Technology Forum New Mexico Professional Surveyors Conference

Marriott Pyramid North Hotel – Albuquerque, NMMarch 23 & 24, 2012

Robert Green, PLS – Geodetic ConsultantVectors Inc. – Albuquerque, NM 87109

Email: robertg@vectorsinc.com URL: www.vectorsinc.com

Earl F. Burkholder, PS, PE, F.ASCE – NMSU Emeritus FacultyGlobal COGO, Inc. – Las Cruces, NM 88003

Email: eburk@globalcogo.com URL: www.globalcogo.com

Technology Forum – NMPS Conference – Marriott Pyramid North Hotel Albuquerque, NM – March 24, 2012

Presenter: Robert Green, PLS• Consultant and Certified Trimble Trainer (Vectors Inc.).• Former member Colorado Board of Licensure.• Extensive experience in Geodetic Surveying.• Presentation on 3-D survey of drug tunnel into Mexico.

Presenter: Earl F. Burkholder, PS, PE, F.ASCE• Served as NMPS President 2009.• Retired from NMSU Surveying Engineering in July 2010.• Wrote book, The 3-D Global Spatial Data Model (GSDM).• Currently serves as Chair – ASCE Geomatics Division EXCOM.

Technology Forum – NMPS Conference – Marriott Pyramid North Hotel Albuquerque, NM – March 24, 2012

Presenter: Robert Green, PLS• New signals in space revisited – GPS/GNSS modernization.• Narrowbanding – 2013 FCC Regulation Changes That Affect

RTK Users.

Presenter: Earl F. Burkholder, PS, PE, F.ASCE• Will post list of questions/issues on whiteboard.• Audience will be queried as to which items to discuss.

Both presenters will interject comments/answer questions.

Evaluations/feedback will be conducted at end of session.

Technology Forum – NMPS Conference – Marriott Pyramid North Hotel Albuquerque, NM – March 24, 2012

1. LightSquared Issues – will 4G be denied forever?2. Minimum Standards – Control Survey Reporting.3. Umbrella Surveying Organization – State Surveyor?4. Height Modernization – Is there any interest?5. Low Distortion Projections – Advantages/Disadvantages.6. Education/Accreditation – What levels are needed?7. Role of BOLPEPS related to education/new technology?8. Technology overview – Vendors, Software & Spatial Data.9. Business model for survival – EFB proposal to WestFed.10. Interaction - surveyors/engineers/photogrammetrists.

Audience will be asked to help choose topics to discuss.

Technology Forum – NMPS Conference – Marriott Pyramid North Hotel Albuquerque, NM – March 24, 2012

LightSquared: • Campaign promises to provide internet to masses.• Technology company buys up existing capability.• Business plan is for wholesale distribution.• Acquired spectrum rights and developing business plan.• Testing ran into problems. Checks and balances?GPS vendors:• Build to take advantage of communication capability.• Utilize uncontested spectrum.• Caught with hand in cookie jar?• Are Javad claims for filters the solution?

Technology Forum – NMPS Conference – Marriott Pyramid North Hotel Albuquerque, NM – March 24, 2012

Minimum Standards:• What is the purpose?• Who develops minimum standards?• How are minimum standards enforced?• What are consequences of ignoring minimum standards?• Specifically, minimum standards for control surveys: - What is a control survey? Is OPUS geodetic control? - Is a control survey an essential part of service to society? - What does it take to perform a control survey? - Who is best qualified to perform, Surveyor? Engineer? - Code of ethics dictates scope of practice. - How does one learn or become qualified to perform? - What is role of client?

Technology Forum – NMPS Conference – Marriott Pyramid North Hotel Albuquerque, NM – March 24, 2012

State Surveyor – service or another bureaucracy?• See Benchmarks articles Sept 2011 and January 2012.• State agency – North Carolina, South Carolina, Missouri. • State RTN – Washington State, Ohio, Michigan.• Capability within existing agency – Nebraska, Arizona.• Height Modernization – Texas, Wisconsin.• What will work best for New Mexico? - Within NM Department of Transportation? - As envisioned by NM Geospatial Advisory Committee? - Separate endeavors (how are standards enforced?): 1. City/region – Albuquerque, Santa Fe, others. 2. Private – vendors (Leica, Trimble, Topcon).

Technology Forum – NMPS Conference – Marriott Pyramid North Hotel Albuquerque, NM – March 24, 2012

Height Modernization:• Started in late 1990s – Congressional mandated study.• Typically funded with earmarks.• Within 10 years funding level $10M/yr in 10 different states.• Earmarks were not accepted funding mechanism.• NGS requested line item in their budget about 2007.• They got the line item but little funding.• Projects are funded through competitive grants.• Some states support and projects are still on-going.• Monthly Height Modernization Conference calls are good.• Height Modernization partners still collaborate.• What should NM be doing with Height Modernization?

