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Thank you all for your reply which is all reasonable.
From my personal opinion & perspective, by the year 2050 or more the essence of the surveying profession is still there however, the way the surveying professionals conduct or execute surveys in the field will be backed-up by robots or Artificial Intelligence. A good example was, who surely predicted that GPS Satellite Surveying techniques will be opened & available for surveying & public use while this is only limited to military operations mid-year 1960’s. Currently, the integration of GNSS to the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is more comfortable, economical & very quick to use with a centimeter-level of accuracy applicable in surveys of a large geographical area, topographic, monitoring, assets inventory, etc. Less time in the field & even less time in data processing with the support of engineering/survey software available on the market nowadays however, it’s clearly understood that this technique & methodology has limitations. Setting-out of points/layout is not included in this technique because in order to do that surveyors & their crews are needed to go to the ground for the staking of points for the construction site or for the lot boundary of a certain parcel of land. My vision by the year 2050 or more, will ease the surveyors and their crews to go directly to the ground regardless, if it is a collection of raw data or staking out of points. Surveyor himself will only virtually survey using his personal computer and control the flying UAV from his house/office or wherever he is, to begin with, his data collection. To begin with the staking of points, UAV will release a steel rounded pin like a bullet to target the point on the ground with the exact survey coordinates. The steel pin is considered a survey monument and monitored with a GPS system that nobody is allowed to remove or else it’s a federal violation under Surveying Act or whatsoever. Therefore, in the near future although the surveying discipline/profession still exists yet the way the system evolves will reduce the amount of time to execute, reduce the need for survey crews, reduce the expenditures of the surveying firm, and could be quicker & easier to do the job. The old surveyors could still perhaps use the traditional method. ‘OLD SCHOOL, YET EFFECTIVE.
Unless bureaucrats succeed in convincing the world that what they determine behind a desk is the final work, the demand for someone schooled in history, technology, the law, and willing to assume the responsibility (and liability) of finding boundaries will always be needed.
Yes it will be needed more than actually what you think.. one the profession is experiencing and embracing alot of technology evolution And the machinery as well.. for example the Lidar ..for instance in topographic survey..so this will reduce the field work but will increase time for data analysis inorder to sort out the cloud data..in other words the field work is likely to reduce and the data analysis to make bulky..this will involve in other professionals to analyze the data..
Two as the population increases also wrangles increase in ownership of property and this will never end.
Three .. even for physical planning of cuties and places.. surveying is very vital
Yes, however I think with advancing technology and the easier it is for others to use the technology you might see the roll of the surveyor regress to more boundary and control surveys.
Road projects are becoming entirely less hands on as in no blue tops, slope stakes, etc or the contractors are starting to take that on themselves.
Drones, Lidar, etc have made it easier for other folks to create data that typically surveyors would handle.
Im not saying I agree with it but it seems to be the way the industry is going.