining legal, economic, and physical stability. As a result, dangerous misconceptions spread unchecked. Some assume that AI and automation can replace licensed surveyors. Others argue that surveying licensure is unnecessary “red tape,” standing in the way of economic progress. These narratives aren’t just frustrating—they’re actively shaping laws and policies that threaten the profession.

Look no further than the growing push for deregulation. As detailed in The Push to Kill Surveying Licensure, well-funded lobbying groups are pressuring lawmakers to eliminate or weaken professional licensure, claiming that modern technology makes traditional expertise obsolete. If surveyors fail to counteract these efforts with strong, consistent advocacy, they risk losing their professional authority altogether.

And it’s not just deregulation. Tech companies are redefining mapping, often using flawed algorithms that prioritize speed and profit over accuracy. Consider how Surveyors vs. The Algorithm exposed the dangers of relying on AI-driven mapping tools that lack the nuanced judgment of a trained surveyor. When these systems make errors, it’s not the tech companies who suffer—it’s the public, left with inaccurate property lines, legal disputes, and compromised infrastructure.

Surveyors must take control of their own narrative. They can’t wait for lawmakers, the media, or the general public to suddenly realize how important they are. They need to actively demonstrate their value, making it impossible to ignore. This means getting involved in legislative advocacy, educating communities about the importance of surveying, and leading public discussions about land rights and geospatial integrity.

If surveyors don’t fight for their profession, no one else will. The future of surveying should be decided by surveyors—but that will only happen if they seize the moment and become vocal, relentless advocates for their expertise.

A Three-Step Action Plan for Surveyors

"The future of surveying will be decided by those who show up. Will that be you?"

Surveyors don’t have the luxury of sitting back and hoping things work out. The threats to the profession—deregulation, public ignorance, and corporate exploitation of surveying data—aren’t theoretical. They’re happening right now. If surveyors want to preserve their authority, protect professional licensure, and maintain public trust, they need to take decisive action.

The good news? This isn’t uncharted territory. Other professions, from engineers to attorneys, have faced similar existential threats and emerged stronger by mobilizing strategically. Surveyors can do the same by focusing on three key areas: organizing, educating, and leading.

Step 1: Organize—Unite Through Professional Associations

A single voice can be ignored. A thousand voices cannot. Surveyors must collectively push back against threats to licensure, professional standards, and public trust. The most effective way to do this is by working through professional organizations, like the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) and state-level surveying societies.

Here’s why organizing matters: Legislators don’t listen to scattered complaints. They listen to coordinated, well-documented advocacy. When surveyors present a united front, they gain political leverage, influencing policies that affect the profession’s future.

Consider what happened in Florida in 2022, when surveyors discovered a legislative push to deregulate surveying licensure. At first, lawmakers assumed no one would oppose it. But once NSPS and local surveying associations mobilized—sending letters, meeting with legislators, and rallying support—the bill was revised to preserve licensing requirements.

Surveyors need to make this level of mobilization the norm. That means:

• Attending Advocacy Days: Show up when your state’s surveying association organizes legislative meetings. Face-to-face interactions with lawmakers are powerful.
• Participating in Unified Messaging Campaigns: Professional groups need a clear, consistent message: Licensure protects public safety. Deregulation leads to costly mistakes. If surveyors don’t define the narrative, tech companies and deregulation lobbyists will.
• Supporting Political Action Committees (PACs): While many surveyors dislike political involvement, the reality is that legislation shapes the profession’s future. Supporting PACs that defend licensure and professional standards is an investment in surveying’s survival.

For more on why professional licensure is under attack—and how surveyors can fight back—read When Licensure Disappears, So Does Accuracy (And Public Trust).

Step 2: Educate—Lawmakers, the Public, and Future Professionals

Surveyors can’t afford to be invisible anymore. If people don’t understand the profession’s value, they won’t fight to protect it. That’s why education—both political and public—is just as important as organizing.

• Educating Lawmakers: Most politicians don’t understand surveying. They don’t know that CORS networks, geodetic reference points, and boundary law are vital to society’s stability. It’s up to surveyors to explain it to them. Keep it simple, use real-world case studies, and emphasize public safety. If legislators understand that deregulating surveying will lead to property disputes, lawsuits, and infrastructure failures, they’re more likely to protect licensure and funding.
  