Technology Forum – NMPS Conference – Marriott Pyramid North Hotel Albuquerque, NM – March 24, 2012

Low Distortion Projections:Advantages:• Grid and ground distance are nearly identical.• No need to use grid scale factor or elevation factor.• Many fewer digits than state plane coordinates.• Other.Disadvantages:• Can easily be confused with state plane coordinates.• Creates problems with knowing what you have.• Is only a 2-D solution – surveyors work with 3-D data.• User often does not have access to definition.• Users do not understand limitations of application. see - www.globalcogo.com/LDPvsGSDM.pdf

Technology Forum – NMPS Conference – Marriott Pyramid North Hotel Albuquerque, NM – March 24, 2012

Education – How much and at what level?• Still possible in 39 states to get license by experience. (IFF logic not applied correctly – need 3 areas to qualify?) • Education includes Assoc., BS, and graduate degrees. • Many 2-year programs do good job – at that level.• Is there a difference between: - 4-year technology degree and - 4-year professional degree?• ABET accreditation includes three different Commissions: - Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC). - Applied Science Accreditation Commission (ASAC). - Technology Accreditation Commission (TAC). • List of ABET programs – www.globalcogo.com/ABET-sur.pdf

Technology Forum – NMPS Conference – Marriott Pyramid North Hotel Albuquerque, NM – March 24, 2012

Education and Surveying Body of Knowledge:• Committee Chaired by Josh Greenfeld, NJIT (retired).• Supported/sponsored by ACSM/NSPS.• Committee: Lathrop/Paiva/Bethel/Burtch/Lucas & others. • Start with F.I.G. definition of surveying functions.• Developed Micro and Macro approaches to include: - Legal. - GIS. - Positioning. - Imaging. - Land Development.• Will be published in special issue of SALIS.

Technology Forum – NMPS Conference – Marriott Pyramid North Hotel Albuquerque, NM – March 24, 2012

Role of Board of Licensure: • Exists to protect public against incompetent practice.• Members of Board appointed by Governor.• Statute is known as Practice Act.• Board members to be commended for dedication/service.• Board hires investigators and enforces statute.• Sets/reviews qualifications for taking licensing exams.• Operates within overall regulations for state agencies.• What are consequences if: - A person offers services without being licensed? - The Board lacks technical expertise to judge correctly? - Society ignores statutory mandate of the Board?

Technology Forum – NMPS Conference – Marriott Pyramid North Hotel Albuquerque, NM – March 24, 2012

Technology and logic:• Knowledgeable professionals – must use good judgment. • Necessary and sufficient is same as “if and only if.” - Truth goes both ways – called bidirectional. - Example – state plane coordinates & latitude/longitude. - A brother is a male sibling & a male sibling is a brother.• Correlation/causation, one doesn’t necessarily cause other. - Is someone competent because they are licensed or is someone licensed because they are competent? - Is a program good because it is accredited or is a program accredited because it is good (meets minimum criteria)? - Most educated surveyors are successful but being educated does not make one a successful surveyor. - The small business with the best technology wins.

Technology Forum – NMPS Conference – Marriott Pyramid North Hotel Albuquerque, NM – March 24, 2012

Technology and logic:• Buy brand X and we’ll show you how to use it. (You will be successful if you buy brand X.)• Use this software to compute GPS positions. (The answers will be right if you input the right data.)• Truth in advertising (delivering services) is important. (When we use map projections, a foot is not a foot.)• Professionals are to operate within their code of ethics. - How does one learn to do something new? - How does one know what it is we don’t know? - Where does one learn how to learn?• Most important – Never deliver results with known defects!

Technology Forum – NMPS Conference – Marriott Pyramid North Hotel Albuquerque, NM – March 24, 2012

Western Federation of Professional Surveyors (WestFed):• Made up of delegates from 13 western states societies.• Board of Directors meets 3 times a year, discussion/policies.• Supports Education (big-time) and common goals.• Biennial conferences with host state society – next 2013.• Conference is ‘sole’ source of income – looking for others.• Recently established “Revenue” & “Direction” committees.• Brainstorming sessions for ideas . . . .• How does WestFed tie into re-alignment of ACSM?• Food for thought includes – www.globalcogo.com/WestFed.pdf

Technology Forum – NMPS Conference – Marriott Pyramid North Hotel Albuquerque, NM – March 24, 2012

Should NMPS endorse petition to NCEES?• Rhode Island society seeks support for petition to exclude

engineering surveys from definition of surveying. - Yes to the extent service to society is enhanced. - No, if purpose is “protectionism.” - No, if driving that wedge is attempt to legislate morality.• Surveying is one of several disciplines using/providing

spatial data information and products to society. - Surveying has much to offer society – build on record. - Surveying has diverse aspects and utilizes various talent. - Collaborating with other disciplines is viewed as more productive than excluding them.• Building our reputation on foibles of others is futile.

Technology Forum – NMPS Conference – Marriott Pyramid North Hotel Albuquerque, NM – March 24, 2012

End!

Technology Forum – NMPS Conference – Marriott Pyramid North Hotel Albuquerque, NM – March 24, 2012

Reputation hinges on being (or not being) a:• Hypocrite• Traitor• Charlatan• Liar Choose 3 of the 4?What is righteous indignation? How can it be useful?Rules of Logic • Necessary and sufficient• Correlation and CausationWhy should professionals aspire to mediocrity? Do we?What evidence exists that the Earth if flat – or not?