Best Practices and Uses for Digital Signatures

Best Practices and Uses for Digital Signatures for Land Surveyors

Hi Jim,

Glad you started this group. Jobber posted some ways to go paperless a while back in the toolbox forum, but I hope to expand my knowledge. Wondering if you might be willing to give us a brief overview of the best practices and practical uses of digital signatures for business affairs related to land surveying and surveying documentation. Very curious to learn more about this powerful technology and your thoughts on how soon surveyors should begin adopting this practice and reasons you might anticipate will hold some surveyors back from adopting.

Thanks for your insight, research and all of your hard work.

Justin,

I will be glad to expand on the use of digital and electronic signatures. There is a difference between digital and electronic signatures.

Electronic signatures are when you insert an image of your hand written signature such as that contains no private key:

Digital signatures are when you use PDF software such as PDF-XChange Pro, Adobe Acrobat or other PDF applications that will create a private key and public key of the signature. The public key you would share with others that want to verify your signature. The private key is embedded in the PDF and compared to the public key that you share with others. It is a pretty cool security feature.

I worked with the Arizona State Board of Technical Registration starting in 2002 to develop a procedure to digitally sign professional documents in lieu of the rubber stamp. Below is the design that I have been using since 2002 with some minor adjustments here and there over time.

The above Electronic Seal replaces the rubber stamp seal. This electronic seal is then inserted into word documents for legal descriptions and CADD drawings for survey drawings such as ALTA's, Results of Surveys and so forth. What's cool about this seal is that there is no size requirement. A PDF is then created from Word or CADD software. The PDF is then opened in PDF-XChange Pro and the digital signature is added to the seal.

The digital signature is embedded into the PDF with the private key. The digitally signed PDF is then sent to the county recorders office for recording or client for their deliverable that can print it out or view it in free PDF readers.

It is a pretty slick system and I have been using it for many years.

I have an article that will be coming out soon in Professional Surveyors Magazine that outlines the history of how the digital signatures have evolved. Gavin, at PSM, is also adding a history of each state as to the status of using digital signatures. This article should be published in the near future.

I also have an ebook planned that will demonstrate the entire process of creating the digital signature in PDF software and step by step process of how to use it on professional documents.

This is the general procedure. I can expand on the process as needed to help others get it started. This is the direction the future is going and I would like to see other professionals start using this tool.

Jim

Replies

Jim Crume P.L.S., M.S., CFedS July 24, 2013 at 9:38pm

To go one step further, when signing documents such as transmittal letters, etc. that do not required them to be sealed I use a facsimile of my hand written signature with a date stamp and embedded private key such as:

This the best of both worlds. I probably use this signature the most on a daily basis. This is a digital signature because of the embedded private key.

I hardly ever use just a electronic signature. There are no built in security features with an electronic signature.
Jim Crume P.L.S., M.S., CFedS July 24, 2013 at 8:49pm

Justin,

I will be glad to expand on the use of digital and electronic signatures. There is a difference between digital and electronic signatures.

Electronic signatures are when you insert an image of your hand written signature such as that contains no private key:

Digital signatures are when you use PDF software such as PDF-XChange Pro, Adobe Acrobat or other PDF applications that will create a private key and public key of the signature. The public key you would share with others that want to verify your signature. The private key is embedded in the PDF and compared to the public key that you share with others. It is a pretty cool security feature.

I worked with the Arizona State Board of Technical Registration starting in 2002 to develop a procedure to digitally sign professional documents in lieu of the rubber stamp. Below is the design that I have been using since 2002 with some minor adjustments here and there over time.

The above Electronic Seal replaces the rubber stamp seal. This electronic seal is then inserted into word documents for legal descriptions and CADD drawings for survey drawings such as ALTA's, Results of Surveys and so forth. What's cool about this seal is that there is no size requirement. A PDF is then created from Word or CADD software. The PDF is then opened in PDF-XChange Pro and the digital signature is added to the seal.

The digital signature is embedded into the PDF with the private key. The digitally signed PDF is then sent to the county recorders office for recording or client for their deliverable that can print it out or view it in free PDF readers.

It is a pretty slick system and I have been using it for many years.

I have an article that will be coming out soon in Professional Surveyors Magazine that outlines the history of how the digital signatures have evolved. Gavin, at PSM, is also adding a history of each state as to the status of using digital signatures. This article should be published in the near future.

I also have an ebook planned that will demonstrate the entire process of creating the digital signature in PDF software and step by step process of how to use it on professional documents.

This is the general procedure. I can expand on the process as needed to help others get it started. This is the direction the future is going and I would like to see other professionals start using this tool.

Jim

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