Welcome to this week's edition of the POB eNews ...

The report, Volunteering in America 2009, found that a total of 61.8 million Americans volunteered through an organization in 2008, up one million from the previous year. America's volunteers dedicated more than 8 billion hours of service in 2008, worth an estimated $162 billion.

Of course, these positive figures will likely come as no surprise to our readers. I've been encouraged lately by a number of stories I've seen about surveying and mapping professionals who have contributed their time and skills to assist underdeveloped areas around the world through organizations such as Engineering Ministries International (eMi) and Knowledge Well , as well as their local communities.

One example is R.A. Smith National (formerly R.A. Smith & Associates and its National Survey & Engineering Division) in Brookfield, Wis., a full-service surveying, engineering and consulting firm that recently provided pro bono surveying and field layout services for the newly organized Junior Hilltoppers youth football program in Milwaukee. According to Donald C. Chaput, RLS, director of surveying, the firm supported the program because of its emphasis on youth; however, volunteering is part of the firm's corporate culture in general. "We believe that providing pro bono services to civic and community groups is part of being a good corporate citizen, so we've made it a priority to do that on a regular basis," Chaput said.

Fulfilling this initiative can become difficult when times are tough and resources are scarce. However, as Chaput noted, "It's something that has to be consistent and ongoing. You can't just volunteer when times are good--you have to make it part of your everyday life."

In addition to volunteering on a corporate level, the firm also encourages its employees to get involved in nonprofit organizations and volunteer activities on their own. The result is a ripple effect that has a far-reaching impact on communities and individuals.

These types of stories aren't always shared. Perhaps applauding such efforts seems contrary to the humility with which many of these services are rendered. But shedding light on these activities can serve as a valuable catalyst to encourage others to get involved in some type of outreach and can also help draw much-needed support for nonprofit organizations that have a positive impact.

If you or your firm has participated in a volunteer surveying or mapping project, either in your local community or on a larger scale, please e-mail me at pobeditor@bnpmedia.com. Look for stories of other volunteer projects in upcoming issues of POB.

Kristi,
POB Editor

P.S. How does your firm give back? Please share your comments in this week's Sight Lines blog.

GPS for Land Surveyors, Third Edition, by Jan Van Sickle  

A perfect working guidebook for surveyors, mappers, geographers, planners, managers, GIS practitioners, civil engineers, environmental engineers, consultants, regulators, and students. This book is written by land surveyors for land surveyors. From fundamental theory to practical application, the book covers GPS without excess pages of complicated math, yet it is not over simplified. This user-friendly manual gives you all the tools to understand and use GPS techniques in everyday practice. In a concise format, this book teaches the basics of GPS technology, common hardware, surveying methods, survey design, planning and observation, and much more! Following each chapter helpful review questions and answers. Retail Price: $89.85 CLICK HERE to purchase.  

Visit AECstore.com to view our all of our surveying resources and products!  Call Stephanie at 248-244-1275 with any questions.

What is the most
challenging
issue facing your firm?

• Lack of available work
• Keeping up with technology
• High labor costs
• Lack of skilled employees
• Competition from other firms

Take a moment to vote at www.pobonline.com. 

Z+F UK Releases LFM NetView 1.1
With alternative web share products, the resolution and accuracy of laser scan data can suffer as the data is made 'compact' to allow for efficient web transfer.

August Web Exclusives!

An Exercise in Patience
by Karen Meckel PLS
In this companion piece to this month's feature article "Ground Control in Baghdad," Karen Meckel, PLS, provides intriguing insight and additional details about the monumentation, survey plans and fieldwork that her group performed in Iraq.

Operation Firefly: Nine ways to ignite innovation and light your way out of the recession. by Kimberly Douglas SPHR
Sometimes, even the most optimistic leaders find themselves wondering, "Is there an end to this particular tunnel?" Sure there is, but you're going to have to excavate it yourself--and you're going to have to light your own way. ...

POB's 2009 Laser Rangefinder Survey
If you plan on investing in a laser rangefinder this year, be sure to check out our 2009 Laser Rangefinder Survey first. Our searchable, user-friendly format allows you to compare products so that you can make an informed purchasing decision.

KS Associates Awards Fourth Annual Akron University Scholarship India Kaczmarek, a sophomore enrolled in the University of Akron's (UA) College of Engineering, is this year's recipient of KS Associates' annual academic scholarship. U.S. Navy Awards Geospatial Services and Solutions Contract to Northrop Northrop Grumman Corporation's 3001 International, Inc. has been awarded a contract by NAVFAC, Atlantic to provide geospatial services and solutions enhancing the service's capabilities for planning, asset management, training, infrastructure, and homeland defense both at home and abroad. Topcon Selected to Provide GPS Reference Stations Topcon has been selected by the Geographical Survey Institute (GSI), an affiliate of the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), to supply GPS reference stations. ACSM FIG Forum FIG Congress Student Fellowship This fellowship award provides full funding for the Student Fellow to participate in the 2010 FIG Congress in Sydney, Australia. This is the first time for this prestigious award. Hornstra Joins Topcon as Product Planning Senior VP Mark Hornstra has been appointed senior vice president of product planning of Topcon Positioning Systems (TPS). The announcement was made by Ray O'Connor, president and CEO of TPS.  CLICK for more Industry News.

International Headlines: Angry tenants lynch landlord
The two surveyors in Uganda escaped from a lynch mob that hanged and burned the landlord of property intended for sale.

COC students excel on land surveying exam
Seven students from the College of the Canyons land surveying program, which was introduced at the college in fall 2006, sat down to take the Land Surveyor In Training (LSIT) exam in April. The test results are in: They all passed.

International Headlines: Registration board frustrating surveyors
The fear of competition from young surveyors has resulted in denied registration, according to Ugandan surveyor Ronald Luberenga. In this post, Luberenga says why the country's surveyors board should be disbanded to pave way for a new and more professional one.

County line surveyor demands pay from Bibb
Macon.com: About four months after Terry Scarborough submitted a survey of the disputed Bibb-Monroe county line, Bibb County has not paid him for his work. Scarborough calls the action a "theft of service." Bibb officials, however, say Scarborough has not fulfilled his obligations to the county. The commission is protesting the survey's findings, which show Bibb losing at least 900 acres of land to Monroe.

To read the latest Surveying in the Headlines, click here.

Joke of the Week: Food Jokes

A man walks into a doctor's office. He has a cucumber up his nose, a carrot in his left ear and a banana in his right ear. ... more

Problem of the Week: Global Positioning System (GPS): Space Segment

The TRANSIT Doppler satellite positioning system was released for commercial use in 1967 and has since been widely used. GPS technology represents an improvement over the earlier TRANSIT system in many respects. Which of the following statements correctly describes some of those improvements?

A. The orbits of the satellites of the TRANSIT systems are much more susceptible to variations in local gravity fields and atmospheric drag than are the satellites of the GPS.

B. The use of the TRANSIT system requires that line-of-sight be maintained between the stations of a network, while GPS does not.

C. The timing technology in GPS is much improved from that which was available when the TRANSIT system was established.

D. Both A and C are true.

Follow this link to access the rest of this week's Fun & Games.

The 2008 Surveying & Mapping Industry Software and Equipment CLEAReports indicate fewer plans to purchase CAD and data collector software, data collector controllers, tripods, and robotic total stations in 2009.

Learn more about future purchase intentions, highly desired brands, and software/equipment trends by contacting Sima Patel at patels@clearseasresearch.com or 248.786.1626.