  
• Educating the Public: The general public has no idea what surveyors do. That’s why they don’t push back when politicians try to deregulate surveying. If surveyors want the public to care, they need to make surveying visible. Host community workshops, launch public awareness campaigns, and use social media to explain how surveying protects landowners, businesses, and cities. Surveyors must stop assuming people will “just get it.”
  
  
• Educating the Next Generation: The profession is facing a recruitment crisis. If young people don’t enter surveying, there won’t be anyone left to fight for it in the future. Surveyors should actively mentor new professionals, speak at schools, and push universities to invest in surveying programs. If you’re not building the next generation, you’re letting the profession die.
  
  

Surveyors have already seen what happens when they ignore public perception. As covered in The Public Perception Problem: Why No One Knows What Surveyors Do, lack of public understanding has led directly to deregulation attempts, underfunding, and declining enrollment in surveying programs. It’s time to change that.

Step 3: Lead—Shape the Profession’s Future Instead of Reacting to It

Surveyors must stop playing defense and start leading the conversation. Right now, tech companies, corporate lobbyists, and deregulation advocates are shaping the future of geospatial data and surveying. If surveyors don’t step up, they’ll be left behind.

Leadership means:

• Speaking at Industry Conferences: Surveyors should be thought leaders, actively participating in discussions about geospatial technology, land rights, and public safety.
• Serving on Regulatory Boards: Instead of waiting for bad laws to be passed, surveyors should be in the rooms where those laws are written. Get involved in regulatory agencies and government advisory boards.
• Developing Industry Standards: AI and automation aren’t going away. Instead of resisting technology, surveyors should help develop ethical standards for geospatial AI. Without professional oversight, corporations will make those decisions—often prioritizing profit over accuracy.

For a deeper look at how surveyors can push back against corporate overreach in geospatial data, check out Who Owns Surveying Data? The Corporate Battle Over Knowledge.

The Time for Action is Now

"Surveyors, if you don’t fight for your profession, no one else will."

Surveying is at a turning point. The choices made now—by surveyors, not just lawmakers or tech CEOs—will determine whether the profession thrives or fades into irrelevance.

Here’s the bottom line: If surveyors don’t organize, educate, and lead, they’ll be sidelined while others decide their fate. That means deregulation, corporate takeover of geospatial data, and a profession stripped of its authority.

But that’s not inevitable. Surveyors have power. The question is, will they use it?

What You Can Do Right Now:

✅ Join your state surveying society and NSPS. Get involved.
✅ Educate lawmakers and the public—don't assume they understand surveying’s value.
✅ Mentor the next generation. If you don’t pass down knowledge, the profession dies.
✅ Advocate for professional standards, licensure protection, and fair geospatial data policies.
✅ Speak up—in legislative meetings, public forums, and industry discussions.

Surveyors, the world is watching. Will you take control of your profession’s future, or will you let others decide it for you?

The answer starts with what you do today.

For more on how surveyors can shape the profession’s future, read The Generational Knowledge Gap: Where Are the Next Surveyors?.

Professional Associations as Advocacy Powerhouses

"Surveying organizations must stop acting like passive clubs and start behaving like advocacy powerhouses. The profession depends on it."

Surveying societies, once seen primarily as networking groups, must evolve into aggressive defenders of the profession. The threats facing surveyors—deregulation, corporate exploitation of data, and public ignorance—won’t be solved by an annual conference or a well-meaning newsletter. It will take coordinated action, clear messaging, and relentless advocacy.

Professional organizations like the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) and state surveying associations need to function less like passive social groups and more like strategic policy advocates. This means lobbying legislators, launching public awareness campaigns, funding research that reinforces surveying’s value, and actively fighting deregulation efforts before they gain traction.

Take the American Institute of Architects (AIA) as an example. When deregulation efforts threatened their industry, they didn’t wait for lawmakers to make the wrong decision. They immediately mobilized their members, created public awareness campaigns, and launched aggressive lobbying efforts to protect their licensing requirements. Surveyors must do the same—or risk losing control of their profession.

What Surveying Organizations Must Do Immediately

1. Train Members in Advocacy
   
   

• Offer workshops and training sessions on how to effectively engage with legislators, draft compelling policy briefs, and advocate for surveying’s role in public safety and property rights.
• Encourage surveyors to build relationships with lawmakers before legislation threatens the profession—not after the damage is done.

Launch High-Profile Public Awareness Campaigns

• The public needs to understand why surveying matters. Surveying societies must create targeted campaigns showcasing real-world examples of how accurate surveying protects property rights, prevents legal disputes, and ensures public safety.
• Share success stories—how licensed surveyors saved a city from disastrous flooding by properly mapping drainage systems, or how a surveying error cost a developer millions. Make these stories visible and compelling.

Proactively Monitor and Influence Legislation

• Surveying organizations must track legislative threats at local, state, and federal levels. Many deregulation bills pass simply because no one was paying attention.
• Establish rapid-response teams that can mobilize members to contact legislators the moment harmful policies are proposed.
• Work closely with legal experts to craft policy recommendations that reinforce the importance of professional licensure and ethical surveying standards.

Strengthen Industry Partnerships

• Surveying groups must forge alliances with related industries that also depend on accuracy—real estate, engineering, law, and insurance. A united coalition amplifies the message that deregulating surveying is a public risk, not just a professional inconvenience.
• Partner with universities and technical schools to rebuild the pipeline of new surveyors and ensure the profession’s long-term survival.

For a deeper look at how surveyors must educate the public and lawmakers, check out The Public Perception Problem: Why No One Knows What Surveyors Do.

Immediate Steps Every Surveyor Can Take

"Don’t wait for an organization to act. Start defending your profession today."

While surveying societies must step up their advocacy, individual surveyors can’t afford to wait for someone else to act. Every surveyor, regardless of experience level, can take immediate steps to protect the profession.

1. Join Local and National Organizations—But Demand Action

• If you’re not a member of NSPS, your state surveying society, or another professional organization, join now. Numbers matter when it comes to political influence.
• But don’t just pay your dues and stay silent—demand that these organizations actively advocate for surveying. Get involved, attend meetings, and push for stronger legislative efforts.

2. Build Relationships with Legislators

• Find out who your local and state representatives are. Introduce yourself.
• Schedule meetings (yes, you can do this) and explain why surveying is essential to public safety, land ownership, and infrastructure development.
• Keep it simple and relatable. Lawmakers don’t need a lecture on geodetic datums, but they do need to understand how bad surveying leads to lawsuits, financial losses, and unsafe development.

3. Speak Publicly About Surveying’s Importance

• Host educational events for the community, students, and real estate professionals.
• Publish articles, op-eds, or blog posts that explain why professional surveying matters and what happens when standards decline.
• Use social media to share compelling, easy-to-understand stories that showcase real-world surveying failures and successes.

4. Train the Next Generation

• If surveyors don’t actively mentor and train new professionals, the profession will die out.
• Join mentorship programs, offer internships, or take on apprentices in your firm.
• Encourage young people to consider surveying as a career by emphasizing the high-tech, problem-solving aspects of the job.

For a deeper discussion on why surveyors must actively train the next generation, read The Generational Knowledge Gap: Where Are the Next Surveyors?.

Conclusion: The Time for Action is Now

"Surveying’s future depends on what you do today—not what you wish would happen tomorrow."

Surveyors, the warning signs are flashing bright red. Deregulation, corporate control over surveying data, and declining public awareness will destroy the profession if left unchallenged. The only way to fight back is through organization, education, and leadership.

Here’s the reality:

• If surveyors don’t actively advocate for licensure, it will disappear.
• If surveyors don’t educate lawmakers and the public, surveying will be redefined without professional oversight.
• If surveyors don’t step up to mentor and train the next generation, the profession will fade into obscurity.

There is no room for passivity. Surveyors must organize within professional associations, educate the public and policymakers, and take personal responsibility for leading the profession into the future.

This is your moment. Stand up, speak out, and take action before it’s too late.

For more on why corporate interests are aggressively taking control of surveying data, check out Who Owns Surveying Data? The Corporate Battle Over Knowledge.

Surveyors, your profession depends on you. Will you defend it—or watch from the sidelines as it’s dismantled?

The choice is yours. Act now.